


Fate is unfair, but that's fine

by LunaMoon96



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alpha Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Alpha Jeon Wonwoo, Alpha Kim Mingyu, Alpha Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Blood and Violence, Blow Jobs, Collars, Daddy Kink, Double Penetration, Dubious Consent, Fluff and Angst, Hybrids, Knotting, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mental Health Issues, Multiple Orgasms, Omega Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Omega Verse, Omega Yoon Jeonghan, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Overstimulation, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Polyamory, Post Mpreg, Rape/Non-con Elements, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Smoking, Smut, Threesome, there's one more couple but i don't want to spoil so i don't tag sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-17 19:09:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 96
Words: 633,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20626091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaMoon96/pseuds/LunaMoon96
Summary: Joshua was born as a hybrid, but he only started to think that fate was unfair when he presented as an omega. Later, he found it even more unfair to know that the person he loved most did not love him in the same way that he had hoped.On the day he thought that his life was finally fulfilled, he was suddenly forced to face a "betrayal" from the least expected people. Never once in his life had he ever imagined that his beloved people would be the ones who push him into misery one more time.But in the end, everything was still fine. It turned out to Joshua that it was just fine for life to be unfair.Or: Joshua, an omega cat hybrid, was brought by three alphas - Wonwoo, Jun and Mingyu, and a whole new life began. However, the boy soon realized that his owners were not just "cousins" and there were hundreds of complicated problems around them, including their friend - Seungcheol - and his mate. They all became a huge mess, almost impossible to resolve.





	1. The little cat hybrid

Mingyu kept moving back and forth in the living room, while Jun was sitting on the sofa with his cellphone is his hand, scrolling and scrolling, occasionally drifting his eyes towards the silent door. Across the coffee table, Wonwoo sat quietly on the armchair reading today newspaper. He checked on his watch sometimes, too, but not as frequently as the way Jun looked at the door, too much eagerly waiting for a knock or a ring from the bell. Then there was once his look was directed to Mingyu, and he mumbled when looking back at the phone.

“Mingyu, you are making me dizzy.”

Mingyu violently scratched his head. His hair became a mess, which however was still unable to destroy his outstanding appearance. He nervously repeated this question for the nth time of this morning, and it was just five to nine then.

“What if he looks different from the photos on the website? You know, there must be a reason he was categorized to be in the cheap list…”

“Price is not important. How many times have I told you about that, Mingyu?” Wonwoo frowned a little, putting the newspaper down on his laps. “Their standard could be different from ours. All of us like him from the first glance, isn’t it the most important thing?”

“Why do you have to worry so much?” Jun sighed, also put his phone down, as both of them were way too tired of Mingyu. “They have already said that we can return the hybrid within three days. If he turns out to be different from what we have expected, then just ask them to take him back. It’s simple.”

There seemed to be fire in Mingyu’s eyes when he gritted his teeth, and Wonwoo realized his younger cousin had already been wrecked so badly.

“But I want to keep this hybrid!”

“Then shut up and wait!” Jun almost got angry, but he was immediately able to cool himself down, and suddenly sighed. Jun was rarely really angry, anyway. “You think I am not eager to see our hybrid? Of course I am. I am worried too, because the website says that he is _disobedient_. That is not what a _good hybrid_ is supposed to be…”

“Then we can train him.” Mingyu snapped, his eyes twinkling as if he really enjoyed the idea of training the hybrid. “I don’t mean that we will force him to obey by hitting him or something. I mean… we may try to _tame_ him. People usually train pets, don’t they?”

“A cat can be really difficult to train.” Wonwoo gave a calm but correct comment, which made both Mingyu and Jun nod, though hesitantly.

“And it can be very clingy, also.”

“That would be great!” There was a big bright grin on Mingyu’s face.

Jun rolled his eyes and Wonwoo clicked his tongue, not because of the idea of a clingy cat, but of Mingyu’s obvious fondness for the hybrid that they had only seen on the Internet yesterday evening. They were all quiet for about a single minute, and then the doorbell rang, which practically made Mingyu jump. Jun, who had just picked up his phone, threw it on the sofa with no hesitation. Wonwoo was the last one to approach the door, but he was the one who unlocked and opened it.

The pet shop’s owner greeted them with a big smile on his face. For a moment, three men were all questioning why the man just came here alone, then they all were not sure what he was talking anymore. Their noses, their instinct were suddenly attacked by a scent, which was too good to be real, to exist out of heaven, or it just matched their liking too well. Mingyu could not stop himself from sniffing with no shame, trying his best to inhale all the half like candy, half like rose scent. It was attractive, alluring, resembling something beautiful, irresistible, and making their inner alphas both crave and be desperate to protect the source of that scent. The candy-liked part of the scent made them feel something so naive, so innocent, and fragile. That was definitely a cat hybrid. Of my god, Mingyu had to try so hard to keep himself calm; he regretted having not thought about the fact that the scent could destroy his mind.

For sure, Jun and Wonwoo were taken aback too, but Jun was still well-controlled as he grabbed Mingyu’s arm tightly to prevent his younger cousin from jumping to the behind of the pet shop’s owner. None of them have been able to see the hybrid hiding himself behind the old man, curiosity slowly tortured their minds, and maybe, it may kill them if the man couldn’t stop talking and let them meet their hybrid right away. Although excited, the three alphas had to admit that, their heart was clenching strongly. The hybrid’s scent was too nice and delicious undoubtedly, but it was also very sour, which proves that he must be scared. Really, really frightened.

Losing all the ability to stay calm, Mingyu broke free from Jun’s hold and hastily walked towards the old man. However, realizing the client’s eagerness to see the hybrid, the old man turned around and suddenly pulled the hybrid to the front by a very tight grip on his wrist.

The hybrid gave out a heartbreaking painful sound from the action, which quickly stirred up the flame, the anger in the three alphas in a blink of the eye. Their possessive and protective instinct almost got out of control at that moment, but their heart just broke as the hybrid was unable to keep his balance after the old man’s pull, and he fell. Mingyu caught him on time. The hybrid fell safely onto his wide chest. The huge alpha instantly wrapped his arms around the hybrid, gently turning him away from the door - or from the pet shop’s owner, to be more exact - to get inside the apartment.

“I got you.” Mingyu whispered softly to the hybrid with a hope to ease out his fear.

However, he felt quite shocked when the hybrid’s scent even got more sour; he was visibly shivering so badly, so so badly. Right when Mingyu loosened his hold, the hybrid got away from his arms, trying to keep a distance from his new owner. Mingyu kept blinking his eyes : the hybrid looked too tired, almost dizzy, he could barely stand straight on his feet, but just never let Mingyu get too close to him. Mingyu stupidly stood there, staring at the hybrid, numerous feelings creeping up in his heart. Should he feel happy and excited or worried and heartbreaking now? He was not sure, he didn’t have a clue.

He got startled when the door slams, creating a very loud noise, but he didn’t fail to notice the hybrid’s flinch at that sound. Wonwoo and Jun were still giving out a lot of anger in their pheromones when they turned to Mingyu. Jun was asking _“Where is h.__.__.”_ then he fell into silence as he found out what happened after Mingyu had taken the hybrid inside. Wonwoo too, could not say a word when he stood beside Mingyu, eyes locking at the poor hybrid in the corner of the room.

At that moment, the three alphas found themselves standing like idiots in front of their newly brought hybrid. Deep down their hearts, they all wanted to jump into that boy to snuggle him, cuddle him, pet his hair, caress his back, whisper all the sweetest things on the world in his ears and shower him with all the love in their hearts. Sadly, they knew that they can’t. Judging by the way the hybrid is looking at his new masters, none of them thought that carelessly approaching that boy was a good idea.

Wonwoo admitted, that the hybrid was actually different from what they had expected from the photos on the website. They were right when assuming that the hybrid they had all decided to buy would look adorable and sweeter than ice-cream. However, he could not get mad with the difference in this case, he never could. In contrast, he just felt angry with the pet shop, the old man he had just met, anything or anyone that had broken this little creature. For a second, he unconsciously frowned under the effect of the anger burning inside him, but then regretted his own action very soon. The hybrid caught his frown really quickly, his whole body even shook more violently than before. He shrank down to somehow just half of his size that Wonwoo had seen when the old man had pulled him. The scent turned incredibly more sour, more bitter and the alphas were almost unable to find the sweet part of it anymore. Wonwoo felt his heavy heart ache, and he knew he was at fault for this. The hybrid, as being an omega, seemed to be super sensitive and he could recognize who is the lead alpha here. Wonwoo remembered seeing Jun frown, but the hybrid’s reaction had not been this pathetic. He must be more careful next time; as long as he treated the hybrid gently, the poor boy would then understand that he was safe in this place.

Meanwhile, Jun was spending his time feeling his heart fluttering in various ways because of the omega hybrid. He had such a slender frame, overall so thin, so small, and so fragile. As he was sitting at the corner of the room, hugging himself, wrapping his knees and his legs so close, so tightly to his own chest, he looked just like a little kitten. Jun thought he may get crazy for that soft, fluffy light brown hair; he just wanted to pet the hybrid so much. The hair looked definitely perfect as it matched so well with the boy’s pale skin and his small pretty face. Yet when Jun tried to look at him in the eyes, the boy was determined to avoid eye contact. His big, lovely dove-liked eyes were filled with water. He had not cried yet, at least for now, but he always looked like he was about to and may burst into tears at any time. Jun did not want to imagine how upset he would be if that unfortunately happened.

Mingyu just thought the same. He was ready to punch Jun or even Wonwoo - the eldest one among three of them - if they made the hybrid cry. However, he himself failed to see that he was the one who was having the most intense gaze placed on the small boy, keeping scanning him thoroughly from head to toes. The hybrid could not stop looking around nervously, anxiously. He never let his own eyes linger on any of the alphas for more than one second. His pink plump lips - which were too cute, too beautiful for Mingyu to stop staring at - were trembling while his nails were digging more and more deeply into his legs. From such a sight, Mingyu was no way able to hold back an exclaim, but his deep voice is much softer than usual.

“He looks so… vulnerable!”

Knowing that the sentence was about him, the hybrid immediately turned all of his attention to the tallest, biggest alpha. Wonwoo could tell, despite the fact that this boy did not look at anyone for too long, he was definitely most wary of the lead alpha until Mingyu made that comment. He got panicked, his scent just smelled like he thought that he was going to be attacked and ripped into pieces by wild fierce animals. It was a common thought that the predators were more likely to prey on the _vulnerable_ targets.

“Don’t say things like that.” Wonwoo intentionally kept his tone stable, but still powerful as the leader. “You scare him.”

Then there was a really apologetic look on Mingyu’s face, which made him suddenly look like a poor puppy. Regretfully, he was too deep in his own thought that he did not see the quick shift in facial expression of his made the hybrid slightly get relaxed. Jun started to scratch behind his neck, his voice also soft.

“I think we are suffocating him.”

“Suffocating?” Mingyu turned to his cousin, lifting his eyebrow. “We haven’t done anything yet!”

“Well, just think about it.” Jun sighed. “He is _a little omega cat hybrid_, stuck between thick walls with **three unmated alphas** that are all much bigger than him. And we are totally stranger to him. That is for sure not comfortable at all.”

“Oh!” Mingyu only understood that now. “That’s why he chose to sit near the lilies pot. The flowers’ scent must be better than ours.”

“No matter what, he has to get used to this. There’s no other choice.” Wonwoo said, almost nonchalantly, which shocked the other two a little bit, but they could not deny that fact anyway. “He lives with us, he needs to adapt to our presence.”

Staying silent for a short while, they turned to the hybrid, wanting to have a check on his reaction and attitude. Surprisingly, both Jun and Mingyu had the feelings that Wonwoo had effortlessly made the hybrid submissive to him without any announcement of him being the leader or even any direct talking. They would not tell that the boy sees Wonwoo as someone scarier than them, but his words, his scent, his actions, his everything must have had strong effects on the omega. Although the hybrid was visibly scared, he was also clearly waiting for a command, for any of them to take action.

Mingyu managed to hold back a hiss. His brain tried to process the description of the hybrid that he had read on the website last night. Who the hell on this world could believe that this kitten was _disobedient_? The pet shop’s owner even had not had to use a leash when bringing the boy here. _“Impossible, impossible, impossible,”_ that word kept repeating in his mind.

Jun looked at Wonwoo with too much hope and eagerness in his eyes. He just wished to be allowed to approach the hybrid. His patience was running short.

“Then what should we do now? Maybe… talk, I think?” He tried to urge.

Instead of a _“yes”_ or a nod, Wonwoo moved forward to get closer to the hybrid, and the others followed him right away. Promptly, the hybrid flinched, not too badly, but he was obviously fidgety and tries his best to stay away from Wonwoo’s look. However, it was also Wonwoo’s look that forced the boy to look at his master’s eyes. The hybrid could sense the unspoken command hidden in the scent and pheromones of the alpha closest to him at the present. The shivering boy swallowed his own saliva with so much difficulty when Wonwoo was just about less than half a meter away from him, but he obeyed completely: he was looking at the alpha in the eyes now.

Wonwoo slowly sat with one knee on the ground, his cousins did the same. The hybrid’s eyes averted to them for a second, but then quickly turned back to the leader. They could not believe it: no rules had been stated yet, none of them had scolded the hybrid, but he was already afraid of being reprimanded.

Wonwoo broke the silence when he began talking to the hybrid. His voice was deep as always, but not too cold; it was gentle enough to start a conversation in peace. Jun and Mingyu highly appreciated their eldest cousin for introducing himself first rather than making a question and forcing the hybrid to answer.

“I am Wonwoo.”

Seeing Wonwoo slightly turn his head to his right, Jun caught his chance to speak.

“I’m Jun.”

Then it was the last one’s turn.

“I’m Mingyu.”

Wonwoo proceeded by asking.

“What’s your name? I mean your real birth name.”

They all knew the hybrid’s name - it was written clearly in his profile on the Internet. Nonetheless, Wonwoo still wanted the hybrid to say his own name by himself. If it were not him but Jun or Mingyu, they would just do the same. The three alphas had a clear purpose of getting a hybrid, and they definitely would never treat their hybrid like an animal.

It took the boy quite a long time to respond, not because he was disobedient or anything like that. They realized, he was just too scared to speak properly, he was afraid of everything, even a harmless question requiring a very simple answer. His voice was unbelievably thin, low and shaking :

“I’m… Joshua.” After a little hesitation, he continued. “Joshua Hong.”

The three alpha felt relieved for having asked that question. They were so right, the name on the website - Koko - was not the boy’s real name, and that sounded too much like a pet’s name. Wonwoo smiled, and the other two could see that the smile surely had done something on Joshua.

“Then we will call you Joshua. Do you like that?”

Joshua was obviously trying to read Wonwoo’s smile to decide whether he could trust that or not before answering by a light nod.

“That’s good.” Wonwoo’s sentence was really encouraging. “As you can see, this is your new house. There are three of us in this apartment, no other one, and you are the fourth member.”

Jun gently smiled as he slowly leaned closer to Joshua, so slowly that the hybrid hardly saw his process.

“Don’t worry, we will not lock you inside this apartment. We will go out together sometimes.”

“We have already prepared a room for you.” Mingyu started to speak, and he grins brightly. “Of course, it still lacks many things. In fact we did not have much time. We are glad to take you to the supermarket to buy anything you need to settle in.”

After giving out strings of soothing words, the three alphas finally found Joshua’s scent gradually get sweeter a little bit as the hybrid realized that they were not monsters which only do horribly cruel things to him. His look became somehow curious; he was wishing to know more about his new masters. He wanted to know who they were, what kind of people they were, and how they were going to treat him. Though he was still shaking, he was capable of keeping eye contact now. The alphas could see Joshua’s curiosity. At the same time, they did not feel being judged by the hybrid so hard, as if he did not dare to judge his masters.

“Had you had breakfast before coming here?” Wonwoo kindly and gently asked, and that was undoubtedly his most gentle saying this morning.

They did not know why, but three of them found Joshua’s being obedient and submissive so natural and so adorable. There were no words that can describe their happiness now. They did not have to show off any power or do anything fiercely, but the boy still unconsciously agreed to obey and already started to act like their real owned hybrid. Joshua expression seemed to get more comfortable and relaxed thanks to Wonwoo caring and tender question. His shiver also became less serious. He responded more quickly, shaking his head slowly.

“So lucky, we haven’t eaten yet either.” Wonwoo smiled again, and the air just got better. The candy-liked scent was starting to spread. “We specially prepared a lot of food for you today. Do you want to eat with us?”

Jun said in a very friendly way, but Wonwoo and Mingyu could not stop themselves from feeling that their cousin had already begun to flirt.

“Our food may taste not very good to you, but I think it’s edible to everyone. So, guess that you will want to fill your stomach.”

“Actually, whether you have eaten or not doesn’t really matter. We will be glad if you can join us and eat a little bit. It’s a welcoming meal for you. We have rice with some meat, well, a lot of meat, kimchi and seaweed soup.” The bright-like-sun grin was still shining on Mingyu’s face. “That sounds nice, right?”

Mingyu’s heartbeat almost stopped when Joshua almost nodded right after his question, but the hybrid seemed to hold himself back on time in order to take a moment to reconsider their kind offer again. Then, of course, there could not be anything wrong with his masters feeding him food, especially when they were all smiling and they had not eaten either. It was fifteen past nine now, Joshua could not make them stay hungry longer just because of him. Therefore, he nodded, more than once, which made everyone’s mood light up right on the spot. The air was starting to meet the alphas’ expectation. They just wanted their cold apartment filled with alphas’ scent to get sweeter and lovelier like this.

Wonwoo did not try to hide himself inhaling deeply the omega’s scent, which startled Joshua a little bit when he suddenly realized that his master had leaned much closer to him; he had no clue when that had happened. However, he started to blush slightly and tried to avoid Wonwoo’s eyes, but the scent just even got better when it hit the alpha’s nose and lungs. He would not deny, he is possessive and quite forceful, he did not find any problems with taking in his own hybrid’s scent. He had the urge, the want, the desire to make his hybrid feel fully owned and submissive. Joshua was not stupid, he could see and understand Wonwoo’s intention, and he also had the instinct of automatically giving himself completely to his master’s power. There was no sign of protest in his mind, he was just embarrassed.

The situation reminded Jun of another important issue, and he stated straight away.

“Before we eat, I have to say about one thing. You can’t just walk out of our apartment like this. People usually use collars for the hybrids but we don’t really like that. We can do it differently.”

He pointed to Wonwoo, and Joshua was listening with intense concentration.

“I think you have already figured out, Wonwoo is the lead alpha here. He is the oldest among us. So, the best choice is to let him mark you. Then, when you go out, everyone will just think that you are a mated omega. Nobody will treat you like a hybrid, only four of us know that. I think this is good for you. Wonwoo will just have to _knot you and then leave a bite on your neck to claim you as his_. Then everything’s done. What do you think, Joshua? You want the mark or the collar?”

However, before Jun finished his question, Joshua had already shrunk to his most possible smallest size. More than ninety percent of the sweet scent that they had struggled to gain back immediately disappeared when the word _“knot”_ got out of Jun’s mouth. Joshua flinched away from both Jun and Wonwoo, breaking all the eye contacts. He shook his head, showing no will to let Wonwoo do things that Jun had said to him. Joshua returned to his shaking status, making his masters’ heart ache again, and Jun soon realized his terrible mistake. Wonwoo gave him an angry stare while Mingyu gritted his teeth, eyes filled with fire. Nobody expected Jun to state that problem so early, so straight forward like that.

Wonwoo quickly swallowed down his anger in an attempt to fix the situation, trying to make his voice softer and softer.

“We are just giving you questions, Joshua. Nothing has been decided yet, it’s all up to you. We are talking, nobody is forcing you to do anything.”

“I guess there are many nice and fancy collars out there, or on the Internet, you may like some of them.” Mingyu tried, too, and it seemed that his bright personalities really help a lot.

Joshua looked at Mingyu, then locked his eyes with Wonwoo again. One more time, he was processing many things in his mind, trying very hard to consider, to estimate what he has just heard from his owners. Jun tried to fix his own fault, asking in a heavenly gentle way.

“I think you prefer the collar, hmm, Joshua?”

Joshua looked at Jun, and again, his eyes went back to Wonwoo. Then he nodded, and the air just gets back to what it was before Jun talked about _knotting_. Jun took a long exhale in relief, both Wonwoo and Mingyu smiled. The tallest alpha’s grin got brighter when he said happily.

“I think we should have breakfast now. Joshua, let’s come and eat. I guess you are hungry just like I am, right?”

Joshua nodded again in agreement. Food always seemed to be the most peaceful and happy topic to talk about in this world. After a short conversation, the three cousins clearly saw that the boy never left any of their questions unanswered. He just needed quite much time to consider too many things, they guess. They didn’t know what made the hybrid so scared of everything like that, but Wonwoo assumed it may be his unhappy past experiences with the previous owner that made him become wary of everything. The website said that Joshua had been brought once but then got returned to the pet shop. Wonwoo still couldn’t understand it, who the hell could get rid of such a lovely kitten?

The three alphas slowly stood up, carefully stepped back a little bit so that they would not crowd the boy. Mingyu was faster than Wonwoo or Jun when he stretched out a hand towards Joshua, smiling warmly at the hybrid.

“Let’s go to the kitchen, Joshua!”

All of them had to struggle incredibly so as not to let their mouth open widely in shock because of Joshua’s reaction. They assumed such a timid, reserved boy like him to set up a thick barrier for physical contact or skinship. However, it turned out that he responded to Mingyu’s offer considerably more quickly than the way he answered their questions. Still shaking and giving off a scent filled with insecurity and uncertainty, he raised his right hand towards Mingyu. Not spending any more seconds waiting, Mingyu reached out his hand further and took the hybrid’s cold one, strongly but gently helping him getting up on his feet. Maybe Joshua was just obedient, but it’s obvious that after he stood up and got led to the kitchen by Mingyu’s hand, the sweet scent in the air became even more appealing to the alphas.

Only when Joshua fully stood up did the alphas have the chance to see thoroughly what he was wearing - they almost forgot to care about that, their minds had been too deep in his mental state rather than other things. Everything was simple but elegant: just white long-sleeved shirt with long black loose pants and white sneakers. On the other hand, though covering all of Joshua’s body, this kind of clothing was showing plainly how skinny he was. Every part of his body was bony to the point that the alphas feel they may hurt if trying to touch the hybrid. There was no doubt the boy got delighted a bit when they talked about food.

Just right at that time, realizing something abnormal with himself, the boy murmured to Mingyu, his voice seemed sorry.

“Wait a minute. I… I need to take my shoes off first.”

“Oh dear, we forgot to bring you your slippers too.” Jun quickly ran to get the new slippers for his hybrid. “So sorry babe. Do you like them? We may buy another pair to use if you don’t like it.”

Jun put the new pair of slippers down on the floor right in front of Joshua who had finished taking off his sneakers and was confusedly looking around to find where he should put them. At the same time, he was also slightly blushing due to the alpha’s talk. Enthusiastically, Jun took the shoes from the boy’s hands right away.

Joshua looked at his slippers like a kid looking at his new toys, which overwhelmingly melted Mingyu’s heart. In order to protect the kitten’s little feet, the alphas had decided to buy him the white fluffy slippers. They were not only soft but also warm, and surely comfortable. After a short while of silence, Joshua looked back at Jun to answer him. This time, Jun felt as if he had fallen head over heels for the boy. He just looked too pure, too innocent, too honest when stating _“I like them.”_ Everybody was pleased to watch Joshua put on his slippers. The boy was starting to realize, his new life with the new owners was beginning so nicely.

Wonwoo started to think, that this hybrid was well-educated. Maybe it was still too early to jump to a conclusion, but he trusted his own intuition. Joshua did not have a dumb look on his face. He was able to understand situations and other people’s mood and intentions. He had manners as well. Wonwoo was genuinely happy about that. He had not expected it in the first place, but a smart, polite and kind hybrid definitely brought him pleasure.

“Wow, he gives in so easily when we treat him nicely.” Jun whispered quietly to Wonwoo when they side by side walk to the kitchen. “And really submissive.”

Wonwoo warned him through his deep voice.

“Don’t say things like _that_ anymore and he will start to feel safe.”

Knowing what his cousin was talking is about, Jun was eager to make a promise.

“Don’t worry. I understand it now.”

The youngest alpha kept on walking and takes the boy through the kitchen’s door, which had been left opened by Wonwoo. Jun followed right afterwards, but he did not close the door. The kitchen was smaller than the living room; an opened door connecting the two rooms would help him feel less suffocated. He knew that Wonwoo was right about the fact that it was compulsory for Joshua to get accustomed to their scents in this apartment, but his heart was terribly soft for Joshua. At least for now, he would try all he can to make the hybrid feel more comfortable.

-to be continued-


	2. Eager to trust, but too scared to risk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The alphas were starting to get to know their lovely hybrid. It was not easy to progress, but they had enough patience to wait for the omega. 
> 
> But did Joshua really trust them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if anyone was confused from the first chapter, but I think I should give a brief explanation. In my story, to form a complete bond mark (mating bite), the alpha has to have sex with the omega, knotting him and then biting him. Without the sex and knot, it's impossible to form a proper mark. 
> 
> The bites won't be mentioned in this chapter, but they will appear a lot in the future.

Everyone was happy then, as Joshua appeared to be much calmer and more relaxed once he entered the cozy room with the delicious smell of food covering all over the place. The room was simple but beautifully decorated with glass windows and delicate curtains. White was the main color of this room, Joshua soon noticed that and it made his mind feel lighter. However, he could only spend about ten seconds admiring the nice room where he knew for sure he would spend a lot of time in in the future. At this moment Joshua literally could not take his eyes off the dishes which just looked too good on the round dining table in the middle of the room. Like Mingyu had said before, they really had meat, kimchi and seaweed soup. Moreover, Joshua could see some other plates of seafood. That was too much for a breakfast. Joshua imagined that if he were allowed to eat to the most as he wanted, he would not need lunch anymore.

At the kitchen counter, Wonwoo asked while he was preparing bowls of rice for them all.

“Hey Joshua, what do you like to drink? We have some milk, grape juice, lemonade, and coffee also.”

Determined to make the hybrid choose by himself, Wonwoo forced an eye contact again. Fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, Joshua anxiously tried to think what to choose, but this was so difficult for him. Everything sounded equally nice, he would drink anything they gave him. His mind could not tell which one was better. However, under the pressure of Wonwoo’s eyes, he was forced to pick one.

“I… want lemonade.”

“Okay.” Wonwoo smiled, and Joshua immediately felt relaxed. “I will get some for you. Wait a bit.”

“Oh my god, Joshua ah, you even smell better than the food.”

Jun exclaimed out of the blue, which made Mingyu giggle while Joshua’s face turned pink. Wonwoo honestly did not really approve of Jun’s behaviors, but he gradually changed his mind as he could see Joshua showing no discomfort with such compliments. Maybe, he was just too naive to recognize how flirty those comments were.

Mingyu let go of Joshua hand to pull the chair which was the closest to the hybrid. Right then, the alpha was surprised by the boy: he did not seem to care about his action at all. Joshua was still staring at the food on the table.

“Joshua, take a seat.” Mingyu tried asking him gently.

“Take… take a seat?” Joshua immediately looked at Mingyu with wide eyes. “I am allowed to… sit with you?”

“Why not?” Jun and Mingyu asked simultaneously in amazement.

Putting the bowls of rice on the table, Wonwoo decided not to ask questions like his cousins. He just made the hybrid understand how he would live with them, stating firmly.

“Of course we will sit and eat together till the end of our lives, Joshua. You see, we have four chairs here.”

Soon enough, Jun realized a truth.

“Oh, your previous owner didn’t eat with you???”

The three alphas had thought that they could stay happy for the rest of the day until they saw Joshua’s reaction at the mention of his previous owner. He quivered, ducking his head. His fingers held onto each other quite violently, his lips also trembled. The scent turned incredibly bitter and full of pain. Jun wanted to kill himself for accidentally saying things that the hybrid would not want to think of twice in just a short period of time. Mingyu scrunched his nose, quickly grabbing the hybrid’s hand by his both hands to offer him so much warmth and loving care. He clicked his tongue.

“That bastard didn’t treat you well at all. Don’t worry, if we see him, we will punish him for you, agree?”

Joshua looked up to scan Mingyu’s face, and he found no lie underlying in his expression or words. At the same time, he could sense the other two alphas trying to hold back their anger but they were still giving off so much fierce pheromones. However, he understood that their anger meant hatred for his previous owner, not for him. As long as their negative attitudes were directed towards _that man_, not him, he felt relieved. Quicker than the alphas’ expectation, Joshua soon stopped thinking about his previous owner and pays his attention to the food again. At that moment, his scent returned to the good state, not pleasant yet, but at least as sweet as how an omega’s scent is supposed be, also pretty calm and stable. He was feeling protected.

“Let’s sit down.” Mingyu spoke and did the same, slightly dragging Joshua to sit on the pulled chair.

Joshua did not reject; he viewed that saying as an order. The boy seemed to get astonished by the alphas’ requests sometimes, but he always obeyed. However, he sat there, looking at Wonwoo and Jun awkwardly while they were still preparing some of the last necessary things for the breakfast. He half wanted to stand up, half tried to stay still because Mingyu had already asked him to sit down previously. Looking at the lovely hybrid, Wonwoo smiled, placing the glass of lemonade in front of the boy, then moved his hand to stroke the soft brown hair.

“We made this meal to welcome you, Joshua. You don’t have to do anything, just enjoy it.”

Joshua got startled for a second at the touch of Wonwoo’s hand on his head, but his attitude considerably changed right away. His shoulders shrank a little bit, but he obviously leaned to the gentle touch. Wonwoo felt like someone had just thrown a candy bag to his face. His nose was suddenly too full of the sweet and flowery scent from the omega and he crazily loved that so much.

Still busy at the counter getting coffee for his cousins, Jun immediately turned his neck around to find the reason of such a wonderful change in the atmosphere; he was unable to smell the coffee anymore. Mingyu was staring unblinkingly at Joshua in bewilderment. Now they knew, their little kitten had a great desire for love and affection. They were still not sure what kind of intimate action would cross the line but they had no doubt about the fact that the more love Joshua felt, the happier he was.

Wonwoo wholeheartedly admired the way Joshua looked up at him, also looking up to him at the moment. Then the hybrid spoke again, sounding shy and grateful at the same time, but even sweeter than honey, making it extremely hard for the alphas to handle.

“Thank you… master.”

Jun almost dropped the cup of coffee in his hands; Mingyu choked on his own saliva and started to cough. Wonwoo hands were frozen when the word _“master”_ coming out from Joshua’s mouth triggered his inner alpha too much. Fortunately, he woke himself up and continued to pet the hybrid’s hair as soon as the boy seemed to be scared again by everyone’s sudden strange reaction.

“Such a good boy.” Wonwoo complimented and saw the boy’s eyes shine brighter. “Eat as much as you want. Don’t worry, I think this table is enough for six people.”

Joshua nodded with a docile look on his face. Mingyu held back a grumpy hiss, desperately wishing that he could attain the ability to manipulate the hybrid as easily as what Wonwoo was doing. Anyway, he was helpless; he could understand that Joshua felt safe under the lead alpha’s power. Both Mingyu and Jun had made stupid comments - his ones were less serious though - and Wonwoo had been the one who told them off, showcasing his undeniable authority in this house. Mingyu tried to remind himself that he was the first one to hold Joshua’s hand and successfully made him sit down at the dining table. His mood slowly cooled down enough for him to look at the hybrid again. Now, Wonwoo had already seated too and Jun just followed a second later. Mingyu and Jun were on the sides of Joshua, whereas Wonwoo was sitting at the opposite position.

All the three alphas quickly began to eat as they knew Joshua was such a good boy that he would never start before his masters and they did not want to make him wait any longer. Hesitantly, the hybrid picked up his chopsticks by his still slightly shaking hands, nervously stretching out his arms to get a small piece of meat. He did not stop anxiously looking around at his masters, but they all decided to ignore his look and eat normally. He would surely get more uncomfortable if they also paid too much of their attention to him. Moreover, they had all agreed last night that they would not ask their hybrid to give comments about the food cooked by his master. It was just useless, because a hybrid would never dare to judge his masters’ works.

“This might be the best meat you have ever made in your life, Gyu.” Jun mockingly said, which made Mingyu pout. “Or you sneaked out this morning and buy it somewhere?”

“I made it all myself!” Mingyu’s voice got loud and high. “At least I can cook the meat, Jun. You only know making the soup.”

Jun just shrugged, not considering what he had just heard as an insult or anything serious. Mingyu made a sulky face towards his cousin then turned to Joshua, starting to make conversations in the middle of their breakfast.

“You know, we have never had any hybrids in our house before. I have always thought that we can see your ears and tail at any time, but it turns out that I was wrong. So… when will they appear, or pop out? Can you control that?”

Jun and Wonwoo focused on Joshua as they were curious too. With such appearance, the boy looked like any other normal human. His scent did not reveal his hybrid identity either, but they believed that part of him is still a cat, and that must be occasionally visible somehow.

Joshua replied, there was a hint of confidence in his voice.

“I can control it… except for when…”

Joshua suddenly stopped at the middle of his sentence. He started to blush and looked down at the table. Nobody could get an eye contact with him, but they could not feel worried. They literally could not, as the candy-liked part of his scent was getting clearer in the air. He was embarrassed. If the hybrid did not answer quickly enough, the alphas thought they could be killed by curiosity.

When Joshua opened his mouth again to speak, the alphas had to hold their breath to listen carefully to the paper-thin voice.

“When… when I am… in heat.”

“Oh!” Jun made a sound out of surprise and excitement, but Joshua somehow felt that he was not. “Then… I supposed the pet shop captured you while you were in heat? That was why they knew you are a hybrid?”

The topic went to a less sensitive way, and now Joshua was capable of looking at Jun while answering, but his voice was still shaking and his face is in a pretty shade of light pink.

“Yes, I was in heat then… but that was not the reason.” Joshua had such a low speed in speaking. They did not know whether that was his own style of talking or he was just being cautious of his words when talking to his owners. “My parents sold me to the pet shop on the day I presented when I turned eighteen.”

Thinking that the boy would not like to talk more about it, Wonwoo decided to skip the topic of his parents selling him like an object, but Mingyu did not think that way. The youngest alpha asked in disbelief, eyes wide.

“Your parents? They did that to you?”

However, none of them had really expected to see Joshua acting so indifferent towards that problem. The hybrid just nodded. There was no feeling in his eyes at the mention of his mom and dad, who were supposed to be his closest people in this world.

Mingyu just could not contain his curiosity.

“Why… Joshua? You don’t seem…” He trailed off, unable to find the suitable words to describe the boy’s attitude.

Joshua stared at Mingyu for a pretty long while, trying to figure out what the man meant, a little bit stressed out. Quickly realizing that the hybrid was afraid that he could not understand his owner’s idea, Wonwoo was about to fix the situation but luckily, the boy was able to find out what Mingyu was thinking in his mind. It was really not difficult to know Mingyu’s thought, but the pressure made it painfully hard for Joshua to think quickly.

“They had always discussed it since I was five.” The boy slightly ducked his head, sadness suddenly tinting the beautiful eyes. His attitudes at the moment slightly confused his owners. “They were… very protective towards me.”

Sighing inwardly, the alphas were not sure if Joshua understood why his parents were protective of him. Certainly, they knew those people’s intention. _Virgin omega hybrids_ cost much more than the other ones. To this point, no one wanted to process the talk further about the boy’s parents, since they all knew that they would get seriously mad. They did not only hate Joshua’s previous owner. They hated his parents too.

Having heard many enough words from Joshua, the three alphas even found him more lovable, although what he had just said was heartbreaking. His voice was as sweet as his scent and his appearance. It would be truly soothing to hear that beautiful voice whispering into your ears after a long day of work.

“By the way, how old are you now, Joshua?” Wonwoo asked and also put a large piece of meat in the boy’s bowl, getting rid of the topic of his parents. “They didn’t include that information in your profile.”

“We assume that you are about twenty.” Mingyu was highly eager to know the truth. “Is it correct?”

“I am nineteen.”

Jun became evidently excited.

“Oh… So… you have just _presented_ last year! Your heat must be still _very intense_ now.”

Wonwoo immediately frowned at Jun for making such comments about that sensitive topic, but Jun was only concentrating on Joshua so much that he unintentionally ignored his cousin totally. Just the same as Jun, Mingyu was attracted by the idea of their little hybrid in heat, unable to resist himself from asking further.

“I’m curious… How did you deal with your heat?”

To this point, the alphas felt like they are sitting in a candy factory. Of course, Joshua knew what kind of condition he will be in when the heat arrives, and he was embarrassed because his owners were showing too much interest. His face was as red as a tomato. However, it was not difficult for him to answer the questions.

“Just… only once, when I presented.” He shyly admitted. “People at the pet shop made me take the pills then.”

“What?” All of them were apparently shocked, but Mingyu was the fastest one to ask back. “The pills? There are pills used for that situation? Really?”

“I… I don’t know. I just took what they gave me.”

“Then what happened after you took the pills?” Jun continued asking. “The heat disappeared right away?”

“After that…” Joshua seemed to be trying to remember. “I felt nothing about it anymore… But I got a serious fever. I couldn’t walk or talk. They put me in the hospital for a week, and then… I was normal.”

Mingyu frowned and shook his head.

“I’m sure those pills are not good for your health at all.”

“Agree.” Jun nodded enthusiastically. “And I’m sure that a fever lasting a whole week is definitely a serious problem, not to mention that you even lost the ability to move and speak.”

Only now did Wonwoo interrupt this topic.

“We may consult the doctor for a better method later.”

Both Mingyu and Jun turned to look at Wonwoo in disbelief; they all knew that there could not be any better method to deal with an omega’s heat other than _the natural method_ itself. Unlike the two younger alphas, Joshua was looking at Wonwoo with a lot of hope in his eyes, which made the eldest one feel his heart heavy. Soon, he will disappoint the boy when the heat comes for real and he has no choice but to tell him that the best thing he can get for him is a dildo.

The three alphas were surely willing to _help_, but the only thing that matters was, the hybrid had already shown that he did not consent to _be touched that way_. They never want to hurt Joshua. They will not do things that he is scared of.

Breaking everyone out of the topic about heat, Mingyu got Joshua a shrimp deliciously coated with a layer of brown sauce.

“You may want to try this, Joshua. I’ve already removed the shell thoroughly.”

“Yeah, Joshua.” Jun said ironically. “It’s really hard to believe that an impatient person like him is patient enough to peel the shell of every shrimp. I’m impressed.”

Again, Mingyu pouted, making his face alike a sulky giant puppy, while it seemed that Jun really enjoyed saying things like that to his youngest cousin. They kept on bickering with each other like that all the time, and they found Joshua always watching them have stupid arguments. Amazingly, his scent got better as he was gradually getting familiar with the friendly and warm atmosphere in this apartment.

Wonwoo realized something more than just the hybrid’s unstable mental condition. He leaned forward a little bit and silently requests an eye contact with Joshua again. The boy effortlessly looked at him in the eyes right away. This time, there was no sign of worry or fear in his look at all, which earned a satisfied smile from Wonwoo.

“Joshua, you seem tired. I think you may want to go to bed after eating.”

Wonwoo’s voice was utterly considerate and loving. As a result, Joshua’s whole body visibly got relaxed but he darted a glance at the clock on the wall, asking with a considerable amount of uncertainty.

“I… I can go to bed… at this time?”

“Yes, of course.” Wonwoo assured him. “You can go to bed, or do anything at any time as you like. This is not a command, but I highly advise that you get some sleep after breakfast. You seem to be really tired to me.”

But Joshua still appeared to be immensely confused.

“I… I have to do the dishes first…”

“Oh no Joshua, it is not your duty.” Jun chuckled, ruffling the boy’s hair. “I mean, you can do it if you want, we would very much appreciate, but not when you are tired like this. Furthermore, how can we let you wash the dishes after your welcoming meal?”

“Hey, Joshua.” Wonwoo called softly, and Joshua looked at him again, his eyes were covered with surprise, confusion and worries. “We need to make you understand clearly our intention of getting a hybrid.”

When Wonwoo explained the situation, Mingyu and Jun were all ears although they had already known what was going to be said.

“As you can see, in this apartment there are only three of us, which means three alphas in a cold place. Our parents live in our hometown, very far away from here and it’s just so convenient for three of us to share an apartment so that we can work in Seoul while saving some money and being friends with each other.”

Jun continued his cousin’s words.

“We have been living together since our first year in university. Of course, we lived in the dorm then, not an apartment, but still shared a room. It’s been 7 years until now. I have to admit, we are about to get sick of each other’s scent and it’s terribly cold and lonely here.”

There was a short moment of silence, but then Jun continued to say more.

“It’s not relaxing at all to return home from work and have to look at this face right after opening the door.” He playfully pointed at Mingyu, which made the other one frown.

Wonwoo did not mind his cousins as he understood them well enough to know that nothing wrong would happen after such bitter words or action. Therefore, he kept on talking to Joshua.

“We need a change. We all agree that this place needs the presence of someone who is warmer, softer and brighter than us, or at least someone who can make us feel warmer in our heart.”

Leaning even closer, Wonwoo took Joshua’s hand in his, keeping a gentle hold with his thumb tenderly stroking the boy’s back of the hand.

“You are the only one we all agree to choose to help our lonely life get better. Do you understand what that means?”

Joshua shook his head right away. Mingyu felt his heart ache for the innocent boy. The hybrid clearly wanted to be loved, but he didn’t think that he was going to be loved by his masters. Though still not sure if the boy was comfortable with skinship or not, Mingyu could not help caressing his soft hair. Joshua was surprised to feel the giant alpha’s huge hands calloused but so gentle that he automatically leaned to the touch. He was currently calm thanks to Wonwoo’s hand on his hand and Mingyu’s hand on his hair. He turned his head to the tallest alpha while listening to him talking.

“Honestly we were hopelessly stuck and got no solution for our boring lives. We had no intention of buying a hybrid either. But then yesterday a friend of mine visited us and suddenly gave us your information on the website and consulted us about whether he should buy you or not.”

Stopping for a while, Mingyu laughed a bit. So did Jun and Wonwoo. Mingyu was still grinning when he continued to speak.

“Until now we are still not sure what happened then. Right after seeing your photos, Jun started to give horrible comments about you. I distracted my friend to other bullshit stories while Wonwoo lied that he had to go to the bathroom.”

Wonwoo smiled when thinking of his own action then.

“It turned out that it was a bad choice to choose the bathroom. The signal suddenly got so weak there. It took me so much time to log in my Internet banking account.”

Mingyu laughed at the funny story which just happened the day before.

“And I couldn’t sit or stand still while waiting for a message from Wonwoo. My friend even asked me if I needed to go to the toilet too.”

Jun clicked his tongue, but he was smiling as well.

“We seriously need to prohibit that guy from getting close to you, Joshua. I told him that you looked thin and pale and pathetic like a zombie cat but he still seemed to like you a lot. He was about to open the internet banking app on his phone. Eventually I had to pretend to slip on the floor and accidentally hit him. Maybe I hit him harder than necessary. His phone went out of his hand and broke into pieces.”

Jun smirked, looking somehow foxy and satisfied.

“Yeah, I had to pay for that phone and Mingyu nearly lost a friend but everything’s worth.”

“I can say that, we paid the pet shop money just in order to get you, so that we have you here to love and take care of.” Wonwoo stated it way much better than Mingyu and Jun had expected. “You are not here to become our pet, our slave or our servant. I don’t think there is a suitable label to give you. You just need to know, all three of us are here for you. We are going to take good care of you and protect you.”

Jun tucked some of Joshua’s hair to the back of his ear, then gently stroking his hair while saying.

“Have you got it, babe?” He sighed a little; the hybrid was looking at him deep in the eyes. “I’m sorry for making you misunderstand. I mentioned letting Wonwoo mark you instead of getting a collar just because we don’t want to treat you like an animal. I didn’t have any other intention.”

Mingyu tapped Joshua lightly on his elbow to get the hybrid’s attention.

“But of course, we are not going to disallow you to do anything at home. If you really want to, or just because you are bored, you can do some of the household chores. Do you know how to cook?”

This was the most confident answer that they had ever heard from Joshua :

“Yes. I can cook.” He even added by himself. “I enjoy cooking.”

“So I think you may like to cook meals for us?” Mingyu grinned happily, eyes glittering with happiness.

Joshua nodded immediately as if he had been waiting to be asked - or ordered - to do this since long ago.

“Wow, we are really about to be able to eat different dishes with different taste after seven years.” Jun lets out an exclamation. “I’m already eager now.”

Having seen Jun and Mingyu’s obvious joyous facial expression, Joshua turned to search for the lead alpha’s attitude. The hybrid had just arrived here less than half an hour, but Wonwoo had already started to feel than he would hardly be able to say “no” to him in the future. He could not imagine how downhearted the boy would be if he were not happy about letting him cook for them. Of course, he was in fact just as happy as the other two alphas, and he smiled too.

“That sounds so nice.” Then he continued; he had not finished yet. “As I mentioned before, we never consider you as a slave. I will soon open a bank account for you and transfer some of my money to it. You can freely use the money as you wanted.”

Joshua really looked shocked now. He kept staring at Wonwoo for a while, then turned to Jun, then Mingyu, trying to figure out if they were joking about that or not, but they were all serious. He began to babble.

“I… I can’t receive money from master… I don’t need money…”

“Who says you don’t need money?” Jun disagreed. “You definitely need money, Joshua. Everybody needs to have money.”

“Don’t be afraid about that Joshua.” Mingyu tapped the hybrid’s arm again. “Sure, we will buy you anything you want. But, you know, there may be something you want to buy but you don’t want to let us know. Then, you have the money, just buy it. You don’t have to ask anyone.”

Jun went straight forward one more time, giving a detailed example.

“For instance, you are bored and you want to have a dildo to play with but you are too shy to ask. Then just use the money to buy one that you like.”

Mingyu palmed his face because of his cousin and Wonwoo frowned harshly. The example was undeniably true, but they still could not understand why Jun was unable to stop himself from saying such things to their shy and timid Joshua. The hybrid was blushing again, leaning a bit further from Jun, which made the alpha realize he had just crossed the line quite too much. Wonwoo felt the boy’s hand lightly held onto his, as if silently begging to help him out of this embarrassing situation.

Wonwoo’s heart melted so badly.

“I think we are all clear now, right Joshua?” He led the conversation back to the main topic. “You are not a slave, not a pet. We don’t like the collar, but for your safety, we have to get one for you. Except for that, you should feel no pressure while living here with us. Tell me you understand, please?”

Right after finishing the last word, Wonwoo regretted his final sentence. It was too similar to a command under Joshua’s point of view, he supposed, and the boy would nod no matter what. Luckily, this time Joshua really took time to try to process all the things his masters had said in his brain. Confusion, reluctance and hesitation still all existed on his face and in his eyes but he nodded and answered like what Wonwoo wanted.

“Yes… I understand.”

“Great.”

Wonwoo grinned, showing his white teeth for the first time in front of the hybrid. There was a huge urge inside him to smile brighter more often, because the rosy scent in the air was just so clear, so enticing and so adorable right then. The hybrid is reacting strongly towards his expression. Wonwoo literally couldn’t help standing up to ruffle Joshua’s hair in a super loving way. Sitting down, he let go of the boy’s hand so that he could continue eating.

Although Joshua did not give any compliments on the food, the alphas were pleased that the boy enjoyed the meal well by judging the way he was eating continuously. That he was not picky about food brought a huge relief to his owners. If he were comfortable with eating the food they cooked, then he would be fine when eating anything else. Seeing Joshua’s glass empty after just a short while, Jun politely asked if the boy wanted to drink something rather than lemonade. Joshua nodded and weakly - very very very weakly - said that he wanted some milk. Pouring out some milk to fill the glass, Jun kindly left the milk bottle on the table in case Joshua would want more.

After Joshua had the first sip on the milk, Wonwoo found it so lucky that he was the one who sat on the opposite side of the hybrid, not Mingyu. The sight of little white milk staying on Joshua’s lips and around his lovely mouth did something really bad to Wonwoo’s heart and his inner alpha. The hybrid was effortlessly so cute in so many different ways that he easily drove him crazy every second. It was unavoidable that Jun and Mingyu also soon noticed that scene, although their views were not as good as Wonwoo’s. Right then, Mingyu decided to start talking about silly things in order to distract himself as well as his cousins.

Overall, the breakfast was cozy and happy. Joshua only spoke when somebody asked him something, but his voice was much less stiff and got a bit - just a very small bit - louder than before. They tremendously wanted to get to know more about Joshua, but because all of his owners wanted him to eat comfortably, they just asked a few simple questions to keep him feel involved and connected. Furthermore, he had just met him less than an hour ago, they guessed he may not be ready to reveal himself much. Also, Joshua’s scent was still telling them he was scared. Everything was too new for him and he didn’t have a clue about that to hold onto to feel safe or relieved. All of the feelings of safety that they had sensed from the hybrid previously were all temporary.

…

The alphas were right, Joshua was still frightened and continuously wary of every of their facial expressions, words, voice tone, actions and attitudes. The food distracted him a little bit since his stomach was starving but that didn’t mean he ever ignored all the sharp eyes scanning him from head to toe during the whole meal. The hybrid considered all the three alphas to be scary and dangerous. He had desperately wished to be bought by an omega human, but fate was cruel to him. He was bought by not only one but three alphas whose pheromones and scent were incredibly strong as waves about to crush him to death. When Joshua was pulled and locked inside this totally strange apartment, surrounded by those alphas, he almost couldn’t function his body or his mind anymore. He almost kneeled down to beg them not to _destroy_ him, promising that he would be good, he would do anything in order just to not get punished, hit and hurt. If life could give him a choice, he would chose to die rather than enduring the pain, the torture that his new owners would make him suffer.

_Death was much easier than a life within the demons_, Joshua had always thought. Were those alphas monsters? Joshua had lost the faith to believe that miracles could happen. On the other hand, life had taught him to gain the faith to believe that he was born just to be the cheap toy of this world.

From Joshua’s point of view, Jun appeared to be the most gentle one among his new owners, just _appeared_ to be. His eyes, his voice, the way he looked and spoke had vaguely made Joshua feel calm somehow until the alpha started to talk about horrible things that he didn’t dare to think of again. Therefore, Joshua did not have the courage to trust his first impression anymore. Jun may be faking his tenderness, who knows. There must be something in his mind that made him talk like that, and Joshua was deadly scared of that _something_. He almost trusted Jun, attracted by his soft voice and big twinkling eyes. At the moment hearing him talk about the _knot _and the _mark_, Joshua couldn’t believe how silly - or stupid, to be more precise - he had been to put hope in a human alpha.

_Human alphas are devils. All of them are._

Mingyu were generally cheerful and playful, but from the first moment Joshua had already got panicked by the alpha’s size. Mingyu is too tall, too big; he has such a thick figure, he must be very strong. Through the thin layer of fabric, Joshua could see his muscles, which made the boy’s vision of his future go completely dark; he could think of only one thing: _violence_. The hybrid was even not brave enough to think how painful it would be if that huge and muscular Mingyu hit him. Mingyu’s pheromones by itself told Joshua that he had no difficulty manhandling the boy like a rag doll. What’s worse, Mingyu is noticeably impatient and hot-tempered even when talking to his older cousins. Then, how the hell could he control himself to be calm when dealing with his _pet_?

Joshua found Mingyu aggressive. He had not shouted or yelled at Joshua or hit him yet, but the boy always watched out for Mingyu’s big and rough hands. He could not stop telling himself not to disobey or upset the giant alpha even the slightest. Joshua didn’t want to be slapped on his face or to be torn apart, bruised all over the body and bleeding non-stop somewhere until he became unconscious like he used to…

Absolutely, the most dangerous alpha must be the leader. In this _new hell_, Joshua considered Wonwoo just the same as Lucifer. In fact, if Lucifer were walking on Earth, that must be Wonwoo, not anybody else. Joshua had been able to tell who was the lead alpha from the first second because Wonwoo’s scent hit his face so strongly that he almost got choked. Wonwoo is not taller or bigger than Mingyu, but Joshua knew the day that man gets angry with him will definitely be his last day on this world. This time, Joshua’s first impression was right. He originally thought that Wonwoo seemed to be a cold person and difficult to understand. He could not detect what the alpha was thinking no matter how hard he tried; he could only get what his owner was showing on purpose. That was extremely dangerous. When Joshua could not understand his owner, it would be easier for him to make mistakes and get punishment. Joshua felt so helpless under Wonwoo’s look; he did not dare to look at his owner. However, when Wonwoo started talking to Joshua, he suddenly acted gently, tenderly and the hybrid was astonished. And now, Joshua saw the lead alpha cold again. He did not speak much, but everything he said was all sharp and made sense. Why had he tried to be sweet towards the hybrid? Was Wonwoo trying to lure him into something? Joshua couldn’t know and he felt awfully stressed and terrified.

_Human alphas are not trustworthy._

Above all, the thing about Wonwoo that triggered Joshua most was certainly his power. Jun and Mingyu’s pheromone are also exceptionally stronger than an average alpha; the boy supposed that they in fact are holding high positions in society. Nevertheless, Wonwoo’s pheromone is significantly stronger than his cousins’. Under the overwhelming pressure of such a powerful human, the hybrid’s instinct immediately forced him to give in and become submissive to that man unconditionally. He was just so scared of Wonwoo that he would do anything his owner asks him to. However, the scary aspect was also thrilling. Joshua knew he was weak, both physically and mentally; he would never deny that. Deep inside his heart, he desired to be protected. If he is good enough to please Wonwoo, he will be protected by his admirable powerful owner. Therefore, in conclusion, Joshua was eminently craving for that power and protection.

The alphas had been happy to see Joshua easily letting Mingyu hold his hand. They did not understand. Once Mingyu stretched out his hand to the hybrid, he had already giving his first command, and Joshua just could not disobey. Only when he felt Mingyu’s hold so soft, so gentle did Joshua get shocked. He could not remember when the last time he got touched gently by someone was. He felt like decades had passed since he last met his best friend, leaning into his warm and safe embrace, sharing with each other their own sweet scents in a hopeless attempt to calm themselves. His best friend, the only one who was willing to protect Joshua from danger while he was also severely wounded, covered in blood and just as broken…

Joshua missed him too much. If the alphas had not been nearby, he would have had burst into tears and started to mourn uncontrollably for his bestest friend.

No matter how soft and gentle the touches from those alphas were, Joshua’s mind still refused to allow him to trust them.

But damn, he _adored the gentle touches too much. _He just wanted to be touched that way again, again, and again. He just wished he could step out of the darkness and drown himself in the sweet love - or maybe _sweet lies_ \- that his new owners were presenting to him right in front of his eyes…

-to be continued-


	3. First bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The alphas slowly realized that Joshua was always worried and scared of so many things, which urged them to protect and love their hybrid more than anyone had ever done.
> 
> And Jun was the first one to do something special to Joshua.
> 
> (the whole chapter is about JunShua!!!!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so lucky that I'm still alive to post a new chapter here after watching Fear MV and a bunch of focus cam for all the members TvT

Miraculously, four people ate all the food on the table. When breakfast was finished, Jun was the one to gently hold Joshua’s hand and offer to take the boy to his own room. Joshua hesitantly look at the empty dirty plates on the table, but Wonwoo and Mingyu had already started to clean up things by themselves and urged him to go with Jun. Finally, Wonwoo chose the negative way to make the hybrid stop thinking of doing the dishes as his duty. There was nothing better than _an actual command_ to force a hybrid do exactly what his owner wanted.

“Joshua, _I told you to go to bed_ after breakfast, remember?”

At this point, Joshua obeyed immediately, following Jun’s footsteps across the small hall to his room.

This apartment was really big and quite luxurious, Joshua thought. While walking on the short hallway, he could see three other doors leading to three different rooms before reaching the one introduced as his new room by Jun. The boy supposed that each of his owners had a separate room, which also meant that the apartment probably cost a huge amount of money. The best thing was that he didn’t have to sleep with his owners. He felt remarkably safe for that, but still somehow felt it strange and difficult to understand. Had he misunderstood them somewhere?

Opening the door widely, still holding Joshua’s hand, Jun led him inside the room at the end of the hallway, covered in white and bright with sunlight shined through the crystal-clear glass windows. The room was simple, only including basic furniture such as a bed and a wardrobe. The bed had garments and pillows already, of course, and they were also in white as same as the wall. Jun smiled while watching Joshua looking around his new territory with big cute eyes, but he still noticed that the boy scrunched his nose for a second, and his scent turned sour. Almost immediately, Joshua became fidgety and tightened his hold of Jun’s hand like a little kid afraid of losing his mom in the huge supermarket.

Jun was stunned, but he thought it was not time to ask yet.

“We think you would like to decorate the room by yourself. It will look livelier than now then.”

Guiding the boy towards the corner of the room with a tighter hold on his hand, Jun opened the wardrobe to showcase the large space inside.

“We will take you out to buy new clothes later. But we have already prepared some for you. Here, some pajamas, shirts and trousers. Underwear also, of course, and towels too. I think the clothes are quite loose for you, we didn’t expect you to be this small.” He chuckles, looking at the hybrid with so much love in his eyes. “We can lend you our clothes if you don’t like these. “

By Jun’s surprise, Joshua hesitantly stepped forward a little to get extremely close to the clothes in the wardrobe without breaking contact with his owner’s hand. Grabbing the pajamas, Joshua pulled them to his nose and started to sniff carefully. Jun remained silent, patiently waiting for Joshua to finish what he was doing. He was trying to read the hybrid’s scent in the air. Joshua was frightened, again. _Why?_

The hybrid timidly turned to the alpha, speaking as if he was begging.

“Could you please… please lend me your clothes?” He suddenly spoke much more quickly. “It’s not that I don’t like these clothes… but…”

“But what, baby?” Jun lowered his head and leaned closer to Joshua, his voice got softer and caring. “Just tell me.”

Joshua may not speak much, but everything coming out from his mouth was the utmost honest.

“They… don’t smell like _masters_…”

Jun’s eyebrow was raised in confusion. He thought that the combination of three alphas’ scent in this apartment was already enough to suffocate the hybrid, but now the boy was really asking to wear clothes that had his owners’ scent. Jun did not get it.

“You want to wear something that smells like us? Why?”

At this time, Joshua was starting to show his insecurity clearly through his words and that made Jun worried. He was speaking a little faster and his voice was shaking.

“This room doesn’t smell like masters at all… I… I don’t feel safe.”

Jun stared at the boy unblinkingly with his mouth slightly hung open, agape. He and his cousins had no idea about that. None of them knew that the hybrid would need to stay in an environment which had his owners’ scent to feel secured and protected, but now thinking about that, he felt it just so reasonable. Anyway, no matter how they decided to treat Joshua, the boy is still a hybrid. It is just like something that belongs to his genes, his instinct; he needs to feel owned. When he is owned but not really feels it that way, he feels unsafe. So, Jun thought, the collar was also a thing that helped the hybrids feel safe when going out of their owners’ house. A collar would tell everyone that this hybrid belonged to someone and nobody else was allowed to touch him.

Jun did not make Joshua wait long. Still keeping the smile on his face, he agreed with the boy easily, but he apologized first, his voice sounding extremely sorry, much more sorry than how his words were.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t know about that, I’m really sorry. I will go get some for you. Wait for me here a seco...”

Looking at Joshua in the eyes, Jun felt himself stupid for saying that. How had he not noticed that the hybrid’s eyes got watery again after he entered this room? He was obviously frightened. There was no doubt that the boy would never choose to stay here alone. If Jun left Joshua here alone, it would be the same as abandoning him in the middle of the street with no collar or anything belonging to his owners left to him. Joshua’s previous owner got rid of him. Consequently, he must be scared to death of being abandoned one more time. Jun had to remind himself a hundred times: _Joshua is a super sensitive broken omega cat hybrid with unstable mental condition_.

It was too soon for Joshua to conclude that he was being with good owners now, but being abandoned is the last thing that he ever wants to happen. Death had never been the worst thing is Joshua’s mind. He had numerous visions of more dreadful things that could make him suffer if he were thrown away by his owners, getting lost in a place he where he had no relatives, no friends, knowing nothing, but still giving off his own sweet omega scent and unconsciously seducing all kinds of monsters. He had seen a monster. He never wanted anymore monsters getting close to him in his life.

And now Joshua was begging with unshed tears in his eyes. It was all Jun’s fault.

“Please don’t leave me here! Don’t leave me…” The hybrid held his owner’s hand with both of his hands, stuttering, obviously panicked. “Please… please don’t…”

“I won’t leave you alone, I promise.” Jun hurried his words, trying to calm the boy down, using the other hand to cup Joshua’s face. “Don’t be scared. We will never leave you, I will never leave you, I promise. I’m sorry, Joshua.”

Jun decided that they had better not stay in this room any longer. His baby was about to cry. The hybrid’s chest had already begun to heave heavily and he was pathetically sniffling. Any places in that house were all good, just except for this room. Decisively, he led Joshua back to the hallway, heading straight to his own room. In a quite violent way, he hastily opened the door, using his foot to kick it slam against the wall, but the hybrid didn’t seem to mind the loud noise created by that action.

Joshua was still sniffling when he was pulled inside Jun’s room, but his expression got a little bit calmer since the whole room was filled with its owner’s scent. The hybrid felt like being drown in his master’s scent. He just needed to breathe normally, and then he would feel owned again. He was not calm enough to have a look at the room’s interior, also not having the chance to do that, because Jun’s body blocked his view. The alpha let go of Joshua hand, earning a desperate and painful whine from the hybrid. Jun immediately tried to shush the boy with low and gentle coo, wrapping his long, well-built arms around the shaking body to pull Joshua into his wide chest. Joshua almost shrank is Jun’s embrace, but the tenderness in every movement of the owner’s arms stopped him. The hybrid felt himself suddenly so small and weak under his alpha’s protection - yes, Jun is not only his owner, he is his alpha, too; Joshua had longed to call someone _his alpha_ for too long even though he had just presented as an omega for a very short time.

Jun was still treating Joshua like the boy was the most delicate and vulnerable creature in this world. He gently pushed the hybrid to lean against his body, feeling heartbroken as realizing he didn’t had to use much strength for that. Joshua was just as light as a feather, having no energy left. His face buried in the crook of Jun’s neck, still sniffling, but the alpha knew Joshua was deeply inhaling his scent. He tried his best to give out all of his scent, pretty much sure that the boy would smell like him after just a few more minutes.

“This is my room, Joshua.” Jun whispered to the boy’s ears, his hands slowly patting the beautiful light brown hair. “You feel better here, hmm? I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know that room would make you feel that bad. How can we ever get rid of you? You are my little boy here, you will be with me. Don’t be scared, okay?”

Joshua had never heard so many promises like that in his whole life, especially when they were coming from a human alpha, the most untrustworthy kind of living things in the planet. He did not dare to let himself believe Jun, but allowing himself to indulge in the warmth and safety that his owner was generously offering to him. Joshua wanted nothing but a place, a person to rely on whenever he felt weak, exhausted and helpless. At that moment, Jun was the one that he not only wanted but also needed. His chest, his embrace, and his arms were too warm, too good to be true for Joshua. The hybrid did not know when both his hands held onto the alpha’s biceps, clinging so tightly to the tall and big body in front of him.

Jun smiled to himself, enjoying the atmosphere in which the sweet scent was gradually coming back. He left a kiss on the top of the hybrid’s head, feeling him shivering a little bit because of the sudden intimate action, but not rejecting anything. As a result, Jun got the hint that he was on the right track, even able to imagine that Joshua would surely cry if he were forced to break contact with his owner then.

Jun murmured to Joshua ears, pouring honey into the boy’s ears.

“Do you want to sleep in my bed? We won’t make you stay in your room until we scent it enough for you. Do you agree, Joshua?”

The boy immediately nodded and Jun somehow could sense that this was really what Joshua wished to do; the hybrid did not agree just because his owner wanted him to do that.

“Okay, okay, everything’s fine now.” Until then, Jun still refused to loosen his hug, trying to calm Joshua down as much as possible. “Joshua, I want to leave a temporary mark on your neck. Is it okay to you?”

Surprised and confused, Joshua lifted his head up so that he could look at the alpha in the eyes. He cocked his head to one side, eyes filled with questions. However, the bad signal was that his hold on Jun’s arm was starting to loosen. He remembered clearly what Jun had said before about letting Wonwoo _knot _him and _bite_ him to claim him as his. This time Jun did not suggest letting his elder cousin do that anymore but do it by himself?

Jun had to explain quickly to avoid frightening the boy. Jun smiled tenderly, his pheromones were generating too much of something that made Joshua feel as if he had taken in too much sugar in a short period.

“I will just simply bite your neck, nothing more. Right here.” Jun’s left hand moved to land on Joshua’s shoulder, thumb lightly stroking a small area at his pulse on the neck. “I can’t stay by your side all the time. The mark will help you feel my presence, and feel _owned_.”

Intentionally, Jun emphasized on his very last word, which was also the one that captured Joshua’s attention most. Jun was feeling so frustrated at that moment. The boy was showing such a confused but naive, innocent face that he just wanted to give him smooches all over that cute face and that slender neck giving off the delicious scent. Jun had figured out : Joshua looked the most innocent when people talked about the right thing that he wanted but was not sure whether it was safe for him to accept that offer or not.

Jun tucked some of Joshua’s hair to the back of his ears. Every gesture of his was always just as gentle as his appearance. Joshua’s heart was combusting because of his owner. He was screaming inside. Joshua had never met anyone as tender as Jun, apart from his only best friend, but that friend was an omega hybrid, not a human alpha. He deadly wanted to put his faith in this alpha, but he couldn’t. The worse thing is, he couldn’t stop wishing to do that either.

Even though there were only two of them inside the room, and the room originally belonged to Jun, the alpha still whispered, making his voice become deeper but warm and soft.

“A mark like that will only last about ten hours. I hope that’s enough for you to have a good sleep.”

Joshua was easily defeated. He found no strength in himself to resist his owner’s offer. He certainly knew what he truly desired, and he believed that his alpha knew the best thing for him currently.

Consequently, just a few seconds later, Joshua was tilting his head to the left side, giving Jun access to the area where he was going to leave a mark. The hybrid closed his eyes in both anxiety and anticipation; half of his face buried in the other’s shoulder. His alpha helped him feel safe by his arms wrapping protectively around his stiffened body, hugging him tightly in such an intimate way that Joshua suddenly felt his heart melted. Right at the moment his rosy scent got stronger and hit Jun’s nose, the man immediately place his teeth on the hybrid’s pale skin.

It was undoubtedly painful. Joshua felt hurt, but he tried his best to stay still, or even unable to move if he wanted to, because the alpha didn’t let him to. Joshua’s hands tightened his hold on Jun’s bicep, accidentally letting out a faint moan when he felt his owner sinking his teeth to the deepest into his skin. All of a sudden, though still hurt a lot, Joshua felt relaxed, completely calm and safe. He is not stupid, he knew that the alphas would never bite anyone that they were going to throw away. Everything became so vivid in his mind as he began to acknowledge his condition, which was totally different from yesterday. He had a beautiful apartment to live, delicious food to eat and a comfy bed to sleep in. The most important thing was, he belonged to Jun. At least for ten hours, he would be a claimed omega. Nobody could touch him without Jun’s permission.

Having already formed a proper temporary mark on Joshua’s neck, Jun spent a little more time attaching his mouth to the hybrid’s skin, gently licking on the bite in an attempt to ease out the pain. That seemed to be effective. Joshua’s body slowly got less strained than how he had been when Jun first started to dig his teeth in. But Jun still didn’t want to leave yet. He took care of the small area of skin around the bite by lavishing light kisses on it, genuinely enjoying the way Joshua smelled similar to him in a marvelous mixture of pine forest and roses, added with strawberry candy. Jun did not think Joshua knew exactly what he was doing on his neck, but pleased to feel the boy slowly melted in his hug and showing no protest.

Although unsatisfied, Jun was cautious and sensible enough to leave Joshua’s neck before the boy began to realize that his owner was doing things other than creating the mark. Joshua was not ready for that yet; he did not need to ask to find out. He smiled lovingly to the hybrid, admiring the flushed cheeks and the dove-like eyes looking at him as if searching for something that could not be spoken. At the moment, Jun’s expression was so satisfied, almost arrogant, that Joshua could not help blushing more. He could not look straight to the eyes of his alpha anymore. Joshua had no choice but to ducked his head in embarrassment and stared at the wood floor, feeling as if Jun’s eyes were going to bore a hole on his face. The distance between Joshua and his most tender owner seemed to be shortened just by a claiming mark.

The boy instinctively reached his hand to the neck, intending to rub lightly on the mark and immediately regretted his own action, letting out a feeble painful gasp right at the first smallest contact between his fingertip and the mark. Jun’s hand detached the smaller one from his neck, holding it gently while murmuring in his sweet-like-honey voice.

“It’s not created to be touched, babe.”

Joshua did not know why, but when Jun leaned closer, he naturally tilted his head again. His body stiffened a bit when he realized that the alpha’s lips were about to touch the mark. Jun tightened his hold on Joshua’s hand as it was his way of soothing the other, then put a chaste kiss on the red mark, making the hybrid tremble. However, it did not hurt like what Joshua had thought, actually even alleviating the bite, which soon made him relaxed and gain more trust in his owner. The alpha’s breath tickled the boy’s sensitive skin when he whispered in a dangerously short distance from his ears.

“I am the only who can touch it without hurting you.”

Jun’s sentence was not really much flirty or sensual, but Joshua just wanted to look for a place that he could hide his face. For a second, he was overwhelmed by the alpha’s look. Having never seen Jun so dominant like that before - not more but also not less than Wonwoo - Joshua felt himself tiny under the alpha’s control. Nonetheless, it was not a bad feeling, he shyly admitted that to himself. Jun smirked at the boy’s adorable reaction, cooing.

“You are so cute.”

Joshua smelled exactly like a little strawberry candy after the compliment.

Taking the boy’s hand one more time, Jun led him to the closets, getting for him a comfortable pair of white pajamas to change. Joshua got inside the bathroom while Jun headed out since he said that he would bring something here to provide the hybrid with everything he may need.

The door was closed, Jun was not here anymore, and Joshua was alone in the bathroom. Of course, the first thing that he did immediately was looking at _his very first new_ claiming bite on his neck. It was fresh and red, looking a little bit painful and scary. In fact, it hurt, but not much. Joshua constantly felt a pain on a side of his neck but that feeling didn’t bring him any discomfort. On the other hand, it bought him the feeling of Jun’s presence even though he was not around. Jun was right, Joshua could smell his alpha’s scent effortlessly. Since the bite was always slightly hurt, he was continuously reminded of his state of being owned and protected. For the whole life, Joshua thought he had never been through such a nice and lovely feeling. He would like to call it _lovely_, because he wholeheartedly adored this new sensation. He wished each of his owners could leave a temporary mark on his neck like this every day. The bite was very new, but Joshua was already addicted.

Before leaving, Jun had thoughtfully made a brief set up in the bathroom. Joshua saw him hanging some new, clean towels and taking out a new toothbrush from the counter under the sink. The alpha had kindly encouraged Joshua to freely use the bathroom as his own. No matter how he stated his words, Joshua considered those as commands and made use of anything he needed to brush his teeth before changing the clothes. Joshua has the habit of keeping himself clean, from head to toe, from inside out. He is a cat, anyway.

The pair of pajamas Jun had given Joshua certainly belonged to the alpha. Consequently, it was quite big and long for the hybrid, but he found the expensive fabric soft, warm and comfortable. That was far better than enough for Joshua. He had been taught to not ask for too much, just accept what had been given to him. To this point, things that Joshua had got from his owners were far better than what he ever dared to expect.

Joshua was so carried away by his chain of thought about the mark that he did not smell Mingyu’s scent until he opened the bathroom door. He did not know what the two alphas had been doing or talking before he came out, but presently Mingyu was stepping towards him with an always-sparkling grin on his face. While Jun took away the clothes from Joshua’s hand and walked out leaving the door opened, Mingyu gave the hybrid a tablet.

“Hey Joshua, I came to give you a thing. I think you will want something to play with.”

Joshua had not known that the giant and hot-tempered owner was actually a considerate person like that. He had focused too much on the man’s threatening body to the point that he almost missed all the obvious evidences of Mingyu’s heart-warming personalities. In a flash, things came back to Joshua’s mind, and he remembered Mingyu was the one who was mainly in charge of preparing the welcoming meal, peeled shells off all the shrimps and put food in Joshua’s bowl many many times.

“Had you ever used a tablet before?” Mingyu asked when he saw the hybrid reluctantly receive the tablet.

Joshua nodded, and Mingyu got obviously happier.

“Perfect! There are many games in it. I bet some are really interesting. If there is any problem with the tablet, or there is a round that you can’t get through, just come to see me. I’m right next to this room.”

Joshua always felt like a sun was shining in front of his face whenever the largest alpha showed off his white teeth in such a delighted and cheerful way. Was he giving his owner joy? Why was Mingyu always smiling so happily when he talked to Joshua? Joshua was really able to make someone happy like that just by doing nothing? He was still not sure, he was still trying to understand Mingyu. At least, he did not find the alpha aggressive anymore. Mingyu was hot-tempered and impatient, but he was not aggressive; he had never shown any signal of violence, Joshua thought.

Joshua replied to Mingyu gratefully, but his voice was still so soft, thin and quiet and the alphas were forced to think that it was really his style of speaking, not because he was scared.

“Thank you very much, master.”

Mingyu beamed and Jun smiled, too. The shorter alpha came closer to Joshua, holding his hand to lead him to the big bed placed next to the glass window. Mingyu followed right behind them. He gently pushed the boy sit on the edge of the bed then started to speak.

“Mingyu and I will try to scent your bedroom while you are sleeping. When you wake up, everything will be ready for you.

“But if you still want to sleep in one of our rooms, we are very glad to have you in.” Mingyu added.

Joshua was absolutely happy to hear that his owners would fill his room with their scent. That room was awful, totally odorless. Joshua would cry himself to sleep and had thousands of nightmares if he were forced to stay there alone. He loved the idea of having a separate bedroom to his own, but he found nothing wrong with sleeping in his owners’ room, either, as long as they let him do that. In his way of thinking, hybrids brought to be pets were not supposed to have a room; they should just sleep on the couch in the living room or anywhere the owners see fit. In this case, Joshua’s owners were particularly strange. Would it be stupid for him to think that as they had already prepared a room for him only, they wouldn’t do _horrible things_ to him when he stayed in their rooms at night?

However, he stared at the two alphas, then looked at the opened door, and looked at them again.

“What about… Wonwoo?”

“I knew it.” Mingyu sighed and rolled his eyes, but that didn’t seem to be a dangerous signal to the hybrid, as he heard how the playful giant whined. “I told you, he would definitely asked for Wonwoo.”

“There’s some emergency, he left for a while.” Jun explained, hoping that the absence of the lead alpha would not cause any anxiety or insecurity in the boy. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing dangerous to him. He will be back soon. He will join and scent your room then, I promise.”

“But Joshua ah…’ Mingyu said when he slowly kneeled down in front of Joshua, making him startled and quite uncomfortable to see his respectable owner lower himself in front of an inferior hybrid like that. “You are making us worried. Today is Saturday, we are all here. Tomorrow also. But what about later? We have to go out to work. Do you feel okay to stay at home alone?”

Mingyu was looking at Joshua with so much concern in his facial expression. Both his hands came to hold Joshua hands, landing comfortably on the boy’s thighs. Joshua could sense a strong protective wave of pheromones omitted by the alpha holding his hands. His face became sadder, causing Joshua’s heart to clench. Mingyu looked as if he were feeling sad when trying to visualize how sad and lonely the hybrid would be when he were home alone, having no one to cling to, to search for affection, safety and protection. Joshua felt panicked. Why was his owner sad because of him? Why was he worried for _a pet slave_?

Joshua could not answer, because he was not sure, he had not thought of that either. He had never been at home alone really before. In his previous owner’s house, he had had his best friend with him. Together, they both had been _that man_’s slaves. Joshua had always had an endless source of love, warmth and protection by his side. He had unknowingly become dependent on his dearest friend’s presence. Presently, his beloved friend was not here anymore - _he missed him too much_. Instead, he had his current owners, who were giving him a lot of love and attention that he could not make up his mind whether he should trust or not.

Joshua was subconsciously putting so much uncertainty and hesitation on his face that both the alphas could recognize that he was silent not because he was afraid to answer. They knew he even did not know whether he would be fine or not. Their hearts dropped at the thought of Joshua not ever born to be alone. Jun sat next to Joshua on the bed, tapping lightly on the hybrid’s knee to get his attention.

“I have an idea. Every day before leaving, we will all leave marks on your neck. I mean three temporary marks at the same time for you. What do you think about that?”

Joshua eyes widened almost immediately while his rosy scent suddenly got clearer in the air. Mingyu quickly caught the positive signal, adding more promising prospects to persuade the boy.

“I think that’s a great idea. With three marks on your neck, you will by no means feel neglected. You know, even if you go out alone, three marks on a neck will definitely keep all the alphas ten meters away from you.”

Joshua could not find any lies in what Mingyu had said; he knew it was all true by himself. He was the one who silently envied the omegas having more than one mark on their necks that he used to see on the streets. Those were extremely rare, but he could not deny that there were too many times in his whole life he utterly wished to get that excessive protection. Joshua wanted to become an owned hybrid, or a claimed omega - both were excellent, but not truly enough for his real desire. Furthermore, he wished to be double-protected, or even triple, if fate was ever generous to him. One mate, two mates, or three mates, all the numbers were perfect for his liking.

Therefore, he soon nodded.

“I… I like it.” A little shy and embarrassed, he said in a very low and thin voice, but none of the alphas needed to ask again.

Mingyu sighed in relief, and Joshua’s mood lightened up when he saw the big man smiled again. Oh my God, he had already been addicted to that smile. He wished to see Mingyu smile all the time. Luckily, the alpha never forgot to smile whenever he communicated with the hybrid, even when he stood up and bent down to put a kiss on the boy’s forehead, one hand cupping his face. Joshua was not shocked or startled because he knew how people usually treated their pets. Giving kisses on the head or forehead is normal. The problem was, even though he knew that too well, he still blushed from the feeling of his owner’s lips on his skin. The kiss was so light, so sweet that it made Joshua’s heart warm as how Mingyu’s twinkling eyes brightened up the boy’s view of this world.

“I think I should get out and let you sleep. You look really tired now.”

Miraculously, Joshua’s owners could tell he was tired better than he acknowledged his own condition. The hybrid nodded, but when Mingyu straightened up, he stood up on his feet too. The alpha’s amazement was cut short by Joshua standing on tiptoe to return a kiss on his master’s cheek. The kiss surely did not last long because Joshua was so shy, but that was enough to make Mingyu’s heart skip a beat. He murmered a _“wow”_ almost breathlessly, eyes glittering with great fondness for the shorter boy. Joshua knew how to be a good pet. Pleasing the owner is always a _must_. Though still scared of the huge alpha, still not understanding him much, he was willing to kiss his master without the feeling that he was downgrading himself.

A “Thank you” was whispered softly to Joshua, and then Mingyu got out of the room, leaving only the hybrid and Jun inside. Only at that time did Joshua realize a change in the atmosphere. It was Jun’s scent. Frightened, the boy immediately turned to the alpha, trying to figure out what he had done wrong. There was something unpleasant in owner’s scent, and he was also frowning.

“I felt so neglected while you guys kissed each other.” Jun slightly pouted, making Joshua confused, as his facial expression was not as serious as his scent. “Will you kiss me, too?”

Despite asking for a kiss, Jun was the one who pulled Joshua to sit on the bed again and leaned closer to kiss the boy’s forehead. His kiss was longer than Mingyu’s, and somehow wet, even creating _a sound_, causing Joshua to blush hard. But he still kissed Jun back, also on the alpha’s cheek. It was more difficult for Joshua to look at his owner now. Jun chuckled, then gently pushed the hybrid to lie down on his big fluffy bed. Joshua obeyed, and he felt like he could lie here forever. He had never known that a proper bed would feel this wonderful. The sheets, the pillows, and the blankets were all perfect.

Jun considerately covered Joshua’s body with the grey blanket, pulling the curtain to stop the sunlight from disturbing his relax. The room turned a little bit darker, but comfortable for Joshua’s eyes and skin. He could smell Jun everywhere on this bed. No words could describe how much he was enjoying the feeling of his master’s scent filling his lungs inside out in such a loving and protective way. Besides, the mark was still pleasantly slightly hurting. Joshua could not tear his eyes away from Jun’s warm smile.

“Don’t mind the time or lunch, just sleep as long as you want.” Jun started to caress the hybrid’s hair “At least one of us will be at home today, so don’t worry if you wake up hungry and want to eat something.”

Like a little kitten, Joshua leaned into Jun’s hand, purring. Realizing how much the boy like being touched this way, Jun had no intention to stop what he was doing, keeping his hand as gentle as possible on the soft brown hair. Lying on one side, facing Jun who was kneeling beside the bed, Joshua whispered as if he was afraid to break the thin air.

“Thank you, master.”

“No need to say that, honey.” Jun also lowered his voice, speaking more quietly. “I don’t know why you are still scared of us so much, but I promise you, you are safe here. Just sleep, okay?”

Joshua was about to say that he was not too much scared of them but…

“It’s very clear in your scent, you know.” Jun shrugged, but still smiled tenderly. “Don’t care about that anymore, Joshua. I can smell that you are very tired now, too.”

Knowing that the alpha did not want him to speak, Joshua stayed silent, just looking at him through hooded eyes. Jun’s hands were making him sleepy and melting. Everything that the alpha said from then on was just like sounds coming from heaven to Joshua’s ears.

“Poor my baby, look so tired. I know, there’s no way _a human_ can sleep well while being locked in a pet shop among the animals for sell.”

Joshua was not awake enough to know why what Jun had just said made him feel so relieved and happy. He just vaguely saw his alpha’s face get closer slowly, then buried in his neck again. Jun lightly dug his teeth in the mark on the boy’s neck. Joshua did not feel hurt; instead, he was abnormally calm and contented. He inhaled deeply once more, drown in the pine forest, and then finally falling asleep under Jun’s hands. However, he was still able to get Jun’s low and gentle words in his ears, which sounded like things coming from heaven or the most beautiful and sweetest place in this world.

“I really want to be your alpha, Joshua, to take care of you and protect you. And of course, to love you. I know I made you scared, but please trust me. I have never wanted anything more than how I want you now. When you are ready, would you agree to be my omega? _Let me be your alpha, okay?_”

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you feel uncomfortable with the length of each chapter. I'll make it shorter next time if you want me to. 
> 
> I was having a very bad time while writing a few first chapters of this story, but the sweetness between the characters somehow made me feel so warm and calmer then. Hope that it will be able to bring a little sweet joy to you, too!
> 
> Anh next chapter will be for WonShua ^^


	4. Possession and Submission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Joshua was already submissive to his kind owners, there must be someone who knew how to make use of his submission.  
Of course, that one must be Wonwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the chapter for WonShua!!!!
> 
> If you want to know exactly how the cold Wonwoo in my story is like, just watch his focus cams of Hit and Fear on MCountdown TvT

When Joshua woke up, the sun was not shining anymore. The table lamp was on, emitting a gentle and warm light. The scent of a pine forest flooded the boy’s lungs, reminding him of what had happened. He did not need much time to think. Despite an incredibly long deep sleep, his memories were brought back quickly thanks to a sting on the neck. Joshua had never felt that relieved in his whole life. For thirty minutes, he just lied there on his belly, lazily burying half of his face in the fluffy pillow, inhaling deeply Jun’s appealing scent and thinking about his own condition.

The sleep was so nice that Joshua did not want to get out of the bed, but he was forced to deal with the fact that his stomach was growling. He had not suffered from any nightmares since the mark and the alpha’s scent around him had protected him so well, Joshua guessed, or being too exhausted and crazily craving for sleep had blessed him this time. Waking up by himself and finding no wounds, no blood on his own body, the boy felt like he was actually living in heaven. For the first time, the hybrid thought that this is really a safe place for him - a place where he was fed adequately, provided with nice clothes to wear, perfect bed to sleep and always protected. His eyes looked around to search for a clock then found out that it was almost 6pm.

He could not believe it. He had slept for nearly eight hours, and none of the alphas bothered to make him get out of the bed for lunch. However, he was happy that they had not done that, because he did not think that he needed lunch either; he preferred sleeping. At the moment, his sight was clearer than how it had been in the morning, which was definitely a proof that showed he had had quite enough rest to regain health and energy. He wanted to wash. His instinct told him that it was time for him to take a shower.

But… would his owners allow him to? Joshua still did not dare to decide by himself.

Suddenly, the door opened and the tallest alpha appeared. The hybrid got startled but then relaxed because Mingyu grinned right at the moment he saw Joshua being awake.

“Perfect! I was about to wake you up!”

Mingyu’s footsteps were like elephants’ when he walked towards Joshua. The boy sat up when his owner sat down on the edge of the bed, playfully ruffled his hair.

“Are you hungry now? Dinner will be ready soon. We think that you will want to eat.”

Joshua nodded, unconsciously placing a hand on his belly.

“Yes, I am.”

The boy did not know that he was visibly trying to sniff Mingyu. The alpha smelled like food. He must have been cooking, Joshua thought. The alpha found that action so cute; his little kitten was always honest when it was about food.

“Okay, so let’s go to the kitchen. Just wait a few more minutes, then you can eat.”

Mingyu was about to stand up, but Joshua lightly grabbed his arm. He started to stutter again, and Mingyu was quite shocked to find the hybrid’s scent turn sour. Joshua was afraid to ask, as he assumed that a hybrid should not ask his owners anything. A pet never asked the owners anything - that was what he had learned about the dogs and cats that people usually kept in their house.

“Ma… master… Can I… take a shower… please?”

Wait. Joshua knew that he should not ask. So, why he asked?

He wanted to curse at himself. He was so stupid, _stupid, stupid._

However, Mingyu’s reaction was much different from what Joshua had imagined. The alpha sighed in relief then burst into laughter. He used both his hands to cup the boy’s face, voice considerably softened.

“Oh my god, Joshua ah, you don’t have to ask me like that. You sounded like you were begging for something. Just tell me that you want to take a shower. That’s totally fine, Joshua. We told you, you don’t have to ask permission for anything.”

Mingyu was in mix feelings when he saw the hybrid being even more shocked and confused than he was.

“I… I really… don’t have to?”

“Of course you don’t.” Mingyu smiled sadly. “Things like taking shower are definitely everyone’s right. I just think that it might be not good for you to take a shower right now. You have just woken up.”

“I…actually woke up about half an hour ago.” Joshua explained.

“Oh!” The alpha was surprised, but in a very good way. “So it’s absolutely fine. You can use Jun’s bathroom, or the one in your own room. By the way, everything was fixed, you can use that room now. But sure, we are happy to get more of your scent in our places.”

At the moment, Mingyu was still smiling brightly like what he had always done in the morning. Joshua could not help feeling comfortable and relaxed while being with someone radiating sunlight continuously like that. As a result, the boy was lured to voice his opinion that he preferred Jun’s bathroom instead of letting his owner chose for him. Mingyu easily agreed and stood up, saying that he would go get another pair of pajamas from Wonwoo’s closet for Joshua.

“I terribly want to see you wear my clothes but they all insist that you wear Wonwoo’s today.” He added in a whiny voice. “Okay, then I will have you all to myself tomorrow.”

Later, Mingyu came back with new clothes for the hybrid and also Jun following behind. He smiled sweetly to Joshua, making him blush by a kiss on his cheek. The alpha kindly showed Joshua clearly that he could use everything available in the bathroom so that the boy would not ask permission anymore. He shyly thanked both of them, and they all leaved a kiss on Joshua’s cheek before leaving. When the hybrid looked at himself in the large mirror in the bathroom, he could see his own face flushed in a light shade of pink.

Joshua was much happier - he was not genuinely happy, but at least happier - after getting himself cleaned thoroughly from head to toe. Wonwoo’s blue pair of pajamas was about the same size as Jun’s and much more comfortable than anything Joshua had ever worn. The fabric was so smooth on Joshua’s skin. He spent quite an amount of time in the bathroom sniffing only to find himself smelling like not only Jun but also Wonwoo. The mark - still looked very fresh and red - had not disappeared yet. Joshua felt completely owned.

When stepping into the kitchen, he was welcomed by all the alpha’s loving smiles. The atmosphere in the room was so good that every muscle on Joshua’s body automatically softened as he could not sense any danger around here. He was still wary and cautious, but certainly less serious than the way he had been in the morning.

During dinner, Joshua sat with his owners again, eating normally as if he were a human like them. It was not until now that what Jun had said to the boy before he fell asleep came back to his mind. Jun had called him _a human_. Joshua knew he was not a human; he never could become a human. Magically, his owners seemed to consider him as the same kind of animal to them.

Mingyu had made spaghetti for dinner, along with some tteokbokki and jelly for dessert. Wonwoo and Jun had helped a bit, but things had mostly been done by Mingyu. When Joshua finished his plate, he really wanted to eat more spaghetti, but was really afraid to ask as well. The alphas did not highly appreciate Mingyu’s cooking skills but Joshua would definitely rate five stars for his food with no hesitation.

The alphas did not need Joshua to ask to know what he wanted. His eyes said it all. Mingyu enthusiastically filled the boy’s plate with spaghetti while Jun got some more tteokbokki for him. Joshua was surprised, but he was much happier. At this moment, he felt grateful as life had kindly given him those human. They are the best human he had ever seen in his whole life.

Life had never been easy for an omega hybrid. Generally, hybrids had to struggle a bit to live well in this world. However, the alpha hybrids at least had a chance. Meanwhile, the omega ones were just hopeless. Human or hybrids, the alphas were always stronger and dominant. Those strong individuals raised and got a successful life along with the human. In contrary to the male alphas, the male omegas were merely unwanted rubbish in the hybrids’ world. As they all wished to be just as equal as human, nobody was happy to give birth to a son, spending time and money bringing it up only to find out it was an omega. It was a common belief that male omegas were weak and useless.

Before Joshua presented as an omega, his family had already assumed that he was an omega due to his slender frame and soft personalities. Therefore, his parents and brother hated him. They had treated him as if he were a slave. He slept on the couch in the living room, wore his brother’s old and ugly clothes and ate alone on the floor in the kitchen. Since there was a dog in the house, sitting next to the cute and innocent creature while eating, Joshua felt it lucky that at least they stuffed his food in a large bowl and gave him chopsticks or a spoon to eat. The best thing they had ever done for him was sending him to school. Joshua was glad that he was not an uneducated hybrid.

Right after Joshua officially grew up to be an omega, his family immediately sold him to a pet shop. The paper was signed. They got money, and Joshua forever lost all his rights to live like a human. The hybrids at the pet shop were all omegas like him. They were also abandoned and sold by their parents.

Joshua had stop eating on a table since he was eight. The food never tasted good when he had to eat on the floor. He felt so good to be able to have meals like normal human. The alphas around him now were like angels coming from heaven. They made him feel happy and respected.

After dinner, Joshua heard them say that it was Jun’s turn to wash the dishes. The boy immediately volunteered to do the task for him. Jun did not agree to let him do that all. Instead, he let Joshua join him so that both of them can wash the dishes together.

“Wow, your hands are much more skillful than mine.” Jun had no choice but to compliment the boy due to what he were seeing.

Joshua washed all the plates clean in such an effortless and easy way. He was definitely not a clumsy person. Jun liked watching those elegant hands handling things very smoothly, carefully and gently. There was no doubt that Joshua loved to be touched gently, as that was also how he treated and touched other things. Jun could not help trying to imagine how he would feel when the hybrid initiated some kind of intimate actions with him. Joshua kissed him once, but that was not enough. Jun still had a thirst for more.

However, he knew that he had to wait.

After dinner, Jun and Mingyu had appointments with their friends and family. They sadly told Joshua that both of them wanted to spend time with him so that they can get to know about each other but they had no other choices. As they had told the boy before, getting him in their apartment was not a plan. Joshua never blamed them for leaving him; he was not an immature kid. On the other hand, there were flowers blossoming in his heart when he saw the alphas’ sadness and their eagerness to get closer to him.

Joshua kissed them goodbye and they both gave him a kiss on his cheek before leaving, too. At first, Joshua thought that it was normal for a hybrid to do that, since he was the same as a pet in this house. A pet is supposed to show affection and please its owners. However, he did not know why he blushed so hard just because of kissing on their cheeks. He was embarrassed but also enjoyed it at the same time. Nobody asked him to kiss; he did it voluntarily. Joshua soon realized that he was desperately craving for his new owners’ love and attention. He wanted to be by their sides and wished to be loved thoroughly. He was not sure about the reasons. Maybe their presence made him feel safe and calm while he had always been taught in his entire life that human considered the hybrids as nothing better than cats and dogs that they kept at home.

The most important thing was, he had never been cherished by anyone except for his best friend in his whole life. He never knew when he would be able to get back the person he adored most in this world. Joshua’s heart ached at the thought. He was being surrounded by gentle, kind and nice human here, but what about his friend? How was he doing? Was there any chance for him to get away from _that house_ forever?

“Are you okay, Joshua?”

Joshua was a little startled when a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder and Wonwoo’s voice was so close to his right ear. He turned away from the door to look at the alpha. His owner was looking at him in concern. He sounded really worried, voice deep but soft, and Joshua felt bad for unintentionally making his owner worried for no particular reasons.

“I’ve been calling you for a while”. Wonwoo was scanning the hybrid’s face carefully. “You are not feeling well?”

“No… I’m… I’m fine.” Joshua shook his head guiltily and hesitantly.

Wonwoo looked a bit more relaxed and relieved, but Joshua knew his owner did not really trust what he had said. Now that the boy found it less difficult to look at the lead alpha in the eyes, he was able to see Wonwoo’s preoccupation with his mental state. Wonwoo caressed the boy’s hair while smiling gently, but his touch was evidently cautious, as if he was always afraid that he would hurt the hybrid or frighten him. Jun was genuinely gentle, but Wonwoo was intentionally careful.

Joshua was okay with both, since both of them made him feel appreciably safe and yearn for more.

“If there’s any problem, you can tell me. No matter what it is, just let me know. I will try my best to help you.”

Joshua had not fully trusted his owners yet, but he was wholeheartedly grateful for Wonwoo saying that. He did not tell his alpha what he was thinking in his mind, but he nodded and silently enjoyed the touch on his head. The boy was even happier when the alpha took his hand and gave him an offer.

“Would you like to take a look at your room? I think we should check whether it is good enough for you or not. We will scent it more if it’s still not satisfying yet.”

Although Joshua was much calmer than how he had been this morning, Wonwoo could smell the boy’s fear very clear in the air, especially after Jun and Mingyu left. He did not really understand, only guessing that the hybrid did not trust him yet and his strong pheromones as the lead alpha in this house somehow had scared Joshua. Furthermore, he had been told that Jun and Mingyu spent quite a lot of time with the hybrid this morning while he had had to go out. Consequently, they had the chance to make the boy familiar with their presence. Therefore, he decided to get started with something easy first with a hope to make his boy feel comfortable.

Luckily, Joshua nodded immediately, obediently following Wonwoo to the room Jun had shown him this morning. Without his owner, he would surely never enter that place alone before knowing that it was not odorless anymore. Joshua tightened his hold on Wonwoo’s hand, making the alpha feel attacked by a strong wave of a plead for protection from the hybrid. They both held each other’s hands much more tightly and more confidently, filling the air with more sweet strawberry candy-liked scent.

Mingyu, Jun and Wonwoo’s hands were all much bigger than Joshua’s, he noticed. As a result, he liked the feelings of being hold by those hands a lot. With Wonwoo, it was even more special. This was the first time Joshua actually had the opportunity to indulge in the lead alpha’s power. Jun’s mark on his neck had disappeared, but he did not feel less protected. Wonwoo’s pheromones were so strong that Joshua shivered in excitement when thinking about being bitten by the eldest alpha.

If an omega could be claimed for good _without being knotted_, Joshua would let all of his owners leave a mark on his neck.

Wonwoo never let go of Joshua’s hand when the boy explored the room, after it had been thoroughly scented by all the alphas. The hybrid was satisfied to smell his owners in every corner of the room. Joshua only started to feel lost when Wonwoo’s phone rang and he headed out of the room to answer it, making a hand gesture before leaving to signal the boy to wait for him. Despite the bad feelings creeping up in the heart, the hybrid was anyway a good boy; he knew that he should not follow Wonwoo once the alpha decided to go out from the first place. Joshua suddenly lost all his want to examine the room. He stood still at where Wonwoo had left him, fidgeting with the hem of his pajama, eyes confusedly looking around.

The boy could only endure the loneliness for one minute no more. He knew for sure that he was being bad for not behaving, but he could not control his foot anymore; they were walking on their own to find the alpha. The strong scent led him to Wonwoo’s room of which the door was left opened. From outside, Joshua could see that his owner was still talking on the phone, standing facing the glass window that was putting on a great show of the glamorous city at night out of the building. However, he did not care about the window or that beautiful scene. He was just wondering if he should just stand there or enter without asking permission because he wanted to close the distance between himself and his owner so badly then Wonwoo noticed his appearance.

Not breaking the conversation, the alpha smiled at the shy hybrid standing at the door, slightly giving a nod that silently allowed the boy to come in. Joshua nervously slowly stepped in, eyes never leaving his owner’s movement while the alpha moved from the window to the large wooden chair at his paper desk. Sitting down comfortably, Wonwoo waved his hand, inviting the boy to get closer to him. Joshua had not understood much of his owner’s intention, but he obeyed anyway, presenting himself in front of the other just in a few seconds.

Joshua’s face turned red in embarrassment when Wonwoo tapped his left thigh, still not saying a word towards the hybrid but obviously asking him to sit on his lap. Joshua would not say he did not want to curl up on Wonwoo’s lap to drown himself in the lead alpha’s warmth, but he was so shy to accept that invitation - or actually a command, maybe - easily. However, the fact was that, Joshua was embarrassed not due to the idea of sitting on Wonwoo’s lap, but due to his own excitement.

In order to encourage the timid boy, Wonwoo reached out his hand, automatically making Joshua walk closer and hesitantly raise his hand to touch the alpha’s. Once Wonwoo could hold the hybrid’s soft hand, he immediately pulled the boy onto his lap. Joshua sat on his owner’s left thigh, his right shoulder and arm pressing to the man’s chest.

The pajamas were already warm, but this position even made Joshua feel warmer. He was incredibly close to Wonwoo at the moment, and the alpha’s scent had never been so clear in his nose. Wonwoo has the smell of peppermint, sharp, prominent, strong and appealing. Joshua had not thought that his owner’s scent and body would made he feel calm and safe as much as what he was experiencing. Wonwoo had not stopped talking on the phone yet, not caring whatever Joshua could hear, so the hybrid had his own time to admire the man’s handsome face.

Joshua had acknowledged that all of his owners are good-looking men, but that was not the most important thing that he had seen in them. What made him like looking at them most was that, there was something on their face or in their eyes that made him believe in their decency and kindness. Wonwoo’s eyes somehow resembled those of the fox, but the way he looked at Joshua was so gentle that the boy gradually became willing to take off his guard in front of the lead alpha. Wonwoo looked really cold sometimes, and Joshua really felt scared to approach him at those times, but even then his owner just effortlessly and unconsciously proved his strength and reliability. Therefore, as long as he was in proximity to Wonwoo, he did not have to be afraid of anything else, even of Mingyu or Jun.

Wonwoo had his left arm wrapped around Joshua’s waist to keep him close. He could feel the boy slightly shiver, but not really in a bad way. He also felt the boy warmer than how a normal person was supposed to be, so he guessed his hybrid was being shy. However, there was no sign of a protest, so Wonwoo would definitely never let him go. He was pleased to see Joshua behaving; the boy was proving that he was an obedient hybrid for his owner, staying silent, not moving even a bit on his owner’s lap, and keeping eye contact whenever Wonwoo wanted him to.

When Wonwoo hang up his phone, Joshua was happy to get his attention again. That hint of pleasure was so clear in his dove-like eyes that the alpha could not help smiling softly and murmured an apology, discarding the phone on the desk then caressing the boy’s cheek.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you alone. It’s just my habit to walk out to answer the phone, really hard to break. You don’t like being alone, do you?”

Joshua shook his head honestly. He hated being alone.

Wonwoo had no intention of letting Joshua go, but he still asked, wanting to know how the boy truly felt.

“Are you feeling comfortable with this?”

Surprisingly, Joshua nodded with no hesitation. The alpha could tell that this boy was not a person who might be good at hiding his true feelings. Therefore, he did not doubt that answer and grinned happily. His left hand moved up to reach the hybrid’s hair and then started to pet him tenderly, slightly push the boy’s head to lean against his chest. Joshua visibly melted into the touch. Not only his head but also his whole body seemed to lose all the energy at the same time and started to rely completely on his alpha. Wonwoo was quite amazed to find Joshua like his intimate touch so much. He was definitely a clingy cat, craving for affection but never daring to ask by himself.

Despite having seen and felt enough to understand, Wonwoo still asked again. He wanted to make sure, to have the hybrid admit it. He lowered his head a little to look at the smaller boy on his lap, voice whispering warmly and quietly.

“Do you like me petting you like this, Joshua?”

Joshua immediately nodded one more time, earning a short but satisfied hum from his owner. Wonwoo had observed the hybrid very carefully from the beginning, which made him assume that he had figured out how to deal with this timid and pigeon-hearted boy. Consequently, he spoke out his own thought, still in a whispering voice.

“I love to have you sit with me like this, too. Actually, I will be very happy if you could stay by my side for the whole night while I work. Is it okay for you?”

Wonwoo had a very deep voice, which is much deeper than Mingyu’s while the giant alpha’s voice was already deep in a super masculine way. While whispering, Wonwoo even got his voice lower, unbelievably deeper, making Joshua unable to stop shivering while listening to that voice so close to his sensitive ears. But he loved that. He loved to hear Wonwoo whispering, or even just speaking normally. And what the alpha said made him look at his owner with wide eyes in awe. He had the urge to ask again to clarify whether he had misheard or misunderstood his alpha or not.

“I really can stay here with you… all night? Do I… bother… Do I disturb you?”

“You don’t bother or disturb me at all, Joshua.” The corner of Wonwoo’s mouth lifted up, making the boy skip a heartbeat. “I told you, we were very cold and lonely in this apartment. I wanted to have your accompany to feel warm. Do you like to stay with me tonight?”

Putting a kiss on Joshua’s head, Wonwoo was determined to show the hybrid all his desire to have him on his lap and in his embrace for tonight.

“Like this, letting me hug you and caress you?”

Deep in Wonwoo’s heart, he felt a little guilty for treating Joshua like a real cat, but he was sure that to this extent the boy had no problem with it. Joshua’s eyes twinkled like a kid seeing new toys and candy. Everything Wonwoo had guessed was totally correct. Joshua never dared to request anything. The only thing he could do was taking whatever his owners gave him. With Wonwoo’s question - an obvious offer - he nodded vigorously, though his face cutely blushed.

Something suddenly clicked in Wonwoo’s mind.

“Wait, we should get your tablet. I don’t want you to get bored.”

Pulling Joshua to stand up on the floor, Wonwoo also stood up, holding the hybrid’s hand and taking him back to Jun’s room to get the tablet that Mingyu had given him this morning. Joshua was grateful as his owner did not ask him to go get it by himself or headed out and left him alone there again. Right after that, they both went back to Wonwoo’s room together, closing the door this time and sitting back on the large chair at the paper desk.

Wonwoo pulled Joshua to sit on his lap one more time, but then letting the boy’s back pressed to his chest. The hybrid was shorter than him, so this position was still enough to let the alpha rest his chin on the boy’s shoulder if he lowered his head a little bit. His arms protectively but also possessively wrapped around Joshua’s waist. His breath gently tickled the hybrid’s ears and neck, making his face heat up and even blush harder. However, Joshua was much confused to see his owner take away the tablet from his hand and put it on the desk. He turned his head to look at the alpha, knowing that the man wanted his full attention.

“First of all, there’s something important we have to do right now.” Wonwoo’s voice so abnormally deep again, increasing Joshua’s heartbeat.

Joshua blinked his eyes, waiting for his owner to continue. It was hard for him to think in this position. Sitting in Wonwoo’s embrace like this, he just wanted to relax or sleep. It was not a suitable condition to make his brain work.

Wonwoo smiled because of Joshua’s clueless face.

“I have to mark you, remember?”

Joshua’s body slightly shifted after those words, but Wonwoo could not consider that as a sign of discomfort. The boy turned his head away, murmuring a weak respond.

“Yes, I remember.”

Wonwoo did not say anything more, and Joshua did not need to hear more either. Right when the boy felt his owner’s breath got extremely close to his skin, he tilted his head to the other side and waited. Wonwoo stopped for a moment before attaching his mouth to the part which was giving out so much sweet scent on the boy’s neck. From this position, he could see the hybrid getting confused with his hands. He wanted to find something to hold, or at least somewhere to put his slightly trembling hands. Maybe he was pretty nervous and needed a support. Still silent, Wonwoo used his left hand to hold the boy’s hand, making a signal to allow him to hold his owner’s hand by both hands. Wonwoo placed them back on Joshua’s stomach, reaching the right hand up to the hybrid’s neck.

The alpha was gentle at first when he grabbed Joshua’s neck in order to make him tilt his head a little bit more to get a better access. Nonetheless, Wonwoo is undoubtedly _an immensely possessive alpha_. Joshua knew it was an unspoken command for utter submission when the lead alpha put more force in his right hand. Joshua did not dare to move even the slightest. The grab on his neck was not enough to choke him, but it still quite blocked some air from moving. Joshua had never felt himself so vulnerable like that before. For a moment, he doubted his own decision of trusting Wonwoo. As a result, his scent turned sour.

“Don’t be scared.” Wonwoo put a wet kiss on Joshua’s neck right at the pulse, making the boy’s milky skin look delicious under a thin layer of saliva. “I’m not a vampire. I’m your alpha. Remember, Joshua?”

The alpha’s words sent shivers up and down Joshua’s spine. He had no choice but to nod. However, Wonwoo was not contented with that nonverbal answer. His voice became forceful while his hand grabbed the boy’s neck harder. Joshua gasped, feeling completely under his owner’s control.

“Open your mouth and tell me, Joshua.”

Joshua felt quite hard to speak or breath, but he still managed to give the alpha the proper answer he wanted.

“Yes… I remember.”

That was still not enough to Wonwoo.

“What do you call me, Joshua?” He kissed the hybrid’s neck one more time. “And what do you want me to do?”

Joshua had to try so hard to think. He was not really familiar with this kind of situation. He could only vaguely guess that when his owner asked that question, he supposedly did not want to be called the way Joshua had usually called him.

“A… Alpha…” Finally, he stuttered, face blushing. “Please… claim me… as yours.”

Wonwoo smirked when the rosy scent got stronger and attacked his nose in the sweetest way, which was letting him know that the hybrid did not feel uncomfortable with his words or actions. Totally satisfied, he waited no more.

Wonwoo’s hand did not let go of Joshua’s neck when his teeth slowly dug deeply into the boy’s skin. Joshua immediately shut his eyes and moaned feebly, holding more tightly to his owner’s hand. Every mark brought pain to him, but that was a pleasant pain that Joshua was willing to take. He gasped one more time when Wonwoo choked him harder and bit harder too as if he were really a vampire trying to suck all of the boy’s blood out of his body.

Wonwoo’s heart ached when Joshua’s body stiffened and he began to whimper and sniffle because the pain was starting to become unendurable, but he had to make the hybrid suffer a little bit longer to make the mark completely formed. At this point, Joshua’s scent had already turned sour and he was obviously scared, but he was still trying his best to stay still in his alpha’s arms. Joshua did not understand why it hurt so much this time. He wanted to escape. He wanted to make it end, but he never dared to disobey, especially in this situation, with the lead alpha in the house.

Finishing creating the mark, Wonwoo’s hand let go of Joshua’s neck and he gently shushed the boy, leaving light kisses on the mark to help ease out the pain. Joshua did not reject the kisses since every of them made the pain gradually fade away. Moreover, it felt so good to have the alpha who had created the mark kiss on it; Joshua could not deny that. He only got goosebumps when the kiss was put on his ear, followed by Wonwoo’s whisper.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t make it different. Are you okay?”

Of course Joshua was not okay at all when Wonwoo’s teeth hurt him so badly a minute ago, but after receiving some kisses, he felt much better and stopped sniffling. Furthermore, the alpha’s profound apology made his heart warmer as he understood that his owner really had not hurt him on purpose; he simply could not do anything to change it. Additionally, Wonwoo’s voice sounded so agitated in Joshua’s ears. Ultimately, the boy’s body got relaxed again in his owner’s embrace, although he still scrunched his face a bit and he did not realize that he had forgot to answer.

The serious pain would surely be gone after a while but Wonwoo did not want to wait that long. He tugged the hybrid onto his lap, making him sit with both his legs up on the alpha’s thighs while the left arm and shoulders were pressed to his chest. Wonwoo was heartbroken to see Joshua’s watery eyes. He did not cry, but he was noticeably suffering from pain. When he looked at his alpha in the eyes, Wonwoo felt like the boy was begging him to help.

Joshua felt calmer when he was pulled to lean against his alpha’s wide chest, almost pushed into a tight hug by the man’s strong arms. There, just by inhaling deeply, he could fill his lungs with his alpha’s scent of peppermint. Whereas, Wonwoo leaned down and place his lips on the hybrid’s neck again. Familiar with this action since Jun had done the same previously, Joshua was not much anxious and automatically closed his eyes. Right after Wonwoo dug his teeth in the newly formed mark, Joshua shrunk to a much smaller size, subconsciously making himself tiny in his alpha’s embrace. However, he felt the pain disappeared and a soothing wave of calmness swept through his body completely. At that moment, Wonwoo suddenly became so huge, so heroic, so dominant to the boy. Joshua felt as if Wonwoo were his shelter, _his home_, a place where he could hide himself from all the danger out there. _Home_, Joshua loved that feeling. He loved to have someone as _his home_.

Wonwoo gave Joshua a kiss on the mark before pulling a way and whispering in his ears.

“It’s so strange, right? I hurt you when I bit you, but later when I place my teeth on the neck, it gave you different feelings.” He smiled, a hand cupping the boy’s face and rubbing his cheek gently by his thumb. “Are you okay now, Joshua?”

The boy nodded, relieved to feel the pain not too severe anymore. When all the fear was replaced by calmness and safety, Joshua began to get lost in the tender and loving look of Wonwoo’s eyes. All of a sudden, he realized that he was being intimately hugged tightly by his alpha and half of his face was still pressed to the man’s chest. The hybrid was shy but had no strength to get out of this comfortable position. He even wished that Wonwoo could rub his big, rough hands on his back or on his legs to bring more temperature and love to the boy’s body. Joshua was being greedy; _he was being bad_. But who cares? He was just wishing; he was never brave enough to say that out.

However, Joshua miraculously got what he wanted. Wonwoo did not kiss him anymore. Instead, the alpha’s right hand rubbed soothing circles on the boy’s back, trying his best to help him relax all his mind and muscles. The other hand was on Joshua’s legs, occasionally moving up and down. Just after a short while, Wonwoo’s lungs were filled with the sweet scent emitted by the hybrid. For a second, Wonwoo had a desire to lower his head and kiss those plump, cute lips in front of him, but he also knew that he had to stop himself from doing such a stupid thing. Joshua was certainly not ready for that, and the alpha never wanted to scare him or do anything that may make him get uneasy and nervous.

Wonwoo only stopped rubbing his hands when he saw Joshua almost closed his eyes and fell asleep. Realizing the hybrid enjoyed such kind of physical touch that much, Wonwoo chuckled then left a kiss on the mark again. Now that Joshua was not carried away by the pain anymore, he could tell that Wonwoo was both kissing and licking on his skin, sending multiple kinds of strange feelings to the boy that made him shiver and closed his eyes in respond. He let out a weak moan without control but did nothing to show a protest. Of course he would not, because what Wonwoo was giving him was not unpleasant feelings. Joshua felt very much owned right now, as his alpha was showing too much possession and authority. Moreover, he was nibbling not only the mark but also some other part of the hybrid’s neck. Blushing, Joshua was sure that he would reek of Wonwoo for the rest of the night.

When the alpha stopped, he forced an eye contact with the boy, murmuring a question.

“Tell me who you belong to, Joshua.”

The hybrid had a lot of difficulty swallowing his own saliva due to his alpha’s question. He did not know why, but such kinds of questions were making him feel something. Joshua had already been submissive to his owners, but Wonwoo even made him got down to something more than that.

“I’m… yours.” His voice was low, thin and shaking. Realizing that his owner was not satisfied yet, he added. “I’m… _your omega_.”

Joshua knew that he had given the correct answer when Wonwoo smirked and gave him one more kiss on his forehead. Until then, he had to acknowledge that he was so happy to receive kisses from Wonwoo. The lead alpha was the boldest one among his owners. He was not afraid of kissing Joshua (many times) though all of them were all worried about making the boy scared. Honestly, Joshua liked that.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more WonShua in the next chapter ^^  
I'm deadly in love with cold and possessive Wonwoo ;_;


	5. Tears from the haunting memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much as Wonwoo was careful with Joshua, in the end he made the boy cry. Furthermore, that was the time in which the alpha was able to know more about the boy, to know what he was scared of, and who he wanted most.
> 
> Joshua just wanted his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are guessing, then you'll find out who Joshua's best friend really is in this chapter.
> 
> A lot of tears here ;_; I like writing sad stories so you will see a lot of tears in my whole story ;_; They will cry a lot more in the future.

Not changing Joshua’s position on his lap, Wonwoo stretched out his arm to get the tablet on the desk. His right arm was still kept behind the boy’s back while he used one hand to hold the table and the other hand to touch the screen. Both his arms naturally formed a cage that keep Joshua’s whole body inside, making the boy contented.

“We will have to go out tomorrow, Joshua.” Wonwoo announced and explained. “We need to take you to a doctor. I don’t know if you have ever heard of the heat suppressant.”

Joshua shook his head, but he was eager to know more. The words sounded promising, seeming to be something that he would need and should have. Wonwoo soon continued his explanation.

“As you are an omega, it is highly recommended that you take the heat suppressant. The doctor told me that since you are living with three alphas, the pills might not be as effective as it is supposed to be, but at least we should try.”

Joshua felt as if Wonwoo were able to read his mind when he answered exactly the question that the boy was having in his mind.

“Don’t worry. This kind of pills is totally different from the one that you took at the pet shop. Heat suppressant should be taken regularly for a long time before your heat to take effect. It is not something that can end the heat immediately. It won’t do your health bad.”

Wonwoo sighed a little.

“Let’s hope that the suppressant will be good for you. We really don’t want to leave and lock you in the house when your heat comes. The toys could help but of course not really satisfying. Your heat will last longer. After you take the pills, I think it won’t be too intense at least.”

Wonwoo did not say everything, but Joshua understood what he was thinking. Not only Wonwoo but also Mingyu and Jun knew that Joshua would not be willing to let any of them help him through his heat. Therefore, they hoped that the suppressant would keep those heats away from him so that he would not have to suffer it without an alpha’s help. Joshua once heard that some omegas helped each other with their heats, but he did not know any omegas, let alone hybrids or human. He suddenly missed his best friend again. That friend was an omega, too. Although they had never done that before because their heats had not come during the time they had been together, they would definitely help each other if he were here too.

When Joshua’s mind came back to reality, he realized that Wonwoo had opened an online shopping website on the tablet. That website sold one special thing that made the boy’s eyes sparkle. His alpha spoke again, his voice deep, but soft and tender.

“Jun told me that you are okay with the idea of three of us marking you at the same time so that you can go out safely. But I think we still need a collar in case there might be times we are not by your sides in time to mark you. We don’t want the bastards to get close to you.”

Joshua’s owners were really considerate and thoughtful, he admitted. They all had predicted many possibilities and prepared all they could to prevent bad scenarios from coming. Joshua could not take his eyes away from the tablet’s screen when Wonwoo tapped something and hundreds of different collars appeared.

“We may go out and buy one, but I think you may want to pick it online as well.” The alpha smiled, satisfied to see the boy’s high concentration. “We will pick not only one but some nice collars together, okay?”

Joshua nodded vigorously, visibly anticipating scanning through the whole website to get a collar. Wonwoo found it really hard - or even impossible - to alter the hybrid instinct inside the boy. The lead alpha had no interest in putting a collar on Joshua’s neck. He did not want to make him look like a pet in their home at all; he much preferred owning Joshua as _his omega_, and omegas do not have collars. However, he could see that he could not do anything different. Joshua himself wanted the collar, and the truth was that it was extremely dangerous for the boy to go out without any kind of claiming mark on him. Some people may somehow realize his hybrid identity and there was no law protecting those hybrids from the bad guys. A permanent mark will end all the problems. But Joshua did not accept being knotted. And forcing him to take it was _much much much worse_ than getting him a collar.

Wonwoo held the tablet in his hand and let Joshua scroll on the website by himself, allowing him to take his time to carefully view any collars that caught his attention. He tried asking a few questions based on the information provided on the website and was so relieved to see that the boy could read properly. The most difficult thing was that the hybrid was still afraid to ask. Wonwoo had to focus on every of Joshua’s reaction and facial expression to check whether he was falling in love with any collars or not. Sometimes, he tapped on a collar on the list to have a better view of it but then leave it to a side quickly. That was when Wonwoo knew that he was not much interested. And there were times the boy spent more than a minute looking at various photos of the same collars without saying a word. The alpha gently asked, trying to make his voice not sound like he was pushing.

“Do you like this one? I think it looks good, too.”

Only at this time did Joshua tear his eyes away from the screen to look at his alpha. Just by looking at those shining eyes, Wonwoo did not need more to know what was happening in the boy’s mind. Joshua nodded, whispering very quietly as if he were afraid that he was saying something wrong.

“Yes… I like it.”

“Okay, so I will add this to our list.” Wonwoo smiled and tapped a few buttons on the screen.

Having got the principles of understanding Joshua’s thought, Wonwoo felt more relaxed to sit comfortably, choosing the collars together with his boy. Money was not a problem to him, so he encouraged Joshua to buy any collars that he wanted. Luckily, the hybrid seemed to acknowledge his owner’s wealth and did not hesitate to follow the suggestion. Beside the collar, Wonwoo also let Joshua look through some other online fashion shops to find some nice clothes for his own. The boy’s mood just kept getting happier and happier, but Wonwoo soon found his heart sank to the bottom of his stomach when he realized something.

“You have never gone out to buy your clothes, Joshua?” He asked, a little in awe. The reason for his question was that, the hybrid had no idea about which size of a shirt or a pair of trousers or shoes might fit him.

“No…” Joshua shook his head, and there was sadness tinting in his eyes. “I have never.”

Wonwoo had already been told that the hybrid’s parents had sold him to the pet shop but he had never thought that things could be this horrible. It was not until then that he figured out Joshua had never been loved in his life. That was the reason why he craved for love and affection so much.

Joshua could feel anger coming from Wonwoo lingering in the air, and he shifted uncomfortably on his lap as he did not know why his alpha was suddenly angry. However, his owner calmed him down by a kiss on his forehead. Joshua closed his eyes at the contact between his skin and the alpha’s lips, feeling warmth slowly started to spread from that small part of skin to his whole body. Wonwoo murmured with a sweet voice that melted the hybrid’s heart.

“I think we should check the clothes that you wore this morning. They seem to fit you well. Luckily we have done the laundry this afternoon. Let’s go to the dryer to check them. What do you think?”

Joshua did not say what he thought. He just nodded in agreement with his alpha since he could not think of anything better and he also wanted his owner to make the decision. Wonwoo smiled happily, patting his head a few times then holding the hybrid’s hand and they both went to the dryer together. Wonwoo carefully noted down the sizes on a small piece of paper in case he forgot. After that, they went back to the alpha’s room. No command or request was needed. Wonwoo just simply sat on his chair and Joshua comfortably placed himself on his owner’s lap just the same way as he had done before.

For the whole time sitting like that, Joshua always leaned all of his body against the alpha, using no strength or energy to sit up or even lift up his head a bit. Wonwoo was pleased to have the docile and pliant hybrid in his chest and thought he had the right to believe that the boy liked this, too. His scent was sweet and pleasant. Wonwoo did not feel him shaking anymore. He did not know why but sometimes Joshua reached his hand to the neck, about to touch the mark but then giving up on time before he unintentionally hurt himself. At those times, Wonwoo chuckled and used his own hand to rub gently on the mark, making the boy shiver a little and give out small hum while the rosy scent got pretty thicker in the air. Joshua was enjoying the feeling of being owned by the lead alpha.

Wonwoo thought he might get crazy over his _utterly submissive omega_.

Joshua was not picky about clothes; therefore, they quickly finished choosing some simple shirts, jeans and sneakers for him. Wonwoo said that what they purchased on the Internet tonight would arrive around eight tomorrow morning while the appointment with the doctor would be at ten o’clock. Consequently, Joshua would have new clothes to go outside. The boy was happy to hear that as he had never had the chance to choose and buy anything to wear. They were quite afraid that the clothes may not fit him well, but that did not matter much to Joshua. He would not be disappointed a lot, because at least he knew that his owners would deal with that and help him get the new clothes _again and again_ until they could fit him perfectly.

Later, Wonwoo gave the whole tablet to Joshua so that the boy could play or do anything with it as long as he wanted to. However, before letting the hybrid indulge in his “new toy”, the alpha whispered in his ears a request.

“Joshua, could you make your cat ears and tail appear for me?”

Joshua was surprised and confused, but he did not ask why. However, he had a problem.

“Can I just… have the ears? These pants are not… comfortable for the tail…”

“Oh, I forgot that!” Wonwoo realized his mistake. “I’m sorry. The ears are enough.”

Unable to sense any danger from his owner, the boy obeyed almost immediately.

Wonwoo was not amazed to find Joshua’s fur on his ears matched his hair color, which was beautiful and lovely. The cat ears were just a bit bigger and longer than his original ears and not very much pointy. The alpha could not stop himself from staring at the hybrid unblinkingly to adore his too-cute-to-handle appearance with the fluffy cat ears on the head. Joshua’s face flushed because of his owner’s affectionate look, which made him so embarrassed that he turned his face to the alpha’s chest and tried to hide the pink cheeks, breaking the eye contact.

Seeing that reaction, Wonwoo just smiled and did not try to push the hybrid away. Instead, one of his hands gently caressed Joshua’s right ear. His heart melted right at the moment his rough fingertips touched the soft fur. Joshua was caught off guard. His brain seemed to freeze due to the contact and he let out a moan. Experimentally, Wonwoo took his hand away from the hybrid’s ear only to see the boy right away look at him and whine in frustration. Soon after that, Joshua realized that he was being bad; he had just whined to his owner. However, Wonwoo just laughed and cooed.

“You are so cute.” He pressed a kiss on the hybrid’s ear, making him shake violently, then caressing the ear again. “You seem to like it a lot. Am I right?”

Still blushing, Joshua nodded and did not turn his head away anymore. Wonwoo could swear that he had heard the boy purred like a real cat, but he was quite afraid that such good feeling would make the boy sleepy one more time. He had not wanted his boy to sleep yet; he still wanted to keep him awake on his lap while he worked tonight.

As a result, Wonwoo stopped playing with Joshua’s ears and turned his attention to the computer in front of him, letting the boy play with the tablet. Without the command to make the ears disappear, Joshua kept them there and looked down at the tablet. He was a little disappointed, as he wanted his alpha’s hand to come back to his ears, but he certainly never wanted to be a bad hybrid, or _a bad omega_. He tried his best to refrain from asking for more attention and started to look for games in the tablet. He did not look at the computer’s screen; he thought that it was not good to be curious about his alpha’s work. He should not test how much Wonwoo could be lenient to him.

Sometimes Wonwoo had to stop his work to check what Joshua was doing since the sweet scent suddenly turned sour and let him know that the hybrid was being sad. At first he thought that the boy had just lost in a game or something like that, but things turned out to be different. Mingyu had told him that Joshua said he at least once used the tablet, but now it seemed that the hybrid was just a little familiar with this thing. Joshua did not know thoroughly how to function the tablet properly, but he did not dare to ask. Those times were when he got sad and his scent became sour. Wonwoo was very much eager and willing to help him and teach him new things, and he was happy as the boy could learn very fast. After just thirty minutes sitting silently on the alpha’s laps, he was able to go to the online store and download a few games that he found more interesting than the ones that Mingyu had installed.

About half an hour later, Wonwoo stopped typing on the computer and started to read something. That was when Joshua began to get happier since the alpha was able to use one hand to caress him. Joshua enjoyed the touch no matter where Wonwoo put his hand - on his hair, his ears, his back, or the mark on his neck. Joshua was also glad that his alpha was such a good man - he knew his limit. The alpha’s hand never reached to somewhere private on the boy’s body. The hybrid soon dropped the tablet on his lap, having no interest in playing anymore. He just sat there and melted under his owner’s hand, slightly nuzzling against the alpha. That reaction was too adorable for Wonwoo’s heart to handle.

Only after about fifteen minutes, Wonwoo found the little kitten sleepy on his lap again. Sometimes, the hybrid made a few short purring sound when the alpha’s hand did many different things with his ear. Overall, Wonwoo’s touch was always slow and gentle. Moreover, at this position Joshua could easily take in the strong scent of his owner. With Wonwoo’s claiming bite on his neck, the boy was feeling considerably calm and safe when surrounded by his alpha’s scent. He almost fell asleep until suddenly felt a pair of lips kissing his mark. As long as it was Wonwoo who was touching the mark, it would always be a pleasant feeling.

Joshua was still sleepy, but the kisses kept him awake, as he wanted to enjoy all the sensation that his alpha was giving him through all of his intimate interactions. Wonwoo put a kiss on the boy’s ear before whispering.

“Do you like that?”

For sure, Joshua nodded, slowly closing his eyes while his alpha continued to kiss him on the neck. Wonwoo’s lips were not on the hybrid’s ears or mark anymore, but wandering along the right side of his neck, leaving wet kisses everywhere along his way. Joshua blushed but did nothing to stop his alpha, allowing him to kiss on the sensitive skin again, again and again. Wonwoo was utterly ravished by his omega’s sweet scent coming out thick and strong at the pulse of his neck. He could not detach his lips away from the boy’s slender neck, even gently nibbling his jaw. Joshua gasped a bit in surprise but did not show any serious reaction, only his face flushed more. Wonwoo was contented with the air getting sweeter and sweeter while the body in his embrace seemed to get softer and softer.

Having spent not less than five minutes taking care of Joshua’s neck and jaw, making him shiver and blush hard, Wonwoo murmured in his sensitive ear a question.

“I want you to sleep in my bed. Is it okay, Joshua?”

Joshua nodded, resulting in the alpha asking another question.

“Can I sleep with you? Just sleeping. You know what I mean, right?”

While the first question was much more like a command, Wonwoo was really asking and unsure with the second one. In fact, he did not bear much hope in his heart. He would be extremely understanding if Joshua rejected him, but he still thought that he might have a slight chance of getting his permission. Wonwoo was quite worried when Joshua looked at him in bewilderment since he could not distinguish that as a signal of joy or shock, but then the boy stuttered in such a familiar way that the alpha had witnessed from the beginning of this morning.

“I… I really can have you… sleep with me tonight?”

At this moment, Wonwoo was able to see an obvious light of happiness in the hybrid’s eyes. Quickly, he took the chance to shower his omega with the love and attention that he had always longed for.

“As long as you let me, it’s my pleasure to sleep with you on the same bed.” Wonwoo delivered a loving kiss on Joshua’s forehead. “Do you understand how much I desperately wanted to stay by your side?”

Staying silent for a short while to let the confused boy absorb his words, Wonwoo then added with more confidence, pressing another kiss on his omega’s cheek.

“And if you allow me to, I will let you use my arm as your pillow, and hug you, snuggle you all night. But I will only do that if you want it too.” He cupped the boy’s face, gently stroking the hollow cheek. “Do you want to sleep with me, Joshua?”

A minute of waiting for the hybrid’s answer was just like a hundred years long to Wonwoo, but he had and would always had enough patience for the boy that he had fallen in love at first sight. Luckily and magically, Joshua nodded one more time, but asking with so much concern in his shaking voice.

“I want to, but… I’m afraid that… I will disturb your sleep…”

“Why do you think so?” Wonwoo slightly raised an eyebrow, curious to find the reason. “Is there any problem with this room?”

“I… I have nightmares.” The boy admitted, his eyes turning beautifully sad, bringing heartbroken feelings to his alpha. “They will wake me up, and maybe… I will wake you up too.”

Wonwoo immediately hugged Joshua closer and more tightly to his chest, patting the boy’s head while whispering reassurance to his ears.

“You definitely _must wake me up_.” His deep voice sent vibration to Joshua’s heart, making him shiver but also feel warm and loved at the same time. “I will get angry if in the morning I find out that you had a nightmare but endured it alone. Do you understand?”

“Will… will you get angry at night… in the middle of your sleep?” Joshua still sounded so much nervous and unsure.

“I won’t. I promise. And I can’t.” Wonwoo smiled as he felt Joshua nuzzle into his chest at his words. Consequently, he traced his fingers on the new mark one more time. “How can I get angry at you while you are scared by those ugly nightmares? It’s not your fault. I’m your alpha. I’m the one who will protect you, remember?”

Again, Joshua nodded, giving out the most considerable amount of happy pheromones that Wonwoo had ever felt since the hybrid first came here. Still smiling, the alpha repeated his question.

“I think I need to make it clear from my first question. Do you agree to let me sleep with you and hug you all night long?”

The boy nodded, having no more hesitation after hearing his alpha’s reliable promise. However, Wonwoo was not really sure what Joshua wanted when he suddenly continued speaking. It was never normal to see the hybrid speaking on his own; usually, he just opened his mouth when somebody asked him a question. Mostly, he just nodded or shook his head. Besides, his scent stopped expressing happiness.

“I… often get cold at night.”

“Don’t worry, I will hold you, keep you warm all night.” Wonwoo scattered light kisses on the boy’s face. “Or if you need more blanket or more clothes, just wake me up. I will get anything you need.”

“And… I may… move a lot while sleeping… maybe… fall out of the bed.”

About _“get cold at night”_, Wonwoo may understand, but when Joshua added _“move a lot while sleeping” _with such a strange voice and suddenly broke eye contact, the alpha started to sense something abnormal. The boy half seemed like he was trying to tell his owner something that he was not sure how to state it properly; half seemed like he was trying to hide something away. Joshua began to get fidgety, shifting quite uncomfortably in Wonwoo’s lap. Spending nearly a minute using all the neurons in his brain to think, the alpha held the hybrid’s chin in his left hand to force an eye contact, asking quietly.

“Joshua, you have trouble sleeping at night?”

“I…” Joshua tried to find a way to answer, but eventually all he could do was just a light nod.

Wonwoo’s heart clenched when he asked slowly.

“You… could not sleep alone at night, right?”

This time the boy also nodded.

“Why?” Wonwoo asked, almost immediately, hand still not letting go of the hybrid’s face.

“Nights… are terrible.” Joshua gave him such a hard to understand answer and his voice was shaking seriously.

“Why terrible, Joshua?” The alpha could not help urging his omega to explain more. He thought he could die of curiosity and concern if he could not find out why the boy needed somebody to stay by his side at night that much. After waiting nearly a minute, the man restated his question, trying to make eye contact.

Nevertheless, Wonwoo was not given the chance to figure out the mysterious truth that night, because Joshua suddenly burst into tears and could not give him any other responds. Wonwoo got lost in his regret for trying to force his poor boy speak out his problem. He hurried to wrap Joshua thoroughly in his arms while the boy shrank in a very fast pace, pressing his knees to his chest and hugging himself tightly. Wonwoo had tried so hard to get close to Joshua and make him comfortable, but in the end he turned out to be the first one that caused him to cry. The alpha hated himself. He would do anything to prevent the tears from falling and stop all the sobbing that his boy was giving out. The scent was incredibly sour and bitter, letting him know that Joshua was being very sad, _extremely sad_, and even frightened. His body was visibly trembling violently. His breathe sounded too hard. He was not scared of Wonwoo, but perhaps of something dreadful that had happened in the past.

Wonwoo was not good at dealing with crying people. He could not do anything but hold the boy, rubbing circles on his back, patting his head in a desperate hope to calm him down. However, things did not seem to be effective. Joshua was still crying uncontrollably, sobbing and making sounds that were way too painful for the alpha’s ears. Wonwoo sighed in despair, but still tried all his best, murmuring the best thing that he could come up with to the crying and almost whimpering boy.

“I don’t know what you are scared of, but you have to know they are all gone. They are your past. Your present is different; _your life has changed_. You have me, Jun and Mingyu here. Do you remember, Joshua?”

The hybrid did not reply to him in any way - speak or nod or shake. However, he lifted up his face from his knees, looking at the alpha through a thick layer of tears in his red eyes. At least, Wonwoo had the chance to wipe the tears, caressing Joshua’s wet cheek and letting him see clearly how concerned and distressed his owner was.

“Yes, that’s right, look at me, Joshua.” Wonwoo used all his strength to force out a faint smile on his own face, hoping to soothe the hybrid. “Look at me, to know that you have me now. You are not alone. You are protected. You have to trust me, okay?”

To the alpha’s surprise, Joshua spoke, although he thought that the boy would not be able to say anything in this condition.

“I… I want Jeonghan.” He was still sobbing very hard, chest heaving with a lot of difficulty. “I want Jeonghan… I… I miss him… Jeonghan… just Jeonghan…”

“Jeonghan?” Wonwoo repeated the familiar name. He had already heard that name before. He thought he knew that person. However, he was still not sure the Jeonghan he knew and the Jeonghan that Joshua was talking about were the same person, and giving Joshua fake hopes was one of the last things that he wanted to do at this moment.

If Wonwoo was right, he would feel relieved, because the person named Jeonghan he knew was also an omega; the two boys must be very close friends or even best friends. On the other hand, if he was wrong, they may be in serious trouble, as Joshua was asking for someone else not them.

“Okay okay, I will try to find that Jeonghan for you.” Wonwoo sincerely promised. “But I’m sorry, it’s really impossible to get him for you right now. Anyway, you still have me, Joshua. Can I be the one you need to comfort you at least for now, Joshua?”

Wonwoo was almost pleading his hybrid to this point, making the boy look at him in shock. He still did not stop crying, but instead of burying his face in the knees again, Joshua turned to the alpha’s chest and pressed his face against the man. His continuous tears made his owner’s shirt damp, but neither of them cared about that. All of a sudden, the boy became very clingy to his alpha as if he had just decided to trust and give his all to his owner. Wonwoo waited no more.

Joshua was just like a doll in his alpha’s arms, having no strength or energy left. Wonwoo could easily change their position, making the hybrid straddle his waist and lifting those skinny arms to wrap around his shoulders. With no difficulty, he stood up from the chair, and Joshua immediately automatically wrapped himself tightly around the alpha.

Wonwoo kept going back and forth in his room with a sobbing Joshua in his arms. The boy did not reject him, and he was trying so hard to find comfort from his alpha. Wonwoo continued to coo sweet things in his ears, rubbing the shivering back and sometimes tracing fingers on the claiming mark. Joshua refused to say anything more, no matter what his owner said to soothe him. He could hear everything, but his brain could not process or function. He could only act on instinct, and his heart was telling him to hold his alpha tightly, to look for warmth and safety from him because that was his alpha - the alpha that he wholeheartedly agreed to let him leave a bite on the neck to be claimed as his.

Joshua’s sobs only subsided about fifteen minutes later. He was still sniffling and trembling, but the scent was a little better, and neither of them had the intention of loosening the hold on the other. Things were in favor of Wonwoo until he heard sounds of Jun coming home from outside of the room. He knew that was Jun because he had gone out with his family while Mingyu might be still having some drinks with his friends now. Jun was supposed to come home first. Not much later, there was a knock on the door, and Wonwoo let his cousin get in.

“Come in.”

Jun was expecting to see a cozy and intimate scene of Wonwoo and Joshua when he was coming home. However, right after opening the door into the apartment, he could smell his little hybrid’s sadness and fear clearly, which made his heart heavy and hurt as hell. As a result, he subconsciously put more force in his hand when knocking on Wonwoo’s door, and also when pushing the door open wide, creating a very loud noise.

Joshua flinched so badly at the sound, making both of his alphas frown in their utmost concern. Wonwoo tried to shush the scared boy, continuously rubbing his shaking back. All Jun could see at that moment was just the behind of his hybrid, but things were already too much for him to handle. Wonwoo was looking at him with displeasure in his eyes, but Jun could not care about his cousin just for a single second.

Before Jun started to walk as fast as possible towards Joshua, the boy had already turned his head away from Wonwoo’s shoulder to look in the direction of the door, searching for the source of the familiar pine forest scent that had just hit his nose in the most peaceful way. It only took Jun sharply two seconds to move from the door to his beloved boy.

At seeing the gentle alpha, Joshua felt himself unbelievably weak and unable to control or hold back anything anymore. He whimpered like a child and began crying again, unfolding both his arms from Wonwoo to literally throw himself towards Jun. Just in time, Jun stopped at a very close distance that was enough for the boy to wrap the arms around his neck. His strong hands got Joshua’s lower part firmly, letting the hybrid straddle his waist as he wished to.

Wonwoo stood there, frozen, watching Joshua abandon him and desperately reach for Jun. At that point, he knew that he had messed up somewhere. Joshua clearly preferred his cousin, hugging him obviously more tightly than before. The boy was still shaking from crying, but he seemed really more relaxed in Jun’s arms. Wonwoo could not deny that jealousy was driving him crazy, but he was also heartbroken. However, he failed to notice that the shift in emotion made his scent change into an unpleasant state. Joshua was drowned in tears but he was wary of the lead alpha enough to smell the bitterness which was stronger than Jun’s warm, soothing scent and made him suffocated.

Joshua flinched one more time, looked at Wonwoo in fright. His hold on Jun got tighter in an attempt of seeking for protection, but the younger alpha did not blame his cousin. He cooed, caressing the boy’s hair tenderly.

“It’s okay, baby. Don’t be scared. He’s sad because you are crying. It’s okay.”

But Joshua had already known that he was wrong, that he was being bad to Wonwoo because he had asked for not only Jeonghan but also Jun right in front of the lead alpha. He did not know why he had acted like that. Nonetheless, he could not conceptualize seeing the gentle alpha so close to him but doing nothing. He felt like home in Jun’s embrace. He found Jun’s scent familiar and comfortable and soothing. It was not that he did not like Wonwoo, but there was something that made Jun a better option for him than Wonwoo. As he knew he was bad, he was scared and began pleading Jun to protect him.

Jun had no choice but to take a few steps far away from his cousin, making the hybrid unable to see the older alpha anymore. He pushed out his scent and immediately felt the boy trying to take in the air. He terribly reeked of Wonwoo, which was not really nice to Jun’s heart and made him scrunch his face a bit, torn between mixed feelings. However, rather than minding that problem, he showered Joshua’s head and ears with sweet kisses so as to cover him with some of his scent.

“I’m here, Joshua. I’m already here.”

When Jun and Wonwoo looked at each other, they knew that a long discussion was necessary, but they both agreed that it should be left later, since Joshua was definitely not capable of staying alone right now and talking while he was nearby was not a good idea. Jun only said what he really needed to, but that also made Wonwoo upset.

“I think we had better let Joshua sleep with me tonight.” He said without coming closer to his cousin, keeping a safe distance for the sake of his sobbing boy.

Wonwoo was certainly unhappy yet there was nothing he could probably do to make Joshua happier. However, he had not nodded to agree with Jun yet. He tried his best to control his mood and pheromones as he just wished to get closer to the hybrid one more last time.

Jun did not stop him or move away; he stood there calmly, waiting for his cousin to come. Joshua could sense the lead alpha in proximity but did not turn his head until his owner patted his head gently.

“I’m sorry, Joshua.” His heart clenched when Joshua finally looked at him with much less fear in his eyes. Instead, the boy seemed to feel guilty, which made Wonwoo force a smile on his own face. “Don’t worry. You did nothing wrong. You are tired. Just sleep, don’t think about anything, okay?”

The hybrid did not answer, just nodded while tears continued to fall from his eyes. Wonwoo knew he had to let them go, but it was too hard for him to stop patting the boy’s hair. He deadly wanted to be in Jun’s place to hold his Joshua so that he would lull the boy to sleep. The selfish part inside him doubted whether it was wise to let Joshua be with Jun now, because he had already succeeded in alleviating Joshua’s mental condition, but the hybrid cried hard again just because of Jun’s appearance. On the other hand, Wonwoo reminded himself that three of them had made a promise that they would equally and peacefully share Joshua among each other as long as the boy felt okay with the idea of polyamory.

Wonwoo did not know how much the sorrow on his face was affecting Joshua and his melancholic eyes were showing more love than what he had ever tried to make the boy feel. Consequently, Joshua himself even did not break the eye contact with his alpha soon. He was not willing to be apart from Jun, but just the same as Wonwoo, he knew that he had messed up and hurt his owner’s feelings. It was all his fault; if he had been just a little more composed and collected, he would have had put himself in Wonwoo’s shoes and considered his emotions. Therefore, he murmured with his uncommonly weak voice, sounding broken.

“Master… I’m sorry.”

“I told you, you haven’t done anything wrong, Joshua.” Wonwoo smiled sadly, feeling all his selfishness disappear. Both he and Jun lowered their heads to deliver kisses on Joshua’s head and face - wherever they could reach. “Just go to sleep. I will wait until you are ready.”

Joshua closed his eyes under the shower of his alphas’ kisses and loving coos. He felt being pressed between two big and warm bodies, nose and lungs stuffed fully by the strong masculine scents coming from the alphas. They both pushed out all of their scents. The boy was more familiar with Jun’s, but overall he felt calmer while breathing in the atmosphere that had both of the scents mixed together.

Joshua thought that maybe he was really sleepy when he heard the sound of a kiss but feel no more kisses on his hair or face. Then Wonwoo’s voice came from somewhere above his head.

“Take care of him, Jun. If it were not you but Mingyu, I think I would…”

“Quit it, Wonwoo.” Jun huffed, words sounding annoyed.

However, Joshua scrunched his nose as the younger alpha’s scent changed strangely, but not smelled bat at all. He could not understand it, but also was not able to think much about that. He just knew that he felt his heart melted when Wonwoo caressed his fluffy ear one last time then whispered quietly.

“Good night, Joshua.”

Opening his eyes, Joshua gathered all the little energy left in his body to speak up, wishing to let the alpha know that he was grateful for everything that he had received from the beginning until now.

“Good night… master.”

A little contented to see Wonwoo’s smile with some happiness tinting in the eyes, Joshua closed his eyes again and buried his face in the crook of Jun’s neck, tightening his arms around the alpha like a clingy baby holding his parents.

For the second time, Joshua heard the sound of a kiss without feeling a kiss anywhere on his body, but he was too tired to think. He heard Wonwoo and Jun exchanging _“Good night”_ with each other, and then his first alpha - Jun was the first alpha ever to mark him - finally moved. The hands on his back never stopped rubbing. Wonwoo had done the same as well, but everything was totally different with Jun, the most gentle alpha that Joshua had ever met in his life.

Joshua was too exhausted to be really aware of what happened that night. He vaguely remembered that Jun sat down on his bed, still keeping Joshua straddle his waist and sit on his lap. The alpha whispered many relaxing and soothing things to the boy’s ears. Everything coming from Jun was too sweet for Joshua’s mind and heart to stay strong - or at least pretend to stay strong. Joshua had never cried that much. The more Jun tried to comfort him, the more tears came out from the hybrid’s eyes. Jun could not know exactly what had broken the boy that much, but he could understand. Joshua would never be able to stop if he were not allowed to cry enough. Jun could do nothing to change the fact that Joshua’s life in the past had already been destroyed and he had not overcome those miserable memories yet. The hybrid may never be able to know how devastated Jun was to see him cry like this, but Jun had no regret offering his constant presence just in order to let Joshua know that he would always be supported, loved and protected.

Joshua also remembered that after his sobs subsided (again) he asked Jun to mark him one more time, not caring about the fact that he had already had one on his neck at that moment. Jun easily agreed. The alpha did not say anything back, just kissed on the left side of the hybrid’s neck and then dug his teeth deeply in the exposed skin. Joshua was hurt but happy, and allowed the alpha to nibble the mark as long as he wanted. The boy had no idea when he fell asleep in Jun’s arms. At the time Joshua’s mind lost its consciousness, he was feeling safe and had nothing to be scared of.

He also heard Jun whispered in his ear softly. He was not sure what that was, but he was encouraged enough to believe that it was a _“I love you.”_

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan will appear soon!!!!!
> 
> This chapter is a bit sad at the end but the next chapter will be sweeter.


	6. Nightmares were not as bad as they used to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua had nightmares, which made him even shed more tears than before. Luckily, all of his alphas were willing to be by his sides and give him a lot of love to forget those horrible memories. 
> 
> For their boy's happiness, Wonwoo, Jun, and Mingyu were planning to help him meet the person they expected to be his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tears and fluff ❤❤❤

Jun had not been told about Joshua’s nightmares. Therefore, he was startled and quite shocked to hear the hybrid panting and sobbing in the middle of the night.

Immediately, he woke up, sitting up and pulling the boy into his lap in just the blink of an eye. The alpha himself thought that he was having a nightmare in which his beloved boy cried again, sounding just as painful as how he had been before sleeping. However, as a considerate and understanding person, Jun quickly realized the reason why Joshua easily agreed to let the alphas he had just met sleep with him. The boy was clearly desperate to look for a person who would comfort him after those awful nightmares, helping him relaxed and feel calm again, a person who may love him much enough to tolerate his cry and whimper at night.

Luckily, Jun had found a way to somehow calm Joshua down a little bit. The boy’s reaction was obvious when the alpha dug his teeth in the mark created by himself. In fact, any kinds of contact between Jun and his mark all bring good sensation to Joshua, making him longing for more and more. Jun found his heart tortured in both pain and happiness at the same time as he realized how much the boy seemed to like his scent. Every time Joshua cried, he tried his best to bury his face in his alpha’s neck, inhaling violently as if he believed that the scent of pine forest could do wonder to his feelings. Jun did not know that, Joshua did not just believe it; he actually felt it that way.

Waiting until Joshua got calmer, Jun whispered a suggestion in his ear, which was now still in the shape of a cat’s ear.

“Do you want to have some water?”

He was happy when the hybrid nodded.

Before standing up on his feet, Jun carefully fixed Joshua’s position, letting him bodily wrap around his owner while the alpha’s hands keeping him safely. When Jun opened the bedroom door, he was surprised to see not only Wonwoo but also Mingyu there. It was obvious that they had just jumped out of their own room and rushed to Jun’s place. It did not take them more than half a second to realize the little boy slightly sniffling in Jun’s arms.

Wonwoo spoke to Jun, but his eyes were glued on the hybrid.

“Joshua’s scent changed enormously. I was woken up just by his scent.”

“He had a nightmare?” Mingyu mumble, clearly in distress to see the boy crying.

While Jun nodded, Joshua slowly turned his head to look at the other two alphas. His scent got sweeter right away after capturing the image of his two concerned owners. He did not flinch or shiver when Mingyu wiped the tears on his cheek with his thumb. The giant alpha could not tell exactly what signal he had seen in Joshua, but he somehow got the hint that his little boy was silently begging for more contact from him. His hand fails to leave the hybrid’s face, starting to caress his cheek gently. Joshua melted under his touch, but was still determined to cling to Jun, never loosening his hold around the said man’s body.

One more time, Joshua felt himself being pressed between two bodies and he was drown in numerous kisses from Mingyu all over his hair, ears and cheeks. From the morning until now, Joshua had not had much time spent with Mingyu; therefore he tensed up a little at the feeling of the giant’s lips on his skin. However, he got relaxed just a second later and begun blushing slightly instead. When Wonwoo stepped closer, Mingyu was willing to give him some space so that the lead alpha could join his cousins in giving solace to the hybrid. All of them generously gave Joshua many kisses and soft coos, which gradually made his scent change considerably in accordance with his mood. None of his owners was subtle in the way of expressing their love for the boy. Until then, Joshua was still taken aback, looking at them with so many unspoken questions in his eyes, but he soon gave up and just received everything.

Joshua felt so peaceful in the middle of their warmth that he almost fell asleep until Wonwoo and Jun rubbed their thumb on the mark at the same time, making him let out a feeble moan, but in a good way.

“Aren’t the temporary marks very sensitive?” Mingyu was a little confused. “Why do you two touch them?”

“Joshua likes that.” Wonwoo said, still letting fingers linger on the red mark, also making the boy blush. “His reactions are very good.”

“Really?” There was sparkle in the giant alpha’s eyes.

Just by looking at Mingyu, Wonwoo knew that his youngest cousin was enjoying imagining himself bringing wonderful sensation to the hybrid after leaving a claiming bite on Joshua’s neck. However, the lead alpha deemed Joshua not ready for that at this moment. Consequently, he asked Wonwoo, breaking the chain of thought in Mingyu’s mind.

“By the way, where are you going? Does Joshua need anything?”

Jun answered, but was quite distracted as Joshua was nuzzling his neck, still trying to take in the pine forest scent that he loved. Wonwoo and Mingyu almost got lost in jealousy.

“I think that it may be good for him to have some water. He has been crying for a while.”

“Let’s go together.”

Only a few seconds later, all of them were in the kitchen and Joshua was not crying anymore. Mingyu went to get some water while both Jun and Wonwoo sat down at the table. The lead alpha invitingly offered his arms to the boy with his most tender smile and loving look. Joshua had not wanted to leave Jun yet - maybe he would never really want to - but Wonwoo was not less appealing. He looked at the oldest alpha, then at Jun hesitantly. Luckily, Jun was always kind and generous towards his cousin. Although he honestly wished to keep Joshua to himself forever, he smiled and nodded, encouraging the hybrid to come to Wonwoo. He did not want his cousin to feel hurt twice in just one night.

Jun did not speak out, but he genuinely found it painful and guilty to look at Wonwoo’s expression when Joshua flung himself into him out of the lead alpha’s hold.

Knowing that the hybrid still had not got the nerves to ask, Jun immediately understood Joshua’s mind when he started to fidget nervously on his lap. The alpha gently pulled the boy up, gently helping him to settle on Wonwoo’s lap. The two cousins had already sat close enough to each other that Joshua could easily move from one to the other without having to put his feet down on the floor or raising up too high on the chair. Moreover, both of the alphas were strong; it was easy for them to tug Joshua just like a rag doll, and the boy had no problem with being manhandled like that because they were always gentle - far more gentle than whatever Joshua had ever dared to dream about a human alpha.

Mingyu came back right after Joshua had just settled comfortably on Wonwoo’s lap, carefully handing the glass of water to the hybrid and sitting down on the other side of Wonwoo. Joshua took it gratefully with a hoarse _“thank you”_ and then drank very slowly. He was a cat anyway - it was not typical of a cat to hurry in anything if he was not forced to. However, he was much aware of his owners watching him and not tearing their eyes away for even half a second; therefore he tried to drink faster. He got choked halfway, coughing a lot and Mingyu had to take the glass back so that the boy would not spill it on Wonwoo. The lead alpha patted his back to sooth him while Jun tried to shush him with soft hum.

“Don’t rush, baby. Just take it slow as you wanted. We had a lot of time.”

Wonwoo only spoke when Joshua stopped coughing totally.

“Did any of us say anything to urge you to drink quickly, Joshua?” His voice was actually much softer than his words, and his eyes were looking straight to the boy’s eyes, asking him to reconsider carefully the situation.

For sure, Joshua shook his head.

“You have to stop assuming things that we don’t say or express directly.” This time, Wonwoo intentionally made his saying sound much like a real command. “As you can see, none of us are subtle. So, it is easy to understand us. You got it, Joshua?”

He was not sure that the hybrid would be able to control his way of thinking next time, but at least he nodded now, ducking his head down. Mingyu gave him the glass again, and then Joshua drank with his most normal speed of taking water. It did not take really long, though. Mingyu kindly asked if he wanted more, and Joshua just shook his head, thanking the giant one more time.

After providing the hybrid with water, the alphas focused on showering him with their love again as the candy-liked scent had not really come back and the rosy part of it was still not sweet enough for them. They all tried their best to push out their own scent. Bearing the marks of Wonwoo and Jun, Joshua could not smell Mingyu very clearly but he still wholeheartedly enjoyed the combination of their scent and suddenly realized that _this was how his new home would smell from now on_.

Joshua flinched when he saw Mingyu’s hand coming near to his ears but then regretted his own action and felt guilty immediately. Mingyu was surprised and sad at the same time, stopping his movement and showing clear hesitation, unsure whether he could possibly touch the hybrid’s ears or not. Joshua was still not accustomed to Mingyu’s size. He had a bad impression of huge people. Mingyu was giant (the worse thing was, he was even _super muscular_); so were his hands. Joshua knew he had just misbehaved and made Mingyu sad, but there was nothing he could do to take back his reaction. And he got frightened again, too much afraid of a punishment coming.

Both Wonwoo and Jun tried to calm Joshua down, whispering in their sweetest voice, continuously rubbing his back.

“No one is going to hurt you, Joshua. You are safe here, remember?”

“Don’t be scared, baby. Mingyu will always be gentle with you.”

Jun reached out his hand to Mingyu and gently held his cousin’s wrist, slowly pulling his hand towards Joshua. Mingyu was just like a lost puppy when his hand was dragged to the boy’s ears. Still hesitantly, he caressed the fluffy ear lightly while Joshua was watching his hand unblinkingly anxiously. Jun was right, Mingyu was also gentle in his touch for the hybrid. As the alpha was afraid that he might hurt or scare Joshua, his touch was light like feather, tickling the boy a bit but it was nice anyway, and he did not want his owner to stop. A few seconds later, Joshua no longer watched out for Mingyu’s hand, and he genuinely indulged in the feelings of getting his owners’ big rough hands with calloused fingertips on his sensitive ears. Only at that time did Jun let go of Mingyu and smiled at him, then the hybrid.

Joshua’s heart was unbelievably soft and weak when he carefully observed the way Jun held Mingyu’s wrist. Despite being an alpha, Jun was always gentle with everyone in this house. The boy had seen him and the youngest alpha bickering, but they were not that physically tough towards each other. Jun made Joshua miss Jeonghan - his best friend - even more terribly. Before his new owners appeared, Jeonghan used to be the only one that had ever been gentle to Joshua. He wanted Jeonghan back; he wanted to see him again.

And he desperately craved for the gentleness that Jun was giving him.

As a result, Joshua was quite unhappy when Jun gave him a suggestion.

“I think it might be nice if you sleep with Wonwoo from now. Do you think so?”

No, Joshua did not think so at all. But he did not want to make Wonwoo disappointed and sad either. Looking at Jun deep in the eyes, he knew that his most beloved alpha also did not want that to happen. Jun was too precious for this world: he was gentle like an angel (although his words were quite _strangely opposite_ sometimes) and always cared about other people’s feelings, or at least his cousins’ feelings.

Eventually, Joshua nodded, making his owners smile happily. Then, the three alphas sat there, giving kisses and tender touch to their little hybrid. Joshua remembered hearing many promises and assurance from them. He was not sure if he really believed them or not, but he was contented to hear those beautiful sounds, feeling like floating on the clouds. The boy kept trying to inhale deeply the peppermint scent from Wonwoo, and got excessively happy when he finally found that scent _familiar_. Automatically, Joshua tightened his hug, his heart fluttering whenever the lead alpha’s deep voice vibrated through his chest to the hybrid’s.

Sometimes, though sleepy, he lifted up his face so that his owners could peck his cheek and forehead. Joshua was still pretty aware of Mingyu, but he was composed enough to do nothing except for sit still and staring at the giant man. There was caution in Joshua’s eyes, but not intense enough to make Mingyu doubt his action. The alpha at least was sure that he was on the right track when the boy had his scent got sweeter after receiving a kiss from him - the same reaction he had for the other two alphas’.

As Mingyu placed his lips on the corner of Joshua’s eye, he closed his eyes, letting the alpha leaving various kisses there, drying completely all the tears lingering on his eyelash. Mingyu found that reaction cute and irresistible at the same time. He moved slowly towards the boy’s neck and nuzzled his neck for a short while before murmuring to the lovely ear. Joshua’s ear twitched due to the man’s breath ghosting over.

“Don’t be scared, Joshua. I’m your alpha, not a monster.”

The hybrid’s breath hitched at the saying _“your alpha”_ and he opened his eyes to look at Mingyu. At this point, all of a sudden, all of his owners realized that the boy in fact did not like any of them to be subtle. Perhaps due to an enormous thirst for love and protection, Joshua whispered quietly in a reply to Mingyu, not even knowing himself subconsciously enticing the others to fall head over heels.

_“Alpha…”_

“Yeah, that’s right, good boy.” Mingyu grinned while giving the compliment, and Joshua’s scent told them all that he loved being praised so much.

Much as he deadly desired to dig his teeth in somewhere on the hybrid’s body, he had to use all the strength available to refrain himself from his own wish as knowing that Joshua was not ready for anything like that at this moment. However, Mingyu assumed that it was acceptable for him to scent the boy, and without asking, he held Joshua’s delicate hand, lifting up so that he could attach his lips to that cold hand. Joshua never missed any movement of Mingyu’s lips on his hand as the alpha delivered countless wet kisses there, and even on his wrist. It felt like Mingyu’s eyes were talking on their own, telling Joshua sweetly in silence, _“I like you. I like you. I like you very much.”_

Joshua was not sure what had triggered him, but a few seconds after Mingyu putting the last kiss on his hand and just holding it gently, he decided to reach to the alpha’s face. Mingyu enthusiastically pushed his head closer to the boy’s hand, letting him caressing his cheek in the softest way. The other alphas had never seen Mingyu that happy, especially when he closed his eyes and smiled like an idiot, his hand keeping Joshua’s hand on his face and slightly leaning into the touch. Mingyu made Joshua think of a cute puppy, probably the cutest puppy in this world. Like that, the giant alpha did not seem to be scary anymore. Witnessing the whole thing, Wonwoo and Jun were a bit jealous but eventually satisfied and happy as well, since they no longer smelled fear in their adorable hybrid.

Having had not less than the sweetest fifteen minutes of his life, the hybrid succumbed to his tiredness. The scene of Joshua sleeping peacefully in Wonwoo’s arms was so nice in the alphas’ eyes, making all of them feel weak at the most for their boy. Moreover, Wonwoo noticed Jun looking at him and the hybrid, getting fidgety for a while and he could not help having various questions burning inside of him. Then, Mingyu’s scent quickly got bitter considerably while Wonwoo was utmost satisfied.

They were quite much sure that Jun only did that because Joshua gave him the courage, but Mingyu still got enraged by envy and Wonwoo smile tenderly while looking at the gentle alpha leaning to rest his chin on the hybrid’s head, causing himself to lay his head on Wonwoo’s chest as well. Jun shifted a bit to find the most comfortable position, his movement resembling nuzzling into the lead alpha’s neck. Wonwoo guessed Jun was tired too, as the younger did not protest like he had usually done when the lead alpha placed a hand on his shoulder. The scent of pine forest coming from Jun had always been a nice, calming scent, and it even got somehow sweeter, making the other two relaxed, spending quite a long time adoring the sight in front of their eyes until Jun broke the silence.

Jun tried calling Joshua’s name a few times to make sure that he had already slept soundly and then started to asked, slightly nudging Wonwoo.

“So… could you tell me now what made Joshua cry earlier? I am really curious to death.” He tried to speak as quietly as possible, trying not to wake the sleeping boy up. However, he did not move at all, still leaning on Wonwoo and giving up all his strength, only the lead alpha supporting all of his weight.

Mingyu gritted his teeth, trying his best not to be grumpy. Wonwoo was having too much to his own, while he had nothing for him - that was so unfair. Was Jun doing that on purpose to make him angry or something? He smelled the bitterness in Mingyu’s scent, didn’t he?

Wonwoo worriedly looked at Joshua, then at Jun - or the tip of Jun’s head, to be exact - again.

“Is it okay to talk while Joshua is here like this?” His voice was also low.

“Don’t worry. He won’t hear anything. I even put on the socks for him but he didn’t wake up.”

Mingyu had already been told about what had happened, but he also concentrated on their conversation when Wonwoo let Jun know the reason for Joshua’s tears, and he was the one who voiced his opinion first after the story ended.

“I will definitely break his previous owner’s limbs if we meet that jerk one day.” Luckily, he had succeeded in hiding this anger while Joshua was awake. Otherwise, the boy would surely freak out. Frankly, if Joshua woke up now, he would freak out, too. On the other hand, Mingyu also had his attention on another issue of the story. “But… he said he wanted Jeonghan? Really? Is it possible…”

He trailed off, waiting for his older cousins to continue, hoping that they were having the same thought, but the atmosphere suddenly turned strangely solemn. Wonwoo was literally glaring at Jun while the younger man seemed to be trying to avoid that look, desperate for a way to get out of this situation.

“I think the best thing that we can do for him is getting that Jeonghan for him.” Jun sighed, anger and confusion filling his eyes but his tone was still stable when he was trying to look for a solution. “If he calls for Jeonghan in such condition, that person must mean a lot to him.”

Mingyu frowned a bit to see his cousin ignoring his previous question.

“You guys also think like me… that Jeonghan… Seungcheol’s mate?”

Wonwoo finally spoke, voice colder than what the youngest alpha had expected.

“That’s a possibility.”

“That really makes sense in fact. Both he and Joshua are omegas. I will be very glad if that person is really the Jeonghan we need.” Jun hummed and rubbed his eye, and Wonwoo instantly glared at him again due to the calmness in his voice while saying so. Nonetheless, the other two alphas’ heart clenched to realize his sleepiness.

Wonwoo moved his hand from Jun’s shoulder to his head, gently stroking and then hearing his cousin sigh softly. Mingyu knew for sure that his own face must be quite red at the moment, but he patiently waited. Looking at Jun now, he believed that the older would surely doze off soon, as long as they lengthened this conversation enough before he could get up on his feet and go back to the bedroom by himself.

“But how can Joshua be close, or used to be close, to a human omega?” Mingyu asked, really curious, but he did not know that he was the only one to have that question in his mind.

“We will find out about that later.” Tearing his eyes away from Jun, Wonwoo looked at Mingyu and noticed something being planned in the face unsuccessfully masked by curiosity of his youngest cousin. He continued to speak and slowed down his speed as the other silently asked him to do so. “The important thing is finding a way to help Joshua meet Jeonghan.”

Mingyu nodded his head, but he was not really into the idea of doing something with their friend’s mate.

“Seungcheol is horribly territorial around his omega. I couldn’t spend more than a second looking at his omega’s face last time we met. I barely remember how he looks.”

“That’s because you’re too absent-minded.” Despite being in such a state, Jun still mocked Mingyu, his voice becoming quieter.

Mingyu did not bother to retort, only snorting lightly.

“I think it’s possible to ask Seungcheol out for dinner. He doesn’t like to work on weekends. If we are lucky enough, he may have no appointment tomorrow.” In an attempt to help Mingyu get what he wanted, Wonwoo spoke much more than he usually did. “You know, Seungcheol brings his omega with him to everywhere. He will feel a bit more comfortable to see us bringing our omega too. We can’t talk to Jeonghan, but maybe Joshua can.”

Wonwoo was not sure if Jun was really aware of the fact that he was nuzzling into his older cousin’s chest and his scent was so pleasant. His reactions too much resembled Joshua’s, and Wonwoo chuckled when thinking that his deep voice vibrating in his chest was having enjoyable effect on Jun like how it had done to the hybrid.

Mingyu continued to speak, but more softly this time, his eyes moving back and forth between Joshua and Jun, afraid to ruin the sleepy and peaceful aura around them.

“So… will you call him to invite him out for dinner tomorrow?”

“Sure.” Wonwoo nodded, also speaking quietly, as if only he and Mingyu were talking to each other. “I will say that we want to celebrate us finally getting our omega, and suggest that we may let the two omegas make friends.”

Jun was clearly very sleepy even though he still had the ability to say.

“That’s a good idea. I think it will work.”

Everyone was sure that Jun would certainly doze off in less than three more minutes.

“Do you think Joshua will be okay? Will he be scared of meeting another alpha?”

“Maybe he will feel uncomfortable, but if we make him go, he will go. As long as three of us are by his side, he will feel safe soon.”

“I just wish that Jeonghan is really the one we need. I can’t bear it if the person Joshua asked for is an alpha.”

“Anyway, if Seongcheol’s mate is not the one we are looking for, Joshua will still have a new friend. As I remember, Jeonghan is very gentle and quiet. Their personalities may match.”

“Hope that Seungcheol will not have problems with letting his omega getting close to another omega. You know, he is kind of crazy.”

“If things turn out to be fine, we will luckily have someone to help Joshua through his heat when it comes."

“Yeah, that will be great, really.”

After exchanging a few thoughts and questions, Wonwoo and Mingyu looked down to check on Joshua and Jun. Just like what they had guessed, the two leaning against the lead alpha had already been deep in their sleep, breathing steadily and giving out happy pheromones. Mingyu did not need to be told or wait any longer. He quickly but carefully stood up, not causing any noise when pulling the chair and taking long steps towards Jun on the other side. Jun slept soundly just the same as Joshua; he did not wake up or seem to know anything while the giant alpha gently pulled him away from Wonwoo and the hybrid, tugging him on his strong well-built arms.

“Good night, Wonwoo. Take care of Joshua.” Mingyu said to his cousin, heading towards the hall.

“Wait, Mingyu.” Wonwoo whispered to call him back, and Mingyu turned his head to look at the lead alpha with a raised eyebrow, a little impatient. “Keep calm, Mingyu. Or he will gouge out your eye balls the next morning.”

Mingyu rolled his eyes.

“I know. I’m not that stupid.” But then he sighed. His eyes were covered by a thick layer of sadness over a problem that neither he nor Wonwoo had managed to solve after a terribly long time. “I never want to make him hate me.”

A few seconds later, Mingyu disappeared into his own room without going to Jun’s bedroom first. Wonwoo also sighed, hoping that the youngest cousin was really not stupid, like he had said that by himself. His concerned thought about Mingyu and Jun suddenly got interrupted as Joshua let out a small whimper and his body twitched. Wonwoo shushed him by many kisses, patting and rubbing. Fortunately, the hybrid seemed to be just experiencing a short unpleasant dream, and he soon went back to his normal state, bringing a relief to his alpha. Joshua got relaxed completely when Wonwoo bit the mark again, making the peppermint scent flow into his dreams in the sweetest way.

That night, Wonwoo let Joshua use his bicep as a pillow as he had promised previously, and hugged the boy close to cover him in the warmth of an alpha. Joshua did not have any more nightmares. He just slept, shifting position sometimes, even waking up to go to the bathroom without Wonwoo knowing. When the hybrid came back, he got under the blanket and curled up in Wonwoo’s arms again, pressing his face to the alpha’s chest. Only at this time this Wonwoo got some consciousness back to himself, and he wrapped his arms around the soft body, cuddling and saying nothing, just pretending as if he were still sleeping.

Joshua got joyously overwhelmed by his alpha’s scent, and he smiled.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you want to know more about what's going on between Wonwoo, Mingyu and Jun? I hope that you do :'))
> 
> And I am desperately looking forward to seeing more comments to know what you are thinking about the story ;_;


	7. First kisses, lips on lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Joshua's second day at their place, the alphas took him out and prepared a special plan for him in the evening.
> 
> However, before heading out, there were some important things that needed to be done, as they had promised to give him three marks on his neck.
> 
> Besides the bites, Joshua got more. And, he started to realize something abnormal between his owners.

In the morning, Joshua was woken up by the one that had slept with him last night - Wonwoo. He felt everything so strange, so fresh to wake up feeling no pain and the first thing to see was the gentle, smiling face of a person that he really adored. Except for the horrible nightmare that had made him cry, every other part of the sleep was so nice that until now he still wanted to sleep more. Wonwoo smiled more brightly when Joshua yawned. The alpha ruffled his hair both playfully and lovingly at the same time, helping the hybrid feel more awake to welcome the new day with many upcoming plans.

“Good morning, Joshua.” Wonwoo pecked the boy on the cheek, whispering softly.

He did not expect much from his shy and sleepy boy, but Joshua leaned over and kissed his cheek too. His voice was hoarse but still soft and cute.

“Good morning, master.”

The alpha’s scent was so nice and enticing for Joshua that he failed to resist leaning against his owner’s shoulder and buried his nose in Wonwoo’s neck. The alpha deemed the hybrid’s action kittenish and he chuckled before biting his mark on the boy’s neck not very gently. Nonetheless, it did not hurt Joshua, but he still moaned sweetly to Wonwoo’s ear, body trembling obviously. 

“Come on, you have to get out of bed now Joshua, or we will be late.” Wonwoo patted his head, rubbing the mark in order to bring more pleasure to the boy, sending shivers up and down his spine. “We need to go to the doctor, remember?”

Joshua moaned again, more weakly than before, but his scent was extremely sweet at this point. Wonwoo was happy to hear the boy speak out his own feelings, not too quiet and skittish like yesterday.

“That… that feels too good, master.”

Wonwoo forced the hybrid to sit up, which made him whimper feebly but not fight back, just slightly pouting. The alpha brushed through his messed hair, telling him something that he thought might strongly attract the boy’s attention.

“This mark will disappear before we finish breakfast. After that, all of us will bite you. You will go out with three claiming marks on your neck. What do you think?”

Wonwoo was right. Joshua’s eyes immediately lightened up as he stuttered.

“Re-really, master? All of you?”

Wonwoo laughed softly to see the boy gradually being dragged out of his sleepiness, reminding him of what they had told them yesterday already.

“I’m sure. All of us.”

From that on, the boy did not seem to be much sleepy any more. He sped up all his actions, obediently going to the bathroom and get ready for breakfast. Wonwoo had kindly brought Joshua’s toothbrush and towel from Jun’s bathroom here for him so that the boy could comfortably use the lead alpha’s bathroom. He felt so pleased, so contented, so happy, so satisfied to see the two red marks on his neck in the mirror. For a second, the childish part inside of him made him just want to go out and let as many people as possible see that he was a claimed omega with more than one mark; and all of his alphas were the best men in this world, were the people who loved him most and would give him everything he needed to be live a happy life by their sides.

However, that was only Joshua’s thought in a very short moment when he was alone early in the morning. Once he stepped in the kitchen with the presence of all his owners, he was still hesitant to sit at the table. They all greeted them with smiles - though some seemed quite strange - and then Mingyu invited him to sit and wait for breakfast in just two more minutes. The alpha was too kind and polite in his words that Joshua found no hint to consider that as a command. He did not dare to sit down when his owners were still standing; he thought he should help them a bit no matter what they were doing. The alphas did not stop Joshua when he got closer to the counters, trying to check on the men’s tasks.

Smiling tenderly to Joshua, Jun guided him to get the clean plates and glasses out to put on the table. Joshua listened carefully and obeyed immediately, but before he moved towards the cupboard he secretly tried to sniff Jun one more time when passing by him from behind. The hybrid had already known that all of the alphas in this house had very strong scent, but he found it really difficult to understand why Jun was reeking of Mingyu at the moment. Mingyu smelled like food - he must have been preparing the food for long, but Jun did not smell that way. He simply smelled like Mingyu, exactly like Mingyu. Joshua was a bit disappointed, because he liked the pine forest scent of him a lot.

Joshua sat at the same position that he had yesterday with Jun about to have a seat on his right. Right then, Mingyu hurried to run from the counter, intending to take the chair at the opposite of Joshua. The hybrid was surprised to see Jun immediately grabbed Wonwoo’s arm and pull him to that chair, pushing him sit down right before Mingyu could reach it. The giant had no other choice but to sit on the other side of Joshua, his facial expression quite unhappy when darting a glance at Jun.

Joshua was highly confused, and he spent quite much time looking at Jun - who was slightly ducking his head, staring at the plate in front of him - to find the slightest hint of a reason. It was not until then that the boy realized the alpha was wearing not only a pair of pajamas but also a large long-sleeved shirt. Amazingly, Joshua even found two very clear hickeys on his neck, one of which was near the collarbone and the other one staying close to his jaw on the other side.

Soon, Jun realized Joshua was curiously staring at those hickeys, but it was obvious for the boy that his alpha was so embarrassed; he could not even think of a word he should say to make the hybrid stop looking at him that way. However, Joshua knew that the kind of embarrassment Jun was having on his face did not seem to be positive at all, and he really needed to stop making his owner feel worse. As a result, Joshua looked back at the food on the table, but since Mingyu’s scent was attacking him from both sides and he could hardly smell the food properly, he could not help visibly sniffing while slightly turning his head to the right. He still found it too strange. The only two scents that could be easily distinguished in the room then were Wonwoo’s and Mingyu’s.

Wonwoo was the first one to take action, serving the food to his younger cousins, and Joshua followed right away, but was very wary of the other two. Jun was still staring at the empty plate, not looking up after Wonwoo placed there some hot food. Joshua shifted quite uncomfortably on his chair. The hybrid was always sensitive about his owners’ feelings. He could never believe that he was in good condition when his owners’ mood was not good. Moreover, he had got used to the playful, bright side of Mingyu and a bold but pretty aloof Jun. Both of the alphas could sense that too, but Mingyu was the only one able to speak up. Neither of them wanted to make Joshua worried.

“Jun got cold last night. He curled up in the blanket. Therefore, I put my shirt on him so that he would be warm.”

However, Mingyu’s saying did not seem to help although it explained a lot. In fact, it was much more like he had just spilled the beans since Wonwoo frowned and the tips of Jun’s ears turn red while Joshua got even more confused. Before listening to Mingyu, Jun had not realized that he was wearing his cousin’s shirt. Shocked by the information, he got startled and rapidly took the shirt off, placing it on his lap. However, Jun seemed to regret his decision instantly as without the shirt, the hickeys were more exposed and then it was Wonwoo’s turn to stare at them shamelessly. Joshua was much sure that the two alphas must have shared the same bed last night, which was extremely suspicious but he did not dare to ask more.

On the other hand, Mingyu could not stop. He could not let Joshua severely misunderstand them. Persuading him to trust them had already been tough enough.

“Jun is an adopted child, Joshua.”

“Stop it, Mingyu.” Wonwoo strictly demanded. “You can explain to him later.”

Anyway, Joshua was thankful that Mingyu let him know about such important fact early. He was relieved at the phrase _“adopted child”_ and got relaxed to start eating when Wonwoo told them to. That was enough to temporarily explain most of the problem.

Wonwoo eased out the atmosphere by an announcement.

“We will go to Seungcheol’s house to have dinner with him this evening. At 6 pm.”

“It’s only 7 now and you have already contacted him?” Mingyu was amazed, and Joshua was happier to see Jun finally look up.

Realizing that he had been bothering the hybrid for a while, Jun smiled softly at him - quite sadly, actually - as his way of letting the boy know that he was okay.

“You know, he always wakes up early.” Wonwoo also carefully watched Jun while speaking. “So, I just sent a text, and he replied right away.”

“But… at his house? Not a restaurant?”

“Yeah. I said that we would like to invite him out for dinner, but he said that he would be glad if we could come to his place instead. That’s also nice, anyway.”

Mingyu chuckled. “Maybe he is addicted to his mate’s cooking and doesn’t like to eat anywhere else.”

Then, all of them turned their attention to Joshua, but the boy was eating and did not really much care about what his owners were talking about as if he thought that it was not related to him.

“Hey, Joshua.” Wonwoo spoke directly to the hybrid, asking him to make eye contact. “You will go with us, tonight, so that we can introduce you to our close friend as our omega.”

It was not until then did Joshua register that he was going to meet another human alpha who was not his owner. What they had guessed last night was correct. Joshua looked like he was having a panic attack, almost dropping his folk. However, he knew that this was not something he could decide. Wonwoo had already said so, then it meant Joshua would go with them by all means no matter he liked it or not. It would be definitely unwise to show his dislike of the meeting. Joshua did not want to be _reprimanded or punished_.

When punishment came, it may mean that he would be hit. His owners were treating him gently and being nice to him, but nothing promised that they would never use violence. Maybe they were just being nice because Joshua had not done anything that they felt wrong yet. _Just not yet._

Hoping that the alphas would not see him trembling so much, Joshua put the folk down and nodded obediently, but said nothing. In fact, he did not know whether there was anything that he was supposed to say in this situation, but he felt like the alphas were still waiting for something, as all of them were watching him thoroughly. They honestly had to suspect the hybrid’s expression since hi scent could never hide anything. It was really sour despite his silence. The alphas felt like they could hear Joshua screaming inside, sending wishes to the stars for a miracle to occur so that he would not have to have dinner with a human alpha that he had never met before.

Joshua himself unconsciously proved that he was lost in fear when Jun’s hand landing on his hand made him almost jump. The look that Jun was giving him helped him calm down a little bit; so did the alpha’s smile and words.

“Don’t be afraid, baby. Seungcheol is our childhood friend. He is a stranger to you now, but we can make sure that he is not dangerous. We have known each other for more than twenty years.”

_“Twenty years”_ \- The number clicked in Joshua’s mind, and he relaxed. That was hopefully long enough for his owners to understand a friend to make some conclusion about him. So, it meant that they would be able to foresee the bad possibilities. Probably, Joshua would be safe, as long as his alphas were nearby.

Mingyu also put his hand on the other hand of Joshua, holding gently, making the boy look at him with eyes filled by hopes.

“Seungcheol is mated. As I remember, that omega is kind, and maybe not much older than you. You two can talk to each other and maybe make friends. That’s great, right?”

Joshua nodded, but he did not think that way. He had never befriended a human omega. Overall, he did not have good impression of any kinds of creatures except for _hybrid omegas_. However, he was even not sure that the idea of making friends with another hybrid omega would be good, since there was only one and just one Jeonghan of that kind had ever been nice to him. Joshua could not remember anyone treating him nicely. His family hated him. Then who the hell would love him?

On the other hand, Joshua was not aware of the fact that he was really bad at hiding his feelings. The serious disbelief was displaying itself on his face so obviously that Mingyu decided to give up persuading the hybrid to that idea. And they started to doubt their own plan, because Joshua seemed evidently uneasy with even an omega human. Mingyu had already been upset about Jun, then he was more upset and jealous as his older cousin successfully made the boy trust him, but Mingyu failed. He almost growled but held himself back on time. Instead, Mingyu just inhaled deeply, then patted Joshua’s hair and continued to eat.

Joshua’s scent was still sour, but the alphas soon saw that it would be impossible to make him believe that the meeting would be all fine before it really happened. As a result, Wonwoo distracted him by some other more interesting things.

“Therefore, after visiting the doctor, we will go through some shops and let you get some nice clothes to wear.” Wonwoo smiled promisingly. “They must be some shirt that is not high-collared, so that we can show off all the marks on your neck.”

Joshua’s face got brighter at the idea, making his owners feel relieved and more relaxed.

During breakfast, they talked a bit. Questions were mostly directed towards Joshua. Wonwoo tried to ask Jun some questions, and then Mingyu, but the two younger alphas did not say a single word to each other. Jun did not look at Mingyu whenever the giant alpha spoke, but Mingyu always glued his intense gaze on Jun when the gentle alpha said something although his words were never for him or about him. Joshua deadly wanted to know what had actually happened between two of them last night. Since Jun was still sitting here calmly, he believed that it was not something too serious like _a rape_ \- such kind of thought easily sneaked into Joshua’s mind when he saw red marks on a person’s neck.

But… Mingyu had feelings for Jun? Love? Between two alphas? Joshua had never thought of that - of course he had never; he had just met them yesterday.

When Joshua brushed his teeth in his own bathroom, he found the two marks not on his neck anymore. Right after he finished his private tasks there, the alphas brought him a box, letting him know that the clothes he chose on the Internet last night had arrived. They let him open the parcel on his own. They failed to imagine that this moment could be so magical.

Because Joshua smiled. None of them had ever seen that.

Like a child, Joshua looked over his new clothes again, again, and again, touching here and there to feel the soft fabric. And he told them _“thank you”_, much louder, much more cheerful than yesterday with the smile still on his face. The room was soon filled with happy pheromones of everyone, and that was also the moment that the alphas thought their dream had finally come true: their apartment felt much more like _home_, warm, happy and nobody felt lonely anymore. Although having been awkward with each other during the whole breakfast time, under the effect of happiness spread from Joshua, Jun naturally talked to Mingyu again. The giant alpha beamed, looking as if he were a teen boy succeeding in getting his crush’s attention. The hybrid did not point that out, but he noticed it, and he did not expect himself to be that happy to see his alphas getting along with each other. Consequently, his smile even got brighter, but still so fresh and gentle, like the beautiful sun shining on the beach in the early morning.

The three alphas were surprised when Joshua was surprised to hear that he was allowed to choose his own clothes to go out, but that did not last long. At the moment the boy realized his owners were not kidding and they promised that none of them would ever interfere with his choice of clothes, except for when they saw serious problem in his option, Joshua beamed. He was so grateful that he kept saying _“thank you”_ again and again. The alphas could not help asking curiously about his reason for such an outburst of happiness. The hybrid just ducked his head, smile turning sad, saying that he had never been able to decide anything by himself.

Angry, frustrated, and irritated, all of his owners deadly wanted to know what had actually happened or how Joshua’s life had been before he met them, but they did not ask right then. Instead, they tried their best to keep the boy’s delightful mood, leaving him alone in his room to get dressed whereas they went prepare for themselves.

When they all reunited in the living room, the alphas smiled fondly at their pretty boy, making him not only shy but also happy. The reason was simple: nobody had ever looked at him so lovingly like that. Joshua looked elegant, young and cute in white loose shirt, light blue jeans and white sneakers. The hybrid did not speak out, but he was honestly astonished by his owners’ appearance. All of them looked so cool, so handsome to him, and he could swear that he did not find them so good-looking like that yesterday. Wonwoo was an utterly cold and powerful man in black. Mingyu was still so huge but seemed to be warm and gentle in a bold shade of brown. Jun was even softer and more tender when he dressed in grey and white. No words would be suitable enough for the boy to describe how wonderful his alphas were in his eyes at the moment.

And then there came the most important part of the morning. When Joshua was closely surrounded by his owners, he knew what was about to happen before they told him. Joshua nodded, unconsciously holding his breath in anticipation. The alphas had figured out since yesterday that the hybrid profoundly loved to be marked by them. As a result, they were not hesitant at all when stepping closer to the boy simultaneously.

For a second, Joshua was quite suffocated by the combination of three strong and intimidating alpha scents, but that mixture quickly melted his heart and helped him feel safe. That is how his home smells like. Standing among the three tall alphas, Joshua felt himself small, weak and dependent, but everything was perfect as he temporarily believed that they would protect him by all cost. He was their hybrid, their omega. His scent was expressing his feelings better than his face and expression, causing the alphas to even have their possessiveness and their desire to claim their boy grow immensely greater immediately.

Joshua was pressed between Mingyu on his left and Jun on his right. Predicting that the boy could probably jolt or squirm a lot because of the pain, they both held his hands gently but firmly enough to prevent him from escaping. Their free hands came to land on Joshua’s waist on the other sides, also with the intention of keeping him in place. Wonwoo approached the hybrid from the front. Holding the boy’s chin between two fingers, he lifted his face up, giving his cousins a better access to his neck and also forcing Joshua to look directly at him in the eyes. The boy stared at him, looking under control and submissive to the utmost.

“Before we start, I want to do something that makes us more like your alphas rather than your owners.” Wonwoo murmured, voice low and deep, catching all of Joshua’s attention.

He nodded, ready to comply to anything. From the condition right then, he could easily tell that no one was going to demand a knot or something similar to that. However, it was hard to think, because Jun and Mingyu had started to deliver kisses on his hair and temples for a short while, which was quite much of a distraction. Joshua was blushing already, and what Wonwoo said made his face turn completely red - in a very lovely way.

“Is it okay if we kiss you, Joshua?” The lead alpha’s voice became tender and inviting, as if trying to lure the hybrid to serve him what he wanted.

Wonwoo’s thumb slowly caressed Joshua’s lower lip, his movement so gentle but sensual at the same time. Meanwhile, Jun and Mingyu were kissing Joshua’s ears, sending shivers through his whole body.

In the end, Wonwoo did not wait for Joshua to speak out his answer. He leaned over, closing the distance between his lips and the boy’s. Surprisingly, the lead alpha’s hand was swatted away by Mingyu. The huge man got Joshua’s chin and turned the hybrid’s face to his direction. Despite how the men had agreed on sharing the boy among each other, they are still alphas, and fighting for the omega is unavoidable. Wonwoo was quite angry when Mingyu stole the chance from him, but the youngest’s protest really made sense.

“You guys have got too many first times. I have to be the first to kiss his lips this time.”

Joshua flinched when he saw Mingyu’s hand push Wonwoo quite forcefully with pretty much strength, but the alpha became considerably gentle when touching the boy’s face. Joshua was a little guilty for having mistaken the alpha again, but Mingyu did not seem to mind it at all, just smiling fondly at him, thumb stroking his lower lip. The calloused thumb touching Joshua’s tongue made him blush hard, yet he soon reacted in a way that Mingyu had not expected.

From the beginning, the alphas had already realized that Joshua was very submissive, but it was unpredictable that the hybrid would be so affectionate towards them. Originally, Mingyu thought that he had gone too far by touching Joshua’s tongue, but the boy did not protest or show any discomfort. The little tongue actively gained more contact with Mingyu’s thumb, slowly licking the first digit, and eventually sucking it after the alpha reluctantly pushed in further. Mingyu could not use any words to describe how he loved the sensation Joshua was bringing to him, but he decided to stop quickly. He did not want to ruin the morning’s light and bright atmosphere by the scent of him being aroused. Joshua would not appreciate that situation.

Promptly, Mingyu replaced his thumb by his lips on the hybrid’s ones. For a second, the alpha almost lost all of his control at the moment of him touching the boy’s lips. They were extraordinarily soft and sweet. Mingyu was not sure whether his imagination or his affection for Joshua was playing tricks on his mind, but his boy really taste so sweet, delicious and tempting on his lips. At first, Mingyu intended to make the kiss chaste, but he gave up just after three seconds. Obviously, Joshua was inexperienced in kissing and extremely confused about what to do, and his eyes were still opened widely, staring at his owner unblinkingly. Mingyu was about to close his eyes, but the hybrid’s reaction kept his attention, drawing him to the lovely shade of pink tinting on the cheeks and sparkles filling his shining big eyes. Joshua’s lips trembled a bit, but he slightly parted his lips in such an inviting an appealing way that Mingyu was ultimately lured into pushing the kiss deeper.

Still holding Joshua’s chin in his hand, Mingyu kissed the boy’s lower lip, upper lip, and then taking everything in deep and passionate kisses. Whether Joshua was into the kisses or not, Mingyu could easily recognize based on his scent. The kisses got hotter and hotter as Joshua totally gave in and let his owner take all the control. He also closed his eyes, and began to moan. He literally moaned, when Mingyu’s tongue started to invade his mouth and explore the whole hot cavern. Joshua wanted to do the same thing to his alpha, but he was so shy. Nonetheless, he enjoyed the feelings of having Mingyu’s tongue wet and hot on his lips and in his mouth. Just after a minute teasing and playing with the hybrid’s timid tongue, the alpha successfully lured him into the sensual game of them. Every single reaction from Joshua was positive, and he unconsciously stirred up all of his owners by his sweet little moans and appealing rosy scent.

When Mingyu broke the contact between their lips, Joshua was panting and gasping for air, eyes dazed, looking as if he was asking for more. His face turned seriously red when his alphas chuckled at his being needy. They had to try so hard to avoid thinking about how desperate for sex the boy would be when he was in heat.

Wonwoo stole - or got back - Joshua’s chin from Mingyu’s hand and took his turn to kiss the hybrid with full burning passion. The boy was startled, but he welcomed the lead alpha completely. Joshua wholeheartedly indulged in the kisses, feeling everything so magical. His alphas were also strong, so passionate, but none of them hurt him in any way. As a result, Joshua gradually got more and more relaxed, making everyone happy. Wonwoo’s movement was so quick that the hybrid could not keep up with, but he did not feel to be forced into anything. Realizing that his boy was trying to kiss him back but failed, Wonwoo smiled and slowed down, making the kisses sweeter but still seductive.

Joshua had not kissed before (even none before Mingyu) but he could register that Wonwoo is a great kisser. How did he know that? The reason was, Joshua sensed an abnormal feeling creeping up inside of him. He thought that he was going to get crazy soon if Wonwoo kept on doing that. He moaned louder, longer between the kisses, wanting to stop and to continue at the same time.

Joshua was utterly embarrassed when Wonwoo smirked after letting him go. Luckily, he was instantly saved by Jun. His beloved alpha was the last one to kiss him, and that was a perfect ending for the kissing session. As usual, Jun was gentle and sweet. Every movement of his lips on Joshua’s made the boy feel sweet like honey. Feeling the boy wriggle his hands and body a bit, the other two alphas retracted their grips, letting him freely wrap his arms around Jun’s neck to form an intimate tight hug. The two bodies were pressed closer, which naturally made them feel totally connected in a tender and loving way. Wonwoo and Mingyu had to admit that they were really jealous, but they did not do anything, just silently adoring the scene of their two boys kissing each other.

Jun also embraced Joshua closely, happy to see the hybrid willing and comfortable in his arms. Whenever he broke the kiss to smile softly to his boy and look at him in the eyes, Joshua also smiled back, quickly closing the distance and attaching his own lips to the alpha’s to continue what they had been doing. At the moment, Joshua felt healed and peaceful. Drowned in the pheromones of his alphas, he was given the feelings of being loved. At least for now, he believed so.

He had never known that human could be that wonderful.

When they stopped kissing, the alphas began to leave marks on Joshua’s neck, starting from Jun. While he was biting the hybrid, the other two spent time soothing the boy by soft whispers, kisses and rubs on his cheeks, his forehead and his back, distracting him from the pain. As a result, Joshua was not able to feel much of the pain, and it was absolutely fine for him to take three bites in a row. Wonwoo’s bite hurt the most, making him whimper and almost jump, but Jun and Mingyu’s hands keep him in place, holding his hands tightly to calm him down.

Joshua had no idea why Wonwoo hurt him that much, but there was still something to enjoy in that feeling. The hybrid vaguely guessed that the pain in the bite proved the power of the alpha. He loves Wonwoo’s power, and he is always willing to give the lead alpha all the control. Moreover, the spot Wonwoo chose was the front of Joshua’s neck, too close to his Adam apple, bringing various incredible feelings. He was glad that this would happen every day.

Besides, Mingyu’s bite was also something that Joshua would keep in his memory for long. The hybrid was still unable to control his behaviors when Mingyu leaned close to his heck. He flinched and dodged, scent getting sour again. However, he froze immediately since all of his owners pushed out their pheromones, demanding submission. He realized he was really bad this time. He agreed to let the three alphas bite him, but then got scared when Mingyu was about to do that. Joshua looked at him apologetically, but the giant smiled, gently kissing the boy’s lips and then, Joshua bit his own lips in anticipation and anxiety at the time Mingyu’s teeth touched his sensitive skin.

In contrast to what Joshua had been worried about, Mingyu was just as gentle as Jun, leaving a long and deep bite that did not hurt him much. Actually, Joshua only started to feel hurt much after Mingyu detached his teeth away. Fortunately, the boy was relieved that his alpha understood how it hurt, and he delivered countless soft kisses on the bite, sucking the skin a little, slowly easing out the pain in a sweet way. The mark had just been formed but Joshua already started to feel safe and calm when his alpha touched it. The boy gradually melted in the arms holding around him, earning some low and gentle hum from all of the owners. He looked utterly contented after getting three marks done on his neck, and spent quite much time staring at himself in the mirror and Jun had to constantly remind him not to touch them. Joshua was a curious cat.

They got out of the apartment building in just one car, which belongs to Wonwoo, and the man was also the driver. Joshua sat at the back with Jun, and all the alphas occasionally pointed out of the glass window to show him places around their neighborhood. The scenery outside made Joshua feel more comfortable with his new home, since the place looked _so normal_.

The alphas told Joshua that they would wait outside while he talked to the doctor. The hybrid was not happy about that at all, but he knew he should comply with no complaint. Of course, his owners knew that their boy did not like to be left alone with a stranger, but they had no other choice. Joshua could not live a life with them being by his sides all the time. They needed to make him get accustomed to their absence, especially in such an easy and comfortable condition like this. They did not go anywhere too far, just out of the room, and the door did not block them from entering in case something wrong happened. Moreover, they had been extremely thoughtful and considerate to look for a doctor who is an omega for Joshua. They certainly had not been informed of how broken their hybrid was before seeing him, but they believed that it would never be a good idea to force an omega to talk about his heat with an alpha no matter how bold or aloof that omega could be. Alpha doctors who deal with heat suppressant do exist but all Wonwoo, Jun, and Mingyu do not trust them.

Joshua was fidgety and kept shifting uncomfortably for at least two minutes straight after being left alone in the doctor’s office. The doctor whose name is Seungkwan started their session by some simple questions about his age and his current health condition. The hybrid only got more relaxed a bit when realizing that the omega doctor sitting across the fancy glass desk was trying to push out his sweet peach scent in order to calm him down. The scent was pretty nice, Joshua had to admit. It was the first time that he realized a human omega was not much different from a hybrid omega. Seungkwan was a little shorter than Joshua, looking cute with chubby cheeks and bright skin, bearing a mark on his neck.

That omega was smiling a lot, quite talkative and loud, but overall positive and nice. He asked Joshua countless questions, too many enough to lure the boy to let the doctor have a blood test on him. The hybrid had already got less strained at that time, and he did not feel the needle hurting him very much. Seungkwan explained that he would find out what would be the most suitable prescription of heat suppressant for Joshua after he got the blood test’s result, that each individual required totally different mixture of chemicals to stop their heats from coming. Joshua would never be allowed to take suppressant from someone else; it would surely not help him, but also could do harm to him.

However, Seungkwan seemed worried in both his eyes and his voice while he was staring at Joshua’s neck.

“I know that your alphas want to keep you safe by their sides, but I have to remind you that you should not expect too much from the suppressant. It could be better in the far future, but now, you are still very young. You first heat has just come several months ago, and I’m sure that you haven’t got used to your alphas’ presence yet. And you have not only one but _three alphas_.” Seungkwan slightly smirked. “That is _quite a lot _for a slender boy like you. I almost passed out at the moment you stepped in my office. You seriously reek of them heavily. I’m sure that no other alpha will dare to even just stare at you. Everyone will keep distance, for sure.”

“So… that means…” Joshua trailed off, still very confused and curious.

“Your alphas will trigger your heat, Joshua.” Seungkwan sighed sympathetically. “You are living in a too close proximity with _the alphas_, and that will certainly mess up your pheromones no matter you want it or not. Your body is still too young to resist their appeal, especially when you let them mark you like that.”

Then Seungkwan suddenly became very serious.

“Are you… are you going to let all of them bite you like that every day?”

“Y-Yes…” Joshua answered reluctantly and saw the other raising his eyebrow instantly. Therefore, he decided to explain. “That makes me feel safe and relaxed. I… I need to feel their presence.”

Seungkwan sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Then wait for your heat to come in just less than a month. We are trying to get the suppressant for you because you won’t let your alphas touch you, right? So please find some other omegas to help you, or at least buy some toys for yourself. You will need them when it comes. Or else it will be _really bad_.”

The only one omega that Joshua knew and wanted was Jeonghan, but his best friend was out of his reach, which was utterly painful for him to think of. Apart from Jeonghan, he literally had no other friends. Consequently, buying the toys was the best solution. Jun was not wrong at all when mentioning the toys, because Joshua actually needed them, and he suddenly had the urge to receive money from his owners. He could not ask them the buy those _sinful toys_ for him.

Seungkwan was so so so considerate when he took out a small piece of paper, writing down something while still talking to Joshua.

“Here are some shops and websites that have those toys. Don’t be surprised. Before I found my alpha, I used to be a lonely omega, too. Of course I needed them to please myself. Don’t be afraid to ask for consultation at those shops. The owners of the places I list out here are all omegas. They will be glad to give advice to a young beginner like you.”

And then he shrugged, “Or you can just ask your alphas, maybe.”

_No, no way. _Joshua’s mind rejected the idea right away without thinking.

Seungkwan promised to call Joshua’s owners after a week when the suppressant for him was ready so that they could bring the medicine home and let the hybrid take it. Joshua felt his heart quite heavy after leaving the doctor’s office, since he knew that he had to prepare for his heat which may come just after a few more weeks. However, his alphas made him soon forget those concerns when they took him to different fashion shops and told him to freely pick the clothes that he liked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will just reveal very slowly what was going on between Jun, Wonwoo and Mingyu. Hope that you will wait for it :'))
> 
> I guess perhaps some of you are waiting for the smut because of the tags ;_; I'm sorry but you'll have to wait a little bit long because I want to build up the plot before that happens. I wish that you will enjoy how the story is progressing and when the smut comes, you'll have more feelings while reading it ❤


	8. Self-doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the first day of being engrossed in the new happy life with the new owners, Joshua started to doubt whether he deserved those wonderful people or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little angst for Joshua.

When coming to various shops, Joshua could see that not only many omegas gave him a quick jealous glance but also some of them threw him a quite disgusted look. Polyamory was not a thing that could be accepted by everyone, but Joshua did not really care. He only knew that he was happy and relaxed to have three claiming marks on his neck. The boy was very much aware of the fact that the alphas crossing him on the street did not even look at him. The combination of three alphas’ scent coming from Joshua was enough to let them know that they had better stay away from this claimed omega if they did not want to be ganged up on. Disgusted or not, everyone just all decided to stay away from troubles by respecting Joshua like how a mated omega should be.

While they walked on the street, Mingyu was always the one to hold Joshua’s hand, and the other two just let him do that without complaining. Much as the hybrid was frightened by the giant alpha, at the moment he felt extremely safe to have him by his side. Mingyu’s size obviously told everyone much more than his pheromones or scent did. Just a very quick glance from faraway, everyone could register that the huge muscular man was capable of crushing anyone to death. Moreover, Mingyu smiled a lot, automatically lightening up Joshua’s mood effortlessly. The youngest alpha’s vibe was so bright that his aura could make anyone nearby happy. The hybrid, as bearing his bite on the neck, was affected strongly by his pheromones, and he smiled a lot as well.

The only thing that made Joshua quite nervous was the silence between Jun and Wonwoo. He suddenly realized, his alphas were always fine when talking to each other in three, but whenever they split into pairs which included Jun, the atmosphere would get pretty awkward. No matter how hard Joshua tried, he could not ignore the tension coming from the two men behind.

Anyway, Joshua was extremely glad that Mingyu had the urge to explain what happened between him and Jun last night, which was also the thing that had been bothering the boy from the beginning of the morning. It was not difficult at all for the alpha to recognize his hybrid’s curiosity since everything question was displayed evidently on his face whenever Mingyu talked to Jun or even just looked at him. Joshua scolded himself for being so oblivious yesterday. How the hell did he fail to see such fondness in the giant man’s eyes at those times?

“I think… there’s not much that I can say anymore.” Mingyu scratched his head when he started to speak about that problem. Joshua thought that he would seem embarrassed, but it turned out that his guess was wrong. The alpha somehow looked sad, even though there was a gentle smile on his face. “Just… Last night he dozed off in the kitchen. This morning he woke up angry because he found himself sleeping on my bed instead of his own. And, you know, I couldn’t contain my heart while having him in my arms last night. He slept so soundly that he didn’t know anything. I didn’t really intend to do anything, but eventually I unconsciously scent-marked him and kissed him… maybe for too long. You’ve seen the hickeys.”

_"Why was he angry? He doesn’t like you?"_

Those were the questions that Joshua almost blurted out, but he stopped himself on time before asking his owner such things. It would be stupid of a hybrid to ask his master those sensitive topics. However, Mingyu was able to predict what the boy would wonder after hearing what happened last night, so he continued to speak, quietly sighing, eyes filled with both hopes and sadness.

“I was rejected a long time ago. But… maybe I’m too stubborn to let go of him. I don’t really trust his rejection.”

After that, neither of them mentioned the topic again. Actually, when Mingyu told Joshua that Jun was an adopted child, the boy could register that there must be some kind of romance between them, but he did not know it was not a happy story. He tried to act as if he had not heard anything from Mingyu, and even Mingyu was obviously trying to treat Jun as if nothing happened last night. Joshua could see the giant alpha was hurt by every single of Jun’s attitudes this morning, and all of a sudden, his heart got painful feeling as well. There must be reasons for Mingyu to doubt Jun’s answer for his confession, and there must be reasons for Jun to reject while his heart was not feeling the same. Joshua was dying to find out the truth behind all of these mysteries.

_“How long have they been living with each other in this way?”_ The boy could not help wondering this question over and over again.

However, Joshua’s mind was forced to stop thinking about that since was shocked when his owners took him to a phone store, saying that they would buy him a new cellphone. They demanded that it was critical for him to own a phone and none of them allowed him to say “no.” This was one of the rarest times they made him do something, but they had no second thought, no regrets. Knowing that Joshua must have never got any phone for himself in his life, they carefully gave him a lot of advice, helping him conceptualize what kind of mobile phone would suit him the most.

Joshua was really confused. He had never thought that an omega hybrid like him would ever have the chance to choose a cellphone, or even to own one. People do not buy phones for their pets or slaves, supposedly. He had to spend much time thinking, and he was so thankful that his alphas seemed to be the most patient human in this world. They let him wander around the shop as long as he wanted and always made sure that the shopkeepers kept a reasonable distance since they knew he would not be comfortable when surrounded by strangers. Of course, that was not normal, but them deemed it too soon to start making him get accustomed to what normal people usually do.

Finally, Joshua was happy to get a while smartphone, not too big or too small, perfectly fit in his pocket. The alphas also got the brand new sim card for him and saved their numbers in his phone immediately. Joshua soon realized, the main purpose of getting him a cellphone was for his safety. They wanted him to have a phone so that he would be able to call them in any emergency and it would help them keep track of him when they were away. The boy nodded and nodded, agreeing to do whatever his alphas believed to be good for him.

The four of them had lunch with delicious hot pot in a not very luxurious restaurant. The place was cozy and nice for Joshua, making him comfortable since it was not crowded or noisy. His owners soon felt strange to see him keep looking around with eyes wide and filled by curiosity. Mingyu was the first one to ask.

“Is there any problem with this place, Joshua?”

“Oh… No, no problem. It’s nice. Just…”

The boy was still having difficulty in expressing his opinion. The alphas assumed that he had never been the type of person who usually talked much, not to mention his past of being degraded and mistreated.

“This… this is the first time I eat out of my house.”

There was definitely no need to ask more. The men’s heart clenched painfully, and they all decided to spoil their boy with all the love they had. Joshua obviously enjoyed the food, and he ate much more comfortably than he used to. After the hot pot, his alphas stuffed his stomach more with some dessert in another place. They ordered numerous kinds of food along with the drinks, and they spent the afternoon together in such a sweet and cozy atmosphere.

Observing those alphas from the beginning of the day until then, Joshua was able to tell that Jun was the one who had the clear capability of sorting out any tension caused by the stubbornness between the alphas - the creatures that had always been notorious for their control over everything and unwillingness to give in. Wonwoo is the lead alpha among the two, but he does not always impose his decision on his younger cousins; their relationship was really friendly and pretty much equal. Consequently, there were times in which they may fight with each other over the food and some other things. However, Joshua could conclude from different cases that nobody had ever stopped Jun from getting what he wanted. For instance, after lunch, Mingyu said that he thought it would be nice to have some cakes and milk tea then, but Wonwoo insisted that tea with light dessert was much better. Joshua did not know what to choose, since everything seemed nice to him. The topic of _“where should we go next” _was about to go into a debate.

However, before that happened, Jun finally decided to interfere by voicing out his opinion that he preferred cakes with milk tea. Immediately, Mingyu beamed and Wonwoo pointed out the best place he knew for those kinds of food without complaint, never bothering to mention his previous idea. Joshua’s observation of the gentle alpha persuaded him to believe that Jun was actually aware of his ability to make the other two do what he wanted, but it seemed that he did not really like that. Jun rarely spoke out his idea, and he only did that when realizing that his cousins would spend much time arguing with each other if he did not make them stop right away. At those times, Joshua saw him smiled happily and sadly at the same time, making the hybrid’s heart ache; he did not want to see Jun upset, and he would never want to. In an attempt to lighten up his mood, Joshua slowly moved closer to the said alpha, letting their shoulders touched, and shyly sliding his hand into Jun’s. Jun turned to look at the boy right away, holding his hand tightly, smiling fondly and pecked his cheek; his eyes were like telling Joshua not to worry about him.

And Jun was also the one who gave Joshua a very tempting suggestion while they were enjoying the delicious cakes and drinks.

“After this perhaps we will go find something for the decoration in your room. What do you think?”

Joshua smiled, answering still slowly. “That’s wonderful.”

Wonwoo explained a little more. “We hope that you will like to have your own freedom in your own room, but it doesn’t mean that we want you to stay there always,” and he smiled tenderly. “Like we said before, we will be very happy if you agree to share the bed with us.”

Joshua nodded, thinking that perhaps he would never sleep in his room alone at night if his alphas were still at home. A short nap in the afternoon could be fine, but he would definitely cling to them in the evening. And then it was Mingyu who became super enthusiastic when he held Joshua’s hand and looked at him with those puppy eyes.

“Tonight must be my turn!” He sounded a little bit like whining, accusingly pointing a finger at Wonwoo then Jun. “Both of you have already slept with him last night.”

Wonwoo coldly looked at Mingyu in a way that Joshua could read as _“But you had Jun in your bed last night.”_

Jun quickly skipped the topic of _“last night” _and moved on by talking about tonight’s dinner, which did not make Joshua surprised at all. He remembered seeing the alpha getting frustrated in the fashion shop since nothing could hide the hickey near his jaw without making him terribly sweat under this weather. The two hickeys were still very clear on his neck; both Wonwoo and Mingyu took a peek at them from time to time. Of course, _all of the alphas_ loved to stare at the marks on Joshua’s neck too.

While walking on the street, Joshua really wanted to hold hands with two of his owners, but he tried hard to refrain himself from that wish, as other people would find it so weird. The three marks on his neck were enough to draw attention. Therefore, he would shift from Mingyu to Jun, and to Wonwoo when they sometimes got busy with something and had to let go of his hand for a while. Joshua was amazed at himself for being so clingy, touchy and affectionate with his new owners who he had just met yesterday, but he found no reason to stop acting that way. They were happy to have him by their sides, and the hybrid was also genuinely happy to be as close as possible to them. Out of the house, the alphas usually made Joshua forget the fact that he is just a hybrid they bought from a pet shop while they are human - his owners.

At some silent moments, the fact came back to Joshua’s mind and suddenly made his heart drop, smile fading away. It was too soon for him to jump to the conclusion about what kind of feelings his owners were having for him. They may be just possessive; the claiming bites were just another way of making him become their “official” property rather than the collar. It also meant nothing when they said that they wanted him to sleep with them, because Joshua knew people love to sleep with their pet, too. People can buy many things for their pet or do various things showing their love towards the pet. Some never hit their pets, but Joshua knew some people would do that if they want to. Human alphas were not reliable. So were their promises.

Joshua had to fight against his own desire so that he would not fall for what his sweet alphas had been telling him all the time, and that just made him depressed, because he just wanted to believe that he could have a good life even once. But he couldn’t. He had already realized Mingyu and Wonwoo’s love for Jun; they had had a person in their heart. Was Joshua better than Jun in anything? Certainly not. Jun was the definition of perfect. The alphas’ heart would not take one more person in their heart if that one was not nearly as perfect as the one who had been there. Nonetheless, Joshua felt bad for getting jealous of Jun, as Jun had also crept into his heart and the hybrid never wanted to have any ill feelings for the person he adored. Joshua was bad, greedy, needy, clingy, dependent, weak, _and filthy_. He would never be at the same level with his wonderful owners.

_“They will never love me.”_

_“They will never love me.”_

_“They will never love me.”_

That thought kept haunting his mind, and again, Joshua felt bad for letting those miserable feelings ruin his good mood today.

Whenever seeing Joshua too quiet and lost in his dark thoughts, the alphas all tried to make him smile by a kiss or a joke, or just shower him with attention so that he would not have time to think about such things anymore. However, there was eventually one time they failed to see that happening as Wonwoo were on the phone, Mingyu was busy asking the shopkeeper about some goods and Jun was staring at the mugs while Joshua was standing quite close to him. The hybrid had a beautiful mug in his hand, but his mind was not really concentrating on that object.

What was happening in his head was much worse than the thought of never being loved. The alphas had not degraded Joshua through any words or actions, but he felt degraded by himself. Wonwoo usually got phone calls about his work, and Joshua could realize that he play an important role in his company. Mingyu was extremely sociable and everyone talking to him always looked at him with so much interest in their eyes, and the giant alpha would make every omega drool at his appearance. Currently, Jun was saying many things about the mugs and plates that they had at home, explaining what type of mug should be used for particular purposes. His movement was so smooth and delicate; none of the shopkeepers paid attention to him touching the breakable things, but surely all of them were much wary of Joshua, because he was an omega, _visibly weak and useless_. If he had a collar on his neck, things would just be worse as hell.

What did Joshua expect? He could not deny his own identity. No matter what his owners let him wear, he will always be a hybrid, not a human.

Joshua tried very hard so as not to break anything he touched, but there were just too many things that could easily be broken in this shop, and all the people’s gaze on him holding things with shaky hands was making him sweat seriously. Under that pressure, his scent changed, and Jun immediately looked up, making everyone stop staring at his omega right away. However, that even made Joshua feel worse for making his owners take care of him like that. He was bothering them. He was not like a normal person. He was broken. Will they protect him forever? Will they be patient enough to heal him completely, or they will get tired and bored halfway and Joshua will be abandoned at the pet shop one more time?

His mind became hazy, hands shaking violently. The result was predictable. Joshua finally accidentally dropped the mug onto the ground. It shattered into small pieces, creating ugly noisy sounds echoing all around the shop, making everyone available turned to look at the hybrid. Unfortunately, one of the broken pieces bounced off the floor and went to the exposed part near Jun’s left ankle, leaving a wound there and blood started to drip. The shock caused Joshua to freeze. He stood there like an idiot, having no idea why he was too stupid, too careless to even hold a small mug properly.

Wonwoo was the first one to approach Joshua and pulled him further from the place where the mug landed and asked him questions that he could not hear well. His eyes were focusing on Mingyu running to Jun to check on the wound on his ankle, eyes filled with concern. Jun shook his head, and then both of them turned to Joshua. However, the boy’s reaction was unexpected to all of his owners, since he hurriedly stepped back, ducking his head, chin touching his chest. He shrunk incredibly and the scent became totally sour. The hybrid was expecting Mingyu to run towards him and yell at him and hit him right on the spot for hurting Jun. In fact, such things never happened. There were only Jun’s long arms pulling him into a loose hug in his chest and his gentle voice murmuring things in the boy’s ear to soothe him, but Joshua did not positively response to those actions. He still froze and continued to shrink while his tremor was becoming more and more visible. 

Joshua was unable to hear what people were saying. He could only see some shopkeepers rapidly made their way towards him and his alphas, and he knew they were angry. They might not show that clearly, but they were definitely angry. His alphas might be, too. Joshua could not look up, just trying to hide himself behind Wonwoo so that none of the shopkeepers could do anything to him, but also keeping a distance from his owners. He could smell blood; Jun was still bleeding _because of him, _but the alpha refused to let the hybrid stay away from him, placing both hands on the trembling shoulders. Mingyu had been so worried. He must be mad at Joshua, and the boy knew his life would be anything but good under the giant alpha’s anger. Joshua was causing troubles to his owners, maybe even embarrassing them in public. They would definitely beat him to death at home.

Joshua had tried so hard to be a good pet and a good omega for his owners, but in the end he messed up everything just because he was thinking about them too much. He failed to live up to his alphas’ expectations. Joshua was so useless; he should have apologized right away after dropping that mug, but he did not. He could not open his mouth at all. Joshua knew that he deserved to be strictly punished since his behaviors were unacceptable. His owners must be regretting having been so lenient to him. Jun was holding Joshua in his embrace, but Joshua did not feel safe or relieved anymore because part of his mind believed that the alpha was only faking this kindness in front of other people to mask his anger.

Joshua vaguely remembered how he was pulled or pushed or dragged (or whatever) out of the shop. He only knew that when Jun let go of him, he finally looked up to find out what was going to happen and just ended up seeing Mingyu rapidly walking closer to him. Joshua was so scared of the giant alpha that he whimpered like a frightened dog, stepping back instantly, almost running away, but he bumped into one of his owners behind him and had no way to escape. Mingyu soon caught the hybrid in his arms and at that moment Joshua did not have the nerve to fight back anymore. Only when starting to sob pathetically did the boy realize that he was crying. What had been blocking his vision and made everything seem foggy turned out to be his own tears, which were streaming down on his face and wetting Mingyu’s shirt as the alpha had pulled him close to his chest, making Joshua’s face pressed to his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Joshua, it’s okay.” Mingyu delivered a kiss on his temple, both hands rubbing the boy’s back and covering him with his reassuring warmth. “Everything’s fine. I’m here. We’re here for you.”

However, Joshua was not easily persuaded by Mingyu’s words. He was still crying inconsolably and showing no intention of hugging his alpha back. The tremor did not tend to subside while his scent was too sour for his owners’ liking. Just a short while after that, Joshua felt the second body pressed to him from behind, making him stuck between that person and Mingyu. Since Joshua had already been frightened by Mingyu’s being so close to him, the appearance of the second alpha locking him in two arms like a cage terrified him even worse. Joshua nearly jumped and thrashed in an attempt to find a way out for his life. That was also the time his anguished owners actually realized that their omega was going through a panic attack.

His alphas would not let him go by all means, which may seem cruel to the hybrid then but they were all so determined to keep him still in their arms. Joshua only stopped moving and suddenly froze again when he felt teeth digging deep into the two marks on his neck. Warm and calming waves swept through his body powerfully like electricity. That was the ways his alphas manipulating him. Just one bite and they could make him stop moving, feel scared or safe as long as they wanted to. What Mingyu and Jun wanted right then was giving their beloved boy the most vivid feelings of love and protection. With his mind almost gone haywire under the effect of the bites, Joshua was somehow able to feel a hand on his hair, gently patting and stroking. What a magical hand that was, sending both love and shivers up and down his spine.

Consciousness slowly started to come back to Joshua, beginning with his ability to tell the scents of his alphas surrounding him so thick as if he were breathing in and out nothing except for those scents. None of them could be identified to be angry. The first one to pull away was Mingyu, keeping a distance for him to look at his little omega but still let his breath ghosting on the face stained with tears. Although Joshua was not frantic like he had been a minute ago, he flinched to see Mingyu’s hand coming near his face. Immediately, Jun’s teeth went deeper into Joshua’s skin, causing the hybrid to feel unreasonably calm and relaxed. Whereas, Mingyu cupped his face and moved his thumb gently on Joshua’s cheek to wipe the tears. At such tender action from the giant man, Joshua melted into the touch right away, sobs turning into sniffle as he looked at his alpha through the tears in his red eyes.

Mingyu was obviously depressed and guilty. He was more than ready to do any dark magic that could make his body get smaller so that Joshua would no longer be afraid of him. He hated himself for making the boy scared just by being so big.

“You did nothing wrong. We are not angry, and we will never hit you.” His voice was so broken when he talked to the hybrid in the thin air between them. If there were anything that may help his words seem more reliable and sincere to the boy, Mingyu would accept at all cost. “_I will die rather than letting someone hurt you_, Joshua. I promise.”

Jun let go of Joshua’s neck when he saw his cousin leaned over and gave space for them so that Mingyu could kiss the hybrid on his lips. When the alpha’s lips touching his, Joshua was brought back to the memory of this morning, when Mingyu was the first among his three alphas to kiss him intimately like how normal couples kiss each other. The feelings now were not different from then, because Mingyu had never stopped being so gentle with him. His body was huge; his voice was deep and rough sometimes; his muscles looked so strong, but all of the way he had been treating Joshua was just totally opposite. Mingyu did not push anything, just giving the boy chaste kisses. He soon pulled away to look at Joshua deep in the eyes again, keeping wiping the tears away with his thumb. Finally, the hybrid opened his mouth to speak, but words coming out from his mouth just made the alphas’ hearts drop and clench painfully.

“I’m… I’m sorry… I didn't…” He stuttered, continuously shedding more tears. “I didn't… intend to drop it… I was… I was just…”

Being right by his side, Jun kissed Joshua’s cheek on the side that Mingyu was not placing his hand, and smiled tenderly to ease out his worry.

“We know, of course we know you didn't intend to, Joshua. Don’t worry. It’s not your fault. People drop things on the floor every day.”

Joshua suddenly sobbed hard again just by looking at Jun and hearing his sweet voice.

“But I… I… I hurt you… You… you are bleeding…”

Jun chuckled and shook his head, raising his feet up a bit and pointed at the wound. Joshua also looked down to stare at the red spot on his alpha’s ankle.

“Look, baby! Just a very small scratch. I almost feel nothing. I’m not bleeding, honey. Your crying hurts me, not this little thing.”

Joshua was about to protest, but after a few more second staring at the wound, he was forced to admit that it was really not serious at all. The hybrid was not sure why he previously thought that Jun was bleeding severely. Joshua rubbed his eyes to clear the view, and all he could see was just a tiny scratch. Mingyu’s chuckle brought the hybrid’s attention back to the giant alpha, and the said man took the chance to put a kiss on Joshua’s forehead.

“Oh my silly boy! Even if Jun is really bleeding, then what we will do is to bring him to the hospital, not to blame anyone for such things.”

Jun pulled Mingyu away to steal his spot, and the giant groaned in frustration but did nothing, just standing by Joshua’s side and pouting. The boy blinked his eyes, and a second later he was hugged tightly in his most gentle, most loving alpha’s embrace again. Joshua’s natural reaction was hugging him back instantly, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist. The sobs quickly came back to him, as if Joshua had always found Jun’s chest and shoulders the safest place for him to cry his eyes out.

“You need to learn to trust us, Joshua.” Jun whispered quietly to his ear, pushing out of his soothing scent to help the boy relax. “We have already promised that we would never hit you. We have told you that we love you. Love never includes violence. Can you trust us, please?”

Joshua did not dare to wholeheartedly believe that he would never be hit by his owners, but he still nodded right away. How was he supposed to resist his alpha’s plead? He would break his own heart by saying “no” to Jun. However, Jun had observed his baby well enough to know that Joshua was stubborn with his own way of thinking and such panic attack would surely come back one day. He sighed, but kissed Joshua’s hair after that and patiently stood there, holding tightly the crying boy, waiting for his tears to stop rolling down on his cheeks. The hybrid could feel Mingyu’s extraordinary big hand caressing and patting tenderly on his head. Joshua was sure there were more than two hands on his head, but he was so lost in his pain and tears that he was unable to distinguish them. The best thing he was capable of was only crying until his heart may feel enough or he may get too tired to sniffle or sob longer.

Countless soft coos were poured into Joshua’ ears, slowly calming him down and bringing his mind back to its normal state, in which he temporarily trusted all of his owners and were not too scared of them, putting all of his guard down in front of them to indulge in love and happiness. At the moment Joshua had gained back enough consciousness, he tried harder to fill his lungs by the pine forest scent. He had always like Jun’s scent most for no particular reasons. Consequently, Jun automatically became the most wonderful place he would seek for to find comfort whenever being in despair.

However, Joshua found another stronger scent mixing with Jun’s scent. Something clicked in his mind, and he suddenly remembered Wonwoo. He pulled away from Jun’s embrace almost immediately, turning to look at the lead alpha beside him. Wonwoo had been silent for the whole time, and so he was then, just standing there looking at Joshua with his mysterious eyes.

The boy had stopped sobbing a short while ago, only sniffling now. The only thing that remained unchanged was his tears. No matter how many times Jun and Mingyu tried to wipe them, they kept streaming down again and again. The two alphas got startled to smell Joshua’s scent sour one more time. The boy was feeling guilty; he knew he had unintentionally been bad _again_, because he forgot Wonwoo. He should have said sorry to the lead alpha first. He could not keep eye contact with Wonwoo, because he was scared, and felt that the alpha’s gaze would pierce through his soul and bore a deep hole in his heart, bringing him torturous pain and making him collapse.

“I’m… I’m sorry… It’s my fault…” Joshua’s saying almost went unheard, but Wonwoo actually did not really need to hear his exact words to know what he wanted to tell him.

Holding the hybrid’s face gently with both hands, Wonwoo slowly kissed his lips, much longer and deeper than what Mingyu had done. Joshua was quite taken aback, but his heart suddenly got so much warmer. Wonwoo’s kiss was not too heated up, only lips on lips, but still wet, sweet and intimate enough to let the boy understand his feelings.

When Wonwoo broke the contact between their lips, Joshua was in a daze, staring at his alpha unblinkingly. His mind was only brought back to reality at the moment Wonwoo also wiped the tears on his face and murmured in his deep voice. His saying was always like that - half like a plead, half like a command for Joshua.

“Don’t cry anymore, Joshua. Stop blaming yourself. Let’s go home, okay?”

The hybrid nodded, but totally did not expect to be picked up and carried by the lead alpha. Nonetheless, he had no reason to protest. Therefore, Joshua obediently clung to his owners, hugging his neck and shoulder close while being carried to Wonwoo’s car in the parking lot. Joshua tried inhaling deeply once, and the effect was just like magic. His lungs was stroke by the lead alpha’s scent, and Joshua felt himself covered thoroughly in the most perfect protection in the world. Burying his face into Wonwoo’s shoulder, the boy tried to not only muffle all of his last sniffles but also take in the scent of a strong and powerful alpha that he had always wished to have from long ago.

Mingyu and Jun sat at the back while Wonwoo kept Joshua on his lap when driving. The two younger alphas realized that their oldest cousin really knew how to spoil the hybrid rotten, which made them feel a little bit jealous. Joshua peacefully sat there, putting all of his weight on the alpha and caring no more about sitting up or how to use his limbs properly. Joshua was super clingy when he was sad or scared, and if nobody bothered to stop him or at least showed some discomfort, he would do everything to get closer and closer. Wonwoo was sometimes distracted by the little boy nuzzling into his chest or trying to get more of his body touching the alpha. Only after five minutes, the hybrid was literally the same as a kitten curling up on Wonwoo’s lap. The alphas deemed Joshua not really that small and were quite concerned when Wonwoo let him sit there while he was driving the car like that. However, the boy still somehow managed to fit himself in that small space perfectly, making his owners’ heart gone mushy.

If the way home was further, Joshua may fall asleep like this. However, they soon reached home, and without asking, Wonwoo brought Joshua into the building, ignoring all the eyes staring at them curiously, and he only let the boy stand on his own feet in the room that he had slept last night. It was just nearly 3pm then; they had up to three hours before showing up at Seungcheol’s house for dinner. Wonwoo gave Joshua his own pajamas, persuading the boy to take a shower. The hybrid obeyed although he was extremely tired and just wanted to sleep.

After the shower, Joshua dropped himself onto Wonwoo’s bed without asking, and his eyelids gave up right away after the boy was covered by the warm blanket and Wonwoo’s scent all over the place. None of his owners were in the same room with him, but the three marks made him feel like they were still around. They all pleasantly hurt, helping him fall deep into sleeping quickly and comfortably.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Jeonghan will appear in the next chapter ;_;


	9. Lavender came back, in the shape of a broken angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua was not happy with the idea of going to meet his alphas' friend at all, but he had to go anyway. However, the meeting brought him more surprise that whatever he had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is the chapter many of you are waiting for!!!!!!!!

Joshua was still fine until he finished getting dressed up and his owners were ready to go. The hybrid was forced to face the fact that he was really going to meet a human alpha that was not his owner. Joshua could not tell exactly why that made him nervous so much. He only wanted to stay around people that he liked or people that he had been much familiar with. Joshua knew he could happily stay inside this apartment, only seeing his three alphas for decades.

Luckily, his owners knew how to make him feel better. The marks had not disappeared yet, but they all bit him again in order to give those ten more hours on his neck. The collars that Joshua chose on the Internet had already arrived, but no one cared about making the hybrid wear any of them. Joshua was grateful for that. He loved the marks much more than the collar, although they were both means of claiming Joshua as his owners’ property. The collar made him feel like a pet, but the marks made him feel like _a mated omega_. He was even one hundred times happier as his owners like to mark him too.

Joshua was in awe to find Seungcheol’s house definitely a marvelous mansion. The huge metal gate automatically opened when Wonwoo’s car came close, and they were welcomed by a huge fabulous yard decorated by various trees and flowers. However, the scene of a house looking like a castle of wealthy people made Joshua shiver and suddenly flinch. The alphas could recognize the considerable change in not only his scent but also his facial expression; however they did not know that he had another reason of being scared rather than the idea of meeting a stranger. Sitting next to the hybrid at the back, Mingyu patted and rubbed his back gently, massaging his shoulders to ease out the tension. Joshua looked at him gratefully, and he tried to inhale deeply, focusing on how this mansion was different from _that place_.

Of course, the difference was noticeable. Seungcheol’s house seemed to be lively beautiful. _That place_ was luxurious, but it was far from being described as “beautiful”. The house Joshua was going to enter looked absolutely like a place where normal people live and do normal things that he had always heard of. No strange objects or _things_ in the yard brought questions to the hybrid’s mind, but he was surely attracted.

There were many different kinds of flowers here, but Joshua could tell that the roses dominated the place. The flowers looked really beautiful and appealing from afar, making Joshua want to get closer so that he could admire their beauty and maybe smell them a bit. Flowers’ scents are always sweet and relaxing. Joshua was not sure which incident had caused the other one to happen, but he loves how the flowers smell, and he wholeheartedly likes his best friend’s scent. Jeonghan smelled like lavender, and Joshua would never forget those days of trying to take in all the scent that he loves most in this world to calm himself down when he was lost in the chaos inside his mind - a mixture of fear, pain and hopelessness. Jeonghan was his only light, his only happiness in those dark-like-hell days. Gosh, the flowers made him miss Jeonghan too much.

Joshua tried to shake those thoughts out of his head, focusing on how to behave properly since Wonwoo had already got off the car and opened the door for him. However, the hybrid scrunched his nose immediately, and he nearly jumped out of the car as fast as possible. Wonwoo firmly held his hand while leading him towards where Joshua did not know but the boy just frantically looked around. He smelled lavender in the air; therefore, he tried to find some lavender in the front yard, but found nothing. There was no lavender here. Then where was the scent coming from? It was not a random lavender scent coming from any products with artificial scent made by chemicals. It was the _purest authentic lavender scent_ that Joshua had been familiar with.

When Wonwoo led Joshua to the main path leading to the main door into the house, he intended to do something to calm his boy down since his friend - Seungcheol - was walking to them, only a few meters away, and they were about to greet each other. That was also when he would introduce their new omega. On the other hand, Joshua did not seem to mind his owners at all. All of his attention was now put into a thing or a person somewhere behind Seungcheol. His eyes got widened right at the moment the sight of the person he had always longing for got trapped in his vision. To all of the alphas’ surprise, Joshua pulled away from Wonwoo’s hand and started to run towards the direction of Seungcheol.

Wonwoo, Mingyu and Jun were not surprised at all when Joshua just ran past Seungcheol, but they were extremely amazed to see their boy running to the guy standing a few meters behind their friend. Seungcheol was taken aback as well, but he tensed up and became serious right away. However, Wonwoo was quick enough to grab the man’s arm before he succeeded in approaching Joshua and stopping the hybrid.

“Don’t worry. Joshua is harmless.”

In Joshua’s mind at the moment, no one ever existed in this world except for the person in front of him. He did not know when he started to cry and smile like an idiot at the same time, but the boy knew he was the happiest person in this universe when he finally enveloped his arms around the other omega’s torso tightly. His lungs got stroke by the sweetest lavender scent and his mind was like attacked by tons of the most toxic cocaine. His words burst out without any control.

“Jeonghan! Jeonghan! JEONGHAN! You are here! YOU ARE HERE!!!”

Jeonghan froze at his spot for longer than one minute straight before he eventually smiled in tears and squeezed Joshua in his shaking arms, lifting up the smaller boy to swing him in the air as both of them were enjoying the happiest moment of their whole life. He did not got so loud like Joshua or lose control of himself, but his voice was terribly trembling. Nonetheless, Joshua just cried louder when fate let him hear the angel’s voice again.

“I found you, my Joshua.”

…

Wonwoo, Jun and Mingyu was utterly shocked to see that Jeonghan managed to make Joshua stop crying much more quickly than they did even though he did not have to kiss or bite or let the boy straddle his waist or anything. And the hybrid smiled at Jeonghan a lot, and he was too happy to care or notice how Seungcheol was staring at him then. If Joshua really saw that when he was in his right mind, he would certainly freak out. Wonwoo knew Seungcheol was a bit crazy and obsessive about his mate, but he could temporarily relate to him due to what they had witnessed. Joshua’s owners soon found Jeonghan as a true threat, since the boy obviously loved and trusted him too much. They all had the feeling that if some magic may turn Jeonghan into an alpha one day, then Joshua would definitely say goodbye to them and let his best friend mark him immediately. Jeonghan would surely have profound influence on Joshua, which meant that he could not only help heal Joshua’s broken soul but also drag him further and further from his alphas.

Much as they are concerned, all the three of Joshua’s owners had to admit that they could not keep their doubt about Jeonghan for long, because the omega’s appearance persuaded them that he was a trustworthy friend of Joshua. Jeonghan was not their type, but it would never be an overstatement to describe him as _a beauty_. Joshua was gentle, but naive and innocent like a child, or they may say he was exactly like a kitten. On the other hand, the blond omega was also very much gentle - of course, if Joshua liked someone, that person must be gentle - but in a very mature and calm manner. Jeonghan is exactly the kind of person that is totally able to seduce anyone as long as he really wants to. He did not look like he wanted to seduce Joshua; he just adored the boy. Actually this was the first time some of them heard him speak. In previous occasions in which they had the chance to see him when he was accompanying Seungcheol, he never said a word, although it was pretty obvious that his alpha had not set any restriction on that (Maybe he did speak right in front of their eyes, but Seungcheol was the only one who could hear that). Just one sentence and they all knew he even loved Joshua more than how the kitten loved him.

Wonwoo was not sure what Jeonghan had told Joshua, but he was able to guess that it was a reminder for the boy to _behave_ in front of his owners, judging by the way the blonde omega was pushing Joshua towards him and his cousins, darting a cautious look at his own alpha. Joshua breathed in and out deeply, using his sleeve along with Jeonghan’s hands to wipe clean all the tears and his scent went sour when he turned back to look at his alphas. Now that he was calmer, he registered that he had just been bad again. What had happened was undoubtedly his misbehavior. Without Jeonghan escorting him the whole way with a reassuring hand on his back, Joshua would need a lot of time to go back the place he was supposed to stand, especially when he had no choice but to walk past Seungcheol.

It was not until then did Joshua start to notice the stranger. Seungcheol was not bigger than any of his alphas, but he was still big and having a threatening aura. The scent was not as prominent and dominant as Wonwoo’s, but still extremely strong - somewhere between the level of Jun and Mingyu. After looking at Seungcheol, Joshua needed to take back his first impression about Mingyu; his alpha was no way aggressive in comparison with this man. The look in Seungcheol’s eyes was unreadable but evidently dangerous, and Joshua suddenly felt overwhelmingly concerned for Jeonghan living with such an owner. He remembered his alphas calling Jeonghan as “Seungcheol’s mate”, and he saw the mark on his friend’s neck too. Joshua did not like that fact at all. It had just been up to two months since they were apart from each other. If Joshua had not have enough time to repair himself and heal all the inner wound, then there would be no way that Jeonghan had.

Anyway, Seungcheol was in fact not so aggressive like Joshua thought. The proof was that, he was not severely serious about another omega getting too close to his mate after Wonwoo and Jun made a brief explanation about their friendship. However, then it was Seungcheol’s turn to scrunched his nose and his eyes narrowed while staring at Jun. He even pointed out what he had just seen.

“Gosh, you guys let Jun go to the bar alone?”

Jun immediately pulled his collar uncomfortably, but Seungcheol was too oblivious to know what was going on between his friends.

“Surely not. You know us, Seungcheol.” Wonwoo replied nonchalantly, but his eyes were boring holes on Jun’s face, “He’s never allowed to do that.”

But Seungcheol clicked his tongue after leaning closer to sniff at Jun.

“Why do you reek of Mingyu like that?”

At that moment, Jun really hated Mingyu and wanted to punch him in the face. Jun had always thought that he was the only one who smelled Mingyu all the time because his cousin had spent quite much time doing _things_ on his neck last night. In the end, it turned out that everyone could smell Mingyu on him. Mingyu for sure had scent-marked him on purpose, and Jun’s scent was never strong enough to get rid of that scent in less than three days - except for when Wonwoo used his peppermint scent to overshadow the sandalwood one. Everybody would keep asking about the hickeys for days.

Jun did not have problems with Seungcheol getting close to him since they had known each other for too long and he surely had no worry about his friend. However, Wonwoo did not think or feel the same. Seungcheol wanted to come much closer just because he was surprised and curious, but he could not, since Wonwoo had stepped in between Jun and the confused alpha, completely blocking the way. The answer coming from the giant alpha made it harder for Jun to hold back his wish of hitting his cousin.

“That was pretty clear. I don’t think a question is necessary here.”

“Stop it, Mingyu.” Jun gritted his teeth, almost in anger.

Unable to hear the conversation from a far distance with a foggy mind, Joshua was startled to realize the tensions between the four alphas when he finally got back to his place between Wonwoo and Jun while Jeonghan stood quietly by Seungcheol’s side, a little behind. The lead alpha held his hand firmly and stopped the topic of Jun’s hickeys and scent right away by starting to introduce Joshua to Seungcheol. The hybrid intended to apologize, but his owner had already opened his mouth to speak first, so he could only keep his words for later. Seungcheol still seemed to care and confused a lot about what Mingyu had said, but he still politely stretching his arm towards Joshua for a handshake, the corner of his lips lifting up slightly. Joshua found it strange to see a human alpha asking for a handshake with him, but he pushed himself to response to that action properly. He felt a little relieved, since he saw Seungcheol much like a normal human with manners. At least, Jeonghan was not living with a beast or a psycho.

Joshua could tell that Jeonghan was anxiously staring continuously at his neck for the whole time. They really needed to talk. As soon as possible.

After the introduction, Jeonghan enthusiastically asked if Joshua wanted to help him with preparing some final part of the dinner. They all knew it extremely weird to ask a guest to help with dinner that they were invited for, but they also knew that it was just an excuse for the two omegas to have a little time with each other. Joshua was more than happy to take the offer, but he was wary of the alphas and silently waited for permission. Luckily, all of the man easily agreed with a fond smile on each of their face. Seungcheol kindly informed Jeonghan that he would spend about ten minutes talking to his friends before they had dinner. Jeonghan happily nodded, but only smiled when he took Joshua’s hand to lead him to the kitchen.

Joshua’s owners were surprised so many times, but overall they felt happy as miracles really happened. The Jeonghan that Joshua had asked for was the Jeonghan that they knew, and the reunion cheered him up more than any of them had ever dared to dream of. On the way into the living room, Seungcheol also admitted he had heard Jeonghan confess that he missed his best friend named Joshua, and he was so relieved to see his omega smile.

The food was giving off wonderfully delicious smell in the kitchen but Joshua only focused on the lavender scent. The smell of food was too familiar to him, since he had eaten the dishes cooked by Jeonghan numerous times. They just smelled a little bit different from what he remembered; maybe because Jeonghan had to alter his way of cooking a bit to fit Seungcheol’s taste. Joshua soon realized that everything had already been finished; all Jeonghan wanted was some time for two of them. When the door to the kitchen was closed, Joshua could not resist hugging Jeonghan again, squeezing him tightly in his weak arms and wished that he would never had to let go.

“I… I can’t believe it… You are here, you are really here!” Joshua babbled, on the verge of crying one more time.

Wrapping his arms around the cat hybrid, Jeonghan patted the boy’s back while murmuring softly to him. “I’m surprised too. It’s fate, right? I have never thought that one day you will come back to my life as an omega of my alpha’s friends. But…”

Jeonghan just stopped there, hesitant to continue. Joshua instantly pulled away from the embrace so that he could look at his friend’s face, waiting for the other to finish, hands still holding Jeonghan’s arms as if he were still afraid that the older omega would disappear at any time. Jeonghan raised his right hand, coming towards Joshua’s neck, and the boy tilted his head to bring his friend a better view of the marks. Of course, Jeonghan would not touch them; he knew he may hurt Joshua by doing that, but he failed to stop himself from tracing his fingers near those suspicious marks, and he knitted his brow.

“All three of them… _really _claimed you?”

“No, no!” Joshua explained right away. “Don’t worry, Hannie. They are just temporary marks. They bit me and the marks will last for ten hours.”

Jeonghan sighed in relief and he got obviously relaxed at the information.

“I was so shocked and scared to see three marks on your neck. It must have been _hell_ to get those done.”

“What about yours?” This time it was Joshua who looked at the mark nervously, and he stuttered. “It’s… It’s real? Right?”

The cat hybrid felt like someone had just ripped his heart into pieces when he saw sadness tinting Jeonghan’s eyes, but the older still masked his true feelings by a weak smile. He had always been like that. Joshua hated that, but that was also the reason he loved Jeonghan more than anyone in this world.

“Yes, it’s real.”

Joshua did not know what to do instead of squeezing his friend again, and he whimpered as if he were the one who truly got hurt. The boy heard Jeonghan chuckled, and he really just wanted to hit him for doing such things again and again. Perhaps, Jeonghan would never change. He would always smile, grin or chuckle like that or speak out the most positive and sweetest things although he had never been less broken than his miserable friend.

“Don’t cry, Joshua.” Like the younger one, Jeonghan buried his nose in the crook of the neck giving off a scent mixed by strawberry candy and roses. “At least I’m safe now. You can’t smell any blood from me, right?”

Joshua nodded in tears, tightening his arms around Jeonghan. His friend is not an alpha; his embrace can never be as big and strong as an alpha’s, but it would always be the warmest and most sympathetic that Joshua adored wholeheartedly. He felt themselves so pathetic by standing in the kitchen, crying on each other’s shoulders and saying something about _“safe”_. To them, _“safe”_ means no hitting, no bruise or blood, and that was enough for a life that an omega hybrid may wish to have. They do not talk about _“happiness,”_ because that will just make this life more difficult to them. However, at this moment, they both had the courage to think of that abstract concept.

“I found you.” Jeonghan kept murmuring to his beloved friend, almost frantically, and Joshua nearly collapsed to see him getting out of control for the first time. “I found you!”

…

Joshua whined a lot when he was forced to stop hugging Jeonghan so that the older could bring food to the dining room and get things ready for their dinner. Joshua wanted to help and they had quite a debate about that. Jeonghan considered Joshua a guest in his house and a guest should just wait to be served; his owners would get angry to see their hybrid dong such things out of their house. However, Joshua said that he did not think they may get treated differently since both of them were just hybrids; no one would care whether Joshua was a guest’s pet or the host’s pet, and he thought Seungcheol would be upset to see another hybrid sitting at the table waiting to be served while his own one was still working.

Before they managed to persuade the other one to follow their personal opinion, the door suddenly opened and Jun’s head peeked out from behind.

“We actually can hear you guys arguing here.” He smiled while saying, and Joshua felt so safe to have both of the most gentle people he had in his life here, but Jeonghan slightly scrunched his nose. It was because of Mingyu’s scent on Jun.

Moreover, the older omega also stepped back a little to stay away from the door further. He had met Jun long before Joshua had, but he had no idea about how that alpha would behave when it came to his own omega, so he needed to be careful. Needless to say, Jeonghan was thankful that Seungcheol sent Jun here, not Wonwoo or Mingyu. The pheromones of the lead alpha among the three were too scary, and Mingyu was too huge for him to feel safe.

Jun was considerate enough to know that he should not bring more insecurity to his friend’s mate. As a result, he did not step inside, just standing at the door like that and continuing to speak.

“Seungcheol said that he won’t mind. We won’t mind either. Just do anything that makes you two feel comfortable. This is an intimate dinner, anyway. Don’t be too serious. Got it?”

Both the omegas nodded and Jun was amazed to find them quiet just like each other. He smiled again then left, leaving the other two happily bring the dishes out together. The actions brought them a very strong feeling of déjà vu, but it turned out not to be so bad as the scenarios were not the same anymore. After bringing the food out, they would sit at the same table with those alphas out there and enjoy the delicious food together.

Seungcheol certainly sat at the position of the host at the rectangle table covered with white silk, and Wonwoo sat at the opposite side. Jun was trapped between Wonwoo and Mingyu on the lead alpha’s left side while Joshua was on his right side and Jeonghan was next to the cat hybrid. At first, the two omegas just stayed silent. Joshua really wanted to open his mouth to ask Jeonghan hundreds of questions, but he did not dare to do that in front of his owner, so he kept his mouth shut and had time to get calmer. That was also the time he began to realize something strange in his friend.

Joshua saw Seungcheol getting food for Jeonghan, encouraging him to eat a lot. He had not seen the alpha frown or showing any cold or angry expression towards Jeonghan. That was definitely too much better than what he and Joshua had been through. Joshua expected to see his friend enjoying this life and glowing just like how such a gorgeous and elegant angel like him should be, but everything was just the opposite. Jeonghan really did gain weight and got healthier, but the vibe he was giving out was seriously sad.

Jeonghan was much better at being submissive and pliant than Joshua was. Joshua was scared and would cry a lot. Jeonghan rarely cried. Joshua saw him smiling to Seungcheol sweetly, taking anything that his alpha gave him, but he always seemed to be sad. The cat hybrid soon acknowledged that Seungcheol could felt the sadness in his omega too. There was a lot of concern in his eyes whenever he looked at Jeonghan, but Joshua had some kind of impression that Seungcheol had let his ego take control all over him.

How did Joshua get such impression? Well, he was actually pissed off by the man. Maybe Seungcheol thought they were very close friends or something, and he kept talking about the hickeys on Jun’s neck in spite of his friend’s obvious discomfort.

“I don’t care whether your hickeys really came from the bar when you wandered there alone or not, but you surely need to do something about this, Jun. I think you have got enough troubles with alphas. It must be time to consider some effective solutions now.”

“I don’t need any solution. I’m fine.” Jun nearly huffed, and Joshua knew he must be really annoyed. It was not normal of him to speak that way at all. “And I won’t go to the bar again just because I don’t want to.”

“Troubles come from the bastards. It’s not Jun’s fault.” Mingyu sharply defended for his cousin, and his voice had got deeper, but not in a good way. “Are you going to be one of those?”

“You guys really think that he’s fine?” Seungcheol snorted at Mingyu, then turning back to Jun again. “After not fewer than ten alphas trying to get into your pants despite knowing for sure that you are also an alpha?” Seungcheol’s voice was like he was mocking at the alpha who was looking at him with a frown. “I highly doubt that, Jun. You need to get a protection now.”

Joshua felt as if Seungcheol was holding some grudge for Jun and he was taking revenge on him by those harshly mocking words. The cat hybrid was even more shocked to see Jun still able to keep himself from getting angry, while Mingyu had already seemed humiliated. The look Wonwoo was giving the host was not much different from a death glare.

“Don’t make me repeat this, Seungcheol.” Jun sighed. “Please, I said that I’m fine, and you really don’t need to care about that.”

“I think I have the right to care about it, since you’re my friends. And I am telling you the best solution, which is certainly getting a claiming mark from a stronger alpha. I think you know that too, Jun. It’s just you trying desperately to ignore that fact.”

Wow, Joshua really wanted to punch this man in the face. How dare he talk to Jun like that? Both Joshua and Jeonghan trembled at the feeling of the angry pheromones getting thicker and heavier in the air, making worries creeping up in their hearts. Mingyu frowned and blurted, evidently annoyed. He almost stood up, but Jun was quick enough to grab his arm and keep him in place. Mingyu did not protest; the other alpha’s calming touch seemed to soothe him a bit, but he pointed an accusing finger at Seungcheol.

“I don’t know why you have to be so stubborn with other people’s problem, but don’t always impose your thoughts on people, Seungcheol. How many times have we told you that you are not our father and we are not supposed to do everything that you deem wise to do? Do you know that right now you are being just exactly the same as those guys who harassed Jun? You also consider him as an easy target or what?”

“If you are wise enough to know what is good for Jun, then I think you are wise enough to know that I can tell my company to stop the contract, right?” Seeing Seungcheol looking at him in disbelief, Wonwoo let out a dangerous growl. “Can we stop this problem and go on now?”

Joshua knew there would be serious trouble right here immediately if Seungcheol did not back off. Since nothing in the conversation was directed towards Joshua or Jeonghan, the both omegas did not feel threatened but they were surely affected by the tension. Neither of them wanted a fight to start, and whether that would happen or not depended on Seungcheol. Once Wonwoo gets on his fully protective mode, he will not allow anyone to go against his demand when it comes to the people he loves.

Seungcheol did not look like he understood what he had done wrong, but anyway he decided to stop as all his friends wanted. From that moment onwards, Joshua started to feel that it was not really easy for Jeonghan to live with such an alpha. Seungcheol had the tendency to consider himself to be correct all the time and ignore other people’s opinions. For instance, there would be something that Jeonghan was terribly scared of but Seungcheol viewed that as a normal - or even compulsory - thing for an omega to do for his alpha, and he would make Jeonghan do that no matter what.

The dinner went on quite awkwardly a few minutes later, but things got back to normal more quickly than Joshua had thought, which made him feel relieved. They were so close after years being friends that it was easy for them to resolve problems, or… they were trying to do that because of the two omegas? Joshua did not know what gave him the nerve to think so, but he could not help getting such conclusion after observing all of them carefully. Obviously, after the small argument, the four alphas started to pay attention to the two omegas for their scents had changed a lot - much more sour. Both of them had ducked their head down, almost stopping eating to avoid creating any sounds that may disturb the alphas. It was never good for a hybrid when his owners were mad. There was a very high chance of getting hit when staying close to an angry owner, especially when that one was an alpha. Joshua had not only one but three owners in a not good mood.

The alphas darted their eyes towards the omegas, and they had no choice but to try to talk to each other normally again as if nothing had happened. Joshua saw Wonwoo’s hand landing on his knee under the table, gently squeezing as a way to comfort him and calm him down. That action did help a lot, since it was an official announcement to the boy that his owners’ anger had nothing to do with him at all. As long as Wonwoo did not want to hurt Joshua, then no one would be able to. 

Later, it was also Wonwoo who told Joshua that it would be okay for him to talk to Jeonghan here but the boy still shut his mouth and looked at Seungcheol cautiously. Soon enough, Seungcheol also whispered something to his omega, and Jeonghan’s face brightened up immediately. It was until then that the omegas started talking to each other very quietly, afraid to disturb their alphas’ conversation, but they also felt that it would be useless to ask those reserved boys to speak up, so they just let them be.

Although Joshua and Jeonghan had got the permission, they did not talk much, because they wanted a more private place, not on the table during dinner with their alphas like this. They did not feel safe to talk when the alphas were around. Consequently, Jeonghan just asked simple questions like when Joshua met his owners, what he had done today, what was his address. At hearing the boys mention the address, Mingyu asked Seungcheol something that Joshua really had not expected.

“Joshua was still very new to us, but he will have to stay at home alone tomorrow. We are really worried about that. Can you let Jeonghan come to our place or let us bring Joshua here so that they can stay together?”

Joshua looked at Mingyu in awe, eyes widened and sparkling. How could the alpha come up with such a perfect idea? Before getting Seungcheol’s answer, Joshua still wanted to jump across the table to hug Mingyu and smooch his handsome face. Beside him, Jeonghan was shocked too.

Joshua thought this was definitely one of the best days in his life when Seungcheol answered without spending time thinking, and his expression was relaxed.

“Sure. That’s a great idea.” He nodded in agreement. “I’ve been looking for a reason for Jeonghan to get out of the house and have fun sometimes. I will bring him to your place and then get him back on my way home in the afternoon.”

“Wonderful.” Mingyu grinned brightly, winking at Joshua, then looking at Seungcheol again. “So… Is 8am okay?”

“That’s good.”

Under the table, Joshua had to pinch his thighs many times to check whether he was dreaming or not. That would surely leave bruises on his skin, but he did not care at all. Joshua was so happy that he not only thanked Mingyu but he also had enough courage to talk to Seungcheol and thank the alpha for letting Jeonghan come to him. Seungcheol smiled, and the cat hybrid found the man not too scary like he had thought, which made him even happier for his best friend. Joshua wished that in the future he and Jeonghan would be allowed to hang out together, going shopping and eating at different places like what normal people do.

After dinner, Joshua helped Jeonghan clean the table but he was glad to hear that they would not need to care about washing dishes since the maid would come tomorrow and do all those things. Jeonghan also added that the flowers and trees in the yard would be taken care of by some gardeners. Joshua got so much relieved to figure out that his friend did not have to work hard in this house. He was really alike Seungcheol’s mate, not Seungcheol’s pet or slave. Moreover, Jeonghan got dressed up well, cleaned and shining, looking even more beautiful than what Joshua remembered. His eye bags still looked heavy and tired but overall Jeonghan seemed to be in a good health condition. 

While putting the empty plates into the sink, Jeonghan looked out to make sure that the alphas had gone to the living room before asking curiously.

“Your owners always call you their omega. Then how could you stop them from marking you for real?”

“I… did nothing.” Joshua unconsciously scratched his head, a little confused. “When I first came to their house, they asked if I preferred a mark or a collar. I chose the collar, and they never talk about that again.”

“They asked you?” Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, surprised but quite impressed. “But now you still have no collar on your neck?”

“They said they don’t like putting the collar on me, and I…” Joshua suddenly felt embarrassed to admit this truth to his friend. “I like them to mark me like this… so they say that they will bite me every day before they go to work so that I will feel safe.”

While talking about the marks, Joshua raised his hand and nearly touched them but Jeonghan pulled his hand away on time.

“The permanent mark won’t hurt when you touch, but these temporary things will. Be careful.”

“They are still so new to me… I kept forgetting that.”

Since Jeonghan explained that he could not show Joshua his room because he slept with his alpha, the two hybrids sat down next to each other in the kitchen. The dining room was a nice place to talk, too, but they did not really care about that. Having each other was enough. However, it was Seungcheol who kindly went back to the kitchen and told them that they could sit on the bench on the yard and go back inside when it got cold. Joshua could tell that the alpha definitely cared about Jeonghan a lot for suggesting that and he even provided the younger omega with more information.

“You know, since Jeonghan came here we have planted many roses out there. He has also bought strawberry-flavored food or numerous strawberry-scented things.”

Joshua’s heart terribly melted and he needed no more detail to understand the reason. He squeezed the older’s cold hand tightly and happily, eager to go to the yard but Jeonghan still had not moved a bit. His face was covered with worries and reluctance. Seungcheol seemed to be a very straightforward person, always stating anything very clearly. Why was Jeonghan so hesitant like that?

Seungcheol lowered his voice in an attempt to persuade his omega.

“Come on, Jeonghan. Don’t worry about the guests. This is your house, you can go anywhere you like. I know you like our yard very much.”

At that point, Joshua found it too heartbreaking to realize Jeonghan had not stopped being haunted by the idea of being _a slave of a human_. He was pretty much sure that Seungcheol was accustomed to this kind of behaviors as the man remained calm while asking his mate to go outside. And he said _“our yard,”_ not _“my yard.”_

Finally, Jeonghan did as he had been told, holding Joshua’s hand and leading him outside.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that I didn't disappoint you too much ;_;  
And what do you think about Seungcheol's behaviours?  
And also about Jeonghan???
> 
> I'm really sorry if the name of the chapter seems weird sometimes. I am not really good at giving names to chapters but I want to do it T_T


	10. Things seemed to be perfect, but maybe they were not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to a short talk with Jeonghan, Joshua found out what were the troubles that Jun had with alphas. However, it turned out to be more difficult to get to know his best friend's new life than what he had expected.

When they passed by the living room, Joshua saw all of his owners about to stand up, but Wonwoo was the fastest and nearest one to approach him, giving him his own coat. Jeonghan flinched to see the alpha coming closer too quickly, but Joshua held his hand tightly to assure him. Wonwoo noticed that too, and he made one step back to give the omega more room. Then, he gently told his hybrid.

“Wear it if you feel cold.”

“Thank you, master.” Joshua smiled happily and took the coat gratefully.

He turned to look at Jun when hearing the alpha spoke up.

“What about Jeonghan?” He was looking at Seungcheol while asking. “Does he need one?”

“He rarely feels cold, actually.” The host explained. “This weather is cool enough for him. He won’t like to put on any coat. Believe me.”

Joshua knew Seungcheol was honest. Jeonghan’s skin always felt cold when Joshua touched him, but the blond omega rarely felt cold himself.

Once the alphas were out of their sight, Jeonghan immediately said guiltily. He was still smiling, but the smile was so sad.

“I’m sorry, I was so absent-minded. I forgot that you always feel cold at night. I should have got you a coat first.”

“Oh no, that’s fine Hannie. Don’t apologize to me.” Joshua had to admit, Jeonghan’s pheromones always went haywire while his alpha was around. Therefore, it was easy to understand that he might forget many things.

Joshua had not started to feel really cold yet, but he still put on the coat Wonwoo gave him. Instantly, he was unable to smell the lavender scent anymore. Even when they sat one the bench next to the fountain surrounded by countless roses, Joshua could not smell anything more. However, he did not give up. He tried to get closer to Jeonghan, holding the older’s arm by both his arms, resting his head on the slender shoulder. This position should be close enough for him to take in the lavender scent, and it really worked. Jeonghan reacted to him with an appreciative hum.

“I was surprised that Wonwoo has not marked you yet.” His voice was soft and like music in Joshua’s ears. “You know, I haven’t met him many times but it’s easy to see that he is very possessive. And such a powerful rich alpha like that will not like to be rejected. I’m sure he likes you.”

Joshua’s heart skipped a beat at the conclusion. Jeonghan smiled fondly when the air was filled with strawberry candy scent.

“I’m so glad that you are happy now, Joshua.” The older omega leaned his head against the boy’s, voice steady and sweet. “I saw the way they look at you. Trust me, I have never seen Wonwoo or Mingyu so gentle like that when talking to other people.”

Joshua sighed a bit, fingers playing with the sleeve of Jeonghan’s shirt. The older knew such behavior coming from his friend meant that he was confused and thinking a lot.

“I don’t know… Do you think it’s so strange? I have just met those alphas yesterday morning, but I swear I have never felt this way about people. They let me eat with them. They let me choose the clothes and buy me anything I want. They always want to cuddle with me and kiss me a lot. They...”

Joshua just stopped there, not saying anything more, but that was enough for Jeonghan to understand. He ruffled the boy’s hair in such a loving way that Joshua purred like a kitten.

“Strange or not, just enjoy your life while you still can. I mean, we have never been able to live a life like this, right? So, why do we have to think too much? It’s much better whatever we have been through in the past. We have the right to _live our own life_.”

“What if one day they don’t like me anymore and abandon me?” Joshua’s voice was quite shaky when he voiced out the thing he was most afraid of. He knew he would never be tough enough to endure the pain of not being loved by his alphas.

“You will hurt yourself more if you keep thinking about that.” Jeonghan tried burying his nose in Joshua’s hair to seek for the sweet scent, but _gosh_, every single spot on his body just smelled like Wonwoo. “We are already hurt. So why don’t you just risk it once? If things turn out alright, then that is the happy ending for your life. And if they get rid of you, or maybe Seungcheol will throw me away too, then we will just… hurt one more time.”

Through Jeonghan’s words, everything always seemed so light and easy, and Joshua could not come up with any ideas to argue with him. His heart wanted to believe that Jeonghan was right. However, once the older mentioned Seungcheol, Joshua immediately felt his curiosity rose. He sat up to look at his friend and asked.

“What about you and Seungcheol? How did…”

“Shh,” Jeonghan gently shushed him by a finger on his lips. “Leave it for tomorrow. I just want to hear about you today. Okay?”

“But I want to know about you too!” Joshua pouted and whined, which looked so cute to his friend.

Jeonghan smiled tenderly, thumb caressing the younger boy’s cheek.

“We will have a lot of time for each other. And if our alphas don’t treat us well, we will escape, go somewhere far from the human and live together, just two of us. Do you like that?”

“Yes. Yes. Of course.” Joshua nodded vigorously, beaming and leaning against his friend’s shoulder again. His arms still refused to leave the other’s arm. Joshua always felt extraordinarily warm when cuddling with Jeonghan, and he would make use of all the chances to do that.

On the other hand, Jeonghan really wanted to take his arm away from Joshua so that he could easily pat the boy’s head or play with his hair, but he certainly could not do that to the clingy hybrid. As a result, he made up for that by leaning against the younger’s head (again), completely going back to their previous position before Joshua asked about Seungcheol.

“You like Jun most, right? I see you keep looking at him all the time.”

Jeonghan’s sudden comment made Joshua blush hard. Without looking at the cat hybrid, Jeonghan knew his face must be red thanks to the thick candy scent in the air.

“He’s… He’s very nice.” Joshua automatically smiled when talking about his gentle alpha, his most beloved one. His mind somehow totally forgot that Jun was the first one to talk about _knotting _and _dildos_. “I don’t know why but… Everything about him makes me feel safe. He was the first one to bite me and let me sleep in his bed.”

“Good for you.” Jeonghan said somehow insincerely, but there was still worries lingering in his voice. “Needless to say, I have to remind you to be wary of him a bit. Have you ever realized that there is something between your alphas?”

Joshua nodded instantly, and he even added. “Jun is always capable of resolving any tension. If Wonwoo and Mingyu fight over two choices, they will stop right away after Jun speaks out his opinion.”

“I met them in the balls twice. Jun always reeked of Wonwoo or Mingyu on those occasions. Do you understand that? The balls were where there would be so many people and no omegas would dare to approach an alpha who smelled like another alpha.”

“You mean that Wonwoo and Mingyu scent-marked Jun on purpose?” Joshua asked, but not much surprised.

“Yeah, just like what they have done to you. Mostly Wonwoo. You smell like peppermint from head to toe. That man is freaking _over-possessive_.”

However, there was another thing that made the cat hybrid amazed, causing him to sit up again.

“It’s just been three months and you have attended two balls?”

Jeonghan frowned, obviously disappointed by Joshua’s lack of knowledge about his owners. Nonetheless, he patiently explained, voice unchanged. He never got mad at Joshua, never.

“Seungcheol owns a company. Your alpha, Wonwoo, is the CEO of another company. They are not only childhood friends but also business partners. And Jun is Wonwoo’s secretary. So, I have the chances to see them at such occasions. You’ll soon attend those parties with them too.”

“I thought the secretary position is usually for women.”

“Judging by Wonwoo’s pheromones, I think working as a secretary for him is not an easy job. A male alpha should be more suitable.”

After a short explanation, Jeonghan used his hand caress Joshua’s hair as he wished to. Joshua melted under his touch, still enjoying being petted on the head as always. He put both his legs on the bench, hugging his own knees close to his chest, wrapping arms around himself. While doing that, he did not forget to try to get closer to Jeonghan. The older opened his arms wide, allowing Joshua to get his body pressed to his torso and lean his head on his chest. With this position, Jeonghan was capable of touching Joshua’s hair, which made both of them feel contented and the air just got one hundred times sweeter.

The kitten soon continued to speak as there were too many questions in his head.

“Do you know what they meant when they talked about Jun getting troubles with some alphas? What happened?” Joshua thought that he should not any of his owners about this. He should ask Jeonghan only.

“I once heard and saw that.” Jeonghan nodded, making the cat hybrid more excited. “I’m not sure what the reason is, but there are many alphas trying to get Jun as if he were an omega. He is evidently not. His scent proves his alpha identity clearly. And I think his appearance does, too. There’s no way a person can mistake him as an omega. But they still do that. I know it’s not too rare today to see two mated alphas as a couple, but to your owner it’s really a serious problem.”

“I heard Mingyu saying something about an easy target? Does it have anything to do with that?”

“I think that may be the case. And you remember your owner saying that troubles came from the bastards, right? You know, alphas are mostly quite aggressive, but your alpha, Jun, I think he is just too kind, too gentle. Not many alphas are like that. It’s really lucky for you to have such a nice person like that to be your alpha. I’m genuinely glad for you. I think he was well-educated; his parents must be very wonderful. He even asked Seungcheol about getting a coat for me, remember?”

Joshua nodded, but felt hurt. How could life be so unfair? A person getting in trouble just because he was too nice?

“The worse thing is, alphas usually try to be gentle, sweet and nice when they want to seduce the omegas. They’ve always considered us to be weak and fragile. However, they did not treat Jun like that when approaching him. In one of the balls I saw them, Wonwoo left early to bring Jun home because an alpha practically harassed him and it got a little too physical. Perhaps they think there’s no need to be tender to a person who is already tough and strong. Such bastards. Wonwoo was really angry that day. Seungcheol was angry too, but of course, not as much as your alphas.”

At that moment Joshua sat up (again) and stared at Jeonghan in bewilderment.

“What do you mean exactly by _a little too physical_?” He could not help asking.

Jeonghan sighed a bit, hands holding both of Joshua’s hands. Geez, this boy was always so cold at night even though he had already worn his owner’s coat and it was just about to come to summer. Jeonghan knew he would not leave soon, and he knew that Joshua liked it, too.

“It didn’t happen in my sight, but according to what I can collect from pieces of that story, it seemed that the host of that ball somehow lured Jun to a more private place outside the hall and then tried to lock him inside a room. You know, the process to claim an alpha is the same. Knot him and then bite him, as long as the alpha who bites is stronger than the victim.”

“The host?” Joshua was startled to see himself suddenly get too loud, and immediately altered his volume. “That guy did such a dirty thing in his own party?”

Jeonghan clicked his tongue, clearly disgusted by the jerk’s action.

“That man’s company was having a special project with Wonwoo’s at that time. Seungcheol said that the disgusting arrogant jerk might have considered Jun a minor person as he is just a secretary by Wonwoo’s side. He also said that people would look up to an alpha who owns another alpha. It means that they are strong, powerful and things like that.” He shook his head, but Joshua noticed him reaching his hand to lightly rub his mark on the neck. “Anyway, I feel sick just by thinking of that man. Wonwoo could not tolerate someone attempting to claim his cousin without his consent like that. He broke the contract. Business ended. Seungcheol also said goodbye to that dude’s company.”

Joshua registered that Wonwoo did not joke at all when he talked about ending the contract with Seungcheol. He had done that once, then it was much likely that he would do that again at any time.

“Then how did he get out?” Joshua was too curious. He had to find out what happened to Jun.

“Wonwoo soon noticed his cousin’s absence and he started to get furious. Seungcheol was worried too. They both tried to search for him, but then Seungcheol saw Wonwoo get a call and run away. He followed. It turned out that Jun managed to make a phone call to Wonwoo. I guess handling an alpha is more difficult than what that bastard thought.” At this point, Jeonghan smirked. “Seungcheol was so angry that he made a fuss. He was very noisy then, dragging everyone’s attention with him and leading them to the place to see Wonwoo beat up that jerk.”

“Wow!” Joshua could imagine Wonwoo as a hero hitting the bad guy to death. “But… was everything okay? I mean… that man is the host. People might think that Wonwoo hit him first.”

“At that time Jun was already bruised and injured. There was blood on his face and his clothes. Very clear. For sure, no one would think that Wonwoo hit his cousin. Therefore, everyone was easily convinced that the host started the fight.”

“Injured?” Joshua asked in awe, with eyes wide. “He… he was hit?”

“That’s why I said it got physical. Seungcheol said that the jerk tried to beat Jun to submission. Luckily, he failed. Don’t worry, Joshua. The injuries were not serious. Things would have been different if the victim had been an omega.”

Jeonghan was right, Joshua thought. An omega would not have enough strength to make a phone call like Jun did. Joshua hated that bastard. All of a sudden, the cat hybrid just wanted to run to the living room so that he could hug Jun tightly and keep him as his, forever away from those disgusting alphas out there. Apart from Wonwoo and Mingyu, he would never share Jun with anyone.

However, when there was a short while of silence, Joshua was glad to hear Jeonghan mention Seungcheol many times. He kept repeating _“Seungcheol said.”_ It meant that the alpha talked to him a lot. Moreover, the man seemed to like to keep him company. Otherwise, Jeonghan would not have been able to tell Joshua that story.

Then Jeonghan turned solemn.

“Anyway, you have to be careful not to make the other two alphas feel that you are taking all of Jun’s attention. Or vice versa. I’m not sure about Mingyu, but since a person like Wonwoo has been so merciful to you and Jun, I think he loves both of you a lot. Try not to edge him to his limit.”

And he frowned to see Joshua grimaced.

“I was very bad last night.” The boy’s voice sounded very much guilty. “I had a panic attack… I cried and… and I cried out for Jun while I was in Wonwoo’s arms.”

“You what?” Jeonghan asked in disbelief, eyes widened.

“I don’t know why I behaved like that. I just… couldn’t control myself when Jun appeared.” The boy let out a whimper and buried his face in both hands. “I agreed to sleep with Wonwoo last night but I ended up letting Jun bring me to his room. Wonwoo didn’t seem mad then. He looked sad. But… I don’t know. I feel very bad. Really really bad.”

“You’re sure that he was not mad?”

“I’m sure. I know, if he had got angry then, I would have terribly freaked out, but nothing happened.” Putting down his hands, Joshua looked at Jeonghan so sadly that the older’s heart ached. “But I feel very bad for making him sad. His eyes then… They were… really…”

Although Joshua failed to use words to finish his sentence, Jeonghan was able to relax and smile again, pinching his silly friend’s nose.

“If you feel that bad, just try to let him know that you love him very much. He was not mad, then I am sure, I have to say it again, I am sure that he loves you a lot. Your alphas seem to be open-minded about polyamory. Guess that they all have already reached an agreement over that. I think they will fight a bit, but there will be nothing too serious. They really love you. I am happy for you, Joshua.”

“Re… really? You think they love me?” Joshua asked nervously with so much hope in his voice and eyes.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Jeonghan leaned over and pressed a kiss on Joshua’s forehead, earning a happy smile from his boy. “Not the same as how I love you, but they really do.”

Joshua never succeeded in resisting the temptation of hugging his best friend. Once again, he wrapped both hands around Jeonghan’s shoulders, pressing two bodies close to each other into a heartwarming hug. For the rest of the time, Joshua told Jeonghan about his day, how his alphas spoiled him, how he made mistakes and how they comforted him with their sweetest whispers and actions. Joshua was about to tell more about yesterday then their conversation was interrupted as his owners were about to go home. Joshua hugged Jeonghan so tightly because he really did not want to let go of his friend at all. Certainly, Jeonghan was the only one who could quickly coax him into leaving with his alphas, promising that they would have a perfect day together tomorrow.

When they kissed goodbye to each other, Joshua’s alphas were definitely jealous. They just wished that the boy would kiss them with so much eagerness and enthusiasm like that one day. However, their hearts still went soft at the scene, as Joshua was evidently happy and contented.

“Awww, you look so happy today! That’s really cute.” Mingyu terribly failed to hold back his exclamation while he was sitting at the back with Joshua in the car, both hands caressing the boy’s cheeks gently, and the hybrid smiled.

“How long have you two been friends, Joshua?” Jun craned his neck to look at him, asking curiously. “You guys seem so close.”

“I have just known him half a year.” Joshua saw his two owners raising their eyebrows in surprise, but he did not really want to explain more.

However, it was unavoidable that Mingyu kept asking more.

“Oh, that’s pretty short! So how did you two meet each other?”

Joshua flinched as if Mingyu were about to hit him or something like that. His scent turned sour, causing Mingyu to be shocked. This time, he was wise enough to stop asking, immediately breaking the boy’s chains of dark thoughts inside his mind by tugging him into his lap. Joshua was startled, and he really stopped thinking about _the past_, most of his attention turning to the giant alpha. The hybrid was right from the beginning; Mingyu could handle him like a rag doll, but in fact, all of his alphas could carry him easily as if he were a true rag doll. Joshua did not know that it would feel so warm and safe to sit on Mingyu’s lap like this. The boy was so small in comparison with the alpha, and it was so easy for him to curl up and fit perfectly in the space he was given. He blushed when finding himself enjoy this position so much.

“Your body is cold!” Mingyu clicked his tongue, but the corners of his lips were still going upwards, forming a soft smile. “We should give you more clothes next time we go out at night.”

Joshua nodded and tried his best to get as close as possible to his alpha’s body, burying his face in the wide chest to indulge in the warmth of love. Jun watched the two of them for a short while, smiling fondly then turning back to look at the road. All of the alphas had got the answer. Joshua must have met Jeonghan around the time he was living with his previous owner.

Joshua was pretty tired, but he was not sleepy yet. Only after the boy got home, brushing his teeth, changing into his new pajamas, did he start wanting to go to bed. However, he did not want to do that if Mingyu was still awake. Therefore, he got out of the bedroom to be called by Jun to come to the dining table. It turned out that Jun had made a cup of hot cocoa for him to drink. To be more exact, he made the drinks for all of them. Joshua had never drunk that in his life, but he beamed right away at the sweet and delicious smell. 

Seeing Jun sit down by the table, Joshua unconsciously bit his lips. He wished to sit on the alpha’s lap, but he did not dare to ask. Finally, the boy smiled brightly as his owner understood him even without him saying a single word. Jun pulled the boy into his lap and then they enjoyed the hot drinks together. It was so hot; of course they could not finish quickly. As a result, Joshua had a lot of time to be spoiled on Jun’s lap, and that was exactly what he wanted most at the moment. After the horrible story about the incident at the ball involving Jun as the victim, he just wanted to hug his treasured alpha.

Wonwoo and Mingyu walked into the kitchen to get their own cup, but they did not stay long. Joshua was so grateful to see that his owners were such understanding and considerate people. Each of them gave the boy a kiss on his cheek with a soft coo, then leaving, letting him have his own time with Jun. There was still a thick barrier between Joshua and talking, but Jun did not mind at all. Whenever he asked, the boy would answer. That was enough for him. The most important thing was that the way Joshua hugged him then was so loving and intimate. He blushed, but willingly wrapped his arms around the alpha all the time.

They exchanged kisses, so many kisses that Joshua almost felt dizzy but still wanted more. No words could ever describe Joshua’s effort to stop himself from asking to sleep with Jun one more night. Half an hour had past when they finally drank up the two cups, and Jun urged Joshua to find Mingyu in the living room as he heard the sounds coming from the TV. Joshua whined a lot and only forced his feet to move when Jun promised that he would join him after a few more minutes.

Jun was right. Mingyu was sitting in front of the TV to watch a cooking show, and Joshua came with a hesitant shy smile. He had never sat down and watched the TV properly. He was not sure if he was allowed to do that in this house. Mingyu was extremely happy to see the hybrid approaching him, immediately let the boy lie down on the sofa with his head on the alpha’s lap, making the boy smile brightly. At the moment, Joshua was not hiding his cat ears, and Mingyu instantly touched them when he could, because he liked to do more intimate things with the boy and because he also knew that his little omega hybrid loved it.

Jun soon joined them on the sofa, tugging Joshua’s legs into his lap and sitting comfortably like that, free hands rubbing and massaging those slender legs from time to time. The atmosphere between Jun and Mingyu was still quite awkward, but they did talk, and Joshua was glad to hear their voice talking slowly, quietly to each other. Not long after that, Wonwoo also came to an armchair nearby with a laptop. He paid no attention to the TV. Joshua guessed he was busy with his work on the laptop. That was fine, because the boy only needed their simple presence by his side to feel safe and happy.

Jun was the first one to realize Joshua was getting cold. The boy vaguely saw him making some gestures towards Mingyu in order to tell him something, but the hybrid was too tired and sleepy to pay more attention. He almost whined when Mingyu left the sofa, but luckily the alpha came back very quickly and helped Joshua put on a coat. That was Mingyu’s coat, so huge for the boy, thoroughly covered by the giant’s scent. Wrapped in the oversize coat, Joshua felt even much more comfortable. His mind slightly doubted that he may be just dreaming, since there would never be a chance for an omega hybrid to sit with the human, watching TV, stuck in a thick combination of their strong scents, and showered by their love.

When Mingyu found out that Joshua had already fallen asleep, the cooking show on the TV suddenly seemed not appealing to him anymore. Furthermore, the hybrid was not the only one sleeping here. At the moment, both of the alphas who were still awake were staring at the peacefully sleeping boys. They found Joshua and Jun familiar in some ways. Both of them were cautiously wary of Wonwoo and Mingyu, but there were also times that the naive part in them took the control and made them put their guard off. And they both slept easily when feeling comfortable.

Without saying a word, the two alphas knew what they had to do. Mingyu stood up with Joshua in his arms, murmuring to his older cousin.

“Good night, Wonwoo.”

“Good night, Mingyu.” Wonwoo stepped closer to Mingyu so that he could deliver a kiss on Joshua’s temple, whispering lovingly to the fluffy cat ear. “Good night, sweetheart.”

Mingyu wanted to do the same to Jun, but he did not want to risk and mess up the lead alpha’s chance. It would be okay if Joshua woke up when hearing the sweet whisper, but the situation would not be the same for Jun. Therefore, he just walked straight to his room and enjoyed sleeping with Joshua in his embrace tonight.

Jun was an alpha, bigger than any average omegas, but Wonwoo had no difficulty lifting his body up and carrying him into his own room. The older scrunched his nose a bit to smell Mingyu all over Jun’s body, which made him determined to change that tonight. Surely, he would not let his secretary go to his office while reeking of another alpha. Jun unconsciously shifted a little in Wonwoo’s arms, nuzzling into the lead alpha’s neck. Much as Jun was aware of how he had been torturing his cousins’ hearts and driving them crazy to the point that things started to get out of control, he had never been - and maybe would never be - waken up by either of their scents. He just looked utterly peaceful and happy while sleeping, showing no discomfort due to filling his lungs with the aroma of peppermint.

Spooning Jun in the warm bed under the blanket, gently putting a kiss behind his ear, Wonwoo could not stop asking the same question that he had been wondering for months.

_“Do you still love me, Jun?”_

He had never got the answer. Maybe he would never. Wonwoo refused to let that happen.

…

Mingyu was not sure how long his health could endure this position, but he still decided to challenge himself by letting Joshua lying on top of him, then pulling the blanket over the boy’s body and hugging him tightly. The hybrid moved himself a bit so that more of his face could directly get in contact with Mingyu’s bare skin on his chest revealed by the opened collar.

Whether Joshua was conscious of his action or not, Mingyu did not really care, but he understood that his little boy was always cold and his skin is giving the hybrid the warmth that he wished to have. Therefore, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt so as to allow Joshua to easily take in all the temperature of the feelings he was looking for. Only at this time did Mingyu know his omega had already waken up. Without being asked, Joshua lifted himself up so that his alpha could undo the buttons. Unlike Joshua, Mingyu was still wearing a shirt, not pajamas, and Joshua could not spend time adoring his cool look once opening his eyes and capturing the image of his big alpha with tanned skin and well-formed muscles.

Mingyu’s vibe at this moment was so light and happy that Joshua did not hesitate much to pushing himself up with his elbows placing on the alpha’s stomach, hands landing softly on the wide chest. The hybrid blushed when looking at his owner. The way Mingyu was looking at him in the eye gave him the courage to feel like his true omega, not his pet anymore. That was one of the rare times Joshua was able to enjoy the happiness of being an omega. As an omega - especially a mated omega - he would be loved, protected, held and embraced by his strong, masculine and dominant alpha(s). Mingyu wished that Joshua would somehow understand how he was completely mesmerized by the purest love in the hybrid’s facial expression and sweet scent.

When Mingyu changed position and forced Joshua to lie down on the bed with his back flat on the mattress, Joshua had no thought of a protest, since his giant alpha was not any less gentle than Jun. The hybrid was surely sleepy and tired, but he smiled and parted his lips to welcome his alpha’s. They exchanged slow but deep kisses to each other, and Joshua willingly wrapped his arms around Mingyu’s neck to hug him close. They did not do too much, just kissing and squeezing each other, gradually drowning the hybrid in happiness. The fact that Mingyu did not try to push something further made Joshua’s heart warm, since he got the proof to believe that his alpha knew what he wanted and what he did not. Aggressive or not, Mingyu will not go against his wish because he loves Joshua.

That night, Joshua slept soundly in Mingyu’s arms. He woke up in the middle of the night once because of a nightmare, but the situation was not serious. He just sat up abruptly, panting and sweating a lot, but not crying. The hybrid’s movement woke Mingyu up but he was not mad or annoyed at all. Before the alpha could move his arms to tug Joshua into his lap, the boy had already scrambled to climb onto him. Mingyu was so relieved to see his love not crying, not too frightened, but more than that, he was utterly happy to see Joshua trust him a lot. During the day time, Mingyu had always been worried that when Joshua got up after a nightmare at night, scared and frantic, the boy would be very afraid of him, even not letting the alpha touch him or get close to him. However, at this moment Joshua was clinging to him to seek for love, comfort and safety. The hybrid inhaled deeply again and again, which was the clearest sign of him being willing to accept Mingyu and submit all himself to the alpha.

Joshua felt peaceful deep inside his heart. As a result, his mind quickly succumbed to his tiredness. He continued to dream in his sleep, but this time those dreams were all sweet and happy, with the appearance of not only his best friend but also his alphas. They all smiled to him lovingly and promised to stay with him forever.

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Joshua did not expect to see Jun upset in the morning. This time, the person he tried to stay away at the table was Wonwoo. The hybrid did not need to ask anything to find out what happened last night. Jun did not get any new hickeys on his neck, but the fact that he woke up in Wonwoo’s bed (to be more exact, in Wonwoo’s arms) and reeked of his older cousin was more than enough to make him unhappy. Joshua was extremely confused. He could not understand any of their attitudes.

Wonwoo and Mingyu surely love Jun. No doubt about that. Consequently, they made use of the chances to bring him to their beds. Okay, Joshua was okay with that. As long as they did not do anything sexual without his consent, that was fine. However, Jun never seemed to be comfortable with the idea of sleeping with the other two, but they still kept on doing that. Jun was upset, but not enough to make them stop. So, he liked it or not? Why did Wonwoo and Mingyu look so calm even when Jun reacted that way? This had happened many times in the past? If so, why do they insist on doing that while knowing Jun does not really like it? Why didn’t they have a proper talk to sort things out? The atmosphere was always so awkward.

Joshua only managed to forget that when his alphas were about to go to work after finishing Mingyu’s delicious breakfast (Joshua promised to himself that tomorrow he would wake up early to make breakfast for them). He was prepared for this to happen, and Jeonghan would have come here before the last alpha left, but the boy still felt a little bit sad. His owners were quite worried, but they were happy to see him sad, because they knew that he wanted to be with them.

On the other hand, Joshua was in a daze when seeing his owners in their formal suits for work. Those clothes were not fancy or complicated, but very classy and elegant, making the alphas shine in the boy’s eyes. Anyway, were there any times that Joshua did not think they looked good? As long as they were Wonwoo, Jun, and Mingyu, all kinds of clothes would just be wonderful. Maybe, this office style was a bit more attractive, Joshua shyly thought. It would be such an honor for him to walk by his perfect alphas in a luxurious ball one day, if they really considered him as their omega.

Joshua was shocked when Wonwoo gave him a credit card. He just stood there and stared unblinkingly at the card, not even moving his hand a bit to take it. It was Wonwoo who held his hand to put the card in, and smiled tenderly.

“Since you are too new to this place, I don’t think you should go out, but if you want to, just go. In the first few times, make sure that Jeonghan goes with you, too. And remember to bring this card with you all the time.”

“You mean… I can use it?” Joshua could not believe it.

“Yes, baby.” Wonwoo sat down on the armchair in the living room and pulled Joshua to sit on his lap. “You don’t have to wear the collar when going out. You’ve already got the marks on your neck. You still remember our phone numbers?”

“Yes, I remember.” Joshua nodded, but his mind had not passed the card yet. “I… I really can use your card? How can I…”

“Why can’t you use it?” Wonwoo said slowly and calmly with a soft smile. “You are our omega, not a stranger. You are the one we are responsible for taking care of. Remember?”

Joshua tried to wait longer to see whether Wonwoo would remind him to use the card reasonably or not, but the alpha said nothing more. As a result, Joshua started to grin brightly, kissing his alpha on the cheek and murmur a sweet “thank you” to his ear. Wonwoo trusted his boy, knowing that the hybrid would never spend money in the card in a wasteful way. Joshua had just begun a new life here, so he might have to buy many things, but he certainly would not buy anything unnecessary.

Jun sat down on the armrest and put on kiss on Joshua’s head right at the time the boy was asking permission to cook dinner for his alphas. He asked like he was begging, because he really liked cooking, and he desperately wanted to feed people he loves with his food. Of course, they agreed, causing the hybrid to smile happily again. Wonwoo gave Joshua a number, telling him that if he wanted to go somewhere, just called this number and their private driver would show up in front of the building with a car within fifteen minutes. No words could describe how much happy the boy was to be spoilt rotten by his alphas.

One more time, when all the marks had disappeared, the three alphas bit Joshua’s neck to leave some beautiful claiming marks there. Wonwoo and Jun left together after exchanging goodbye kisses with the hybrid, and Mingyu was the last one to leave the apartment. Jeonghan was brought to the door by Seungcheol sharply one minute before Mingyu went to work. Joshua beamed and jumped like a kid to see his best friend again, hugging him tightly and hastily pulling him inside. However, he did not forget to bow to Seungcheol, and then kissed Mingyu to say goodbye to him. The two alphas left, and there were just the two omegas playing with each other at home.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you are guessing from what you have read, I'm really eager to know!
> 
> You'll know what's happening with Jeonghan in the next chapter~


	11. The truth behind the glamour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua finally managed to persuade Jeonghan to tell him about his new life as Seungcheol's mate. The cat hybrid thought that the days he and his brest friend cried pathetically on each other's shoulders was long gone, but fate had not stopped being cruel to them yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: All of the negative tags are available in this chapter. 
> 
> And, I've got more than 100 kudos! Thank you so much for reading and supporting. I will try my best to improve the quality of my writing in the future. I hope that my time will allow me to upload another story soon.

After the door was closed, Jeonghan kept scrunching his nose and snorting. He suddenly leaned closer to Joshua, bringing his nose to sniff at the cat hybrid’s neck, but he soon gave up and sighed. Joshua could only scratched his head and smiled apologetically, knowing that the thickness of the three alphas’ scent all around the house and even on his own body was making his friend a bit uncomfortable. Luckily, Jeonghan came up with a super brilliant idea, smiling promisingly to his friend.

“I think food will help a lot. What do you think about us making lunch together?”

“That’s wonderful!!!” Joshua literally clapped like a seal.

He was even happier to see Jeonghan also have a credit card to use freely, which meant that Seungcheol really treated him nicely. Calling the driver was a bit difficult for Joshua, but he relaxed right away after hearing the voice of that person. That was definitely an omega, too. There was also very high likelihood that the driver is a hybrid, since it is common for hybrids to have such jobs. However, Joshua did not asked when he directly met the omega driver whose name Jihoon. He was right, that person is an omega, giving off a sweet scent of peach, but asking _“are you a hybrid”_ is undoubtedly impolite. Jihoon was a bit shorter than Joshua, but still gave the impression of a very reliable person who would be able to protect the cat hybrid, not just drive him around. Jihoon did not speak much, but the atmosphere between three omegas together in a small car was nice and comfortable.

The two omegas decided to go to the supermarket together to buy the ingredients. They easily came to an agreement that they would cook together for dinner, then later Joshua would cook dinner for his alphas by himself. Jeonghan would still stay for the whole afternoon and he would cook too, but bring that food home for his own alpha. That seemed to be quite ridiculous but they could not do differently. Nobody wanted to cook for the other’s alphas if they did not really need to do that.

Actually, Joshua was quite worried when Jeonghan suggested going to the supermarket instead of a market on the street. He had never been to a supermarket, but it was obvious that his friend had. Much as the cat was reluctant, the presence of Jeonghan gave him enough strength to go.

The omegas enjoyed one of the best time in their life, going shopping together with no supervisor or collar on their necks. Before going home, they stopped at a shop to have some delicious dessert to gain back the energy lost for shopping. Joshua tried to ask Jeonghan about his living with Seungcheol, but the older kept ignoring his questions and instead asked him back about his life. It was not until then that Joshua suddenly realized a fact in horror.

They had already got out of the worst nightmare of their lives. Neither of them was stuck with the _previous owner_ any longer. The new owners gave them new lives full of love, safety and happiness. However, Jeonghan did not smell much different. The cat registered that his friend smell sad yesterday already, but he did not see the core of the problem - the resemblance. With such a good life, Jeonghan was supposed to smell nice only. Why the hell did Joshua not see that at first? The lavender scent coming from his best friend was as sweet as always, but still sour, giving a hint of pain and sadness. It was not that he naturally had a sorrowful vibe. If he really did, it would be shown through his eyes, his face, his voice, or even his actions only, not his scent. 

Jeonghan kept trying to avoid those questions for the whole time they made lunch together. Joshua sighed, then he did not try to push any further, deciding to leave it later, maybe after lunch. He tried his best to be cheerful so that he could enjoy the cooking activity together with his best friend. Jeonghan’s mood clearly got lightened up. They smiled and laughed a lot in the kitchen, making the most delicious food that they both loved to eat.

After lunch, Jeonghan was really tired. So was Joshua. One of them is a cat, and the other is a rabbit. They are not animals which are supposed to have a lot of energy. Joshua led Jeonghan to his room, letting the older lying on his soft bed comfortably together with him. However, he was determined to stay awake and not to let his friend fall asleep. Both of them were lying on their side, facing each other on the small bed that was meant to be for one person only. Neither of them had problems with that.

Joshua’s heart ached when he looked at Jeonghan at the moment. The tiredness made the sorrow on his face, in his eyes clearer, so heartbreaking. Joshua knew that there must be something wrong. The cat kept staring at his friend so long, just silently adoring the warm presence by his side, admiring how pretty and breathtaking his friend was, but also feeling deep in his heart how upset he was to see him like this. Jeonghan certainly wanted to sleep, but he could not when Joshua was looking at him that way. The concern is the cat’s eyes suddenly made him feel weak. For the first time from the moment Joshua reunited with him at Seungcheol’s house, he saw the shift in his friend’s emotion. Joshua just wanted to beg him to stop pretending, stop trying to act as if he were strong and unaffected. Joshua was not stupid or aloof or indifferent. He was able to feel the pain, and he wanted to share the pain with Jeonghan again like they had done in the past. He would always do that for Jeonghan, no matter how bad that pain could be.

Holding Jeonghan’s hand tightly, Joshua started so speak, not intending to make his voice so low and broken.

“Jeonghan, how is your life with Seungcheol?” Joshua could not hide how desperate he was anymore. At the moment, he was practically pleading his friend. “Please, answer me! What’s wrong, Jeonghan? What did he do to you? Please, tell me!”

Jeonghan remained silent too long for Joshua to feel normal. He could feel the older’s hand in his hand tighten his hold, and those sad eyes avoided looking at him directly. Suddenly, Jeonghan shifted on the bed, pulling himself closer to the cat. Joshua automatically lifted his arm up so that his friend could make all the distance between them vanish and bury his face in his chest. It was extremely rare for Joshua to ever see Jeonghan act like this. Usually, Joshua was the one who tried to seek for warmth and comfort from Jeonghan, not vice versa.

“I don’t want to think about it when I’m with you.” Jeonghan shook his head, draping an arm over Joshua’s torso. “Can we just be happy?”

“I can’t be happy when I don’t know what happened to you.” The younger insisted. He knew he must be tough and determined if he wanted to get some information from his friend. “I promise, I won’t mention that again if you don’t want to. Please, just let me know what happened, Hannie!”

Joshua tried his best to hug Jeonghan tightly by his skinny and weak arms, resting his chin on the other’s head and feel a shiver. A minute passed by in silence, and Joshua was about to open his mouth in an attempt to persuade the rabbit one more time, but he froze at hearing a sob from his chest. It was not until then did he realize that the front of his shirt was damp. Startled, he hurried to pull Jeonghan out of his embrace, and got his heart broken immediately. The older was crying and sobbing pathetically, his whole body trembling and trying to get back to the comfortable position in Joshua’s arms. The cat could not stop him. They both ended up hugging each other tightly in the bed without saying a word. Joshua forgot his original intention completely, because all he wanted then was just making his friend stop crying.

Jeonghan started to tell his story when the tears were still rolling down on his cheeks and his voice was broken, but at least he could look at Joshua, sharing the pain with his best friend through the eyes and the hands that they were holding of each other.

“Just a few day after you were thrown away… I found out that I was pregnant. He was very angry. Maybe… he had got enough of me, and me being pregnant… was such a burden.” From time to time, Jeonghan’s saying was interrupted by his sniffles, but he still tried to continue, because Joshua had begged him to. “He brought me to a cheap hospital to get rid of the baby… but… when I woke up, I was lying on the road like a homeless… with no collar. I soon found out that it was just one day after the abortion.”

“He dumped you like that?” Joshua was utterly shocked. “Why didn’t he bring you back to the pet shop like what he had done to me?”

Jeonghan smiled bitterly. The smile was like a sharp knife stabbing right into Joshua’s heart, hurting him even much more than the tears, but he also registered that Jeonghan really did not care much about that man. His voice was actually pretty calm.

“I had been brought back to the pet shop too many times… I know. I’m too cheap to be sold again. I’m sure that the shop asked him to make me get rid of the baby properly before returning. I know… I’m worth much less than the cost for an abortion.”

“No! No! Please don’t say that! You’re not…” Joshua shook his head vehemently. “If what you think is right, so why did you still get the abortion in the end?”

“You see the way he looked down on us?” That same smile was still on the older omega’s face. “We’re just toys. Nobody wants to leave a mating mark on toys. Then, of course, _he_ will never let a _dirty toy_ like me bear his child.”

When Jeonghan blinked, the tears coming from his eyes were just like doubled.

“At that moment, I was no longer an owned hybrid… I was still bleeding. I guess… he did not want to pay much money for me… I’m not sure the place where I got the abortion was actually a hospital or not. I didn’t know where to go. I can’t think much with that pain and blood… It was winter and… I was almost starved and frozen to death in nearly two days…”

Then Jeonghan smiled in tears, again, but not bitter anymore. Joshua could never feel happy with such a smile. That smile was the signal of something that may have been sweet to his friend but also meant really bad.

“Seungcheol found me on the street. I don’t know why many people didn’t, but he immediately picked me up when he saw me and brought me to the nearest hospital. It was a very expensive one. Also a very good one. He paid for anything just to get the best treatment for me. You know, the doctors and nurses at the hospital were so nice. They didn’t even care about the fact that I’m a hybrid. They took care of me very well. Seungcheol even wasn’t informed that I’m not a proper human.”

Joshua was quite confused as Jeonghan seemed to value the problem of whether someone caring about his hybrid identity or not a lot. However, he did not ask anything, just waiting to hear more.

“He knew that I had been pregnant and had gone through a horrible abortion. He totally believed that I was a homeless omega who used to have an irresponsible lover and then I got abandoned since my man did not want the baby.” Jeonghan smiled again, creating a heartbreaking scene of an angle smiling in tears. “I didn’t want to talk about the past, so I didn’t correct him. I was so surprised when I was good enough to get discharged from the hospital, he brought me to his house. He even didn’t ask. He just gave me new clothes, took me downstairs and pushed me inside his car. He kept me in his place and gave me everything I needed. He took care of my health, always reminded me to take the medicine on time, sometimes checked on me at midnight just to see whether I was sleeping well or not. In the nights I found it hard to sleep and was still awake when he came in, he would sit by my bed until I slept. And he asked the cook to made healthy food for me every day. You know, such healthy food for the ill people were not tasty at all. Seungcheol knew that, and he always called me before leaving work, asked me what I wanted to eat, and he would bring that home for me.”

If Jeonghan were not crying, Joshua would be so jealous of him having such a wonderful alpha. Nonetheless, the cat could not let himself feel happy for his friend yet. There must be a huge problem somewhere that made such a happy life turn into tragedy.

“I was convinced… I really believed that he loved me…” Jeonghan was still smiling, but the smile started to get bitter. “I thought that finally I found a happy life with an alpha who loved truly loved me, not considering me as a delicious piece of meat… but I was wrong.”

At this point, the smiles, and all the lights in Jeonghan’s eyes disappeared, leaving nothing left but pain. Joshua reached out his hand to touch the older’s face, wiping the tears, caressing his cheek, just wishing to give him more strength to continue.

“We soon started to get intimate. We hugged, held hands, and kissed. Everything was sweet… until one day, he… he…” It was starting to become harder for Jeonghan to speak. He was about to get choked on his own tears. “He began to… to… strip off my clothes. I… I shook my head, but he said that he wanted to make me his. I said that I’m scared… but he didn’t care… He said that I am his omega, I must let him claim me… He started to… to insist that… I am his omega… and used that _alpha’s commanding tone_ on me… I had to… obey him… I didn’t fight back. He didn’t give me a choice.”

Jeonghan let out a sob and held Joshua’s hand on his face as he was trembling terribly.

“I tried… He knotted me and bit my neck… I cried… I couldn’t sleep that night… I kept crying… But… just two days later, he did that again. I… I know… I am his omega now, I have to submit myself to him… but after that I couldn’t help crying… I know that is bad, but I can’t…”

“Did he hurt you?” Joshua felt so bad, so so bad. God, he hated these feelings, hated seeing Jeonghan getting heartbroken that. He desperately wished that he could help, but he is just forever a useless omega hybrid who could never fight against an alpha human to save his best friend.

“It… it always hurts…” Jeonghan bit his lips so hard that Joshua had to use his fingers to detach the teeth from the lips. “After a few times seeing me cry, he… he got angry. He said that… why would I always cry like that… while I was not a virgin anymore from the first time… He… he really said that… Joshua… I… I…”

Jeonghan could not keep going on like that anymore. He scrambled to move back into Joshua’s embrace and would not get out. The younger kept putting kisses on his friend’s head to calm him down, but he had not much hope of him saying more. However, Jeonghan still continued his story in terribly broken voice.

“I… I am not interested… I cannot have… have an orgasm… Then he started to punish me… Right at the time I started to cry, he would spank me. I begged him to stop, but… but he said that… he wouldn’t until I stop crying… but… he… he always gave up first, because… I never… stopped crying…”

Joshua felt as if Jeonghan were suffering from the real pain again just by telling about the horrible experience. He kept rubbing the older’s back and suddenly, he wished that he could beg his owners to keep Jeonghan here forever. They may keep him just as a pet; that would be still okay, because Joshua knew his owners were good people. Living like a pet in their house would be much better than living with a demon like Seungcheol. On the other hand, he was upset like crazy to know that he would never be able to do that. Seungcheol did not buy Jeonghan from the pet shop; he had no official paper of ownership, but he had already claimed Jeonghan as his own omega. Nobody could legally take the rabbit away from him except for when the alpha takes back the bite by himself.

Jeonghan could never forget the last day of his happy life in the house that he thought would be his forever sweet home till the end. At first, that day was not different from any other days. After going back home from work, Seungcheol had a shower then enjoyed a cozy dinner with the omega. At that time, Jeonghan had recovered fully enough to do all the household chores by himself, but Seungcheol still demanded that he wanted Jeonghan to rest more and let the maids do everything for him. As a result, on that day, they still ate the food that was not cooked by Jeonghan, and he was extremely eager to make delicious meals for the man he first ever loved in his wasteful life.

Jeonghan had always thought, Seungcheol loved him so much that he could not bear seeing him do anything in a bad health condition. He thought that the alpha prioritized his health over everything. Nonetheless, in the end, things turned out to be completely different from what Jeonghan’s naïve mind had always believed.

That night, after dinner, Seungcheol spent some time quickly dealing with whatever work left of the day while Jeonghan was sitting with crossed legs on the bed to fold the alpha’s clothes, preparing to place them neatly in the wardrobe. The mansion had some maids, but things had never been organized in such a perfect way that Seungcheol loves with all his heart till the day Jeonghan appeared in this lonely place. Seungcheol did not allow the omega to do the housework, but Jeonghan could not help interfering in rearranging something that made his mind upset in the house. Seungcheol did not know the reasons for Jeonghan becoming an expert in household tasks, but he loved to share his most private space with the lavender-scented angel. He happily let Jeonghan arranged his closet and take care of his clothes, since it was not fine anyway to ask him just stay at home and not put a finger on anything.

After Seungcheol finished his job, the couple spent time cuddling and kissing each other on the alpha’s bed like what they had done recently. It had not been a long time yet, and Jeonghan had never slept in Seungcheol’s bed either, but he felt like he had finally found the man of his life. Those feelings were new to the omega, but he enjoyed every single moment of indulging in the thought of having a man that loved him by his sides. Seungcheol did not ask at the first time he kissed Jeonghan, and he never did that later, but the younger male was still fine with that. He was already too accustomed to being used without asking. Moreover, he believed that Seungcheol loved him.

However, fear was like a flame combusting back again in Jeonghan’s chest when he suddenly felt his shirt being pulled down over his shoulders. Startled, shocked, he immediately pushed Seungcheol away just to see that the man had finished unbuttoning his whole shirt without saying anything. Being too weak in comparison with an alpha, Jeonghan could not push the man much further away from him. Glaring at the other disapprovingly, Seungcheol tightened his hold around the slender body on his lap and pressed his lips on Jeonghan’s again. On the other hand, the omega did not have the mood for it anymore. He squirmed in an attempt to break away while the alpha kept on pulling the shirt, trying to take it off completely to reveal the beautiful milky skin of the omega.

“Stay still, Jeonghan.” Gritting his teeth, Seungcheol demanded, pushing out his pheromones to overwhelm his partner. His voice was so deep and dangerous, making Jeonghan’s breath hitch and his stomach flip in an extremely uncomfortable way.

“Don’t wanna _be a good omega for me_?”

It did not take much time for Jeonghan to start trembling in fright. No more questions were needed. He knew what was going to happen, but he was too scared. Frantically trying to hold Seungcheol’s hand, stopping him from the action of undressing, Jeonghan shook his head vehemently. The utter fear stole away his voice, making him speechless. The only thing he could do was just staring at Seungcheol in the eyes, silently begging him to have some mercy, letting him know that this was not what he wanted. Jeonghan never wants this. He had never asked for this from Seungcheol.

All of a sudden, Jeonghan was lifted up from the alpha’s lap, but then instantly placed with his back flat on the bed. The change of position only frightened him more, but Seungcheol was just brutal when he grabbed both of the omega’s wrists and pinned them tightly down above his head. Hovering on top of Jeonghan, Seungcheol straddled his waist, almost sitting on the omega’s belly, blocking all of the ways for the younger male to escape, leaving him weak and helpless with the upper body already exposed.

“Don’t you understand anything, Hannie?” The way Seungcheol was talking to Jeonghan made the hybrid feel like the gentle man he knew had disappeared. In front of him at this moment, there was only a powerful alpha showing off all of his authority over the omega who had no choice but to obey and submit. Seungcheol was not asking anything. He was just simply demanding and forcing Jeonghan to follow whatever he wanted. “Isn’t it clear enough to you that you’re my omega and you’ll have to let me claim you as mine?”

Right after Seungcheol finished his sentence, Jeonghan realized he had been stupid from the beginning till this day. The alpha’s intention was already clear from the day he brought the omega home from the hospital. Jeonghan should have known that no alpha in this world would ever spend his time or money in an omega like him without the purpose of using him, making him become a property of his own. Jeonghan should have known that an alpha like Seungcheol had nothing called _patience_ or _mercy_. What Seungcheol wants, Seungcheol gets.

Nevertheless, Jeonghan was too scared to accept fate right on the spot as Seungcheol wanted him to. Still shaking violently, the omega shook his head over and over again. His voice suddenly got weak like he was being out of breath. Jeonghan struggled to let out feeble whispers of _“Please don’t”_, but the desperate plea only drove the alpha crazy. Seungcheol did want to calm his mind down, which made him inhale deeply once to get more of the sweet scent from his omega. However, Jeonghan’s scent currently was purely sour and bitter, and it just got worse when the alpha ripped off his shirt and started to reach his hand lower towards the omega’s waistband.

“No…” Jeonghan begged, on the verge of bursting into tears, voice already broken. “Please… don’t… I don’t want to… I’m scared…”

Regrets immediately filled the omega’s mind as Seungcheol took his hand away from the waistband, but just to put it on the younger male’s neck and choke him. The angry pheromones made Jeonghan dizzy, urging every single nerve inside him to give in and submit so as not to get any worse punishment. The regret was too late. Jeonghan did not dare to look at Seungcheol’s face, but in fact he was not allowed to do that either, since the man violently turned the omega’s face to the right side, earning for himself a better view and better access to the pulse on Jeonghan’s neck.

If it had not been for the hand on his neck, Jeonghan would have had screamed loudly when Seungcheol sunk his teeth deeply in the vulnerable skin. The smell of blood made his head spin and suddenly covered in a thick layer of complete darkness. The temporary mark was quickly formed, and after that, things just got a hundred times worse for Jeonghan. Even after blood began to ooze out from the wound, Seungcheol did not stop biting, intentionally digging his teeth in further and instantly sending a wave of electricity through the omega’s whole body.

Jeonghan froze, unable to move even just an inch after that. He only kept shrinking and trembling after all, having no strength left in himself to protest or fight back. Jeonghan had never been bitten by any other alphas in the past, but he knew this. He knew this was the way alphas control their omegas, beating their _property_ into submission just by a single bite on the mark. That was a punishment, and a promise of more and _better punishment_ in the future if he could not comply with what his alpha told him to do. His poor heart that had been beating in a maddening speed almost went dead when Seungcheol growled in his left ear a direct command, and a threat.

“Be a good omega, Hannie. _You’re mine. Mine_.”

Closing his eyes in defeat, Jeonghan let the tear roll down on his cheek, having no choice left but to give all of his body to Seungcheol along with his life and his fate. The man did not care whether his partner enjoyed this or not, while Jeonghan tried his best not to watch whatever the alpha was doing with him so as not to make his heart ache more. Lucky for him, Seungcheol let go of his wrists and flipped his body, letting him lie with his belly on the mattress before penetrating him from behind. At this position, Jeonghan did not have to look at his alpha, and he could bite the pillow, could bury his face in the fluffy object to muffle his whimpers of pain when the man pushed his fingers deeply into the tightly closed hole.

Jeonghan knew that at least Seungcheol intended to prepare him for the intrusion by using his fingers covered in lube to open his body, but no matter what the man did, the omega’s body just rejected the idea of being torn apart by anything. He produced no slick, even having no boner. Jeonghan felt nothing but pain with Seungcheol’s fingers inside him. At that time, it was still not too bad. Jeonghan thought that if Seungcheol was kind enough to prepare him slowly, then maybe he would be able to endure this and then it would end soon.

The fact was not the same as his naive thoughts.

Seungcheol was not different from a monster. Jeonghan could not hold back his tears and sobs any longer. The lube was not enough for his tightly constricted hole to take the alpha’s cock without pain. Seungcheol was not exactly violent. If his partner was a normal omega with consent, the way Seungcheol thrust in and out could just be considered quite more passionate than necessary and perhaps _rough_. However, with Jeonghan, the slightest hint of roughness was enough to push him over his limit. Rough sex, and anything that was _rough and brutal_, are all unendurable and intolerable for the poor omega.

Seungcheol did not pull his hair, did not yell at him or scold him for crying, but Jeonghan knew he was being bad by crying and having no interest while his alpha was fucking him senselessly. Therefore, his teeth refused to let go of the pillow, trying desperately to muffle the sounds that were threatening to get out of his mouth all the time. His grips on the mattress were so tight that his knuckles turned white, but Jeonghan saw no other choice. With the way Seungcheol held his hips tightly by those strong and fierce hands, Jeonghan knew his body would be seriously bruised, but he had no right to protest.

Jeonghan had been taught that there was no point in begging the alphas once they were aroused and lost in lust. He had stopped begging for a long time, and no matter what happened he would just stay silent, taking anything that his owner, or his alpha gave him. No right to run, to escape, to complain. Closing his eyes, Jeonghan only wished that the pain in his heart could stop; wished that his silly mind could stop the hallucination in which he was being raped by just a stranger and he could cried out for Seungcheol, seeking for help from the man he loves.

In a second, Jeonghan felt nothing except for missing his Seungcheol, the gentle man that had always brought him his delicious food after work every day and checked on him sleeping at midnight to make sure he was still safe and having a good rest.

At this moment, telling everything to Joshua, Jeonghan felt as if those feelings were flooding his mind all at once, crushing him to death.

“I tried very hard… but I couldn’t have any good feelings… because I’m scared… Joshua…” Whenever Jeonghan cried out his name, Joshua’s heart shattered into thousands of pieces. “Seungcheol never asked what I liked… He just did what he wanted… He even… didn’t ask why I cried… He just said that I was bad…”

However, the younger hybrid was taken aback when Jeonghan suddenly pulled himself away one more time, but his hands were holding so tightly on the front of Joshua’s shirt. His eyes were red and shedding a lot of tears. Joshua used to see tears falling on his friend’s face and see him sniffle, but nothing was ever this miserable and pathetic. Physical pain and hopelessness damaged his soul as much as it had destroyed Joshua, but on the outside, Jeonghan never seemed to be badly affected. The cat had a pit of his stomach when he came into a realization: his friend really loves Seungcheol. That was _an unrequited love_.

What a tragedy.

The problem was, that was not all of the tragedy, because Jeonghan still had more to say. He had not stopped yet, while his condition was getting worse and worse.

“One day… someone told him something about a hybrid… And he was obviously disgusted… He said that… a hybrid that fails to please his owner and then get abandoned is even more useless than a whore…”

“What???” Joshua grimaced. “He really said that???”

Jeonghan nodded vigorously.

“I was so scared… If one day he found out that I am a hybrid, things would end. When my heat came, I was really scared… then I made a horrible decision.”

Stopping there for a while, Jeonghan swallowed his own saliva with a lot of difficulty, looking as if he was having second thought about telling Joshua about this. If the older was reluctant to even letting Joshua know this, then it must be his worst decision in his whole life. The cat swore blind that he would have hundreds of nightmares tonight if his friend did not tell him what he had done.

“What decision, Jeonghan? Please, tell me! What did you do?” He tried to assure his friend. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

Although after more than three minutes, Jeonghan decided to spill the beans, he still somehow avoided looking at the younger in the eyes.

“Because Seungcheol was on a business trip on that day, but I had to end the heat before he came home, so I… I asked _another alpha_ to help me…”

“You what???” Joshua almost shouted. Luckily, there were only him and Jeonghan at home. Even if he really shouted, there would be no problems. “Another alpha???”

The older nodded again, but his expression was so strange when mentioning that alpha. He looked as if being torn between various different feelings. None of them seemed to be good. They were all bad, just bad in different ways.

“He helped me through my heat… He doesn’t care even a bit that I am a hybrid. It was… was good, but also bad… Joshua, I had never had an orgasm with Seungcheol but… but that alpha, he was so gentle… I felt safe with him… I came a lot… We spent days in the hotel… I felt very bad… unloyal… dirty… filthy… I am really a whore… like he said…”

Saying that, Jeonghan was so ashamed of himself that he buried his face in Joshua’s chest again. The younger immediately cooed, giving tender strokes on his friend’s hair and back.

“Don’t say that, Jeonghan. You are not a whore. You were in heat. It was normal for you to feel good during sex.”

The older shook his head. “I thought I would be safe for the next few months… but not long later… my heat came again… I… I couldn’t understand…”

“It was because you are a mated omega and you were not really satiated by your true mate.” Joshua repeated what he had heard from Seungkwan, giving an explanation to his friend. Jeonghan was kind of a pretty much fertile omega, which explained why his heat came (twice) despite the suppressant and he even got pregnant although both of them were on pills during the whole time staying with the previous owner.

“This time… Seungcheol was at home… I couldn’t hide anymore… He saw my ears and tails…” Jeonghan cried louder, sounding extremely painful. “He ended my heat… but he… he… It hurt, Joshua… It hurt… It hurt… _It hurt like hell_, Joshua…”

“He… he was rough,” Joshua shook his head, changing to a more suitable word, “violent to you?”

Again, Jeonghan nodded at the time Joshua had expected him to shake the head.

“After my heat was gone… He apologized to me… but… but I can’t… I never forget it… I can’t feel safe with him anymore… Things kept going on like that… He still wants sex, I cry, and he will spank me... He wants submission. I want… I want to…too… but I can’t, Joshua… I can’t…”

“Why don’t you try talking to him, Jeonghan?” At this point Joshua was extremely frustrated. “Just… try telling him what happened in the past. Tell him that you were raped and abused. Let him know the truth about…”

“_No!!!_” Jeonghan cried out loudly from his chest, and his grip on Joshua’s shirt even tightened. “I can’t… I can’t do that! You have to see his face when he talked about a bad hybrid! He is disgusted! To him, a hybrid is born to please his owner at all cost. He won’t tolerate me! He will just hate me more! If I tell him, he will say that I deserve to be punished. He may kick me out of the house! I can’t tell him, Joshua! I will never! I will never!”

Then, it is impossible to persuade Jeonghan to do anything, because he loves Seungcheol. He will never risk his chance of living together with his alpha. Joshua could not help sighing again and again, since he failed to come up with any solution that may help his friend get out of this disaster. Was waiting the only thing that he could do? Will Seungcheol get rid of Jeonghan one day when he is bored? At that time, will Joshua’s owners agree to adopt Jeonghan even just for a few years until he finds his true alpha and set up a family?

When Joshua spoke again, he did not know since when his voice had become so hoarse.

“Beside sex… has he ever hurt you? Did he hit you?”

The sound coming from Jeonghan did not only seem like crying or sobbing anymore. He was whimpering in agony. Whereas, his scent did not smell like lavender anymore. No lavender could ever be that sour.

“When his rut came, he forced me to give him a blowjob.”

Joshua’s breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat. Jeonghan had _a strong dislike_ for blowjob.

“He had never asked me to do that before… but that day… he forced me to… I couldn’t do it well… and he…”

Jeonghan almost collapsed. He flinched, shrunk, trembled and whimpered even louder.

“He slapped me in the face. He did that many times during his rut. He pulled my hair, and _things_… He just… got out of control… When his rut was gone, he said sorry to me again. He even begged me to forgive him… He did not hit me anymore… but about other things… nothing changed… He doesn’t love me at all. It turned out that… for the whole time… I was the only one giving my heart to him… He even doesn’t care about my feelings… or my tears. Joshua, I have heard many people saying that mated alphas are able to control themselves in front of their mates even when in rut, but Seungcheol… Maybe… he… he even hates me… because I am the filthy useless whore hybrid that he looks down on… and I lied to him… He hates me. He hates me!”

After spitting out those long sentences in broken voice, Jeonghan could say no more. He just cried and cried in Joshua’s embrace, shaking uncontrollably despite his friend’s continuous soothing gentle rubs and strokes on his back. Life had never been complete for either of the hybrids. Joshua thought that he found happiness, but not with Jeonghan deep down in misery like this. How could he continue to feel happy while his best friend was so distressed?

And… who could promise that Joshua would never be treated like that? His owners had never tried to do anything sexually with him, but they may, and they may get violent and forceful. Joshua would finally get hit, wouldn’t he? Gosh, how could he forget that? They kept calling him _“our omega.”_ That was really a promise of a strong need for sex. Seungkwan said that Joshua’s heat would come soon. Would his alphas be able to control themselves then? Or all of them would tear him into pieces?

Joshua tried murmuring many things, hoping to lure Jeonghan into sleep, or at least to make him stop crying, but it was so hard. This might be the only and the last time Jeonghan told Joshua everything and collapsed in front of him like this, and he would not be able to return to his normal state soon. Joshua never minded the time; he was willing to hold Jeonghan in his arms for hours, days, or even weeks. However, he desperately wanted the pain to stop, wanted the tears to disappear.

Joshua did not expected to be successful, but he still started to sing the song that Jeonghan had always used as a lullaby for him in the past. The song was painful, but somehow magical. Joshua had never heard of it until the day Jeonghan sang it to him in his angelic voice, and Joshua memorized every single word, every melody and every second of him listening to the song in Jeonghan’s embrace, which was warm but shaky, and covered in blood, drowned in the air filled by the bitter scent of pain and sorrow.

That was one of the days Joshua kept crying and sobbing in Jeonghan’s arms. The pain and the fear and already taken his mind away, leaving him drowned and lost in a dark chaos of horror. The only one that he had for himself was Jeonghan, his only light, his only angel in this hell. Joshua clutched onto him, crying frantically.

“Jeonghan… It hurts… it hurts…” The cat tried to wipe the tears on his face to clear his view, but then the blood blocked his eye sight instead. “Blood… It’s still bleeding… Jeonghan… It hurts… I want it to stop…”

“It will stop. It will stop, Shua.” Jeonghan tried his best to hug Joshua so tightly, to keep his voice stable, but he was just shaking as violently as the cat. His voice was almost broken when hearing the footsteps, but still trying to comfort his friend as if that were the most important thing of his life. “Just wait a little more. The pain will go away. Nothing hurts forever. Trust me. You’ll be fine.”

All of a sudden, the door slammed open. There came the voice that both the poor hybrids were most frightened of.

_“Crying? Again? Useless bitches. Why don’t you work your little ass to please your master, huh?”_

The rough and big hand came to grab Joshua’s hair with no mercy and dragged him out of Jeonghan’s embrace, making the boy scream and squirm with all he could. Jeonghan scrambled to kneel in front of his owner, holding on the hands that were grabbing his friend as if he were a piece of garbage. He started to beg, all submissive and pliant.

“Master… please… please take me… not him. I… I can do better than him… I’m much better… I’ll do anything you tell me to… Please, please, master!”

“No! Jeonghan! NO!” Joshua shouted in his tears, but there was just a loud humiliating laughter above his head.

_“So obedient. Like a slut for your master. Now you know that you are my whore? Want to please my cock, slut?”_

“Yes… yes… I am your whore. I can do anything that he can’t.” Jeonghan was still kneeling on the floor and begging, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Take me, please!”

No matter how Joshua screamed and tried to hold Jeonghan back, his friend was dragged out of the room, and disappeared behind the thick door. Joshua could no longer see him or hear him. He collapsed. He had never been able to imagine that one day, the sentence that he hated to hear most would be _“please take me… not him”_. Joshua cried, and cried, but not for himself anymore. At this moment, all the pain seemed to have gone away like Jeonghan said. No physical pain could last forever, but he knew, the pain he was feeling for Jeonghan would never stop haunting his mind and torturing him to death.

When Jeonghan was thrown back into the room, Joshua hugged him as tightly as he could ever possibly do, but he was forced to stop so as not to hurt his friend more. Joshua smelled pain and blood from all over Jeonghan’s body. However, the blonde hybrid still smiled to him, his eyes watery and red, murmuring sweet words to comfort his sobbing friend in front of him.

“Don’t… don’t cry… Joshua.” His voice was shaky, but still stronger than the cat. His hand lovingly wiped the tears on Joshua’s face. “Try to sleep a bit… Joshua… The pain will gradually go away.”

“I’m sorry, Jeonghan. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Joshua could never stop his tears, but Jeonghan just kept shaking his head and said, “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

In the dark, cold and dirty place, the two hybrids lay down on the floor, hugging each other to share the warmth of their bodies and their hearts to survive the night. Blood wetted their clothes and the floor, but neither of them cared. The feeling was too familiar. They had already got used to it. They would try to sleep through this night in the air filled with pain, fear and blood, but still having the sweetest things of this world - the scents of roses and lavender. Joshua was still crying, and trying to take the lavender scent in his lungs to calm himself down but to no avail, because the scent of pain coming from Jeonghan was too thick. The injured rabbit hugged Joshua in his arms, shushing him gently.

“Sleep, Joshua. Don’t cry anymore. Can you sleep for me, please?”

And then, Jeonghan sang a lullaby to Joshua in the middle of the cold, silent night. Those were the words that he would never forget, and that was also the moment he promised to himself, that he would never love anyone or anything more than Jeonghan. Without Jeonghan being happy by his side, his life would be forever incomplete and miserable. Now, in the new life that was supposed to be contented and happy, Joshua felt as if he were living again those days, listening to the beautiful song from his angel, the angel that were hurt and broken together with him, but always tried to heal him and protect him.

_“I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light_

_I remember you said don't leave me here alone_

_But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down_

_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound”_

For the first time ever, Jeonghan fell asleep before Joshua, closing his eyes peacefully next to his best friend. Joshua draped the blanket over the two bodies, pressing himself closer to Jeonghan before whispering, with not much hope of the other being able to hear.

“I love you, Jeonghan.”

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is "Safe and sound" by Taylor Swift.  
My heart really ached while I wrote this chapter ;_; 
> 
> I have just lost my beloved dog yesterday. She's been with my family for 11 years. I posted this sad chapter in tears. 
> 
> Hope that you'll enjoy this chapter. I'm looking forward to reading comments about your feelings after reading this chapter so as to have my mood lightened up. Thank you for reading.


	12. Tortured and destroyed because of love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol came to bring Jeonghan home in the evening, but things did not go smoothly.  
Joshua soon realized, that none of them were really happy. Not only his best friend, but also his alphas seemed to be suffering from a thing that may be called "unrequited love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say that I am really grateful that you guys gave me a lot of consolation. Thank you so so so much. These days are still so sad, but I am a little warmer inside thanks to you guys!
> 
> And about the story  
Is it possible to hate Seungcheol more?  
Yes, it is. ;_;

Joshua woke up when he felt a kiss on his head, Jun’s voice whispering something gently into his ear and the alpha’s hand stroking his hair. Opening his eyes, the hybrid was surprised to see Jeonghan, not Jun, right in front of him. He was still lying on his bed on the side not facing the wall, while his friend was on the other side. Jeonghan was slowly dragged out of his sleep due to the alpha scent which was half familiar half strange to him. Hearing Jun’s voice in a slumber, he thought that he was dreaming, but it turned out that he was not, since Joshua was the first that he saw. The boy was here with him before he slept, and still here until now.

Joshua got out of his sleep really quickly and he was able to turn his head to look at his owner. It was so embarrassing. He and Jeonghan had slept through the whole afternoon and now it was nearly six o’clock. Joshua’s owners had got home but he had not cooked anything yet even though he promised them to make dinner in the morning. The boy kept saying sorry but Jun just smiled and told him not to worry. Jun did not need to ask to know why the two omegas spent so much time sleeping. The smell of pain in the air was still very thick, but when kissing Joshua, he did not find that much on his boy, which caused him to unconsciously frown. Joshua reeked of some kinds of unhappy feelings, but he certainly did not give off up to half of the sadness lingering in this room. Therefore, Jun was sure that there must be something wrong with Jeonghan. Well, that was not anything unexpected. The smell of pain coming from Jeonghan had been alarming for a pretty long time. Jun knew Jeonghan had troubles. Wonwoo and Mingyu knew that, too.

Joshua grimaced when he observed the way his friend sat up. His actions were extremely slow. Thanks to the boy’s experience, he knew only people who were suffering from physical pain would move that slowly. He just did not notice that beside him, Jun was also frowning as he watched the rabbit struggled to get up from the fluffy bed.

Sitting up, once again Jeonghan was thankful that Joshua’s owners decided to send only Jun in to wake their omega up, not any of the other two, or else that alpha would scare the hell out of the rabbit hybrid. Jeonghan was sensitive enough to smell a bit of Seungcheol from Jun although there was just a very little of his scent getting somewhere on the alpha. He felt safe but also scared to know Seungcheol was here. He probably got here to bring Jeonghan home. Soon enough, Jun informed him that Seungcheol was waiting outside. It was time to go.

While getting out of the bed, Joshua could not stop trying to observe any smallest interaction between Jeonghan and Jun, as he was sensing something extremely strange. Both Joshua and Jeonghan were highly wary of alphas. Joshua himself even deemed his owners as monsters when he first met them. He noticed that Jeonghan was surely wary of his owners, but the way he reacted towards Wonwoo and Mingyu was too much different from how he did with Jun. The cat helped his friend out of the bed, but at the same time he saw Jun reaching out his arms to do the same thing as well. However, the alpha stopped himself halfway, but the boy caught the flicker of Jeonghan’s eyes. His friend saw that but he did not flinch. He remembered, last time Wonwoo only stepped over to talk to Joshua, but that was enough scary for Jeonghan to feel startled and immediately take a step back.

Joshua could understand that Jun was a nice and gentle person who might make people feel comfortable when approaching, but _how much comfortable_ Jeonghan was with Jun’s presence was too much for him to feel normal. Jeonghan had never told him that he talked to Jun, but Joshua thought he understood his friend enough to know that his calmness could only be gained through an adequate amount of understanding.

The chain of thoughts in Joshua’s mind was interrupted at the moment he saw Seungcheol scrunched his nose when he gave a kiss on Jeonghan’s forehead and grabbed the rabbit’s delicate wrist in his rough hand. Jeonghan was smelling like Joshua, even a little bit like the cat’s owners since their strong scents always lingered around every corners of the apartment, and Seungcheol obviously disliked that. The reaction was so strong that only after a few seconds did Joshua realize that he had made a few steps back to stay away from the alpha. He slumped and flinched, trying to get to a position behind Wonwoo to feel more secured.

“Calm down, Seungcheol.” Wonwoo coldly demanded, eyes directed to his friend fiercely. They were being in his house, and he totally had the right to make such a request. Nobody was allowed to scare his omega in his territory.

“Try to get used to that.” Mingyu also said, his voice stern. “They are best friends, and they will spend a lot of time together in the future. Don’t be so possessive like that.”

Joshua could not feel much difference in the guest’s pheromones but he could tell that the man did try to comply, judging by the ugly look on his face. Joshua did not like looking at that face at all. When Seungcheol did not act friendly, he was terribly scary. Joshua took away his eyes immediately, trying to focus only on his friend. Jeonghan was not better than anyone, and the way he was looking at Joshua...

The cat hybrid felt as if he had just heard an actual beg from Jeonghan to help him. Jeonghan had always thought that he would be just fine, but after hours with Joshua, so happy and comfortable, he suddenly found it too horrible to go back to that house. He had to try so hard to hold back his own emotions, making it not to be shown, but nothing could help him control his scent. Unfortunately, the bitter part in his scent was too much for Seungcheol. The frown on his face got threatening when he draped an arm over Jeonghan’s shoulder and ordered coldly.

“Let’s go home, Jeonghan. That’s enough for today.”

The word _“enough”_ was strongly emphasized, sending shivers up and down the rabbit’s spine. Much as Jeonghan was aware of his own dangerous situation, he failed to resist the wish of hugging Joshua one more time. Both his hands were shaking when he pleaded.

“Can I… Can I hug Joshua… to say goodbye?”

Joshua’s owners were all shocked to hear Jeonghan begging for a thing like that. Having known the blonde omega as Seungcheol’s mate, they had never expected him to speak in the same way as Joshua when they were both asking for something they deemed inappropriate to do that. That was not a normal way of speaking for a person who Seungcheol called his “mate.” There seemed to be no equality between the couple.

Joshua was sure that Seungcheol had just gritted his teeth, but he still let Jeonghan go and nodded very slightly. Given the permission, the rabbit hybrid stepped towards his friend while Joshua immediately got out of his place behind Wonwoo, walking quickly to the older omega. They hugged each other even more tightly than the day they first met after two months apart, and Jeonghan was like broken when he pulled away from the younger with tears streaming down on his cheeks. Frantically, he tried to hold Joshua’s hands with his violently shaking hands, his voice no longer coherent.

“Joshua… he… he’s angry to me… he’ll…”

Jeonghan’s voice was so low and quiet but Joshua got frightened to realize that his friend’s alpha was actually able to hear that, and he did not get soften at all. In contrast, the saying even drove him crazy. The fierce gaze was being directed towards both of the omega. Flinching at the frightening sight, Joshua held Jeonghan more tightly, unconsciously pulling him further away from the intimidating alpha. He did not want to let his friend go with that man at all. There was no doubt that a harsh punishment was waiting for him at home. Joshua knew Jeonghan had never done anything wrong; he was an angel who never sinned, but if Seungcheol found it wrong, then to him the hybrid deserved to be punished.

“Joshua, let go of my omega.”

The stern command - not a request, that was an alpha’s command - made Joshua instantly quailed. He did not obey, but froze and his mind went haywire. Joshua’s stubbornness and his love for Jeonghan refused to comply, but he was too scared to make any move. However, in just a blink of eye a huge figure soon blocked his view of the scary alpha. Mingyu was evidently annoyed. So were the other two cousins. Everyone was able to feel the tension in the atmosphere.

“Hey Seungcheol, you are not supposed to talk like that to our omega. Remember your limits?”

Looking at the way Mingyu raised his arm, Joshua was sure that his alpha would shove Seungcheol in the shoulder if he did not stop moving forward. Seungcheol did stop, but he did not bother to act friendly to his friends anymore. He was really aggressive.

“Okay, then just let me take Jeonghan home. You can ask your boy to let him go.”

When Mingyu turned to Joshua, he intended to persuade the cat to let the older omega go home, but things did not go as planned. Mingyu had not opened his mouth yet then Seungcheol’s hand quickly grabbed Jeonghan’s arm and pulled back with a lot of force. The blond omega yelped and grimaced while his scent just got worse. Joshua had been too accustomed to Jeonghan’s sour scent that he sometimes failed to sense the change, but his owners were totally able to.

Joshua lost his control when his friend was violently pulled away from his hands but Mingyu was strong enough to hold him back from running to get his friend back. However, that did not mean his owners approved what was happening in front of their eyes. Seungcheol did not only pull Jeonghan with more force that what he should have used to treat a delicate omega; he also growled at the hybrid.

“I let you go with your friend for just a day and now you don’t want to go back anymore?”

When the sentence was finished, Jeonghan was nearly thrown to the wall, his back slamming there with a painful sound. The blonde omega whimpered in pain but then soon opened his mouth to babble numerous apologies, terribly trembling, and it really looked like he was about to kneel down.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was wrong! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was wrong… I… I still want to go home. I’m sorry!”

Joshua was shocked.

What he was seeing was just exactly the same as what had happened in the past, with Jeonghan pleading and begging in tears for forgiveness and some mercy from the alpha. One more time, he squirmed to break out of Mingyu’s hands, desperately feeling an urge to protect his friend from the danger, but the youngest alpha was determined not to allow Joshua to mess up with an angry alpha.

This time, it was Jun who decided to step in and hold Seungcheol back before he jumped into the omega. His obvious anger slightly shocked Mingyu, but Wonwoo was harshly scowling at the younger alpha who suddenly got tough in front of his friend.

“You really need to stop that, Seungcheol. You scare Jeonghan. Stop it! He’s your mate. You’re supposed to comfort him, not to make him cry like that.”

“He’s my omega.” Seungcheol snapped, glaring at Jun. “How I treat him is my own business. Mind your own one.”

Jun frowned and shook his head.

“No, Seungcheol. I’m serious. You really scare him. Haven’t you told us that you are concerned since he smells too sad and painful? You are obviously the cause. Don’t you see that? You are the one who got angry first. They are best friends. It’s totally normal when they want to stay with each other. Please understand that. And you will just smell like us if you spend a day in our house.”

However, that saying did not seem to have any effect on Seungcheol. On the other hand, the man snorted, smiling sarcastically.

“Wow, you’re so caring, huh? That’s why you’ve got problems with so many alphas? And by the way, I’m not someone like you, Jun, an alpha who always reek of another…”

Seungcheol was not given the chance to finish his sentence, because Mingyu had jumped on him and angrily grabbed his collar by the hand.

“Don’t you dare to say anything like that about my cousin again, Seungcheol! I’ll…”

At the moment, Seungcheol looked like a psychopath by the way he looked and smiled at Mingyu.

“Cousin? Aren’t you ashamed to call him like that? Keep saying that he is your cousin while you leave several hickeys on his neck and scent-mark him every day? I doubt that, Mingyu.”

Seungcheol would have definitely had his jaw broken if Wonwoo had not stopped the fight by just a simple push, immediately detaching the two men from each other. More forcefully, he shoved Seungcheol to the direction of the door while his other hand was trying to push Mingyu back. Jun also helped calming the younger down, and Mingyu only seemed to agree to give up after seeing Jun looking at him pleadingly.

“You’d better go now, Seungcheol. You are not in your right mind. Just go.” Wonwoo said with such a cold expression on his face, and then he turned to Joshua, who was trying to comfort Jeonghan. “Joshua, you need to let him go. Jeonghan will come back to you later.”

Joshua did not want to do that, but he had no choice, because Wonwoo was right. Joshua needed to let his friend go, as it was obvious that none of them could change how Seungcheol treated his omega, and the whole situation would just get worse if Seungcheol lingered here longer. Nobody ever expected him to suddenly attack Jun with his words so harshly like that. At the moment, even Jeonghan pushed Joshua’s hands away from him, wiping his tears by the sleeves that had already been damp.

“I’ll be fine, Joshua. I’m sorry. I just… I’m sorry.” He sighed, and then _smiled_. Joshua hated to see that. “I didn’t know why I was that bad. I… I will see you later. I need to go back home with my alpha.”

Joshua felt his heart broken again when Jeonghan gave him a kiss on his forehead to say goodbye, one of the longest kisses that he had ever given. He did not move a bit, just standing there staring at his friend following the scary alpha out of the door, leaving a tender smile and a wave to him before disappearing. Only when Jun wrapped his arms around Joshua and pulled him into a close hug did Joshua realize that he was crying. Burying his face in the alpha’s chest, he started to sob pathetically while one of the darkest memories returned to his mind.

One day, he was dragged out of the room, even out of the house to the lawn. At that time, he quickly realized what was going to happen, because he had heard _that man_ mentioning _the pet shop_ so many times. The man did not bother to close the door. He only kicked Jeonghan back into the front yard when the rabbit tried his best to follow and hold onto Joshua. They were both crying, shouting, thrashing and kicking a lot just in an attempt to get back to each other, but to no avail.

The man threw Joshua into the car trunk. One second after that, the cat hybrid was not able to see his best friend anymore. He was too scared. He cried out his name more than hundreds of time. He heard Jeonghan calling his names desperately, but the voice he had always loved kept getting further and further. Then, Joshua heard nothing.

The panic attack in that day was so severe that Joshua was put in an emergency room right after _that man_ reached the pet shop. He passed out and his heartbeat was too fast for his body to endure. When he woke up, nothing was better. Joshua spent days after days shaking like crazy in the pet shop between other dogs and cats, lonely, frightened and broken. He had nightmares, woke up and cried out for Jeonghan every night, but he never got the person he wanted most. What he received after that was just loneliness and punishment.

It did not take much time for Joshua’s alphas to realize that their boy was having a panic attack again. He kept calling for Jeonghan and chanting _“I don’t want to go”_ and _“where are you”_. They wanted to ask so badly, but the chance never seemed to come, since Joshua always got scared just by someone accidentally mentioning something related to his dark past. If Jeonghan was part of that, they doubted the possibilities of getting information from him, too. The reaction could be the same, or even worse, and they would get into huge trouble with Seungcheol. Joshua may get mad at them as well.

Jun pulled the boy out of his chest so that he could see his face. They wanted Joshua to look at them to know that he no longer belonged to any of the ugly things in that past. Luckily, the boy obeyed, keeping his watery eyes on his alphas for as long as he could, like he really wanted to do that deep in his heart. The faces surrounding him were all worried and concerned, and it was easy to tell that they were trying to smile, because they wanted to calm him down. The air was full of their scents - three alphas’ scent - but holding no aggression or anger. The pine forest scent coming from Jun was soothing, and just as gentle as the alpha himself. The sandalwood aroma of Mingyu kept Joshua warm inside out, and the smell of peppermint belonging to Wonwoo was cool and giving him the feeling of being calmed and protected.

Joshua did not cry much longer, and he finally smiled slightly while his alphas delivered tender kisses on his cheeks, making him flush pink adorably. His heart was still heavy, but it was possible for his lips to curve and form a weak smile. Wonwoo spoke while his hands were loosening the tie to take it off. The tie along with Joshua’s tears made him feel like getting choked. Everything was just too frustrating.

“I’ll talk to Seungcheol. He seems to be stressed recently, not really normal. Maybe he needs to relax from his work a bit.”

“Don’t worry about Jeonghan too much. As I can see, Seungcheol is extremely tired today. He won’t have energy for anything.” Mingyu added. Mentioning that man, Mingyu he still seemed enraged, but managed to stay controlled. “Moreover, he forgets things easily. Next morning he won’t remember anything.”

“Are… are you sure?” Joshua was so worried about Jeonghan that he failed to notice that he had just doubted his owner.

“Yes. I’m sure. His scent was faded a lot. And actually Jeonghan did nothing wrong. Seungcheol would be back to normal after leaving our place.”

Joshua almost snorted. Almost. Jeonghan had never done anything wrong but he was told that the alpha treated his friend as if the rabbit were just a cheap toy. Maybe Joshua’s alphas were just Seungcheol’s friends, not mates; therefore, they did not know exactly how horrible the man was towards his omega. Until then, the only one who did not try to persuade Joshua to stop worrying was Jun, which made him slightly feel that the alpha knew something too, or Jun was just more thoughtful than his cousins.

Joshua wanted Jeonghan to come here tomorrow, but he decided that it would be better if he would not. He should not take Jeonghan out of the house of an over-possessive alpha like that too often. Maybe he should wait a few more days to invite his friend to his house again. Anyway, he had already got Jeonghan’s numbers and all other kinds of contacts, so they would be able to communicate with each other. Joshua may have a video call with him next morning.

“This is not the Seungcheol that we know.” Jun sighed, voice sounding more upset than Joshua expected. “He’s so aggressive these days.”

Mingyu took a deep breath in, and he sighed, too. “You are such an angel for not getting angry at him. I just want to teach him a lesson. He’s been saying those things about you for weeks.”

However, Jun does not look happy at all. He sighed (again) quietly, slightly lowering his head, voice suddenly low. The unexpected sadness in his voice made Mingyu feel his heart clenching.

“About me… It’s not his fault. He was given reasons to say that. He was not wrong this time.”

And then Jun made his way to his own room, closing the door and not looking back.

Joshua knew he was not at fault this time, but seeing Jun like that was enough for him to get upset. The hybrid had no idea about a way to solve the problem as he even had not fully understood it yet, but he still wished that he could do something for his alpha. As if Wonwoo was able to read Joshua’s mind, he gently patted his shoulder, reassuring him.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”

The boy did not believe that, but he was distracted by Mingyu, who was also trying to distract himself from the concern about his cousin. The alpha said to him with a bright grin on his face, showing his prominent canines in such an attractive way.

“We should get washed first. After that we can cook together. What do you think, Joshua?”

The idea was actually wonderful, but Joshua worriedly looked at the clock on the wall.

“But… it will take a lot of time. Dinner will be late.”

“You’re hungry?” Mingyu’s attitude changed right away, making Joshua shake his head vigorously.

“No… I’m not hungry yet. I’m just… afraid that you will,” the hybrid said, while looking at both the alphas remaining in the living room.

“It’s fine.” Wonwoo smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair. “We prefer eating the food you cook than anything out there. I’m sure Mingyu and Jun do, too.”

“Yeah. And I want to do the cooking with you.” Mingyu’s eyes shined, telling the hybrid how excited he was about the idea. “It will be fun. Do you think so?”

Joshua nodded, but first of all, he wanted to go check on Jun. However, when the lead alpha saw him stopping in front of Jun’s room, he gently pushed the boy back to his own room, whispering.

“Just give him some time, Joshua. Let him be alone. He’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Joshua looked at Wonwoo, asking so quietly, and there were considerable concern in his eyes. “He… looks very sad.”

“I’ll talk to him later. Trust me.” The alpha put a short kiss on the hybrid’s lips before continuing to say. “He’s fine. We’re all fine.”

Joshua was not truly convinced of that description but once again Wonwoo was pushing out his pheromones and the boy quit asking more immediately. Obediently, he went back to his room to have a shower, and during that time he was only able to think of two people, who were certainly Jeonghan, and no one other than Jun, his beloved alpha.

Mingyu was not wrong at all about how fun it would be when he and Joshua cooked together. It was so lucky that the boy was distracted away from his concern and sadness. The alpha asked the hybrid what he intended to make, and he followed that decision with a lot of eagerness. In fact, Mingyu helped Joshua prepare the necessary ingredients and after that the boy was the one to be mainly in charge of cooking the dishes. Mingyu wanted the food to taste like what Joshua wanted, and based on the smell, he allowed himself to anticipate for a delicious dinner.

Jun only appeared after Wonwoo came to his door and called him out for dinner. The lead alpha was right; Jun looked just as fine as he was usually, making Joshua smiled in relief. Although it was pretty late, everybody enjoyed the dinner happily with no complaints. None of them made any lies about the food Joshua cooked, because they wholeheartedly loved this new but worth-loving taste. Their compliments made the boy beam, his scent getting cutely sweet.

This evening, it was Wonwoo’s turn to wash the dishes. Joshua found that really nice. The alphas share the housework equally, and Mingyu usually cooks for everyone because he is a great cook and he enjoys doing that. Joshua also said that he liked doing things with his alphas, so Wonwoo happily let him join at the sink full of plates and bowls waiting to be washed. Based on what Jeonghan said about Wonwoo’s job, the hybrid thought that they could afford a maid to help with the household chores, but they did not hire one. Joshua did not dare to ask. He guessed that he preferred keeping the house well-organized by themselves. If so, Joshua would be very glad to be the person in charge of that work from now on. The alphas went out to work, and he stayed at home to take care of everything, waiting for them to come back and enjoy the cozy, happy family dinner.

In the evening, Wonwoo still had some more work to do while Mingyu relaxed comfortably in the living room with the TV. Meanwhile, Jun had something more interesting to share with Joshua. He took the boy to his own room, showing him the large bookshelf that the boy had not noticed last time he stayed here. The alpha told him that he could pick any books that he wanted to read, and he was allowed to enter all of their rooms while they were away to get anything he needed. However, what surprised him most was the alpha’s question.

“Do you want to continue studying, Joshua?”

That question made the boy spend a lot of time thinking. He had never thought of anything further than graduating from high school, since omega hybrids had never been supposed to study a lot. There was no rule about that, but he was deemed useless for his whole life…

“Just take your time about that.” Jun smiled as he saw a light in Joshua’s eyes. He did not fully understand how hard life had been to an omega hybrid, but he could realize that the boy only started thinking about higher education now. He gently patted Joshua’s hair, saying tenderly. “You are still young. There are many things you can do. Tell me whenever you know your answer.”

The hybrid nodded, looking at his alpha gratefully. After a second of hesitation, he threw himself into Jun’s chest, hugging the man’s waist tightly as his way of saying “Thank you.” Much as Jun was surprised, he chuckled and closed his arms around the boy. Joshua was really bad with words, so he chose to express his emotions and feelings through actions. Luckily, his owners were all willing to learn how to understand him without forcing him to speak out, and Jun had just made a significant step into the boy’s heart. Joshua knew that Jun asked him about education did not mean that the other two alphas did not care about it, but the fact that Jun was the one to mention it first still meant a lot to him. A sentence, a confession was on the tip of the hybrid’s tongue, but he was too shy to say it.

“Wow… your scent…” Jun made a comment after a minute of sniffing the boy’s hair. His voice got considerably softer at the realization. “You are tired, right?”

Joshua nodded, still refusing to let go of his alpha. He knew he was being extremely clingy and childish at this moment, but he wished that Jun would not have problems with such behavior, and he let himself believe so. Joshua had wanted to sleep since he stepped into this room, which was filled with the scent of pine forest. His impression of the first sleep in this apartment was so nice; this room automatically became his heaven of the house. That was also where he could find his angel.

“You wanted to sleep?” Jun asked again, looking down at Joshua, but the boy was just burying his face deep in his chest.

One more time, the hybrid nodded. Jun did not need to ask to figure out what his baby wanted, just whispering quietly to the boy’s ear.

“Let’s go say good night to Wonwoo and Mingyu. Then we will sleep. Okay?”

Only at this time did Joshua get out of his comfortable position to look at his alpha in the eyes and nodded vigorously. Holding the boy’s hand, Jun took him out of the bedroom just to say good night to his cousins. They were not surprised at all to see the hybrid going to bed early; everyone knew that Joshua had not really recovered from his days spent at the pet shop and with his previous owner. The boy was still extremely skinny. Actually they would be more amazed if he got a lot of energy in his fragile body. Moreover, Wonwoo and Mingyu managed to accept the fact that their omega highly preferred Jun than them and there was nothing they could do except for letting the boy enjoy his time with his beloved alpha.

Love is something that can never be shared perfectly equally.

Besides, Wonwoo and Mingyu understood that Seungcheol’s slight insult affected Jun somehow. His energy was worn out and he looked evidently tired. Consequently, Wonwoo could not hold himself back from leaving a kiss on Jun’s temple, and then murmured softly to him.

“Good night, Junnie.”

Jun was too tired to protest, but he did not smile back to the older, only saying a weak _“good night”_ even without looking at him. In the living room, Joshua clearly saw that Mingyu intended to give Jun a hug, but the alpha holding his hand stepped back immediately, avoiding looking at the giant and quickly walked back to his bedroom. Joshua could hear Mingyu sigh, and he started to understand the situation. Jun had never replied to the love that the other two alphas had been giving him.

However, Joshua could not continue thinking of the other alphas after lying down on the fluffy bed covered by the scent of pine forest. The boy was lying with his back flat on the mattress while Jun was being above him, elbows on his sides, their lower parts and legs touched and tangled in an intimate way when the alpha bit his neck. Joshua moaned sweetly, happy to accept the bite. Jun did not ask him first, but the hybrid did not think it was necessary to do so anymore, and the alpha biting him without warning or asking for permission was also something that brought special feelings and sensation.

After a few kisses, when Jun started to leave small bites on Joshua’s jaw and neck, the boy knew what his owner was being up to, and he obediently tilted his head, exposing his bare neck to the alpha. The submission made Jun let out a small growl in satisfaction, sending shivers down Joshua’s spine by the dominant alpha pheromones surrounding the boy. The hybrid moaned softly when his alpha finished biting and began giving him kisses on not only his neck but also his face. Joshua hugged his owner closer, and kissed him back.

Joshua was too tired and sleepy to reply, but he was sure that he heard Jun whisper _“I love you”_ to him sweetly a few times, bringing the sweetest dreams into his sleep. Nonetheless, the hybrid still had nightmares that night, and he woke up with tears on his face again. This time, Jun was not startled anymore, even prepared for the situation. Luckily, the more Joshua trusted his alphas, the more quickly his sobs subsided, and the boy soon fell back into sleep in Jun’s embrace. He slept peacefully in his alpha’s warm and loving arms, totally unaware of his worried owner considering letting him see a therapist. Joshua would surely dislike the idea, but Jun thought it was nearly a compulsory thing to do if he genuinely wanted his boy to live happily like a normal person. Normal people do not get panic attack from time to time or wake up at midnight crying like that.

“What did _he_ do to you, Joshua?” Jun could not help asking, more to himself than to the boy clinging to him even in his sound sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you notice anything in this chapter?
> 
> I've just started my first full-time job, so maybe I will get a bit slower in posting new chapters ;_; But I will keep going on with a not too slow pace since I enjoy posting and checking people's reaction towards my fic.
> 
> This fic can only be dropped when I'm not in this world anymore. Just saying.


	13. Selfish and Over-possessive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo gave Joshua a little explanation about the relationship between him and Jun.  
However, Wonwoo was also the first one to literally scare the hell out of Joshua from the day he came to this apartment.

Joshua set the alarm before sleeping. Therefore, he woke up early the next morning so that he could make breakfast for his alphas. Last night they told him that he did not need to do that, but he stated that he really wanted to prepare the food for them before they went to work. Seeing the hope in the boy’s eyes, the alphas understood that their omega wanted to take care of them, so they happily let him do it. Mingyu would have more time to sleep and Jun was warned that the sound of the alarm clock might wake him up, but the alpha did not seem to care much.

When Joshua opened his eyes, the first he saw was a sleeping Jun, which was much like a morning vitamin for him. However, the noisy sound of the alarm prevented him from spending time adoring the peaceful scene. He was forced to turn his eyes to the direction of his phone on the nightstand. While the boy’s hand was in the middle of his way to the phone, another hand suddenly appeared and reached there before he did. Joshua got startled and the idea of turning off the alarm flew away from his mind immediately. He scrambled to turn his body to the other side and only let out a long breath in relief when seeing Wonwoo.

Bringing silence back to the cozy bedroom, Wonwoo smiled while looking at Joshua placing a hand on his heart. Nonetheless, the boy was caught off guard when the lead alpha opened his mouth to speak.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

That morning voice was so deep, making Joshua got goosebump all over his body. This was not healthy for his heart at all. If he woke up to hear Wonwoo’s voice like this every day, maybe he would soon die because of a heart attack.

On the other hand, the strong peppermint scent coming from the alpha made Joshua’s mind relaxed to the utmost. The bed seemed to be so small for three people, but the boy loved to be sandwiched between his two alphas like this. After a few seconds, he realized that the arm on his waist for the whole time belonged to Wonwoo, not Jun. Rubbing his eyes to have a better sight of the alpha, Joshua smiled to him and moved his head to the wide chest in front of him. Hearing the small chuckle from above his head, the hybrid blushed, but still spent not less than a minute nuzzling into his owner’s chest and hugging him tightly.

After that, Joshua pulled his own head a little bit further, just enough for him to look up at Wonwoo and then asked a question.

“When did you come here?”

The boy also wanted to ask _“why”,_ but he thought that might be quite rude. Well, Wonwoo loved both of them, which was enough of a reason for him to sneak in their bedroom at night. Luckily, Wonwoo explained the whole thing, voice still deep and quiet.

“I stayed up late last night. I walked past this room at midnight, and you guys smelled extremely awful. Both of you.”

“Both?” Joshua raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. Jun also smelled awful?

Wonwoo nodded. The boy saw serious concern in the alpha’s eyes when he looked at Jun behind him. Joshua could not help turning his body to face Jun again, watching his alpha sleeping, feeling his heart heavy. At the moment, he smelled nice, and he also smelled nice before Joshua fell asleep. He felt bad for having been totally unaware of his alpha suffering something unhappy. He was even a burden to Jun since he woke up crying in the middle of the night, disturbing his sleep, making him put a lot of effort to calm him down and lull him back into sleep.

“I guessed neither of you was having a good sleep. So I decided to join.” Wonwoo continued to explain behind Joshua. “You both got better after that. Then I stayed here.”

The boy did not want to take his eyes away from Jun, but he also wanted to look at Wonwoo, which seemed to be a difficult situation now. Luckily, his alpha came up with a better idea.

“Do you want to move him to the middle?”

“We can do that?” He asked, feeling unsure, but Wonwoo nodded with a lot of certainty.

“Just push him to my side. He will move.”

Joshua was still not sure about that, but he decided to trust Wonwoo. He got up, stepping into the small space left between Jun and the wall, carefully using both of his hands to push the sleeping alpha towards Wonwoo. Jun frowned and whimpered softly in his sleep, but to the boy’s surprise, he really automatically moved himself closer to Wonwoo. The older alpha had already laid out his arm on the bed, welcoming the younger into his embrace, letting Jun use his arm as a pillow. Joshua doubted whether Jun really knew where his face was being pressed to, but the alpha seemed comfortable to be close to his cousin. He curled up under the blanket and continued to sleep peacefully as if nothing happened.

Still being amazed, Joshua slowly lay down, trying to stay as close as possible to Jun and letting his arm rest on the alpha’s waist. Realizing the questions in the hybrid’s innocent eyes, Wonwoo explained, his hand gently caressing Jun’s cheek without waking him up.

“He always sleeps soundly when I’m by his side. Nothing can ever make him wake up.”

Joshua’s mind suddenly jumped into a conclusion.

“He loves you?”

Wonwoo looked sad when he smiled.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps. That’s why he reacted to my scent, right?”

The hybrid nodded, heart clenching violently in his chest. He was given the chance to witness how Jun was drawn to Wonwoo even in his sleep. Wonwoo’s presence was enough for him to have a good sleep, and he subconsciously dragged himself to the source of the scent that was bringing comfort to him.

“Is it okay… if we talk like this?” Joshua tried to lower his voice.

“Don’t worry. He won’t wake up.”

The hybrid tried to find Jun’s hand, and once he found, he slowly intertwined his fingers with the alpha. Surprisingly, despite being in sleep, Jun still somehow responded to the action, tightening the hold of their hands. Joshua brought his own face to the man’s neck, and he smelled so good at the moment.

“Why did he smell awful last night?” He asked Wonwoo.

The lead alpha sighed, pulling the blanket to cover Joshua up to his shoulder before returning to caress Jun’s cheek again. The action was so soft, so gentle that the hybrid started to feel jealous, but he knew that was extremely bad of him.

“He’s been stressed out recently. Things are getting harder for him.”

“Because of the deviant alphas?”

“Also work. But mostly those jerks.” There was anger in Wonwoo’s eyes, but his expression got softer right after a guilty confession. “It was actually my fault.”

“Why?”

“Jun used to get a normal job. We did not work together in the past. However, after I became the CEO, I really need a secretary who I can trust. Things were difficult for me since I was new then, so I could not hire a normal one for that position. That was when I persuaded Jun to give up his job and become my secretary.”

Wonwoo smiled sarcastically, making Joshua felt his heart drop.

“I thought I was doing the good thing for him then, because this job paid him better than the previous one, and it would help him cut down on the money paying for transportation. But in the end, it turned out that I was just being selfish. I made him do this just because I wanted to keep him by my side. The others were just my excuses. I was stupid to think that he was really convinced by those…”

At this point, Joshua vaguely saw his powerful alpha doubting himself, which was something that he had never expected to see. Wonwoo himself even could not tell exactly what were Jun’s reasons for all of his action. Everything was just his own guess.

“I should have let him do his job. The hint of him being harassed by other alphas had already started to show then, but none of us cared much. Then he worked in my company, a place full of powerful alphas, full of the arrogant men who want to prove their power by courting another alpha who they deem weaker.”

Wonwoo sighed again, his eyes fixed on Jun’s face, the face that used to be so naive just like Joshua’s now, but was destroyed because of _him_.

“Jun is not a weak alpha. He’s never. But he has never been born to fight with the powerful alphas. He was not born to confront them. He used to be safe for a few years, since he always got fully covered by my scent. No one dared to do anything.”

“Then… what happened?”

“Things changed.” Wonwoo sighed one more time. “He did not get much of my scent on his body anymore. People started to think that I don’t protect him any longer. I suddenly realized that I had made an awful decision to scent-mark him like that.”

“Why?”

“I unintentionally made a precedent for people to believe that Jun is the kind of alpha who wants to be claimed by another alpha. I have fired a few talented employees, broken a few important contracts because I couldn’t tolerate what they have done to him. I tried to protect him, but I was just putting more and more pressure on him.”

“But why he didn’t get your scent on him anymore?”

Wonwoo’s answer was too short to Joshua’s liking.

“Things are complicated.”

Since the lead alpha said that way, the hybrid believed that it was all his fault.

Wonwoo was the one who started everything and he was the one who changed the situation as well. No wanting to hear more from Wonwoo, Joshua pressed himself closer to Jun, burying his face in the crook of his neck and tightening his hug. Wonwoo could sense that the hybrid was slightly mad at him, but he could not blame anyone for that. No matter how things turned out to be, he had already hurt Jun and ruined his life. Even so, Wonwoo refused to let him go. He would never allow anyone to take Joshua or Jun away from him. He would never allow any of them to escape from him.

Between them, Jun was still soundly asleep, not knowing anything about the others had been doing or talking about him, but his scent slowly got better thanks to Joshua and Wonwoo’s presence so close by his side. For a second, Joshua suddenly did not want to wake up anymore. He just wanted to stay here with Jun forever, but he knew he would make his beloved alpha go to work with an empty stomach if he behaved that way. Knowing what the hybrid was thinking, Wonwoo gently patted his head and then caressed his cheek when the boy finally looked at him again.

With some soft coos, Wonwoo managed to give Joshua enough strength to get out of bed and reminded him of what he genuinely wanted to do. Putting a kiss on Jun’s cheek before leaving, the boy craned his neck to look back one more time when he was standing in front of the bathroom’s door. At the moment, Wonwoo was still holding Jun in his embrace, and the air in the bedroom was a perfect mixture that Joshua loved. He just wished that all of them would always smell good like that but something told him, that was impossible.

He wanted to confess his feelings to Jun so bad.

He wanted to say _“I love you”_ to Jun, because he wanted his alpha to know that.

Joshua tried to distract himself from that desire by highly concentrating on making the perfect breakfast that he had planned for them. He focused so hard that his nose failed to notice other scents rather than the food, which caused him to jump when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist loosely but warmly. Just inhaled once and he realized Mingyu had got up.

“Hey, baby.” The giant pecked his cheek, humming tenderly. “Wow. I can smell the food from my room. You make my stomach growl like crazy.”

Considering that as a compliment, Joshua smiled. Mingyu had just woken up and he was already shining like a sun, bringing happiness and a lot of positive energy to the hybrid. Because Mingyu is big, Joshua extremely loves to be hugged by him. Those strong and muscular arms brought one of the most wonderful feelings in this world.

Craning his neck, he returned a kiss on the alpha’s cheek and replied sweetly.

“Food’s ready. Just wait a minute.”

Mingyu beamed. “This must be one of the best mornings I have ever had in my life.”

While Joshua and Mingyu was busy setting up the table to get ready for breakfast, Wonwoo and Jun came out to join. The hybrid had been afraid that the atmosphere would get awkward again, but he felt relieved to see things went smoothly and normally between his alphas. It was quite hard to understand, but Joshua guessed that last night was really not nice for Jun, and he appreciated Wonwoo for being there with him.

Gosh, there were so many conflicts. Joshua would need a lot of time to figure out all of them.

Joshua did not know how much of his concern was being displayed on his face while he was staring at Jun yawning and rubbing his eyes.

“I still want to sleep a bit more.” The alpha smiled, patting the boy’s head. “Feel so nice to have you with me.”

The hybrid worriedly darted his glance towards Wonwoo, seeing the oldest just silently eating, not caring about Jun ignoring his presence by his side the whole night. Joshua knew the one that helped Jun sleep well was not him. Maybe he had a little impact on his owner, but not as much as Wonwoo. The lead alpha was always the person having the most significant effect on other people in this place.

Joshua was so grateful that Mingyu lightened up the atmosphere by telling some interesting stories about what had happened at his office. Those successfully made everybody laugh, and then not only Wonwoo but also Jun added some more things. Besides, they never forgot to ask Joshua, making not feel left out. All of them promised to bring him to their office one day, which made the boy excited and nervous at the same time. However, he still kept it in his mind, acknowledging the fact that his alphas would like to introduce him to other people. That means, Joshua being their omega was already an official thing. Whether the bond had been properly formed or not did not matter.

On the other hand, Joshua also noticed how Mingyu and Jun frowned when Wonwoo said that he would take Joshua to his office. They did not react to Jun, but to Wonwoo, they did, despite the two men working at the same place.

“I don’t think it’s nice to do that, Wonwoo.” Mingyu suddenly tensed up; his smile disappeared. “What do you want people to think of him?”

“That doesn’t matter. He’s my omega. Nothing will change it.” Wonwoo replied coldly, causing Joshua to start getting alert.

“Is the bond a joke to you?” Mingyu asked, his eyes narrowing, and Joshua could feel the angry pheromones began to spread from the alpha. “Didn’t you see how much it means to him?”

“I’ve already told you.” Wonwoo’s voice got firm, and Joshua really did not like that. It made him scared. “Nobody had the right to control me. No matter what happens, Joshua will be my omega. Official. Are you clear?”

Mingyu snorted, obviously displeased. “You’re such a jerk. You don’t even give him a choice.”

“He’s mine.”

That was the last thing Wonwoo said to end this topic from then until the end of breakfast. Joshua did not understand anything, but he was feeling very controlled at the moment. Anyway, the clearest thing he got in his mind was that, he belongs to Wonwoo. Jeonghan was right when complaining about the lead alpha being over-possessive and feeling amazed to see how he resisted the desire of claiming Joshua for good. The cat hybrid started to realize the fire in the alpha’s eyes whenever he stared at him; he realized that he could smell peppermint everywhere he went to. The boy had never thought of rejecting his owners, but the realization still made it harder for him to swallow the food in his mouth. If he wanted to live well here, he really needed to find ways to please the lead alpha.

What was even worth doubting more was that, Jun did not say anything. He just kept eating, never looking up, pretending as if the topic being discussed had nothing to do with him. It was not true. If something involved Joshua, then it must be one of his concerns. The hybrid realized one more thing: Jun did not want to argue with Wonwoo. There seemed to be conflicts between the alphas, but Jun looked as if he had already given in in some aspects just because he was too tired to fight. The worse thing was, he even got sadder as the talk went on. Joshua held his hand under the table, not only to comfort him, but also to seek for comfort from the alpha he loves most. Looking at the boy, Jun smiled gently, stuffing him with more food and ignoring the other two alphas.

When Joshua cleaned up the table, his owners prepared to go to work. The boy found himself happy with this routine, because it made him feel like living in a true family, especially when Wonwoo came out of his room busy talking on the phone with the tie in his hand. Joshua came to him immediately, taking the tie and helping his alpha putting it on his collar. Still answering the call, Wonwoo never let his eyes leave the boy in front of him, adoring the lovely scene.

Joshua did not expect that the lead alpha would give him a passionate kiss after whispering “thank you” by the sinfully deep voice to his ear. He was even more shocked when Wonwoo sunk his teeth in the sensitive skin on his neck immediately after breaking away from the kiss. Joshua whimpered and squirmed under the intense pain, but the alpha’s strong arms kept him firmly, forcing him to take the bite and suffer the pain. At that moment, the hybrid finally understood that none of them should ever mess with Wonwoo. He had already been bad with the lead alpha by getting a bit sulky towards him due to what he had done with Jun in the early morning, and what Mingyu had argued with the older just made things worse. Wonwoo was acting extraordinarily possessive, while his pheromones were ordering the boy to submit. The alpha was triggered.

Joshua had no choice but to obey, and he froze, mind going haywire. He did not know that he was crying until Wonwoo stopped biting him. The boy clutched onto the man’s shirt, trying to hold back his sniffles but failed. Wiping the tears, Wonwoo asked, eyes piercing through the hybrid’s soul.

“Hurt?”

Joshua nodded. He did not know why but he flinched when Wonwoo leaned over to whisper in his ear. The dominant pheromones were getting overwhelming for him to endure.

“I want to _knot you_ so badly. I will bite you until it _bleeds_ and the scar will stay there _forever_.”

At the mention of the “_knot”_ and _“bleed”_, the boy was no longer in his right mind.

When Jun and Mingyu heard Joshua’s whimper, they were quite worried, but trying to think that it was just his reaction when Wonwoo bit him. It was understandable that the lead alpha’s bite hurt more than usual, but then the incredible swift in the hybrid’s scent made them immediately rush back into the kitchen. They instantly got their hearts broken at the scene there, because Joshua had just kneeled down in front on Wonwoo and kept begging him not to _do that_ to him in tears.

It was not until then did Wonwoo realize what horrible things he had just done to his love. His actions and words were more than enough to make the boy believe that he was really about to do _those things_ to him right here, right then. Joshua only got calmer when he was tugged into Mingyu’s lap, wrapped tightly in the protective arms and surrounded by soothing words from the alphas.

However, he whimpered again and cried out loud when Wonwoo took him away from the giant man’s embrace, but the lead alpha had no hesitation. Placing the boy in his lap, he hugged Joshua into his chest, murmuring countless apologies to the hybrid. He admitted that he had gone too far, and he promised not to make such mistakes ever again. Joshua was still so scared and frightened of the man, but he did not fight back, just sitting there obediently and crying his eyes out.

In the end, Wonwoo had to give up and let Jun take Joshua into his arms. For the second time, watching the boy immediately straddling Jun’s lap and crying on his shoulder, Wonwoo realized that he had handled his omega completely wrong. Neither of the younger alphas bothered to blame the oldest for anything. What they wanted most at this moment was just making their boy stop crying and calm down.

Luckily, being with Jun, Joshua needed not much longer than five minutes to get his mind back. When his mind was clear again, he knew that nothing bad was going to happen, and he was still safe, but the feelings were not like before anymore.

Deeming the boy in his arms fine enough, Jun gently pulled him on the shoulders, earning enough distance to look at Joshua in the eyes. The hybrid had his immediate reaction at the man wiping his tears by the tender fingers. He melted under the touch, both hands gripping Jun’s collar. Furthermore, he felt Mingyu’s hand on his head stroking in the softest way. Jun cooed, assuring the scared boy with soothing words.

“It’s okay, baby. Nothing happens. See? Nobody does anything that you don’t like. Calm down. Look at me, Joshua!”

Still sniffling, the hybrid slightly lifted up his head and looked at his alpha through his watery eyes, causing the other to skip a heartbeat. Joshua was still visibly shaking, his scent sour and bitter. Due to the abnormal movement of his eyes, Jun realized that the boy was extremely wary of Wonwoo but did not dare to actually look at him, which proved that the improvement in his attitude right now did not mean a good thing.

He was correct. Right at the moment Wonwoo touched Joshua gently on his shoulder, Joshua flinched and shrunk, and did not move even a bit when the alpha tugged him back into his lap. He was like a doll in Wonwoo’s arms, tears streaming down on the pale cheeks. The man tried to wrap him by his warmth and love, whispering with the softest voice he had ever used in his life.

“I’m sorry, Joshua. I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. I won’t do that. I swear.”

Joshua just ducked his head and stayed silent but he nodded. That reaction brought no relief to his owners. The hybrid’s scent let everyone know that he was scared of Wonwoo to death, which also means that the oldest alpha had mentally beat him to submission effortlessly. Joshua was starting to act pliantly so as not to get any punishment from Wonwoo whether he liked it or not. He had lost his faith in Wonwoo.

Wonwoo could never describe how much he regretted his actions and how much he hated himself for frightening Joshua. It was a huge mistake to let his over-possessiveness take control for just a second and then the hybrid did not trust him anymore. Wonwoo attempted to comfort him with his most gentle stroke on the boy’s back and various apologies, but the sadness and fear in those beautiful eyes still broke his heart. Even when he managed to coax Joshua into a direct eye contact, the hybrid did not stop sniffling and shedding tears.

Joshua does not want the _knot_ or the _blood_ or anything that might remind him of those.

The hybrid was really scared when Wonwoo’s mouth came to his neck again, but the gentle bite at this moment magically calmed him down. Jun and Mingyu kept on patting the boy’s head and back, giving assuring words to him while the oldest alpha delivered sweet kisses on the mark and a small area of skin around there, sometimes sucking on the delicate neck. They only stopped when the tears did not come out any longer and all of the sniffles had vanished.

It was quite difficult for them to tell what was exactly happening in Joshua’s head, but they all thought that it would be not a good idea to leave him alone at home today. It was all Wonwoo’s fault, but it was still not the suitable time to blame him yet. The lead alpha was the first one to make a decision, which slightly annoyed Mingyu.

“Get dressed, baby.” Wonwoo kissed the boy’s forehead after the command, hand petting his head. “I will bring you to my office today. Make sure to wear something formal, okay?”

None of those sentences were real questions, and Joshua nodded instantly. He obediently stood up and walked back to his own room despite the fact that he was screaming inside due to the idea of being locked in the alpha’s office for the whole day. Joshua even guessed that he would have to sleep in Wonwoo’s bed tonight.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still trying to put more mysteries into the story and slowly revealing some at the same time. I hope it could always keep you curious. Actually I can't wait to upload a new chapter ><
> 
> This is not related to the fic, but today I met some Carats and they thought that I was eighteen years old - the same age as them. But in fact, I'm the same age as Jun :') I have never known that I look that young...


	14. Love in the office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo frowned but tried to swallow down his jealousy since he still knew that he had messed things up. However, it was really painful and even infuriating to watch Joshua clung to Jun, one hand gripping the back of the alpha’s vest and trailing him as he moved around the counter to prepare some coffee. 
> 
> No matter how mad, upset or sad Jun was with him, the younger had never stopped being sweet and caring to him, making Wonwoo’s heart ache terribly, pathetically. He just desperately wishes that Jun really understands how much he loves him, adores him and wants him to stay by his side for the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A LOT OF WONSHUA in this chapter! This is mostly fluff ;_;
> 
> Of course there is also a little bit of MinShua, JunShua and WonJun (or WonHui?) too. I hope you will enjoy it ^^

“What the fuck was that, Wonwoo?” Mingyu could not hold back his anger anymore, snarling. “Why the hell did you talk about _knotting _and _blood _to him? I didn’t hear anything else from his pleas except for those fucking words. Don’t ever tell me that you don’t know what he’s scared of.”

Seeing the man being about to jump at Wonwoo, Jun grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back. Mingyu only seemed to oblige because that was what Jun wanted. The pheromones coming from him could freak out any omega around within ten meters.

He did not know that Joshua in fact could sense his anger from the bedroom, and the hybrid was feeling bad since his owners were fighting because of him.

“And you bit him when we were not nearby.” Jun was also irritated, but not as angry as Mingyu. His saying was much more like a complaint. “Can’t you just keep it in your mind that he’s too weak to take your bite easily? Even a normal omega cannot.”

“I’m sorry.” Wonwoo admitted his mistake, and he would not try to find any excuses. “I will try to fix this. He will gain back his trust after spending enough time with me.”

“By keeping him crying until he passes out in your office?” Mingyu snorted.

Although Wonwoo was apologetic, he would by no means back off. Once he had made up his mind, Joshua would show up at his office today at all cost.

“He won’t.”

A few minutes later, Joshua appeared, well-dressed in a light blue shirt tucked in grey trousers. Since the boy did not own any leather shoes, Jun told him that it would be okay for him to wear the sneakers, so he put them on.

Joshua spent his few minutes left in the apartment sitting in Mingyu’s lap, enjoying the giant’s warmth wrapping him totally and protectively. Despite living in a place with three alphas, the boy seriously reeked of only Wonwoo, and Mingyu was not happy with that. If Wonwoo did not change, they would definitely fight over Joshua hundreds of times in the future.

“If you are bored in his office, you may call Jeonghan.” Mingyu gave an extremely tempting suggestion, making the hybrid’s eyes shine brightly. “Seungcheol also goes to work. Jeonghan must be alone at home. He’ll be very happy to talk to you.”

Joshua nodded, starting to remember that he had his own smartphone and he also had Jeonghan’s numbers. However, he still darted a nervous glance towards Wonwoo across the room, worried that the man would not allow him to do that. Wonwoo heard the conversation, and he did not say anything, which means he did not mind it.

“Or you can call me.” Mingyu smiled, remaining a loving eye contact with his boy. “I will always have time to talk to you.”

The alpha was finally relieved and contented to see Joshua smiled back at him and nodded. Joshua liked looking at Mingyu, especially when he grinned. The giant alpha’s vibe was always bright and positive. If Jun had the ability to calm Joshua down most rapidly and easily, then Mingyu was the one who was capable of lightening up the boy’s mood without much effort.

Standing from afar, Wonwoo was immensely jealous at the scene of Joshua giggling quietly after Mingyu secretly whispered something to his ear that the lead alpha could not hear, but he had to suppress his own scent and pheromones, forcing himself to accept the fact that Mingyu was helping a lot. As long as Joshua got happier, everything should be fine.

The hybrid did not want to leave Mingyu at all, but he had to and the alpha gave him a sweet kiss for a goodbye. The giant left in his own car while Joshua got on Wonwoo’s car together with Jun and headed to their company. Jun sat at the back with the hybrid, holding his hand to help him feel calm and comfortable. However, he could feel that the boy tensed up and started to fidget when Wonwoo suddenly spoke to him.

“Joshua, if anyone asks you anything, don’t answer. They are not supposed to talk to you when I am not around.” Keeping looking at the road, the alpha said in stable voice without turning his head to look at the one whom his words were directed to. “Don’t let anyone touch you except for when they offer a handshake.”

The boy swallowed hard before answering. His voice was so low and shaky.

“I understand.”

Jun had never brought his omega to work - he had never been mated anyway. What Wonwoo had just said sounded somehow possessive and overprotective to him, but after taking a few minutes to think, he knew that there was no other option. If someone tried to talk to Joshua or touch him while Wonwoo was there or not, that person was much likely to have indecent intention. Moreover, he highly doubted the hybrid’s ability of talking to strangers. A person who knows how to respect another alpha - especially when that alpha is a boss - must stay away from his omega.

In the parking lot, Wonwoo held Joshua’s hand to lead him out of the car, but the boy was trembling badly, worrying both of his owners. Places like this had always been notorious for the alphas outnumbering the omegas. The thick scent in the air attacked Joshua’s nose and brought him countless uncomfortable feelings. Above all the scents, he still smelled Wonwoo and Jun as the strongest ones - mostly Wonwoo to be exact - but he hated all of the other alphas’ scents.

Although Joshua was scared of Wonwoo, this was also the time he really needed the protection from his most powerful alpha. The hybrid automatically clung to him, one hand holding Wonwoo’s hand tightly, the other one also clutching onto his arm. Jun silently walked behind them, giving his boy some more feelings of security. Jun was there to watch everything, then nobody would be able to grab him from behind. Joshua forced his mind to focus on his alphas’ scent only, trying his best to remember that he was then a mated omega in everyone’s eyes and he was walking with Wonwoo, the alpha that he had always looked up to and felt proud to have. People even did not know his hybrid identity. There would be nothing to worry about.

The environment was in fact safe, bearing no threat or danger, but Joshua disliked being surrounded by the pheromones of alphas that he did not know. Right after entering the main hall of the huge building, he could sense many eyes glancing at him in surprise and curiosity. That was also when he began to feel Wonwoo’s pheromones getting intense. The result was clear: nobody spent more than one second to look at the new boy appearing at the company for the first time. There were alphas passing by, but the distance was enough not to cause Joshua to flinch. They politely bowed to Wonwoo and he nodded back while Joshua kept ducking his head for the whole way, his grip on the alpha’s arm still tight.

Joshua had heard people talking a few times about the alphas taking their omegas along to work or some special public events. According to what he had heard, he wanted to believe that the action really had the meaning of good intention. It is said that when an alpha brings his mate with him to somewhere, it means that he wants everyone to know he has a mate and this omega is claimed. The more important thing is, omegas claimed by the powerful alphas will be highly respected, and only the omegas who are extremely loved by their mates will be brought to their work place. Joshua had no pet collar on him at the moment, only Wonwoo’s bite on his neck. Should he believe that he was being loved? Was this Wonwoo’s apology? Or this was another way of him to _teach Joshua a lesson_, forcing him to remember that he was _owned _and had no right to reject Wonwoo?

The way going to Wonwoo’s office was not as peaceful as what Joshua had expected. They met a few people who did not just walk by. They stopped and talked to his alphas. Wonwoo gave a brief introduction, emphasizing on the phrase “my omega”, making the boy shudder. The hybrid did not like being examined by those people, so he kept stepping back until more than half of himself was hidden behind Wonwoo’s tall figure. Actually, those people did not look at the boy for long, it was just Joshua being haunted by the notion of alphas being the aggressive and pervert human who always valued the omegas like a delicious piece of meat.

The only thing Joshua could do to calm himself down was holding Wonwoo more tightly and inhaling deeply all of the peppermint scent to fill his lungs. Nobody judges a clingy or timid omega. Wonwoo never stopped him.

Joshua only sighed in relief after entering Wonwoo’s office and the door was closed behind him. He was a little sad that Jun works in another room while Wonwoo demanded him staying here, but anyway it was good enough. There was nobody here except for him and his alpha. There were barely any scents of other people who had come here and left. Joshua felt a bit like home. This place was safe.

The office looked just as cold as its owner. There were only three colors in the room - black, grey and white. Joshua found it extremely lucky to have a crystal-clear glass wall facing the huge marvelous city out there. Sunlight gave warmth to the room through the glass, making it brighter and livelier. There was a coffee table with a couch and two armchairs in the room. Joshua deemed those to be used for meetings with clients or maybe other cases that he did not know. In a beautiful corner of the room there was also a round glass table with two elegant chairs. The boy guessed that place would be suitable for Wonwoo to sit down and enjoy his lunch or even a cup of coffee. Since there were two chairs, the hybrid dared to think that Jun also used that corner to do something.

Just a very short moment later, Jun came into the room, causing Joshua to smile immediately. Wonwoo frowned but tried to swallow down his jealousy since he still knew that he had messed things up. However, it was really painful and even infuriating to watch Joshua clung to Jun, one hand gripping the back of the alpha’s vest and trailing him as he moved around the counter to prepare some coffee. Just one minute ago the boy refused to let go of his arm as if he would die without Wonwoo, but once entering the room, the hybrid looked like he did not need Wonwoo’s existence in his life anymore.

That was not true. Wonwoo tried so hard to remind himself of the fact. Joshua loves all of them. He just loves Jun more, and Wonwoo deserved the cold treatment as he had frightened the hybrid.

There were coffee and tea bags on the counter along with some beautiful mugs, spoons and sugar. Jun gently asked if Joshua wanted to have some tea or coffee. The boy actually had never tried any of them, and he was glad to have his first taste of the drink. Seeing the alpha making coffee for both himself and Wonwoo, Joshua decided to drink the same thing. He carefully watched his owner make the drinks to make sure that would be able to do that by himself next time. While mixing the liquid inside the mug, Jun promised to his boy that he would come in and out of this room from time to time and at twelve o’ clock three of them would have lunch together. Joshua beamed at the information, but still wished to sit with Jun out there rather than staying here.

Not only Jun but also Wonwoo felt a little relieved to see Joshua smile. They were so worried that the incident this morning would affect his whole mood of the day and he would return to his melancholy and reserved state like he had been on the first day they met. However, even worse feelings burned inside their stomach when the boy voluntarily brought the coffee to Wonwoo. Cautiously bringing the mug with a plate underneath by both hands, the boy came right to the alpha’s desk, placing the mug down in front of him. It was noticeably difficult for him to look at his owner in the eyes. His voice was still low and shaking, but surprisingly soft.

“Master, this is your coffee.”

Wonwoo and Jun exchanged a quick look with each other, nearly shocked to see Joshua behaving docile and malleable on purpose. They smelled fear thick in the air although the boy had attempted to mask his true feelings. He was doing this to please Wonwoo, because he thought that was the best way he could cope with to avoid his anger and punishment. Wonwoo wanted a submissive omega, of course, but he had never wanted to make Joshua his slave.

Jun sighed audibly before he left, and Joshua stood silently by Wonwoo’s side, waiting for any commands. He had just remembered that he did not ask the lead alpha if he was allowed to have a cup of coffee or not. Wonwoo is the boss here; everything should be approved by him first. Joshua’s mug of hot coffee was still at the counter but he did not have the nerve to come and get it. He needed to wait what Wonwoo wanted him to do. Jun was not here anymore; no one could protect him from the alpha who had already claimed him and had all of his rights to even kill Joshua.

A hybrid’s death will never be reported as a crime if he was killed by his official owners. Official owners are the ones who bought him from the pet shop. Joshua knew Wonwoo had enough paper for that.

“Bring your coffee here, Joshua.” Wonwoo patted the hybrid’s back gently. “Let’s enjoy coffee together.”

Obediently, Joshua went to the counter to get his mug and then came back to Wonwoo’s desk immediately. The alpha pulled him to sit in his lap, making the boy skip a heartbeat, and his owner saw sadness covering his beautiful eyes. Joshua always loved to be close to his alphas, always loved to sit in their lap, but he hated the fear inside of him right now. The boy could not help shaking although he had continuously told himself to stop that. His heart fluttered and clenched at the same time whenever Wonwoo touched him. Joshua wished to be hugged, stroked, caressed and kissed like he had been, but no movement of Wonwoo could make him forget the _knot and blood_.

Finding it hard for the boy to hold the hot mug in his delicate hands, Wonwoo took the mug and asked, his deep voice sounding warm like the smell of coffee in the boy’s nose.

“Try a bit, baby. We may add some more sugar if it’s too bitter for you.”

Seeing the alpha bringing the mug closer to his mouth, Joshua unconsciously brought his hands up to hold onto the mug too, wrapping his cold fingers around the man’s hand so that he could slightly guide his owner to help him take a sip.

“How do you feel? Is it good?” Wonwoo asked and lowered the mug, eyes never leaving the boy’s face.

Joshua nodded honestly since he enjoyed the taste of coffee. Wonwoo smiled to him.

“Great. It’s still very hot. Just drink slowly.”

The hybrid nodded again, reaching out his hand to take the mug but the alpha shook his head.

“Let me hold it for you.”

A few seconds later, Wonwoo put down Joshua’s mug on the desk to take his own and drank a bit of the coffee. However, after a few times exchanging the mugs, neither of them really cared which one actually belonged to whom anymore. Wonwoo was better at handling the hot liquid than Joshua, and one of the mugs soon went empty, but the alpha was still very patient. He kept reminding Joshua to drink slowly so as not to burn his tongue or mouth. At first the boy was afraid to take his owner too much time, but since Wonwoo had asked him to drink slowly, he did not dare to rush. Nonetheless, he found himself enjoying this - sitting in his alpha’s lap and drinking morning coffee with him in the most intimate way. Joshua had never known that coffee would taste this wonderful. The smell of coffee and peppermint - what a heavenly combination.

When Wonwoo put down the empty mug next to the other empty one on the desk, Joshua was not able to think much; his eyes were still on his alpha’s face in an attempt to read his thoughts and emotions. However, the boy failed to see his intention and was caught off guard when the alpha pressed their lips together in a hot, wet, deep, slow but passionate kiss. The arms around his body got tighter a little, but Joshua felt that he was able to break free if he really wanted to. The fact is, he did not want to. Consequently, much as Joshua was surprised, lost and still scared, he let himself drift away in the kisses, parting his lips for his owner to invade every corner.

He could taste coffee on Wonwoo’s tongue. Joshua did not know since when he started to move his own tongue against that tongue to get more friction and more of that delicious taste. Neither did he know when he began wrapping his arms around the alpha’s neck to indulge himself more in the thickness of peppermint aroma in the air. There were short moments of delay which lasted for only two seconds. At those times, Joshua thought that he heard Wonwoo murmur _“I’m sorry”_ on his lips. His breath hitched at the apology, and then he found himself kissing the alpha back more and more lovingly after each soft and sincere apology.

Unfortunately, Wonwoo had to break the kiss much more early than either of them had expected due to a knock on the door. He growled and gritted his teeth in frustration, but quickly got back his gentle expression on the face as he pecked Joshua’s cheek.

“We will get back to this later, okay?”

Blushing adorably, the boy nodded and stood up, carrying the two mugs in his hands as he moved towards the restroom while the alpha allowed the guest to come in. Not in the mood to be introduced to someone new again, Joshua walked quickly enough to disappear behind the restroom’s door before the stranger stepped in. The boy was still slightly trembling under the effect of Wonwoo’s pheromones in the room, but when he saw his own flushed cheeks in the mirror, the corner of his lips lifted up to form a shy and embarrassed smile.

Joshua only got out of the restroom when he heard nothing but silence out there. Wonwoo got up from his chair immediately and walked straight to his boy. The man gently held the hybrid’s hand and led him around the room, officially giving an introduction of his office. Joshua was allowed to use anything available here; the alpha just warned him not to touch things on his desk without his permission. He was okay with that; even if Wonwoo had not said so, he would never dare to mess up his owner’s desk. There was a bookshelf in the office and Wonwoo said Joshua could also take any books to read.

Honestly, Joshua preferred sitting in the man’s lap like he had done in the first night staying at their apartment, but this place was not home anyway. He had to let his alpha work and _behave_. Moreover, Joshua had other things to do. He wanted to call Jeonghan so as to check whether his best friend was fine or not. He asked permission before calling, afraid that his talking on the phone would disturb Wonwoo’s work, but the man smiled and patted his hair.

“Your voice will make me happy.”

Joshua smiled shyly, causing his owner’s heart to combust right on the spot.

“Thank you, master.”

While Wonwoo was busy trying to keep the beautiful image of his lovely boy in his memory, he did not know how much the hybrid also loved his alpha’s smile. Wonwoo’s smile was always precious to Joshua, because the man was usually cold. He noticed that the way his alpha treated other people in the company was tremendously different from how he treated everyone at home. The boy wished to believe that such difference meant he was a special person to Wonwoo, too.

Sitting on the couch, Joshua took out his smartphone. The boy was still pretty slow in using it, but he could do it by himself and Wonwoo silently watched in amusement. His little hybrid did not like being alone, but he was sure that the boy was capable of getting accustomed to new life easily. Joshua seemed to be smart. They need to teach him things only once and after that he will be able to do it on his own without asking again.

The cat hybrid was incredibly happy when Jeonghan appeared on the screen with a bright smile. Joshua almost jumped in excitement to hear his friend’s voice normal and stable, not tired or broken. Wonwoo was so surprised by the significant change of scent that he had to look away from the computer screen to check what was happening. Well, he did not think the boy would make a video call, not an ordinary call. Joshua guessed that his owners were right; yesterday Seungcheol was extremely tired and he did not have energy for anything else.

“Wait, where are you?” Jeonghan raised a question. “That doesn’t look like your apartment. Going somewhere with your masters?”

“I’m at my master’s office. I mean my eldest master.”

“The CEO one? At his company?”

“Yes, that’s right. I asked and he allowed us to talk here. Don’t worry.”

Wonwoo suddenly frowned in confusion. Was that the way hybrids talk about their owners? They considered it wrong to call their owners’ name directly while they are nearby? Wonwoo was really feeling uncomfortable with the word _“master”_, because it made their relationship too distant. He did not want to have that kind of relationship with Joshua. How many times had he told the boy that he was their omega, not their pet?

Wonwoo even get more confused when hearing Jeonghan called Seungcheol _“my master”_ when the blond man talked about being brought to the alpha’s office sometimes. In Joshua’s case, that was understandable, but with Jeonghan, it was totally different since he was Seungcheol’s mate, not a brought _pet._ Seungcheol had never told him anything, but anyway Wonwoo knew Jeonghan is a hybrid and he was genuinely amazed. According to what Wonwoo knew about his friend, he even thought that the said man had a slight dislike for hybrids. He wondered if Seungcheol had found out that truth or not. If he had but still kept the omega, then Jeonghan must be a very special exception.

For just a very short moment, Jeonghan got excited after Joshua’s reveal and started to tell stories about his trip to Seungcheol’s office, but then the topic was cut off and both the boys turned silent. Wonwoo did not follow every word of the whole talk but he could realize the shift in the mood of the hybrids. This was not good. He could sense troubles in the bond between Seungcheol and Jeonghan. The blonde omega’s unhappy experience in his own relationship would affect Joshua’s way of thinking negatively.

Jeonghan was the one who started a new topic first. However, the boy was quite lost when his friend told him about Seungcheol with such a happy attitude. The older said that yesterday, after leaving Joshua’s apartment, the alpha brought him to a restaurant to have dinner. That restaurant was the place that served Jeonghan’s favorite dish with the best quality. That was enough to make him feel contented.

Joshua felt it wrong to see Jeonghan getting happy for those small things while Seungcheol had done too many other horrible things to him, but he could see that his friend did not want to talk about those anymore. He acted as if nothing had ever happened, and he made Joshua do the same. The younger sighed inwardly, having no choice but to follow his friend’s decision. He tried to forget and relax, so that both of they could have a happy time talking to each other.

Joshua wanted to talk to Jeonghan a lot, and he even wanted to cuddle with his friend more, but he still felt a bit uncomfortable to chat while Wonwoo was nearby. Furthermore, he knew that Jeonghan had his own home to take care of. As a result, he hung up after fifteen minutes and began wandering along the huge bookshelf. Joshua scanned through the names of the book to pick out something that may catch his attention. Finally, he found a detective novel. Sitting on the couch, the boy started to read the book calmly and comfortably.

Wonwoo was still busy with his work, but he did not fail to notice his boy looking at him from time to time as if he was looking for something. He smirked to himself, guessing that _something_ was attention. The strawberry candy and rose scent in the air was really good at the moment, telling the alpha that his omega was having no problem staying here with him. The whole scene along with the scent melted Wonwoo’s heart. He was not wrong to think that Joshua loves him. The boy easily forgave him and forgot the alpha’s action that had terrified him. Nothing could do such things except for _love_.

Eventually, Wonwoo decided to stand up and brought the chair at the corner of his office to his desk. Joshua instantly looked up from the book to check what his owner was doing, eyes trailing the man walking back and forth in the room, curiosity filling those dove-liked eyes. After Wonwoo sat back down, Joshua was still looking at him confusedly. The alpha smiled at him, his voice gentle and inviting.

“Come here with me, Joshua.”

Immediately understanding what that meant, Joshua got up on his feet extremely fast and nearly ran towards his owner. Wonwoo did not expect that the hybrid would be so happy to sit near him. Therefore, what he had just witnessed made his heart grow weaker for the lovely boy. Joshua’s scent got sweeter when he got what he wanted while Wonwoo also felt relaxed even though he was still working. Joshua’s silence turned out to be a perfect thing for this moment. The boy did not have the need to talk. Consequently, he could sit by Wonwoo’s side comfortably and happily without opening his mouth even once for hours, letting his alpha concentrate on his work. He occasionally glanced at the man, and Wonwoo swore that he saw him staring at his shoulder a few times. Maybe Joshua wanted to lean on his shoulder, but he knew that he should not.

As Wonwoo told him to take off his shoes, the hybrid happily obeyed and unconsciously sat with both his legs on the chair. The alpha did not scold him for that, because although Joshua was not able to control that action, when someone stepped in the room he was cautious enough to put both the legs down and sit straight up. Joshua avoided all kinds of eye contact, keeping his head down and pretending to be reading the book with high concentration. In fact, he had no idea what he was looking at when a stranger got inside the room. He did not like strangers at all, especially when those people did not have a close relationship with his owners. Wonwoo would surely protect him, but that would not make him feel more comfortable with the unknown human; it just made him feel less scared and more secured.

Nobody made a question about the presence of a boy who they had never seen in the CEO’s office. Wonwoo was the one who initially introduced his omega briefly, because that was the original intention of bringing Joshua here. The boy heard some of them let out a small exclamation of _“oh”_ or _“aw”_, seeming surprised but in a positive way. At those times, Joshua had no time but to look up, as he thought it would be quite rude if he kept ignoring the people he was being introduced to. The hybrid did not know what to do; he just awkwardly nodded - or bowed, he was not sure - to them. Some of them, all of whom were omegas and betas, smiled at him, but he did not.

“I think he is hungry.” Minghao, an omega, suddenly made a comment after the introduction.

Joshua’s breath hitched at the way-too-exact comment and ducked his head in embarrassment. Wonwoo was quite amazed. Based on the way they were talking to each other, the hybrid knew that Minghao was not just a normal worker. He seemed to be more like a friend.

“How do you know?”

“Maybe alphas are not that sensitive, but omegas are. I can smell that from him.”

“Hm.” Wonwoo turned to look at his boy to check whether that was true or not, and Joshua’s flushed cheek was enough for him to get the answer. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“My pleasure.” Minghao smiled. His next sentence was directed towards not only Wonwoo but also the boy. “If he wants someone to talk, you can send him to my place. I’m very glad to.”

“Maybe not today.” Wonwoo appreciated the offer but he knew Joshua was not ready for that. “But I think one day he will like to.”

“I’m looking forward to that.”

Minghao’s words and tone were so fond that Joshua could not help looking up at him again to see the omega grin at him. The hybrid tried his best to smile back at the kind man who was willing to befriend him. He knew his fake smile must be very horrible, but at least he tried.

After Minghao left, Wonwoo explained to clear Joshua’s confusion.

“He’s like… a family’s friend. His parents are my parents’ friends. We have known each other since childhood.”

Surprisingly, Joshua’s reaction was different from what Wonwoo had imagined. The boy frowned a bit. There was a change in his scent as well. The man spent a minute observing his omega and then soon found out the reason. He chuckled and ruffled the light brown lock lovingly.

“Don’t think too much, baby. He’s just a friend.”

Wonwoo found Joshua too cute as the boy was being upset and jealous and embarrassed at the same time. He did not try to make the boy stop suspecting Minghao; he enjoyed seeing his boy’s obvious jealousy. Instead, he only did another thing to distract Joshua from the negative thought.

Less than a minute later, Jun walked in the room. This time it was Wonwoo’s turn to frown when he saw the hybrid’s reaction. Like a kid seeing candy or a new toy, Joshua beamed and ran towards Jun immediately. The younger alpha just needed to appear and then nothing could stop Joshua from clinging to him anymore. Wonwoo sighed as he had just realized one more thing. The hybrid was sitting normally beside him all the time did not mean that it was enough for him. Wonwoo forgot that Joshua always needed attention and affection. Obviously, Jun was much like the boy’s alpha than him; Wonwoo was much more like his owner. Joshua was not afraid of seeking for attention from Jun and acting needy towards him, but he was always cautious while being with the lead alpha. Wonwoo needed to change himself.

How many times had he reminded himself of that today? And it was just nine fifteen in the morning.

While Joshua was still naïve and a bit oblivious, Jun understood Wonwoo a lot. Not wanting the older alpha to feel being left out or ignored, he came and sit at the chair that the hybrid had sat before. Pulling the boy to sit in his lap, he took out his phone and tapped on a delivery app on the screen, intentionally keeping the phone at a position that was convenient for Joshua to see. The boy curiously stared at the phone then at his alpha. Jun explained in his tender voice as usual.

“Baby, Wonwoo told me that you are hungry and suggested that we should get something for you to eat or drink. What do you think?”

Joshua turned to look at Wonwoo in awe and then he beamed again, nodding vigorously. Wonwoo was not able to count how many times his omega had said _“thank you,”_ and he knew that he had made a perfect decision. He remembered someone saying that _“A healthy omega is a happy omega”_, and in this case _“a healthy omega”_ was definitely _“an omega with enough food.”_ When Joshua asked in such a whiny voice whether the alphas would also eat (or drink) or not, they had no choice but to say _“yes”_. How could they say no? It was clear that Joshua would be much happier if they joined him.

It was so painful for Wonwoo to watch the two people he loves most cuddling with each other while choosing the food on a phone like that. And, his heart flipped when Jun all of a sudden leaned towards him and handed his phone to him. It was so close; Jun’s shoulder was being pressed to his at the moment.

“What about you? You want some food or a drink?”

Wonwoo always loves Jun’s voice. It was always calming, soothing and sweet - sweet in _an alpha way_. For years, that had always been the best part of his job at this company, the only thing that calmed him down from his most difficult days in the position of a CEO until now.

No matter how mad, upset or sad Jun was with him, the younger had never stopped being sweet and caring to him, making Wonwoo’s heart ache terribly, pathetically. He just desperately wishes that Jun really understands how much he loves him, adores him and wants him to stay by his side for the rest of their lives.

“I will have whatever you have.” Wonwoo answered with a smile.

Jun nodded also with a smile and quickly made a few more taps on the screen to order while his mouth was whispering, somehow like towards Wonwoo, somehow just like talking to himself.

“So… I will order three sets of milk tea for all of us. I guess that is okay.”

Wonwoo has never liked milk tea, but he loves it because it is Jun’s favorite drink. How many times had he drunk that with Jun for the past few years? He could not remember.

Joshua adorably pouted and whined when Jun left the room after finishing ordering the food. Wonwoo explained to him that it would be not nice if someone stepped in here and saw him cuddling with Jun since the boy only had one mark on his neck at the moment and everyone had only known him as Wonwoo’s omega. The boy listened carefully and then nodded thoughtfully. When Jun came back to give the drinks that had arrived, Joshua kissed the alpha before he left, making both of them contented.

_Shit_. Wonwoo would explode because of jealousy. Why would fate have to torture him like that?

“I’m feeling so ignored.” The man leaned backwards on his chair, faking a sad sigh.

On the other hand, his tone was still soft and calm, more than enough for Joshua to see no danger or threat from him. The boy smiled and walked to him, happily sitting in the alpha’s lap. They together got back to the kissing session that had been interrupted from the beginning of the morning. Wonwoo considered this as a short break for himself, kissing and snuggling his omega in his arms. Every time he broke the kiss for Joshua to breath, he would coo softly to the boy some praises like _“You’re so cute”, “Your lips are so sweet”_ or even _“I love you”_. Joshua smiled and blushed, but he did not reply the same statement that Wonwoo had expected. However, the man was not disappointed, since it would be stranger if Joshua could say something like that easily. The boy is very shy and has difficulties with words; his alphas all know that.

Wonwoo let go of Joshua before all the ice in the drinks got melted, but the alpha was heartbroken again when he realized that his omega had never tasted milk tea before. The boy’s childhood must have been stolen. He must have chosen to drink this because Jun chose it. Finally there was a similarity between two of them: they both love Jun and blindly follow what the gentle alpha likes. Luckily, Joshua’s eyes brightened up after the first sip and he chewed the boba happily, continuing to read the detective novel.

Both Wonwoo and Joshua were so surprised when his phone buzzed on the desk, but the boy soon smiled brightly like the sun when he saw the name of his giant alpha on the screen. Wonwoo tried to hold back his laughter at how Joshua saved his cousin’s name: _“My giant Mingyu.”_ Moreover, he started to wonder how the boy saved his name. Was there be a _“my”_ before his name too?

Overall, all of the alphas were relieved and happy since Joshua’s mood had got much better than he had been before they left home. He was like nothing bad had ever happened. Seeing the smile on the boy’s face, Mingyu knew that Wonwoo was really letting their omega enjoy a good time in his office, which cooled his anger towards the oldest alpha a bit. Mingyu also made a video call; therefore, he could sometimes see Wonwoo through Joshua’s camera. He still hated the idea of letting Joshua appear at Wonwoo's office as his mate, but part of him still desperately hoped that this incidence may probably change his oldest cousin's mind one day. 

If Wonwoo did not _change his mind_, Mingyu would stop this bullshit immediately. He was trying to tolerate the lead alpha, but his patience surely had its limit.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why was Mingyu annoyed when Wonwoo wanted to introduce Joshua to everyone as his omega?  
How did Wonwoo know Jeonghan is a hybrid?
> 
> I'm sorry but it's really difficult to split the chapters ;_; They're not in the same length. Some may be long and some may be very short. 
> 
> And today I had my first session with a psychiatrist... I hope things will go well in the future. Maybe I should look on the positive aspect, which is that I will have some experience to write about my characters going to see psychiatrists in the future.


	15. Happiness was still imperfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There turned out to be some important information that Joshua still had not known about his owners. Jihoon was there to tell him more. 
> 
> As time passed by, Joshua gradually changed in a positive way, but there was only one thing remaning the same and he just could not stop worrying about that.
> 
> It was nothing but his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting impatient by myself. I'm so eager to post a new chapter. I can't even wait so as to get more views for my fic ><
> 
> I'm so afraid that the light and soft chapters like this (and the previous one) will make you feel bored ;_; Please be patient till the next one, things will be much different I promise!!!! ;_;

When lunch break came, Wonwoo, Jun and Joshua went out together for lunch. They walked to a restaurant that was pretty close to the company, and the cozy atmosphere along with the presence of quite many omegas’ scents in the place made the boy feel relaxed. However, there was a much more special thing that made Joshua freeze right after entering the restaurant. The boy just needed up to three seconds to track the sandalwood scent and then he ran.

The boy was so happy to see Mingyu that he did not think much before running towards the alpha. It was not until he was only less than a meter away from the giant that Joshua began to hesitate, unsure whether he would be allowed to hug him excitedly like what he had done to Jun previously. He still did not understand Mingyu much.

Quickly realizing the hesitation in the hybrid, Mingyu opened his arms widely to welcome the timid boy, causing his omega to throw himself towards his chest immediately. The nice surprise added more joy to Joshua’s heart, and the food seemed to taste wonderful. It had just been a few days and Joshua deadly loved having meals together with all of his three owners. The boy was still silent, just listening to his alpha talk and answering when asked, but none of them feel the need to rush or push him. The way Joshua looked at them was like a miracle making all of them believe that they were truly the best men in this world. It was such a proud, an honor to be the hero in the eyes of their love.

After lunch, Joshua had a short nap in Wonwoo’s office after the man assured that nobody would enter the room except for Jun while he was asleep. When Joshua woke up, he sat near Wonwoo again, but did not read the book anymore. Wonwoo saw him searching for some recipes on the Internet with a lot of enthusiasm, guessing that he would soon be able to taste new delicious dishes cooked by his lovely omega. Surely not today, but certainly a day in the near future.

The cute hybrid even shyly asked if Wonwoo had any spare paper which he could use to note down something. The alpha generously took out a whole new notebook that he did not really need to use in his drawer, giving it to Joshua with a promise that he would take the boy to a bookstore so that he could pick a notebook that he liked. That was just something so simple that Wonwoo did for his lover, but it was more than enough to make the boy happy and smile brightly.

Joshua had dinner with his alphas in another restaurant in the evening and the atmosphere was just as good as it had been in the afternoon. Because the hybrid said that he wanted to make breakfast for them the next morning, they stopped at the supermarket for him to buy some things before going home. That was the first time the boy went to the supermarket with his alphas, and he did not know that it would be this fun.

In the supermarket, he had the chance to see Jun and Mingyu bickering with each other again, arguing over the things that one insisted on buying while the other one had hundreds of reasons to mock or reject. Joshua realized Jun was always the one who started to “attack” first. Mingyu used his words to fight back, but the fondness in his eyes for the older cousin was undeniable. Sometimes, the giant just stood still and stared at Jun like an idiot while they stopped at a rack to examine a kind of good or have a small debate about which one to buy among those being displayed. However, Joshua also realized that Mingyu looked at him like that too, since there was once the man suddenly pinched his cheek and cooed with sparkling eyes when Joshua was talking about buying some snacks for the said man.

“My boy is so cute.” Mingyu happily took the small bag of snack that Joshua had picked for him and put it in their cart. “I didn’t think that you would notice my habit that quickly.”

The giant alpha loves to eat while watching TV in the evening. That is his way of relaxing after a long day at work and Joshua did not fail to notice this. The compliment from the happy man made Joshua grin in happiness as well, but he soon turned embarrassed when the alpha gave him a tight back hug right in the middle of the supermarket crowded with people. Even so, Joshua had had enough time with Mingyu to know that the youngest alpha was not capable of lying. As a result, the cheesy words coming from the man melted his heart and although he was still blushing, he did not want to push him away at all.

“You’re exactly like an angel falling from heaven into my apartment. How can you be this perfect?”

At the moment, Joshua noticed some male and female omegas staring at them with so much jealousy in their eyes. The more they stared, the more the hybrid wanted to keep Mingyu to himself so that everyone would know _whom this alpha belongs to_. From then onwards, Joshua and Mingyu walked with each other, holding hands on the whole way. Neither Jun nor Wonwoo minded that, because they had already had a lot of time with the hybrid today while Mingyu had not. It was great to see him not too afraid of their huge cousin anymore.

That night, Joshua did not dare to make his own decision about who to sleep with, because he deemed that it was impossible for him to do that today. Wonwoo would surely make the boy sleep with him. Joshua thought so but he did not ask to confirm his guess. Therefore, although he was tired and sleepy, he still sat on the couch to watch TV with Mingyu, and then leaned on the giant’s shoulder and let the sleep take him away. When the hybrid was woken up by some movements, he found himself being carried by Wonwoo to the bedroom, but Joshua was not scared even a bit. He let himself drowned in the protective scent of peppermint, clinging more tightly to the alpha and closing his eyes in peace.

Seeing Joshua falling asleep already, Wonwoo intended not to bite him so as not to disturb his sleep, but then the he was reminded of the nightmares and immediately changed his mind. In the end Joshua was still a hybrid haunted by the idea of being owned as a human’s property. Wonwoo could not let him wake up in the middle of the night with no feelings of being owned or protected. In that condition, the boy would not be able to think normally; he would just only focus on the absence of a collar or a claiming bite on his neck. Moreover, Wonwoo believed that the bite would affect the boy in a way that he would be even not aware of.

Since Joshua’s mind had almost gone far in the sleep, the bite did not hurt him as much as it usually did. The boy woke up to see the lead alpha attaching his sharp teeth to his sensitive neck, sinking in deeply and making him shudder. Laying on the bed, Joshua lazily wrapped his arms around the alpha’s shoulders in order to not only pull him closer but also have a strong, firm and safe place for himself to hold onto while enduring the pain. The boy tried to muffle his whimper in Wonwoo’s neck and also tried to take in as much as possible his scent to stay calm, to feel utterly owned and controlled.

That night Joshua still had nightmares. It was still early for anything to change, but every time the hybrid woke up with one of his alphas by his side, he would always thank his fate for letting these angels appear in his life to keep him warm and protected by their generous and unconditional love, or even just by their precious presence.

\---------------------------------------------

The next day, Wonwoo did not bring Joshua to his office, but promised that the day after that he surely would. As a result, that morning, Joshua was alone - with three bites on his neck - at home after his alphas left for work, but they had already given him a hint of asking Jeonghan out since Seungcheol would definitely be away for work too. The boy was so happy for his owners’ consideration, and he was reminded that none of the alphas had ever set any rules about how he and Jeonghan should meet each other. There was no promise about Seungcheol bringing Jeonghan here again yet, but there was also no restriction on that matter. Therefore, Joshua decided to call Jeonghan and asked him out. The blond omega’s voice got brightened up right at the invitation and just a second after hanging up, Joshua called Jihoon, asking the young driver to bring him to Seungcheol’s mansion.

On the way, Joshua felt well enough to start getting to know Jihoon a bit. To make them get closer, more like friends rather than host and driver, the hybrid sat in the seat next to him, not at the back. The man may look quite cold and not really friendly, but the way he answered Joshua’s questions was relaxed and comfortable, creating a nice atmosphere between the two omegas. Jihoon turned out to be a little older than Joshua, and he had only two jobs, one of which was waiting for Joshua to call him and the other one was a part time job as a private tutor for some little kids in the evening. Jihoon was unmated.

Joshua was surprised about Jihoon living with only two part-time jobs like that. He had never thought that those kinds of job could be enough for a human to even make ends meet, but Jihoon looked like a person who was enjoying enough of his life.

“How much are you paid for this job?” The hybrid could not help asking. His question almost sounded like an exclamation. Soon later, he realized that he had just asked something not very nice. “I’m sorry… I mean…”

“Your alphas are very generous.” Jihoon smiled, having no problems with the question. Anyway, Joshua was his client, not any random person, and in this case he totally had the right to ask such a question. “It’s very lucky for me to get this job. I was introduced through a friend. Your alphas were urgently looking for an omega who knows how to drive a car and has the ability of beating up the alphas, or at least fast enough to help you run away from danger. Actually, beside driving you to places, my job is to kick anyone’s ass if they dare to mess with you.”

“And you meet those requirements?” Joshua was more impressed to know this.

Jihoon laughed a bit, seeming pleased with himself. “Yes. I think my friend told them that I was notorious for fighting with the stupid alphas who mocked me for my height and status back in high school and college.” He shrugged, still smiling. “It’s good to work like this. You know, I’m very glad to protect another omega who may face problems that I used to deal with. I will have the chance to knock down more alphas. Even omegas, who knows.”

Amused by the tough omega driver, Joshua also laughed a little. He thought that _“Your alphas are very generous”_ was the only answer that Jihoon gave for his previous question, but the short man kept going on that issue.

“You know, the day before yesterday was the first day I really found out where my clients live. I didn’t know that is an apartment building. I thought that you guys were living in a mansion or something like that.”

“You mean… you thought that they were rich?” Joshua asked, but feeling silly by asking so.

Jihoon turned to look at him in a brief moment with a raised eyebrow.

“They _are_ rich. Your alpha, Wonwoo, he’s horribly rich. I couldn’t believe that he is living in a shared apartment with his cousins.”

Joshua started to feel hard to understand.

“How do you know that? I mean… you know they are rich just due to how they pay you, right?”

“Oh my god, you really don’t know?” Jihoon seemed really shocked. “You have no idea who your alphas are?”

That question sounded much like an insult to Joshua, but after a few seconds, the hybrid had to admit that it was his fault. He had not known much about his owners. They did not boast about themselves, and the boy was not good with his mouth. He did not ask them about their jobs, status, family or anything like that. There was a thick and hard-to-break barrier between him and the idea of asking his owners questions.

Jihoon sighed, but he was willing to provide his client with information.

“Most people in this city know about your alpha’s family. I mean the oldest one, Wonwoo. They are rich and powerful. His father owns a company, and he is the CEO.”

Joshua knew the name of that company; he even sat in the CEO’s office a whole day. He was not too bad, right? He just did not know how much Wonwoo was paid for such a job. Joshua had never really cared about that.

“Mingyu is an architect. Not much as Wonwoo, but I think he’s pretty rich and famous, too.”

Joshua also knew Mingyu is an architect, and knew where he worked as well. What he did not know was just how famous and rich they are.

“Oh, wait.” Jihoon suddenly looked at Joshua in a very serious way, making the boy nervous even before hearing the question. “Are you aware that they are both noble alphas?”

Joshua was caught dumbfounded.

Thinking more carefully about that, the hybrid registered that he was really stupid for not being able to identify them as the noble from the first time. Right at the moment being pulled into the apartment, he was scared to death by Wonwoo’s pheromones. He immediately recognized the man as the lead alpha, while getting frightened by Mingyu’s body size. Joshua guessed the giant would not have scared him that much if the pheromones and scent he gave off was not that much powerful. Perhaps, that was also the reason why he loved Jun the most among them, because everything about him was just sweet, peaceful and gentle, helping Joshua calm down in the middle of the mixture of two noble alphas’ scents.

Then, the boy remembered that Wonwoo’s bite always hurt him so bad. So did Mingyu’s, but a bit less severely. There had always been many people paying attention to Wonwoo and Mingyu while Joshua kept wondering why they did not do the same thing to Jun although they just looked equally wonderful in terms of appearance. Now he understood why. Jun in fact also attracted people, but in a whole different way, which was not good at all. Joshua would rather his gentle alpha being a noble like the other two so that other alphas would learn how to respect him and leave him alone.

Jihoon shook his head, seeming disappointed. “You really don’t know. Anyway, you’ve just known now. I thought you have already known that before you agreed to be their omega. When I first met you I was really amazed to see _a boy like you_ agree to be a shared omega of two nobles like that.”

Well, Joshua actually did not have the chance to agree. He was bought by them. The question suddenly came into his mind: if he had had no feelings for them and refused to respond to all the love that they had been giving him, would they let him go?

Then, he remembered what Wonwoo had said yesterday morning during breakfast.

_“He’s mine.”_

Sure, the lead alpha would definitely never allow Joshua to go.

Hearing what Jihoon had just said was like a déjà vu to the hybrid. He remembered hearing the similar thing from Seungkwan, the omega doctor.

“Is it… bad?” He asked, reluctantly and worriedly.

“No. It’s not bad. I just think that there will be pretty much pressure on you.” Jihoon answered without hesitation, making Joshua believe that he was being honest. “I have never stayed very close to a noble alpha to know how it feels like, but I heard that their dominance is very strong. Of course I met them once to have an interview and sign the contract for the job, but still not really close. It’s like… all of the alpha traits in the noble are doubled in comparison with a normal one. And you have two noble alphas. They have the ability to suppress their scent so as not to intimidate other people if they want to. I guess Wonwoo did that when I met him. But now… the scents coming from you always make me dizzy.”

“Dizzy?”

“Yeah. You don’t feel anything?” Jihoon looked shocked again. “They rubbed their scents all over you. Very seriously. I’m sure that they did not suppress their scents when being with you. I feel so lucky that the pine forest scent on you saves my lungs and my brain. It smells much nicer.”

Jihoon was so shocked about Joshua not having any negative feelings with his alphas’ scent that he could not help asking again since the boy was silent in confusion.

“You really feel nothing? Not dizzy? Nothing?”

“I…” Joshua tried to gather himself to answer, trying harder to think of the first moment he met them. “I was scared at first… but they are nice to me. I feel protected.”

“Wow!” Jihoon made an exclamation. “Then… You are really a perfect person for them. Or you really have serious anxiety problems.”

Joshua ducked his head, staring at his own fingers playing with the hem of his shirt, thinking that the latter possibility was much likely to be the reason. The hybrid admitted that he used to consider his owners as monsters, but his mind gradually changed since they were so sweet and caring to him, showing no harm, no aggression, and no violence. Jun also said on his first morning at their apartment that they were suffocating him, and Joshua thought he was right. Wonwoo effortlessly made him submissive and obedient, and now the lead alpha was also the one who made Joshua feel he was the safest omega in this world. He even subconsciously felt proud to have such alphas like Wonwoo and Mingyu - mostly Wonwoo.

Joshua’s mood was a bit down when he thought that he really had serious anxiety problems, but he got better pretty quickly, because knowing his alphas being the noble was a good thing anyway. He was protected by three alphas, two of whom are noble. That means Joshua is profoundly safe. Things would only turn into tragedy if one day they _stop loving_ _him_…

Joshua refused to think about that. He was too scared.

Jeonghan was normal when he got in the car with Joshua, making the boy happy. Today, there was no signal of the blond omega being abused by his alpha yesterday, and Joshua sighed in relief. They stopped at a café shop to have something to drink while chatting with each other. It was much nicer to talk without the presence of their owners, and the two hybrids talked so much that they almost forget the time. They laughed at their own silliness and then got in the car to go home just to continue the chat on the way.

One more time, Joshua invited Jeonghan home, and they went to the supermarket to buy things for lunch and dinner. They both promised not to wake up late today, and Jeonghan would go home early before his alpha got back. They prepared lunch together, ate together and then slept together on Joshua’s bed. The cat hybrid had already set the alarm clock on his phone before they slept. Consequently, they woke up on time and Jeonghan went home with a promise to see Joshua again soon. After that, the boy spent the rest of his time being alone at home to cook dinner for his alphas.

At first, he was really afraid of feeling lonely or insecure when staying at home with no one by his sides, but things turned out not to be so bad. The cooking activities and household chores kept him occupied. His mind did not have time to think about other things. He just wanted to focus on making the food taste delicious as well as keeping the apartment neat and clean.

Joshua gave each of his owners a hug and kissed them when they came home. The happiness in their face was undeniable when the alphas sat around the table to enjoy the dinner prepared by their beloved omega. Joshua would think that his life was fulfilled if his mind was not occupied with how irritated Seungcheol seemed when he kissed Jeonghan goodbye and squeezed his best friend in a tight hug.

Joshua knew that he was just daydreaming, but he desperately wished that magic could happen one day to bring Jeonghan into his apartment and make him live here forever. Even if it meant that there could be a possibility of the cat hybrid sharing his alphas with his best friend, he would also accept it. He wanted nothing more than to take care of Jeonghan and make him happy for the rest of his life.

\-------------------------------

A month went by peacefully. There were days in which Joshua went to his alphas’ office. Meanwhile, there were also days he stayed at home, cleaning and cooking, with or without Jeonghan. Joshua still disliked strangers, but he gradually raised his head a little bit higher whenever Wonwoo held his hand and led him to his office. After he had come there three times, nobody questioned his identity anymore, which also means that he is officially _Wonwoo’s omega_. Now Joshua was waiting for Wonwoo to let him appear at that company with two bites on his neck, telling everyone that he belongs to Jun too. Of course, he did not dare to ask.

Mingyu also brought Joshua to his office. The building where his company locates is much smaller than Wonwoo’s place, but it is still a professional one with beautiful design from inside out. Since Mingyu is not a big boss here, Joshua felt less stressed. Moreover, it was always fun to stay with the giant alpha in his work place. Mingyu loves talking to Joshua, regardless of the fact of the boy is not a person of words. He was trying to speak more but had not made much progress yet. Nonetheless, Mingyu was happy to see the effort. Wonwoo’s work was complicated and he did not want the hybrid to interfere. Joshua complied and never tried to listen to the oldest alpha talking with his employees or clients. However, Mingyu is totally different. He loves to tell the boy about his projects, showing Joshua the works he had done in the past. The boy listened attentively and adored all the genius products of his alpha, feeling his chest filled with pride.

On the days Joshua came to Wonwoo’s office, the man sometimes had to leave the room for some business that he did not dare to ask. At those times, if it was not necessary for Jun to come with him, he would let the younger alpha stay in his office with Joshua. The hybrid felt a little guilty towards Wonwoo to admit that he genuinely loved such moments a lot. After weeks living with the alphas, Joshua still loved Jun most, and staying by the gentle man was always less stressful than staying with Wonwoo.

The most horrible experience of Joshua in Wonwoo’s company was his encounter with the alpha’s father. Joshua knew he would have to meet his owners’ parents one day if he really became their mate, but he was still extremely nervous at the first unexpected meeting. He tried his best to behave well, but did not have the nerves to stare at the man’s face for long. Luckily, he was not demanded to do that either, and there was no sign of negative attitude from anyone. The old man politely nodded and the corner of his lips curved up a little when Joshua bowed to him as a greeting. Wonwoo’s father was exactly an older version of Wonwoo, bearing a cold expression on his face and giving out powerful pheromones as well, but he did not ask Joshua anything. Feeling that the old man was being lenient to him, the hybrid guessed that Wonwoo had already informed his father of how timid he was. When the old man finally left, Wonwoo smiled, placing a loving kiss on his omega’s temple.

“You did very well, baby. Don’t be scared.”

Feeling encouraged and praised, Joshua’s mood got so much better and he grinned happily to his alpha, sincerely hoping that he was slowly getting ready to become their real mate in a not very far future.

There were also times when Wonwoo asked Jun to bring Joshua out to have a drink or just take a walk for an hour because he needed to meet _someone special_ in his office. The hybrid understood that he was sent out not because the alpha was afraid that he would disturb them. Wonwoo only let Joshua go out when he knew that the meeting would last pretty long while his boy felt uncomfortable with staying in the same small room with a stranger. Moreover, the alpha always made sure to announce to the guests that this boy is his omega.

At the first times of going out with only Jun, Joshua was perplexed by the way people stared at them curiously. The more confused he was, the more tightly he held onto the man’s hand. Noticing what was bothering the boy, Jun smiled sadly, his voice suddenly turning much lower and softer.

“They are staring at us because we, an alpha and an omega, reek of the same alpha. And that alpha is not me.”

A brief explanation made everything clear in Joshua’s mind. Once again, the boy deadly wanted to ask his owner what was going on between him and Wonwoo and Mingyu, but he also had the feelings that he might unintentionally break Jun’s heart just by asking. Jun’s reaction to things like this was always sadness. He never got angry. Joshua pressed himself closer to the man and squeezed his hand, causing his alpha to look at him and smile fondly.

“But… how can they know that it is not your scent?” Instead of asking about the relationship, the boy had other questions. “Why don’t they think that I smell the same as you?”

“Wonwoo is a noble and I am not. My pheromones say that clearly. So does his scent. His scent always overshadows mine. You know, when he rubs his scent over me on purpose, I have no way to get rid of it.”

Another huge question popped up in Joshua’s mind. He knew Wonwoo made Jun smell like him every day, but the lead alpha still said that these days his cousin did not have much of his scent like he had been in the past. What did that mean? What the hell did Wonwoo do to Jun that made Joshua’s beloved alpha reek of the oldest man more seriously?

Joshua guessed he got a hint, but he decided to keep his mouth shut about it. If what he thought was right, then he really should never mention the troubles between his alphas.

Some days, not only Wonwoo but also Jun was not able to stay with Joshua at the company. The boy thought that he would be left alone in Wonwoo’s office or sent outside, but it turned out that Wonwoo brought him to Minghao’s office. At first, the boy did not like that at all; his face was extremely sulky but he did not dare to make an actual protest. That was his owner’s decision and he would not do anything against that. However, Wonwoo was not happy with that, since it was very easy to realize that Joshua was obeying a command, not that he did that because he loved and respected Wonwoo enough to follow his decision. Joshua was still considering him _his owner_, not _his alpha_.

Minghao’s position in the company was not as high as Wonwoo’s, but he also had his own room to work separately. That was a huge relief for Joshua. The office was also smaller and not very luxurious, but it was nice and filled with soft omega’s scent. Minghao smelled like jasmine, which automatically made Joshua think of Jeonghan. Anything about flowers would always remind him of his best friend. Luckily, that connection helped alleviate his slight hatred towards the omega.

“Don’t look at me like that, Joshua.” Minghao laughed softly after examining Joshua’s stare. “I have no interest in your alphas, and they know that very well too. Do you think they would bring you to me if I had any kinds of special feelings for them?”

_Of course not._ Joshua could answer that by himself, but he was still cautious.

Anyway, Minghao was a kind, friendly and generous person. He was sensitive enough to sense a considerable amount of insecure feelings surrounding Joshua whenever he saw the boy in Wonwoo’s office, so it was totally understandable for him to have such doubts. Fortunately, Minghao was not busy at that time and he could spend time talking to the boy. Their first time was not really good, but Joshua gradually got more comfortable after a few more times, and he registered that his alphas and Minghao really had no interest in each other. He could not identify any changes in their scents or pheromones whenever they met, but he always felt that his owners’ scent got stronger and even a little sweeter when he was with them.

Although Joshua had his own room at home, he only used it for taking naps in the afternoon and getting dressed. He slept with his owners every night. The alphas let him freely choose who to sleep with. They kept the routine of biting Joshua every day, and the alpha spending the night with the hybrid would bite him before he fell asleep. Joshua once wondered if his owners were tired of biting him over and over again, but he always trembled whenever trying to think about the way of forming a permanent claiming mark. The alphas sometimes intentionally let the boy encounter the concept of _knot_ and _sex_ through newspaper, magazines or TV. Seeing Joshua wince and flinch at those times, they sighed, knowing that it was still not time to do that. Their boy was not ready.

Jeonghan was amazed to be informed that Joshua’s alphas had kept their hands off him for weeks. None of them had ever touched him on his delicate and sensitive parts on the body, but Jeonghan still warned him that it would definitely come one day. Joshua was not sure what he was thinking about that. He was okay with all the skinship that they had had together, and sometimes he even felt that it would be nice if they could do something more than that to him. The hybrid could not tell exactly what “more” that he wanted was, but he really desired to be touched by the warm, gentle and familiar hands of his alphas. On the other hand, Joshua could not reveal his wish to them. What will happen if he says he wants to get more intimate with them but then he himself freaks out and shoves them away? He did not want to disappoint them or make them even more confused. If things got worse, they may get angry.

And that would be the end of his happy life.

About Joshua’s owners, he was sure that _they wanted it_. None of them had ever given him a real suggestion or hint or anything verbally related to that topic, but the intense look they gave him revealed much more than any words or actions. Things seemed to be _the worst_ with Wonwoo (Jeonghan was not surprised about that at all). Sometimes Joshua found it hard to breathe when the man suddenly looked like a domineering vampire who just wanted to eat him live, sucking all of his blood out. The hybrid gulped, trying to escape that look with hard flushed cheeks but Wonwoo gave him no way out. Those sharp eyes were exactly the embodiment of sin, driving Joshua crazy and making him afraid that one day he would lose himself in the lustful and virile scent that the alpha was giving out at such times.

Much as Joshua was scared of Mingyu’s size, he was getting more and more attracted by that as well. A giant alpha is something that most of the omegas will crave for, and Joshua is not an exception. He thought that such kind of thinking would never come to him, but it turned out that he was terribly wrong. Once the boy stopped feeling frightened by the man and started to trust him, he began to have strange desires about Mingyu’s body. The alpha is the most muscular among three of them, looking so healthy and sexy with his tanned skin, long legs and big arms. Thanks to Joshua cooking and doing much of the housework, now Mingyu had more time to spend at the gym, and his body kept _getting better_. Joshua always felt so nice when sitting in the man’s lap. That was also the time the boy could not help thinking of those thick thighs, and he got embarrassed with himself immediately.

What about Jun? Joshua did not know for sure. He felt so safe with Jun that he barely had any caution towards the alpha. He made the boy shy and embarrassed sometimes, but Joshua did not ever want to stop him. The man occasionally slapped or squeezed the hybrid’s butt in his hand, making him blush extremely hard. When they were in the same bed with Joshua lying on top of the alpha and their lips connected in continuous kisses, Jun not also groped but also stroked his butt. Again, Joshua made no protest. He just gasped in awe and moaned softly, making the man chuckle. However, Jun did not go any further, as if he were checking step by step to know what would be his baby’s limit. Joshua was okay with that; he wanted to check himself too, and he felt lucky that it was Jun who decided to make some trial. If that had been Wonwoo or Mingyu, the hybrid would have had freaked out and thought that they were going to undress him.

Joshua had to admit that, he even once - or more than once - imagined how it would feel if Jun’s hands touched him on his bare skin, without anything in between. Then, he wished to experience that feeling with Wonwoo and Mingyu, too.

About Jeonghan and the _sex_, Joshua had never stopped worrying. The blond omega still smelled melancholy and weak as always. In those weeks, Joshua and his owners had dinner with Seungcheol and Jeonghan four times, and the boy tried his best to observe every single movement and expression of his friend when the intimidating alpha was nearby. Now that Joshua was healthier than before and he was also calmer, he was able to smell Jeonghan more clearly, enough to realize the abnormal fluctuation. Omegas are always sensitive with scents. The scents reveal a lot of the person’s emotions.

Joshua hated to acknowledge the fact that his best friend was not in good mental condition at all, even worse than his own one. The presence of the two noble alphas made Jeonghan anxious although both Wonwoo and Mingyu had tried their best to suppress their own pheromones in order to show some respects towards Seungcheol and his mate. He always made sure to stay at least two meters away from them. Seungcheol helped calm Jeonghan down a bit, but it was also the man that made him _scared_. The way the rabbit hybrid looked at his alpha was too nervous and cautious; his voice was getting even thinner and quieter than his friend’s. Even Joshua’s owners could see that, which means things were getting worse.

However, there was something that added in helping Jeonghan feel more relaxed, but Joshua failed to figure out what that was. Maybe Joshua was actually helping too; they are best friends, and Jeonghan must feel good to have him by his side. Joshua hated both himself and Jeonghan, because he was not ever able to recognize when his friend had gone through a horrible night with his alpha, and the blond omega was excellent at hiding his true feelings. He expected to see the red marks and bruises in Jeonghan one day, but his friend was extraordinarily careful, wearing long-sleeved and high-collared shirt frequently, only wearing the short-sleeved ones and T-shirt a few times, so that Joshua would not know when he should suspect.

Joshua did not believe that a man like Seungcheol would have a month straight having no sexual activities with his omega. To Joshua, the situation was different because his owners were still lenient on him, but Seungcheol forced Jeonghan to become his mate.

Joshua was holding grudge towards the man for that.

“You should tell Jeonghan not to go out too much these days.” Mingyu said on the way home. “Seungcheol will leave for a business trip tomorrow. He should just stay at home.”

“Why?” Joshua cocked his head to a side, confused.

“He smells sweeter than usual. Still sad but strangely sweet. I think his heat is coming soon.”

Oh.

Joshua focused on the sadness lingering in his scent so much that he did not notice the alarm of the heat.

“I remembered that Seungcheol canceled a meeting with Wonwoo because of Jeonghan’s heat just about less than two months ago.” Mingyu kept on talking, also confused. “Why does it come so frequently? That’s not normal, right?”

The hybrid shook his head. Not normal at all. Jeonghan took suppressant regularly like Joshua did. Then why? Does bad mental condition affect the heat cycle negatively?

Leaning on Mingyu’s shoulder, holding the alpha’s arm, Joshua murmured a question, sounding extremely concerned and upset.

“What can I do to help him? He’s not fine at all.”

Mingyu sighed. He understood Joshua was talking about Seungcheol. If something was affecting Jeonghan badly, it must be his alpha, the man living with him in the same house. However, he doubted their ability of interfering with the man’s private life, especially when Seungcheol was being stressed out because of work like this recently. The man might fight back and started to attack Jun with his cruel words again.

“At least he should change the prescription of his suppressant.”

Joshua did not blame his owners for not coming up with a way to help Jeonghan, because he remembered how Seungcheol retorted when they raised their opinions about the blonde omega. Wonwoo and Jun’s cold silence made Joshua feel quite sad, but he did not say anything more. He could not ask his owners to do too much for him. They would tell him to mind his own business and Seungcheol would know how to take care of his omega.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I add some more new tags because the smut is coming soon! Really soon!!!
> 
> This chapter is probably the last light one, and after this things will get more intense. I hope you guys will enjoy it ^^ 
> 
> I also want to say that there will be omega-omega sex and alpha-alpha sex in my fic. I'm not sure if anyone feels uncomfortable with such kind of sex, but if you do, please just feel free to let me know so that I will put a warning at the beginning of the chapter if it includes sex of that kind.


	16. The upcoming heats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can you suck master’s cock, baby? If you can be a good omega for master, you will get your reward later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...  
The summary says it all. Enjoy ^^

Two days later, Mingyu had to get on the plane to go to France in his business trip. That was the reason why Joshua had spent the whole four days before that with the giant man, sleeping with him in four nights straight. The boy did not know that he would feel this sad when the day he left really came. At the airport, Wonwoo and Jun had to try hard to coax the boy into letting Mingyu go. Mingyu looked just like a sad puppy when he witnessed how upset and distressed his boy was, but eventually he could not lengthened their time anymore. He had to leave, and promised to call Joshua every day so that the boy would not miss him too much.

Joshua did not cry, but he started to miss Mingyu badly right after the man disappeared. He just wanted Mingyu to come back immediately. Maybe, in the next days, when the boy stayed at home alone, he would spend his nap time in the afternoon in Mingyu’s room. The man’s scent in that bedroom would soothe his heart.

Nonetheless, that day was not today, because Jeonghan came to the apartment to keep Joshua accompanied. Wonwoo really wanted to bring the hybrid with him today, but since today he had some meetings with the clients outside the office, it would be convenient for him to keep the boy by his side, and Joshua would not like to get involved in such incidents either. Moreover, Seungcheol went abroad to work too and would not come back in less than a week; so it was a perfect time for the hybrids to stay together.

Due to the feeling of missing his alpha, Joshua suddenly became super clingy to Jeonghan, maybe because the lavender scent was a perfect vitamin for his mind and his heart as always. However, Joshua acknowledged that Mingyu was right; Jeonghan smelled too good. Joshua is not an alpha, but he loves that scent too. In the past, during the time they were together in the previous owner’s house, neither of the boys went through their heat. It was not until now that Joshua found out the extraordinarily sweet scent coming from his best friend. Such a scent will definitely drive any alphas crazy. The cat hybrid would need to send his friend home before his owners got back from work.

“You smelled so sweet.” Joshua nuzzled into Jeonghan’s torso, murmuring like whining.

The blonde omega laughed softly. “You’re not an alpha, Joshua. Now you like my scent too?”

“I’ve liked your scent a long time ago.” This time the cat hybrid really whined in protest. “I know you like mine too. Who has planted so many roses in his garden?”

Jeonghan smiled and clicked his tongue, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Look how my boy is talking to me. I think I have spoiled you too much.”

Lifting up his head, Joshua slid closer to his friend, placing his head on Jeonghan’s chest and draping his arm over the rabbit’s torso. He pouted and unconsciously lowered his voice.

“I know you love me. Don’t pretend as if you didn’t.”

“Of course I love you.” Jeonghan delivered a kiss on his boy’s head, feeling the younger nuzzling into his chest like a real kitten.

“I wished that you were an alpha.”

The older omega almost got choked at the confession. While Joshua was usually shy with his owners, he had no intention of hiding his true feelings with Jeonghan. The blonde man knew that Joshua loves him, but he had never thought that the love would be that intense. His heart dropped, and he tried to make a joke with the intention of masking his disappointment in case he misunderstood his friend.

“You just think so because that will never happen, baby.” Jeonghan smiled gently to the boy who was placing the chin on his chest to look at him. “You won’t even let me undress you or have an intercourse with you.”

Jeonghan went speechless at the moment Joshua blushed slightly and whispered quietly.

“I… I will.” He hesitated for three seconds before continuing. “If you really want me.”

Jeonghan’s mind instantly got flooded by the image of Joshua writhing underneath him and moaning his name continuously. _What a sin!_ He needed to clear his mind, but instead, he just abruptly sat up, staring at the shy boy who also sat up and ducked his head with flushed cheeks.

“Really?” His voice all of a sudden became hoarse and low.

Joshua shyly nodded.

“But we are both omegas, Joshua.” Jeonghan weakly said. He was not sure why he said that anymore. He could not say that he had never thought of _sex with Joshua_.

“But you are male. You still have that…” He trailed off, eyes flickering.

Unexpectedly, Joshua stopped for a short moment, and then continued, breaking all of his friend’s morals.

“You just can’t impregnate me.”

The cat hybrid was seriously luring his friend into lust and sin.

_Damn it._ Jeonghan had the feeling that he would give in soon.

The blonde omega was temporarily at a loss for word. He licked his lips anxiously, not knowing how to respond to the boy staring at him expectantly. That was an invitation. Does he want Joshua? Of course, he wants. He really wants.

Before Jeonghan could come up with a suitable way to reply, Joshua had moved closer and hugged his friend’s arm tightly, nuzzling into his bicep.

“If you were an alpha, I would give you my neck immediately.” The boy was still blushing, but he smiled, and then hid his face in the older’s bicep. His voice was muffled in that position but every word came so clearly to the rabbit hybrid’s ears. “Why don’t you answer me? Do you want me?”

Actually, Joshua had never really asked that question previously, but Jeonghan did not care about that. Seriously, Jeonghan understood his friend enough to know that Joshua would never have the nerve to ask or say things like that if he was not sure that the older omega loves him and wants him too.

Pulling the younger away gently, Jeonghan made him whine like a kid, but he held the boy’s chin in his long slender fingers and looked at him lovingly. Joshua stopped whining, staring back at his friend, all ears.

“Will you call me when you’re in heat?” Jeonghan asked tenderly.

“I want no one but you.” Joshua answered without hesitation, making the other smile.

“So… let’s wait until your heat comes, okay?”

Joshua pouted again, not wanting to wait that long. Maybe Jeonghan’s super sweet scent today drove him crazy, but he did not protest. The boy nodded obediently and then went back to hugging his friend’s arm. However, before he could do that, Jeonghan was faster. The blonde omega pulled Joshua to lean against his chest, making the boy blink at him surprisingly. There was also excitement tinting in those innocent eyes, melting his heart.

“But we can try this first to see if things work for us or not.” Jeonghan cooed to the lovely boy in his arms. “My kitten.”

Joshua’s breath hitched at the loving pet name, but soon his breath was taken away by another thing. The next thing he knew was that he and Jeonghan was intimately kissing each other on the bed, lips attached to each other and refusing to let go soon. It felt so nice to be kissed by the person he had ever loved most in his life. Joshua was pinned down on the bed by Jeonghan, and he loved that position, willingly wrapped his arms around the older omega’s neck to pull him closer. Neither of the hybrids liked to rush; they just kissed languidly but made sure to never break the connection between the lips.

The omegas were not able to sleep that afternoon. Instead, they spent the whole nap time talking to each other and kissing each other’s lips from time to time. That was the time Joshua felt the sadness in Jeonghan’s scent subsided considerably, which made him happy and get clingier to the man. Joshua was not exactly horny, but he started to feel the strange feelings and desire creeping up inside of him. That was the effect of Jeonghan’s scent or the thought of sexual activities with him?

Joshua was not sure, but he got fidgety right after his alphas came home. They smelled too good to him, especially Wonwoo. He failed to get his eyes off the man. Usually Jun was the one who got most of Joshua’s attention, but today things seemed to be different. The boy could smell peppermint extremely thick in the air. That scent truly overshadowed the aroma of the pine forest.

Since Joshua had washed himself carefully before his alphas got home to get rid of Jeonghan’s too sweet scent from his body, he did not notice the intense gaze of his alphas. He was not aware of the fact that he smelled extremely sweet at the moment as well. Neither of his alphas had any change. It was him who was having symptoms of an upcoming heat. Wonwoo and Jun exchanged a meaningful look, and they both agreed not to mention that to their omega. Seungkwan - the doctor that gave Joshua the suppressant - had already told them that the gap between his heats were too long, which means that the boy was not really healthy and it was hard to predict when his next heat would come or how it would be. A false alarm would be likely to occur too.

That night, Wonwoo and Jun soon came to their room and focused on working instead of lingering in the kitchen or living room with Joshua. At first Joshua did not mind that because he was busy waiting for getting a call from Mingyu. The giant man had promised to call him at eight thirty, and Joshua was sitting in front of the TV, counting every second to the time. He beamed like a kid when Mingyu’s face finally appeared on his phone screen. Only seeing Joshua’s face, Mingyu was not able to realize any changes in him, but the cute giggles of the boy made him desperately wanted to buy a ticket and go home immediately so that he could squeeze that adorable hybrid tightly in his arms, and then lull him into a sleep full of sweet dreams.

After the call, Joshua ran to Jun’s room but got rejected. The alpha said that he had something important to do and it would be inconvenient for him to have Joshua by his side while he was working intensively. The boy felt quite heartbroken when Jun told him to sleep with Wonwoo tonight, but just a second after that, the lead alpha’s scent attacked his nose again and Joshua was utterly drawn to the man’s bedroom. It is common knowledge that the noble alphas have better self-restrain than the normal ones. Jun would rather make Joshua slightly sad by pulling him away rather than breaking his boy by losing himself to the temptation of the omega on his way to a heat.

Wonwoo barely had time to work on that night, because Joshua soon knocked on his door. The scent dragged him here, and the boy was not able to resist. Letting the boy sit on his lap, Wonwoo tried his best to focus on the computer screen while the boy was playing a game on his phone. However, the man felt like he was being tortured by the alluring scent from his omega and the boy’s continuous shifting on his thighs. Joshua kept nuzzling into his chest as if he never got enough. He just wanted to die when the boy suddenly pulled his shirt and when he took his eyes away from the screen, he faced with a sulky look of his little hybrid.

“Why don’t you pay attention to me?” Joshua pouted and whined. “You’ve never been like that.”

Gosh, his boy suddenly became so needy and so brave. Joshua had never been able to speak out what he wanted like that. Wonwoo admitted that he had neglected, giving him no kiss or stroke from the moment he stepped in the room until now, but after that question, he finally gave up.

Wonwoo decided to turn off the computer.

“I need to finish my work quickly so that I will have more time for you.” He explained, and Joshua smiled with a lot of satisfaction. He also put down his phone on the desk.

Just a few seconds ago, Joshua wanted his alpha’s attention, but now, when all of the man’s attention was already on him, his mind went blank and he did not know what to say. All Joshua could do was just staring at his alpha, adoring his perfect and sinful appearance. The boy could see that burning gaze, which was full of lust and desire that he had seen in the man many times in their intimate moments.

Without warning, Wonwoo sunk his teeth in the hybrid’s neck to form a beautiful mark there. It hurt as always, but Joshua was feeling something different. The sound came to the alpha’s ears was not a whimper in pain anymore. That was definitely a moan.

And there was a weak murmur from the boy.

_“Alpha…”_

Wonwoo was intoxicated right on the spot.

After biting the boy, his mouth came right to the omega’s lips, hungrily taking all of the boy’s lips to his own. Just by one move, he maneuvered the boy to sit face to face to him, straddling his waist. Two bodies were pressed close to each other, with no space in between. They forgot everything, only focusing on each other’s lips and the burning kisses. The speed was not fast but it was still hard for Joshua to breathe properly, but the boy willingly accepted everything that his alpha gave. When the man nibbled his lower lip, then even bit them, his teeth slowly but quite potently grazing there, the boy moaned softly in surprise. Nonetheless, he smiled to his alpha and bit him back, earning a smirk from Wonwoo.

Joshua usually felt cold at night, but he felt hot at the moment, although the air condition was still on. Then he soon realized, he was not just feeling hot inside. His body was reacting under the effect of the heat emitted from the body being pressed close to him. Minutes and minutes went by, Joshua started to wonder if Wonwoo had ever smelled that good before? Had his alpha pheromones been ever so strong? The boy felt all his limbs weak and wobbly. The strength, control and dominance of the lead alpha that Joshua had always craved for was getting clearer and clearer, making the omega inside of the hybrid just want to give all himself to his owner. He could not ever imagine that Wonwoo’s attraction would be so powerful. Joshua’s heart no longer managed to keep a steady heartbeat no matter how hard he tried to.

The boy’s breathe hitched when he realized Wonwoo’s big hands were moving up and down on his torso, slowly heating up the kisses. Joshua’s mind gradually got lost; he could not think anymore, especially when the alpha’s tongue was playing with his tongue, creating various lewd sounds at the place where the lips were being connected. However, he could not deny that he loved those sensual feelings brought by Wonwoo. He gave the alpha the fully access to every corner of his mouth, letting the man devour his soul through the mouth and swallow all his feeble moans. The longer they made out, the more passionate his alpha became. Joshua was drowned in his owner’s scent, which had already turned to a state that the boy was not able to recognize as _arousal_.

The hybrid could not hold back a louder moan when Wonwoo, without any warning, pressed his both thumbs on Joshua’s nipples through the thin fabric of his shirt. The boy seemed shocked, almost breaking away from the kiss, but he did not protest or show any sign of discomfort. Wonwoo smirked, knowing that his little boy was quite sensitive there. Refusing to stop the kisses, the alpha attached his lips to Joshua’s again while his thumbs started to rub gently in small circles, sending shivers through the hybrid’s spine. Joshua began to squirm, totally unable to keep himself still on Wonwoo’s lap, making him smirk again. However, he did not want to stop kissing his alpha either, so he tried to stay still and let the other tease the nubs. In fact, he was not sure about that. He was worried, really nervous, somehow afraid, but he just could not tell Wonwoo to stop.

No, a good pet or a good omega would never say that to his owner, _his alpha_.

Wonwoo knew that Joshua had put all his guard off at the moment the boy whined in frustration when he took away his hands. Wonwoo chuckled, temporarily stopping kissing to look at the hybrid’s face. He took his time adoring the lust and thirst in those lovely eyes, ghosting his hot breath on the boy’s face, earning more needy moans from him. Joshua felt his face reddened and found it hard to breathe when Wonwoo was looking at him like that, eyes dark and hungry. Too embarrassed, Joshua tried to break eye contact, but Wonwoo did not allow him to do that for long.

The alpha got all of Joshua’s attention again when his rough hands slid under the boy’s shirt and slowly moved up his torso. The hybrid trembled violently at the feeling of those hot hands touching on his bare skin, caressing his belly and ribs. He could not help looking at where those hands were moving under the shirt, intensely anticipating. He gasped, almost stopped breathing, when Wonwoo’s fingers touched his nipples, with nothing in between this time. Wonwoo carefully watched all of Joshua’s facial expression when he started to gently stroke the nubs, keeping a stable pace for nearly a minute. The boy felt it hot, too hot to handle, arching his back to his alpha.

Wonwoo kissed Joshua one more time, making out erotically while his naughty fingers concentrated on pinching, twisting his baby boy’s nipples. They had already got hardened and erected then, and Wonwoo surely could smell the boy’s slick easily, which was so sweet, appealing and enticing. The alpha kept playing with them more, more, and more, putting more force in his fingers, but Joshua felt no pain, only pleasure and tingling sensation. Both of them felt the pants so tight at this point, and Wonwoo smirked between the kisses to feel Joshua’s unconsciously moved his hips, rubbing the dicks together. Of course, that was not enough to satisfy neither of them. Wonwoo needed more, wanted more. Therefore, he broke the kisses, taking back both his hands, ignoring the poor boy’s loud whimper and whine. He tried to soothe Joshua with some gentle rubs on his mark, whispering to his ear. The alpha’s voice was deep _like hell_ in Joshua’s ear, making him not only shiver but also moan.

“Can you suck master’s cock, baby? If you can be a good omega for master, you will get your reward later.”

The boy’s face turned deep red, eyes blinking at his alpha. Wonwoo’s hands were holding Joshua hips, slowly caressing and stroking in an encouraging way while his dark and lustful eyes never left the hybrid’s. Joshua’s mind had been so lost in haze that he was hardly able to distinguish the difference between a request and a command. However, no matter how Wonwoo stated his wish, Joshua wholeheartedly desired to submit himself to his owner. He felt so weak, so overwhelmed by the alpha’s arousal pheromones around him. The most important thing was, he still felt safe at the same time; there were completely no signal of danger or threat coming from the alpha.

Joshua wanted to make Wonwoo feel good. He would do anything he could to make that happen. He was _his owner, his alpha, his everything_. Joshua had been defeated completely.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's important to cut it here.  
Because the next chapter will be about 7k words of smut :) Also the next one. And the next one. Well, you see, Joshua's heat is coming, and Jeonghan's too :) Of course there will be some more angst before Jeonghan's heat. 
> 
> This is my first time of writing smut and I literally have no experience in terms of both writing and reality, so please tolerate if the smut in my fic may seem weird or anything ;_; I will take any kinds of criticism.
> 
> But I still hope that you enjoy it!!!!
> 
> \---
> 
> I just want to share with you a few more words. It's not related to the fic, so it's okay to skip this part.
> 
> My head is spinning due to the side effects of the medicine I'm taking but luckily I'm still able to post a chapter. (because I really want to post >< ) A few weeks ago I said that I started my first full-time job, but actually just three days later I had to quit it because I broke down after the third day. And now I am taking medicine to deal with depression.
> 
> I hope that if anyone is feeling that you might have a mental problem, please seek for help soon, so that it won't badly affect your life. Recently I'm struggling to write because my mind can't concentrate well. It's so lucky that I only started posting this fic after having already finished more than half of it or else it would get delayed for a long time and that would definitely made me sadder. 
> 
> Please don't underestimate any kinds of mental problem. Please find a way to fix it before it's too late.
> 
> Thank you for reading this little sharing.


	17. Daddy had little mercy for his baby boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Daddy’s boy tastes delicious.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WonShua Smut!!!
> 
> I don't want to kill the mood completely so I decided not to delay this chapter too long. Besides, I have just added the tag "Daddy kink". So, you're already warned.
> 
> Enjoy~~~

_“Can you suck master’s cock, baby? If you can be a good omega for master, you will get your reward later.”_

_The boy’s face turned deep red, eyes blinking at his alpha. Wonwoo’s hands were holding Joshua hips, slowly caressing and stroking in an encouraging way while his dark and lustful eyes never left the hybrid’s. Joshua’s mind had been so lost in haze that he was hardly able to distinguish the difference between a request and a command. However, no matter how Wonwoo stated his wish, Joshua wholeheartedly desired to submit himself to his owner. He felt so weak, so overwhelmed by the alpha’s arousal pheromones around him. The most important thing was, he still felt safe at the same time; there were completely no signal of danger or threat coming from the alpha._

_Joshua wanted to make Wonwoo feel good. He would do anything he could to make that happen. He was his owner, his alpha, his everything. Joshua had been defeated completely._

Forgetting to answer verbally, Joshua slowly got up from Wonwoo’s lap to put his feet down on the cold floor then kneeled down in front of his owner. He was still blushing a lot. The shyness in his eyes was by no means unnoticeable, and Wonwoo smiled fondly at his cute kitten. The hybrid was pretty much clumsy when he was trying to unbutton and unzip his alpha’s pants; his hands were obviously shaking, maybe because he was so nervous and excited at the same time.

Wonwoo somehow felt that Joshua had already done this before with someone else, but also felt that this was the first time that the hybrid enjoyed doing this. To be honest, Joshua was not doing a good job with the pants, but Wonwoo knew a person who had never done a blowjob would be just at a loss when asked to do that, but Joshua had got down on his knees quickly. His possessive side made the question keep lingering in his mind, but he certainly held no grudge against that. In fact, he was quite worried. According to what Joshua had told them about what had happened to him before he met them, it seemed that he was still a virgin when he was sold to the pet shop. When he got returned, he was put in the cheap list because he “had lost virginity.” That meant, he must have been taken by his previous owner, or even some bastard. Of course, Wonwoo had already known that he never wanted to think of the time when he was with _that man_. If there used to be something sexual between Joshua and that man, it definitely must have been _extremely frightening_.

And that meant, if Wonwoo wanted things to go smoothly between him and the hybrid, he would have to be careful, or he would break Joshua one more time. Looking at the boy deep in the eyes, Wonwoo knew that his boy was doing this because he loved him. The alpha promise dot himself, that he would do anything to satisfy and protect that love - protect his little boy.

Finally, Joshua succeeded in taking Wonwoo’s cock out of his pants, and his eyes got wider when staring at his length. Seeing the hybrid’s pupil dilated at the sight, the alpha smirked, using his thumb to caress his cheek gently. Joshua tried his best to avoid thinking of that dick getting inside him, because he knew it would undoubtedly hurt terribly, but he could not tear his eyes away either, spending time staring and admiring his alpha’s dick, his hands unconsciously moving slowly along the shaft. It was so long, so long and thick. It would not fit his mouth properly.

Joshua had already knew that Wonwoo was always a possessive alpha, but he still could not help blushing more when his owner demanded an eye contact and asked him in his sinfully deep voice.

“Joshua, answer me. Do you want to take _daddy_’s cock in your little mouth?”

Joshua tried so hard to form a proper sentence, swallowing his own saliva with too much difficulty. He knew he was feeling embarrassed, yet he also knew that his cock had just twitched after hearing _that word_ from the man. The hybrid had never been in a similar situation, but he had heard of it once, knowing that was what his alpha was up to now.

“Y-yes… yes…” He stuttered, but also knew that Wonwoo would never be satisfied with such short answer. “I… I want to suck daddy’s cock.”

The boy did not need to be told twice, and he did not want to let his alpha wait longer. Joshua leaned forward while Wonwoo comfortably leaned back, resting in the chair and watching his naive boy doing the job. The boy used both hands to hold the cock, giving the alpha some tender small stroke before gripping the base and starting to lick the head slowly. Joshua lavished kitten licks thoroughly on Wonwoo’s cock, on the base, along the shaft, and on the tip. Wonwoo frowned, letting out a low grunt, making Joshua look up at him and realize that his alpha was running out of patience.

Wonwoo almost grabbed Joshua’s hair, but he fortunately held himself back on time before hurting his boy. Joshua felt like the alpha’s fierce gaze was boring holes in his face when he commanded, voice rough and as dark as his eyes.

“Open your mouth for daddy, Joshua.”

The hybrid really did not intend to tease Wonwoo or anything like that; he was just shy and reluctant, but he knew there was no way for him to get out of this before having mouth filled with his alpha’s cum. Furthermore, he blushed harder just by forcing himself to admit that _he desperately wanted that cock_. _He wanted to taste it._

If he could not let Wonwoo fuck him, then at least he should get his dick in his mouth.

Joshua swirled his tongue around the tip one last time then open his mouth wider and took the length in. The hybrid was not really experienced, but he tried all he could to bring pleasure to Wonwoo by taking care of his cock. He kept sucking on it as if he were trying to taste everything of a delicious lollipop. His alpha’s cock was much better than that, Joshua thought. He had never felt so aroused when doing this before. He attempted to coat the shaft with his saliva, unconsciously drooling in the corner of his lips.

After a short while, Joshua got a little calm enough to look at Wonwoo in the eyes. The alpha gritted his teeth, groaning with his deep voice, making the boy even hornier than before. Wonwoo got angry, really angry and frustrated, since his omega was looking at him with such innocent eyes while doing this lewd job with his dick. Joshua was not experienced, which meant the boy could not keep any stable pace or pattern, but it also meant that Wonwoo would not be able to last too long. Seeing the seductive anger in the alpha’s eyes, Joshua got the hint that he was doing good. Consequently, he got the audacity to go further. He was just shocked to witness his owner’s self-control; Wonwoo was staying still, not moving even a bit as if he were uninterested while his eyes were saying totally opposite. Joshua himself failed to stay still on the floor. He kept shifting as feeling the slick wetting his boxer, and maybe even his pants.

Joshua started to bob his head back and forth slowly, letting the cock slide out of his mouth and making some extremely _dirty sounds_; strings of saliva connected from his mouth to the tip of the dick. He soon took it back in again, repeating that process many times, and then not leaving anymore, just moving while still keeping the tip inside his mouth. Not breaking the eye contact, he tried to take Wonwoo’s cock deeper until it hit the back of his throat. That hurt him a bit, but Joshua could endure this pain so as to please his alpha. He took it to the deepest that he could, sucking hard, gazing teeth on the shaft, lapping tongue on the sides, bobbing head.

“Will you take daddy’s cum in your mouth, Joshua?” Wonwoo growled, hand caressing the boy’s jaw.

Joshua did not nod or answer. He just sucked harder and harder, swirling his tongue on the tip one last time and then hollowed his cheek to suck really hard. For a moment, Joshua was startled by the menacing anger in Wonwoo’s face and the alpha’s growl was getting deeper and deeper, but there was nothing that could stop him from serving pleasure to his owner. If it had not been Wonwoo - or Mingyu or Jun, perhaps - the hybrid would have definitely freaked out. Joshua tried to look deep into his eyes, not because he wanted to ask the reason for that anger. He was not that stupid. The boy felt his alpha’s gaze too hot. The naive boy was utterly attracted, seduced, and lured into the passion of those sexy, intimidating and tantalizing eyes.

Joshua had never known that a human could look that hot when he was aroused.

Not very long after that, Wonwoo came, and Joshua regretted not being able to take the whole of that sight in his eyes because he almost got choked by the cum spilled into his throat, which caused him to somehow shut his eyes. He had tried very hard to prepare himself for that to come, but he still failed to take the cum properly. However, everything was overall _perfect_.

Joshua was blissed to hear the alpha’s deep groan and a quite aggressive hiss when the orgasm hit him. The boy knew his face might turn red because of his effort to hold back the cough, but he stubbornly kept on sucking while his alpha was riding out his highness. He made sure to suck off well and swallow everything, not wasting a single drop. The taste was strange - he had never actually tried to taste it before - but Joshua was more than eager to get more of that in the future.

Because that is Wonwoo. The reason was just that simple.

Joshua instantly flinched when he felt Wonwoo hand on his hair, but it turned out that the alpha only patted his head gently, urging him to get his job done. Relieved, the boy obediently took his mouth away from his owner’s cock, looking at Wonwoo while using a hand to wipe his own saliva on the chin. When the tip of Wonwoo’s dick slipped over Joshua’s lips, it left a little fluid there. The boy really did not try to lure his alpha or anything like that, but he just unconsciously licked his lips to clean what was left there and swallowed down greedily, which was too hot and erotic from the man’s view.

Joshua could not stop himself from coughing a bit when he finally had nothing in his mouth or his throat anymore. Wonwoo kept patting his head, also rubbing his back in such a soothing and loving way that he felt his heart incredibly warm. Joshua was still safe under his alpha’s presence. He did not get hit or yelled at. Joshua kept blinking at his owner while Wonwoo was looking at him with eyes filled with concern, and the boy thought miracles could literally happen. Wonwoo asked him, voice worried to the utmost although the hybrid just coughed a little. The alpha did not want to bring him discomfort.

“Are you okay?” He leaned over, fingers brushing through the boy’s hair.

Joshua nodded his head. “I’m fine. Just choked.”

In fact, the boy did not care about his own cough. What was bothering him then was that, his alpha had already finished, but Joshua was still painfully hard and did not know how to deal with that.

Joshua gasped in shock as Wonwoo suddenly picked him up from the floor, tugging him into his lap just in a blink of the eye. The boy was then sitting in his alpha’s lap again, but his face immediately turned seriously red. Joshua was very much aware of his slick, which was leaking out from his hole in an abnormal amount, wetting his pants. With this position, his alpha must feel the wetness. Wonwoo’s smirk made him more embarrassed, unable to keep eye contact for longer than three seconds. Actually, he did not need to feel that shy then, because his scent had revealed much of his feelings very long ago.

The night was still so good for Joshua until Wonwoo whispered a question to his ear.

“Would you let me fuck you, baby?”

The hybrid froze, all tensed up at the question; his scent changed in accordance with his emotions. Wonwoo was quick to realize the shift in the boy’s attitude; he was prepared for this to come. If not, he would not have asked.

“I’m asking you, Joshua.” A tender kiss was put on Joshua’s temple in an attempt to calm him down. Wonwoo decided to change his way of asking. “Tell me. What don’t you like me to do?”

The boy looked at his alpha doubtfully, various question going through his mind. Wonwoo always asked his opinions about different things. The alpha always wanted to know what Joshua thought, and he made no exception to this situation. However, this time, Joshua did not dare to tell the truth, losing all the courage that he had gained after a month living with his perfect owners. This was when he got hit in the past, bruised, cut, broken and nearly beaten to death. Joshua trembled violently as memories swept through his mind brutally, making Wonwoo rub more soothing circles on his shaking back and shush him with a much softer voice.

“You don’t want to be fucked. Am I right?” Wonwoo patiently changed the question one more time.

At this point, he was on the right track. Joshua did not dare to say, but the more important thing was that, he could not lie to his owner. And it would be extremely bad for him to not only lie but also say that his owner was wrong. He had no clue why Wonwoo was able to figure that out, but deep in his heart, he was immensely grateful for that. Joshua suddenly loved his alpha so much more just because the man _asked and understood him_, although he had refused to tell him what had happened in the past countless times.

Therefore, Joshua finally nodded lightly, totally unaware of his own hands holding tightly to Wonwoo’s shirt on both his front and his back. The anxiety was so intense that the hybrid’s scent got considerably less aroused, but the alpha did not agree to allow that to go further. Knowing that Joshua was still horny and longing for his alpha’s gentle but sensual touch, Wonwoo slowly caressed the boy’s thigh, causing him to shiver right away. The said boy darted his eyes away from his owner to look at the hand on his thigh, but Wonwoo got all his attention by a hot and sexy whisper in his ear. The alpha’s lips kept touching his ear, and Joshua felt his mind stuck in thick fog again.

“So… as long as I don’t put my dick in your hole, you will be okay, right?”

While Wonwoo’s saying was getting to the end of his question, his hand was also climbing up on Joshua’s thigh and becoming dangerously close to his crotch. Joshua gasped (again), almost choked by the air, eyes moving back and forth between that hand and Wonwoo’s eyes repeatedly. As long as his body did not stiffen, although he had not answered yet, Wonwoo was able to register what his little boy was thinking.

Joshua’s breath hitched - which prevented him from opening his mouth to answer properly again - right when he was lock in an intense eye contact with his alpha but the _naughty _hand had secretly got much closer and finally pressed on his groin. Joshua’s whole body jolted at the touch, but the other hand of Wonwoo landed low on his hip and kept him still. The boy looked at his alpha with eyes wide, yet he was still speechless, unable to come up with any words to say. Wonwoo smirked, taking that as a very good sign.

The alpha lowered his head and leaned closer to his boy, nibbling on the delicate neck to elicit some moans from the hybrid. Joshua squeezed his eyes close, breathing heavily while his legs were unconsciously spreading themselves apart further, so that the alpha’s hand could easily get a handful of both his hard cock and his balls from outside the pants. Pleased with such reaction, Wonwoo let out some low hum in encouragement. Just a second after that, Joshua tilted his head - or threw his head back - and exposed his bare neck fully to his owner. Wonwoo immediately took the chance to deeply inhale the breathtakingly sweet scent and started to lavish wet kisses on the sensitive skin. Joshua’s mind had already gone haywire, losing all the ability to keep any moans from getting out of his mouth, especially when the alpha used more force in his hand. The boy’s cock could feel the pleasant pressure from the hot and rough hand; consequently, he bucked up his hip, seeking for more friction.

Well, perhaps Joshua would never have the chance to answer that question. That was still fine though, because Wonwoo knew the boy’s pheromones were saying “yes” for him.

With no warning or hesitation, very fast, Wonwoo’s hand went inside Joshua’s not only pants but also boxer to the most direct contact with the boy’s dick, skin on skin. Profoundly shocked, Joshua moaned loudly. Too embarrassed, the boy instantly covered his mouth by his hand, letting go of Wonwoo’s shirt since he suddenly remembered that Jun was still at home; he could hear if Joshua got too loud. Wonwoo did not stop him; he were more focused on the act of stroking the hybrid’s length and biting on his neck, leaving several hickeys and nice bruise on the porcelain skin. Joshua was passionately enjoying the pleasure that Wonwoo gave him; therefore, he whined extremely loud when the alpha all of a sudden retreated his hand as well as his lips.

Not giving Joshua any second to know what was going on, Wonwoo strongly lifted the boy then put him down on the paper desk with his legs hanging at the edge. He did not say anything, only starting to take off Joshua’s sweatpants. The boy’s heart skipped a beat, maybe two, his face blushing hard, but he decided to try to sit still and lifted his hip up a bit so that his alpha could pull the pants and boxer down easily. Soon, Joshua was half naked in front of his owner, exposing his most private part to the thirsty eyes.

Still not saying a word, Wonwoo pulled Joshua closer to the edge of the desk then kneeled down on the floor. He spread the boy’s legs wide in order to fit himself in between and moved his hands seductively up and down those milky thighs, caressing in the most sensual way. Joshua shivered visibly, continuing to cover his mouth with so much effort. He felt as if he might go crazy if this kept going for too long; Wonwoo had been extremely slow. Joshua wanted to go slowly, but _not this slow_. He was painfully hard; he needed no more tease.

Luckily, Wonwoo understood what his cute boy wanted, and he did not like to make it too long either. On the other hand, he still wanted to play with his omega a bit.

“What do you want me to do, Joshua?” He asked while pulling the hem of Joshua’s shirt up to fully expose his throbbing dick.

Cruelly, the alpha drew circles around the puckered pink hole, which was then impressively beautifully wet, tempting and inviting with sweet slick. His hot breath was ghosting on the boy’s dick, making him gone frantic, trying to find a place to hold onto. Wonwoo generously offered one of his hands, but the other hand were groping the hybrid’s thigh, creating too much feeling to the squirming boy.

“Do you want me to take care of your dick or your hole first, baby?” Wonwoo continued, giving him two options.

This time, Wonwoo was determined to wait for Joshua’s answer, and his fingers were still continuously drawing circles around the hole, teasing his perineum from time to time. It was awfully difficult for Joshua to make his brain work, but he understood that he would never get what he wanted until he spoke. Joshua literally could not choose, because two options were both appealing to him. He had already agreed to give himself to his alpha.

“I… I don’t know…” The boy cried out pathetically, but also honestly, looking at Wonwoo with pleading eyes. “I… I just need you… just you…”

Wonwoo’s dark eyes turned even darker, and Joshua could not imagine how many sinful thoughts have crossed his mind just by looking in those eyes.

“Now it’s time for your reward, baby, as daddy’s promised.”

A second after that, Joshua was totally a moaning mess, because Wonwoo had started to suck his cock mercilessly. His alpha had just began his job, but the hybrid could foresee that he would be surely unable to last long like this, as it felt _too good_. Joshua could never tell exactly what Wonwoo’s mouth was doing with his dick, only seeing his head bob up and down in a quite fast pace, taking the whole length inside, but the boy felt wonderful with every movement. Joshua’s free hand grabbed his alpha’s shoulder tightly and continuously moaned uncontrollably.

The sight of Wonwoo sucking his dick was too hot; Joshua wished to keep that in his mind forever.

That was definitely _the embodiment of sin_.

The alpha’s eyes were closed, his expression just looking as if he was enjoying and tasting the sweetest, the most delicious lollipop in this world. Joshua wanted to be his lollipop, to be at his mercy forever. And then when Wonwoo opened his eyes again to look at the hybrid, Joshua almost came right on the spot. He did not - not yet - but he was very close. The stimulation his alpha had been giving him was driving him crazy to the edge much more quickly than what he had ever imagined. The boy was embarrassed - he had never gone through so many different kinds of embarrassment like tonight - to find himself so sensitive in his owner’s hands. If Wonwoo’s hand had not been placed on Joshua’s thigh and firmly kept him stay still, the boy must have closed his legs so tight to the level of cradling his alpha’s head. He squirmed and moaned relentlessly, his hand shaking a lot in Wonwoo’s hand. The longer he looked at his owner, the emptier his mind became.

“Master… I… I’m close…” He tried to warn Wonwoo, so that the alpha would have to move away right then if he did not want to swallow his cum. Joshua thought he would not want to; nobody wanted to drink a filthy hybrid’s cum.

Wonwoo immediately pulled himself away, but things were far different from what Joshua had expected. The alpha’s hand tightly held the base of the hybrid’s cock, while his other hand pressed the pad of his thumb right on the slit, brutally teasing that sensitive spot. Joshua knew if it had not been for the cruel grip on the base, he would have already come due to that stimulation. In fact, Wonwoo did not let him get what him want, and Joshua started to writhe frantically, wanting nothing other than a release. The boy was so confused why his master suddenly treated him like this, but he soon got the answer when the alpha finally spoke, voice dark and stern.

“That’s not how you call me, baby.”

Joshua could not believe that Wonwoo would force him to _think_ in this condition. He was not disobedient; it was too difficult for him to come up with the correct answer while his alpha’s magical hand was still doing such a good work on his cock with only his thumb moving. It took Joshua almost a minute to ultimately speak again, and Wonwoo always had enough patience to wait even if it might take five or ten minutes.

“Daddy… daddy…,” Joshua was terribly turned on even more by saying that word out by himself, and he begged. “Can I… can I come, daddy? I’m close… Please…”

Satisfied with the sweet and lewd _“daddy” _coming straight from Joshua’s mouth like a kitten mewling, Wonwoo went back to work with his baby’s cock in his mouth. Joshua did not expect that to come, as he thought his alpha had already heard his warning. No matter what his boy said, he continued to let the boy fuck his own mouth by bobbing his head back and forth. Joshua soon lost it, and he came really hard, spilling everything down into Wonwoo’s throat. The hybrid let out just a short high pitched cry, and then went silent, too lost in his orgasm to make any more sound. His eyes squeezed shut while the climax hit him violently like a crazy wave, crashing his mind into pieces. His whole body jerked. Without Wonwoo’s presence in front of him, he would have had fallen out of the desk.

When Joshua gained back some of his mind, his chest was still heaving a lot. He was expecting to gradually get down from his high, but it turned out that such thing did not happen. The hybrid squirmed again, starting to moan even louder than before out of over-stimulation. Wonwoo really had no mercy for him. The alpha refused to stop sucking his omega’s dick, not allowing him to completely finish. Joshua wanted to push Wonwoo away, almost grabbing his hair to pull him back, but he gave up that intention right away. Instead, he pleaded, breathing heavily.

“Daddy… daddy… please… it’s… that’s…” Much as he wanted the alpha to stop, he was far from coherent in his words.

Wonwoo kept using his tongue to tease the slit on the tip of Joshua’s dick, cruelly torturing his over-sensitive body. The hybrid could not believe that he was beginning to feel aroused and horny again. That was pretty clear; he was aware of his clenching hole producing too much slick - the desk must be a mess then. Joshua was not sure what he wanted anymore.

Before the hybrid figured that out, Wonwoo suddenly let go of his cock and get up on his feet. Joshua immediately whined and frowned in utter frustration, but then he rapidly got shocked by his own reaction and hurried to cover his mouth by his hand. He had just been bad; he was being so needy, whining at his owner shamelessly. However, Wonwoo seemed to like that, judging by the way the alpha smirked at him while licking his lips clean.

Joshua’s mind went haywire again. That scene was _fucking hot_.

Wonwoo succeeded in ruining his boy’s mind and making him moan just by a deep whisper in his ear.

“Daddy’s boy tastes delicious.”

Who could ever think that cold alpha would be so dam good at dirty talk?

Joshua thought that the only one who was good at that in this house must be Jun, but it seemed like he was wrong. But… who knows, he may be right somehow, too.

The hybrid was picked up by his alpha one more than, going back to their original position from the beginning, with the boy straddling Wonwoo’s lap. However, the feelings at this time were at a whole new level since Joshua only had his white shirt left on his body; his was sitting on the alpha with bare ass, legs being spread quite wide, making the cold air attack his wet hole. Joshua’s face turned deep red as his half hard dick was in between him and his owner’s stomach at the moment, and Wonwoo loved to make him shy by keeping looking at it while his hands were caressing the trembling thighs again. The skin were so smooth, so soft under his calloused hands that he could not stop touching.

Joshua yelped and jolted upwards again when the alpha’s hands grabbed his ass cheeks not so gently. It were also those hands that kept him from moving, playing with the plump flesh with finger tips lingering too close to the hole. Joshua could not pay much attention to that as Wonwoo drowned him in a hot kiss on the lips with the tongues tangled with each other. The boy happily squeezed his alpha’s shoulders tightly and intimately, letting the hot and flexible tongue freely invade his mouth. Joshua was still a shy boy; he never dared to initiate anything, but whenever Wonwoo pulled him into something hot and erotic, he did not hesitate to react enthusiastically and followed along right away. As a person who wanted to control everything, Wonwoo loved that side of his boy so much.

“Can you take it one more time for daddy, baby?” He murmured on his omega’s swollen lips.

Joshua nodded eagerly, agreeing to take whatever Wonwoo gave him (of course, except for a dick in his ass). The hybrid bit his lips in an attempt to hold back the whine when his owner’s hands left his ass to come to the front of his shirt. Joshua was still chewing on his lips while watching Wonwoo unbutton his shirt completely despite the fact that his pants had been taken off long ago. Having finished that, the alpha did not take the shirt off thoroughly, just pushing it off the hybrid’s shoulder and stuck at his elbows, enough to have his slender shoulders and chest exposed.

Wonwoo wasted no more time, because he had lost patience and self-control already right after those irresistible pink nipples appeared in his sight. He tasted, sucked and nearly ate Joshua’s nub by his mouth like a starving animal. The boy arched his back and moaned, unconsciously pressed his own chest towards his alpha’s mouth as if inviting him to devour his nipples. His hands went back to Joshua’s ass, playing again, teasing the boy to drive him crazy. Joshua soon got fully hard one more time, moaning louder every time Wonwoo bit his nub, grazing the teeth on it torturously. Both of his nipples were taken care of carefully, and Joshua could not do anything else apart from wrapping his arms loosely around his alpha’s shoulders.

With the intention of making Joshua surprised, Wonwoo turned to scatter kisses and bites on the boy’s neck, collarbones and shoulders while his hands came to the drawer of the desk and took out the lube. Joshua was so indulged in the feelings of Wonwoo’s teeth on his skin that he did not notice the sound of the tube’s cap opened. Wonwoo knew that Joshua might have produced much more slick than needed, but he still needed to make sure that he would not hurt his boy. Joshua is his beloved cat, his omega, and his love; he cannot let him suffer from any pain for any reasons.

Having applied a profoundly generous amount of lube on his middle finger of the right hand, Wonwoo carefully put the tube down on the desk without creating any sounds. A short while after that, Joshua really got shocked. The alpha had not done anything much yet, just simple touched the little hole by his coated finger, and the hybrid’s whole body instantly jolted upwards. Wonwoo’s other hand firmly gripped on Joshua’s waist, demanding that the boy stop moving on his lap. Joshua tried his best to comply, and he began to squirm and mewl instead.

Wonwoo smiled, which made Joshua’s heart skip a beat, but his face heated up quickly at the words coming from that mouth after the alpha clicked his tongue.

“You are so sensitive here, hmm?” Wonwoo gently moved his finger, slowly teasing the outside of the hole, mixing the lube with Joshua’s own slick. “I even haven’t put my finger in yet.”

Again, the hybrid was speechless. What he was feeling there was both tempting and tickling at the same time, but it soon turned out to be not enough. Joshua wanted more. He realized that Wonwoo really loved to tease; he was in fact _excellent at foreplay_, but Joshua was too sensitive to endure that much. He did not need much from his alpha to get turned on and ready.

The worse thing was, Wonwoo was not only _sinfully good_; he was also _unpredictable_.

Joshua did not have the chance to start thinking of how to ask for more, because his owner had made a move first. The finger did not linger too long outside his hole; it began to push inside. Joshua got startled and relieved at the same time, thinking that he was going to get what he desired. However, Wonwoo was more cruel than that. He just pushed in a little, not even up to one digit yet, and then pulled out. And then he pushed in again.

And pulled out, with the same pattern.

“Daddy… daddy…” Joshua could not help pleading, or begging, hands holding tightly on the man’s biceps. “Please… please… daddy…” He was even not sure what he wanted so as to make a proper plead.

Nevertheless, that was enough for Wonwoo to understand, but it did not mean that he would stop teasing and playing with his boy. This time, without warning, the alpha pushed his finger deeper slowly up to his knuckle in just one go. The movement was slow enough and the finger had enough lubrication to bring Joshua not much pain, but the boy still yelped and threw his head back in ecstasy. The feeling was far better than whatever Joshua had imagined. It did hurt for sure, but he was more taken aback by the pleasure. Wonwoo shushed him with soft coos, whispering into his ear.

“Does it hurt much, Joshua? You okay?”

Joshua nodded, wriggling his hips as he wanted more. However, Wonwoo ordered him to stay still one more time. The alpha’s command was voiced strictly, and Joshua knew he had no choice but to obey.

“I am the only one to move here. Understand, baby?”

The hybrid nodded, and was rewarded by a new wave of pleasure.

Wonwoo had started to move that one finger in and out. He did not go out thoroughly, but whenever he pushed in, the finger would go all the way inside. He kept doing that in a very slow pace, patiently waiting for Joshua’s muscle to loosen and get used to the intrusion. The slight pain quickly disappeared, leaving the boy drowned in pure lust.

“Moan for daddy.”

That was the last thing that Joshua’s mind was able to register.

About two minutes later, Wonwoo added one more finger into the tight hole. A few minutes after that, he added the third one. And finally, he used four fingers to _destroy_ Joshua’s hole and his mind as well.

Once again, Joshua became a moaning mess at his alpha’s mercy. Miraculously, he still had the ability to know what _embarrassment_ and _sanity_ meant, still feeling his face get hot and red, but everything was just useless. No miracle in this world could stop his moan. Without thinking, he buried his face in his alpha’s shoulder with a hope to muffle the moan. In the other hand, that seemed to be a terribly wrong decision. Wonwoo’s scent attacked his nose in just a stronger way at that position, and Joshua got even more aroused and stimulated. There were even various lewd and dirty sounds coming from the place where Wonwoo’s fingers were being deep inside the boy’s body. Those fingers were fucking him madly brutally, and Joshua could not deny that he loved it.

Joshua moaned wantonly when the alpha’s fingers brushed over his prostate and refused to leave that spot alone. Wonwoo kept fucking his boy, intentionally hitting the sweet spot dead on, but there were times he stopped to give it a few stroke. Judging Joshua’s scent and condition, he knew that the hybrid would not last much longer.

“Cum for daddy.”

Much as the deep voice was enough to bring Joshua so close to the edge, the hybrid’s voice hitched at the moment Wonwoo’s free hand wrapped around his neglected cock and started to stroke relentlessly.

“Call my name, Joshua.” Wonwoo demanded an eye contact, and the effort to obey distracted Joshua a bit from his upcoming orgasm.

“I… I… can’t…” The boy stuttered, shaking his head vigorously.

“Call my name, please.” Wonwoo lowered and softened his voice. “I want to hear it from you.”

Joshua was too weak for his alpha. He literally could not resist such request, since he had always wished to get closer, more intimate to his alpha. Calling him by his name? That was something he used to think that would only appear in the sweetest dreams.

“Wonwoo… Wonwoo…” The boy eventually said, trying his best to ignore his prostate being abused so that he could call that beloved name again. “Wonwoo… I’m… I’m close…”

Utterly satisfied, the alpha leaned over to attach his lips on one of Joshua’s nipples and suck it. With four fingers in his hole, a hand on his cock and a mouth on his nipple, Joshua could not hold back anymore.

The hybrid was very loud when he came hard - even harder than the previous time. Wonwoo did not mind that at all; he found Joshua’s moan the sexiest and cutest thing in this world at the same time. The alpha only stopped sucking the nub so that he could sit straight at watch his boy’s expression on his blissed face, adoring the sight of cum spilling from his red cock onto both of their stomach. The hole clenched around his fingers deliciously, making strings of thought about that hole clenching around his dick crashed through Wonwoo’s mind. He kept working his hands while Joshua was going through his intense orgasm. The intensity took him quite a lot of time to ride out all of his high. Wonwoo only retreated his hands when the hybrid whined desperately in over-stimulation again. The night was still long, but the alpha decided to let his baby rest rather than playing with him until exhausted.

Joshua’s limp body fell on his owner, and Wonwoo pulled him into a warm hug in his arms. The boy’s chest was still heaving as he was trying to take in oxygen, but he felt undoubtedly comfortable, happy and safe.

However, peace did not last long. Joshua almost jumped at the hasty knock on the door. Knowing that Jun was out there, the boy scrambled to climb off Wonwoo lap in an attempt to get dressed properly before the other alpha got in. To his surprise, the man chuckled but did not let him go. Instead of helping Joshua getting up, he lifted up the hybrid under his thighs, switching the position so that the boy was then still sitting in his lap, but his back was pressed to the alpha’s chest. Aghast and agape, Joshua frantically tried to get out of the man, but Wonwoo shushed him, opening his thighs wide apart and firmly keeping the boy’s knees on his sides.

“Master... Wonwoo… I… I can’t…”

“Shhh, baby.” The alpha put a kiss on Joshua’s temple. “Let Jun take a look at how beautiful you are.”

“But… but…”

Not caring how shocked and embarrassed the hybrid was, Wonwoo allowed his cousin to enter.

“Come in, Jun.”

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it needs to be cut here. I hope that you will look forward to the next chapter :) OF COURSE JUN WILL JOIN THEM!!!  
I really want to know what you think after reading this chapter!!! Any comments are all highly appreciated!!!! Love you guys!!!!
> 
> \---
> 
> This part is not related to the fic, so it's okay to skip it. Next time whenever you see that line (---), please feel free to skip the part beneath it.
> 
> I wonder when my body will "get used to" the medicine. It's making me nauseous all day and I can't eat well ;_; I always need a plastic bag by myself because I always feel like I'm about to throw up but I didn't T_T Only writing saves my soul ;_; 
> 
> Maybe, to be optimistic, I should consider this as a chance to lose some weight haha  
Haha  
Haha...


	18. The kitten in his alphas' hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo generously let Jun enter the room and join them.  
However, after Joshua left, things still did not end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's continue with the smut~~~

Since none of the rooms in this house was soundproofed, a few moments ago Jun was able to hear Joshua’s continuous lewd moans. He was not sure what urged him to come to Wonwoo’s room. He was afraid that his cousin may hurt Joshua or what? Jun failed to question himself, and now he was standing in front of the lead alpha’s door. He knocked the door more violently than he should have, and after the door was opened, the scene that welcomed his exceeded what he had expected.

When Jun walked closer to Wonwoo’s desk, Joshua was in his cousin’s arms, being beautifully spread out and fully exposed for him. Wonwoo’s arms were under the boy’s knees, stealing all of his ability to close his legs. Blushing extremely hard, Joshua tried to use his hands to cover his delicate parts on his lower body, but once again, Wonwoo’s cruel hands and arms came to take the poor boy’s arms away, locking him in a completely helpless position.

For a brief second, Jun was afraid that Wonwoo might scare Joshua by doing such things, making the boy feel trapped and forced. However, the expression on the hybrid’s face was saying that he did not feel that way at all. Moreover, his abdomen was still covered with white cum while the little pink hole was clenching invitingly, wet and messy with slick. Jun knew Wonwoo had managed to have some interesting sexual activities with Joshua, and it seemed that the boy was still in the mood for that. It was easy to identify arousal in the sweet scent emitted from the lovely omega.

Joshua tried to beg with his shaky voice although he knew too well by himself that it was useless.

“Master… please… don’t look…”

That shy voice in Jun’s ears was much more like a seduction. Ignoring the boy’s opinion like Wonwoo did, Jun kept walking closer and only stopped when he was only less than ten centimeters away from the edge of the chair where his cousin was sitting. Leaning over, lowering himself a bit, Jun smiled gently and kissed Joshua’s sweaty forehead while his hand caress the hot flushed cheek.

“Don’t be shy, baby. You’re beautiful. Let me look at you.”

The boy gulped because of the compliment, but he still shook his head.

“It’s… it’s embarrassing, master…”

“There’s nothing to feel embarrassed.” Jun used one finger to take some of the hybrid’s cum on his stomach, licking his finger clean and smirked. “My kitten is so sweet, so delicious.”

That was the second time somebody called Joshua _“kitten”_ in just a day. The adorable and _precise_ pet name caused immediate reaction in the hybrid. The very little sound that Joshua gave out was half like a whine, half like a whimper, but no matter what it was like, both the alphas just found that too cute for their hearts to handle. They started to remember, that although Joshua was acting shy and embarrassed - as he had said so - he actually loved to get all the attention from his alphas. And now, he was getting what he wanted, being in the center of not only Wonwoo but also Jun’s attention. All of the thirsty eyes were focusing on his attractive body, tracing every inch of flesh and skin, adoring how pretty, how alluring he was in such a vulnerable condition.

Jun pressed one more kiss on Joshua’s cheek, then moved his mouth to the boy’s ear and whispered seductively.

“Will you let your alpha have a taste of you, baby?”

Joshua was not given the peace to think and consider the options. In fact, they did not give him any option, as Jun was rubbing the inner part of the boy’s thighs while asking, making him tremble and moan softly. At that time, Joshua realized that he wanted those hands to not only touch his thighs. He wanted the hands on his cock, and in his hole again, like what Wonwoo had done to him earlier. His face turned to a deep shade of red. His mind did not notice that his cock was just getting hard again.

Right at the moment Jun took Joshua’s cock in his hand and started stroking, the hybrid mewled, throwing his head back on Wonwoo’s shoulder. The pleasure was coming back, brought to him by his beloved alpha’s gentle hand. The lead alpha’s extra deep voice did not help at all, even adding more shiver to his shaking body.

“Can you handle one more time for Jun, kitten?”

There was no use rejecting. Anyway, why did he have to do that? His body was subconsciously begging Jun to touch him _more_ by releasing the sweetest scent it had ever been able to give out.

Finally, Joshua nodded, eyes highly concentrating on watching Jun taking care of his cock in his flexible hand. Not stopping for a single second, Jun looked at the boy deep in the eyes, asking him one more question.

“Will you promise not to escape and to spread out yourself for your alphas, baby? Wonwoo will let go of your legs and arms.”

Totally giving in, Joshua nodded again, pleading eyes getting watery due to the pleasure and also the desire to touch his alpha. Once Wonwoo was able to sense the boy’s utter submission, he slowly put Joshua’s legs down, only letting him sit with his thighs spread wide to the sides and both feet placed on the chair. That was enough of a nice exposure for Jun, allowing him to take in his eyes every delicate parts of his omega’s body. Joshua did not protest, obediently staying still in the position that his owner had put him in. He just reached out his arms for Jun and the man complied, leaning over to make out with the needy boy.

Joshua hugged Jun’s shoulders while the alpha kissed him thoroughly, passionately. The hand on his cock maintained a languid and stable pace, enough to make him feel stimulated, but not enough to satisfy. Attentively watching the erotic scene and listening to the sounds of tongues and lips playing with each other in a sensual game, Wonwoo slightly smirked, roaming his hands over Joshua’s torso, sometimes flicking the pink nipples without warning. The hybrid moaned for each of the touch there, and Wonwoo found it interesting to know that his baby is so sensitive there. After being touched for long while, he still got excited whenever being touched there again. As a result, Wonwoo cruelly refused to leave those cute nubs alone.

Joshua was surprised when Jun bit his neck all of a sudden, but the feelings were like electricity spreading through his whole body. He moaned even louder, getting suffocated by the alphas’ scent covering him thoroughly, so thick and heady in the air. Before Joshua was able to clear his mind, Jun had kneeled down on the floor so that the boy’s groin was in the same level with his face.

He really wanted to know how his kitten tastes.

Although Joshua promised not to move or close his legs, it was too hard for him to do so when Jun started attacking his hole by his tongue. Finally, the man had to grope his thighs to keep him in place. Joshua moaned, squirmed and gasped for air, feeling as if his lungs were stuck. His tight hole down there was still extremely sensitive after his orgasm brought by Wonwoo fingering a few minutes ago. Joshua thought that he was being overstimulated, but his body was also welcoming that feeling. He loved having Jun’s tongue inside. He did not know he was producing more and more slick, letting his alpha have a perfect taste of him. The sweet juice drove Jun crazy.

Joshua knew for sure that he would be able to hit his third orgasm of the night even if Jun kept on doing just that. However, his owners did not have such an intention. To be more exact, Wonwoo did not want that to happen. The hybrid whined loudly when his hole got empty again, losing all the contact with the tongue that he had been trying to clench on to keep it inside. Not very gently, Wonwoo grabbed Jun’s hair, yanking him off Joshua, making the younger alpha gasp and look at him with wide eyes. Instantly regretting his own action, afraid that he had just hurt Jun, Wonwoo moved his hand to his cousin’s chin, gently forcing him to stand up and lean closer.

“Let me have a taste.”

Joshua had never expected that he would get even hornier by watching his alphas kissing each other. That was exactly the moment he knew that he would be okay with sharing his beloved alpha with Wonwoo, and maybe with Mingyu too. Whether Jun accepted that or not, Wonwoo still kissed him, parting the other’s lips to slide his tongue in and taste Joshua in Jun’s mouth. The younger alpha’s mind was too hazy to force himself to reject the kiss, unconsciously welcoming Wonwoo’s intrusion, making out with him. The boy heard Jun moan, but he was not sure what was the emotion under that sound and there was no signal of his owners letting go of each other soon.

The needy hybrid began whining, asking for attention. The alphas broke their kisses to stare at their omegas and chuckled. They soothed him by various kisses on his face, and then when Jun left that position to move down somewhere lower. Joshua held his breath in anticipation.

Nothing filled his hole, but a mouth on his cock was enough for Joshua to sigh in relief. It was so great to have the alphas doing blowjobs for him. Joshua enjoyed that to the utmost, closing his eyes, biting on his own lips and drowned in the waves of sensation. Just a few seconds later, he decided to open his eyes, because he wanted to watch Jun’s lips wrapping around his cock, to watch the alpha’s head bobbing up and down, and to get lost in the lustful look that the man was giving him. Wonwoo’s hands had never stopped rubbing his torso, and now he was playing with Joshua’s nipples, teeth biting and nibbling numerous spots on the boy’s neck.

Jun was much more gentle than Wonwoo in any kinds of action, but Joshua found himself enjoying both, as long as the stimulation came from his alphas. The boy was able to feel how Jun’s tongue was moving along the shaft and teasing the slit. He loved how the man used his hands to play with his balls, while Wonwoo sometimes brought the hybrid’s face to turn to him and devour his lips.

Joshua did not want to reach his climax soon because he still wanted Jun to do more things to his body, but it was too difficult to hold back. He came unexpectedly hard in the alpha’s mouth, vision going blank for a moment. The orgasm swept through his body like a powerful electric wave, making him tremble violently and turn limp again in Wonwoo’s arms.

That was still not the end of the night.

When Joshua gained back a little of his consciousness, he was still moaning like crazy. Jun’s fingers were fucking him mercilessly, refusing to let him calm down after the orgasm. Having been stretched out by Wonwoo previously, and with a pretty large amount of slick, the boy did not need to be fingered gently before speeding up anymore. Jun just needed to push his fingers in and the hole immediately clenched around them, begging to be violated.

“Will you cum for me one more time, kitten?” Jun gently asked, voice totally contrast to his brutal fingers. His other hand was stroking Joshua’s cock again, determined to make the boy crave for another release.

Joshua could just nod, unable to speak anymore, because he could never stop moaning and mewling. Jun only used two fingers at first, but he soon added the third one and was contemplating when would be the suitable time for the fourth one. The alpha had thought that it would be better to do everything gently with Joshua, but he soon found out that as long as it did not hurt, the boy seemed to be able to enjoy even rougher stimulation. Meanwhile, the hybrid’s over-sensitive nipples continued to be teased by Wonwoo. When one of them was left alone, Joshua felt relieved and empty at the same time, but he suddenly got startled to see the lead alpha’s free hand moving towards the place Jun was fucking him not very gently.

“Mas…master… what are you… doing?” He asked, but got no answer.

Instead, the man just gave him a short kiss.

“Just cum one last time, baby. I promise. We will make you feel good.”

No question or request was exchanged between the two alphas. Seeing Wonwoo’s hand getting closer, Jun slowed down then stopped his movement thoroughly. He retreated one finger, only leaving two inside Joshua’s hole so that Wonwoo’s two fingers could fit in. Once they had done locating inside Joshua, the two men began moving simultaneously.

Joshua moaned wantonly, feeling wonderfully stretched out. His prostate got abused one more time by not only one but two alphas. When Jun’s fingers slid out, Wonwoo’s ones would go deep in and hit it at a precise angle, and then when he moved out, it would be Jun’s turn to hit that sweet spot and send Joshua to ecstasy. Being fucked by one alpha’s four fingers was nothing in comparison with being penetrated by two men’s four fingers. Furthermore, they kept telling him that he was beautiful, that he was doing very well, and that they loved him.

_No pain. Only pure pleasure._

And the cat hybrid soon came the fourth time of the night, also the last time. The boy’s muscles clenched and squeezed the fingers in his hole tightly when he cum, and when they were about to leave, Joshua whined loudly, frantically holding on both his alphas’ wrist to keep them still. Understanding that the boy did not like to feel empty after his orgasm, they kept their fingers there, still moving in and out slowly to help him ride out the climax. They only stopped for good and took away their fingers when Joshua got back to breath normally, but still extremely tired.

“Feel good, baby?” Caressing Joshua’s cheek, Wonwoo whispered by his ear.

He nodded and smiled at Jun when the man stood up on his feet, staring at him in the eyes. Also smiling back to the boy, Jun leaned over and kissed him sweetly before asking.

“Do you want to go get washed with me?”

Surprisingly, the hybrid shook his head.

“I… I haven’t done yet.”

Getting off Wonwoo’s lap, Joshua stood on the ground by his wobbly legs. His owners thought that he was about to fall, but it turned out that he was going to kneel down in front of Jun by himself. Without hesitation, the boy took Jun’s hard cock out of his sweat pants. The action was completely contrast to his innocent voice.

“Master… has not come yet.”

“It’s okay, Joshua.” Jun caressed his cheek, humming lovingly. “You don’t have to care about it.”

However, Joshua shook his head again. Not bothering to ask for permission, he just opened his mouth and took the whole length in. He loves Jun, he would do anything to please the alpha he loves most. Taking care of his cock was not _a must_ to Joshua; it was a thing that he truly wished to do, _his pleasure_. He blushed because of his own action, but he was determined to suck Jun off and swallow his cum. He would not stop until everything was done.

Sensing Wonwoo’s presence by his side, Joshua darted his glance towards that direction to see the lead alpha standing next to him, eyes fixed on his mouth sucking Jun’s dick. Joshua’s face immediately turned seriously red; he forgot that all of his actions were being watched by not only one but two alphas. Wonwoo was observing him giving a blow job to Jun while he was almost naked, no pants, shirt pulled down to elbows, shoulders and chest exposed and covered with white cum. That was such an embarrassment, but Joshua had no intention of stopping. Neither of his owners wanted that.

“Such a good kitten.” Wonwoo complimented, making Joshua’s heart flip. He mewled like a real kitten when the man petted his hair.

Like Wonwoo, Jun did not dare to go rough with Joshua, too afraid of breaking the boy. Therefore, he had to use all of his self-restrain to stay still, using his hand to caress the hybrid’s cheek. Joshua always tried to remain eye contact with Jun from the beginning, and he felt happy for making his alpha feel good. He could hear the growl from Jun, smell the arousal in his scent and taste his precum on his tongue. Jun’s dick is not as big as Wonwoo, but admirable in length, and it is definitely something that would hurt Joshua horribly, but he was still unable to resist the temptation of the alpha’s cock. His instincts forced him to imagine how good it may feel if this cock filled his hole instead of the fingers? If he was okay with four fingers stretching him out, then why a dick was not possible?

However, today was not the day to try that. Joshua just wanted to make Jun cum.

And when he did, the boy swallowed everything down his throat like what he had done with Wonwoo. Joshua did not know what took over his mind, but he let the alpha’s cock slide out of his mouth when Jun had not stopped releasing, so that some of his cum landed on Joshua’s face. Both of the alphas hissed and growled at the dirty scene. The hybrid even stuck out his tongue, letting his owners see the white cum there. Then, he wrapped his mouth around Jun’s cock one more time, sucking hard, riding out all of his orgasm.

When Joshua finally let go of Jun’s dick, Wonwoo instantly pulled his arm to make him stand up. Joshua wasted no second to think what the lead alpha was intending to do. He willingly parted his lips in a hot kiss with Wonwoo, allowing the man to taste Jun’s cum in his mouth. Although Joshua was greedy to have more of the white fluid from his beloved alpha, he was okay with sharing some for Wonwoo. The man turned out to be greedier, licking all of the white stain on his face. Joshua was unable to see Jun at the moment, but judging by his scent, he knew that the alpha was blushing in embarrassment.

When Wonwoo had had enough of Jun’s taste on Joshua, the two alphas helped Joshua wear his clothes back on, but that was just temporary. Jun wanted to send him to the bathroom right away, but it would be quite inconsiderate if they let him go naked.

“Go wash yourself in my bathroom.” Jun told the hybrid. “When I come back, we will take a bath together. Agree?”

Joshua beamed at the promise of a bath with his alpha, and he obediently nodded. He left the room without even asking why he had to use Jun’s bathroom but not Wonwoo’s, or why the alpha did not go with him right then. Wonwoo started to get the hint _of something_ after Jun locked the door behind Joshua, not wanting their omega to witness what they were going to do with each other.

Jun was not subtle at all when staring at Wonwoo’s still exposed hard cock, even licking his lips. That did not go unnoticed to his cousin. Wonwoo was not sure what Jun was anticipating for, but there was definitely very strong sexual tension between two of them at the moment. Purposefully, he had strongly pushed out his pheromones to overwhelm the other alpha, which seemed to be effective. Then, Jun just stepped closer and kneeled down in front of the lead alpha. Wonwoo was quite amazed, but his expression remained cold while he was waiting for Jun to take action. The younger alpha looked at him in the eyes, then turning to stare at the huge cock so close to his face again. In a little - just a little - reluctant way, Jun slowly raised his hand, then starting to stroke that cock, and murmuring so quietly.

“Let me help you finish.”

Jun did not ask for permission. He voluntarily began to take care of Wonwoo’s dick with his mouth, which also meant his lips, his teeth, his tongue, or his throat, everything that he had.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who is waiting for "something" about Junxalpha(s), I promise you there will be pretty much of that in the next chapter!!! So please look forward to it ^^ 
> 
> Again, please let me know what you have been thinking about the story so far ;_; 
> 
> Somehow I feel bad for Mingyu because he was not able to join :')


	19. Torturous Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun kneeled down for Wonwoo, sucking him off.  
Wonwoo certainly did not let his partner go before making him cum, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WONHUI SMUT!  
Anyway, to make sure, I added the tag Dubious consent. I'm not really sure about this, but perhaps you may feel a little uncomfortable here.

Wonwoo let out a deep growl, but did not stop his cousin. They both had got lost in lust, and the feelings they were exchanging through their eyes could not be mistaken any longer. Jun obviously adored the task of swirling his tongue around the tip of the cock, doing that again and again, purposely using the tip of his tongue to tease the slit and taste the precum, but he soon saw the threatening look in Wonwoo’s angry eyes. He quickly opened his mouth to take the whole length in. Jun was capable of taking much more down his throat than Joshua, which brought more heavenly pleasure to the oldest alpha.

Jun suddenly felt weak when Wonwoo’s hand came to caress his cheek, his jaw, making his lustful mind become submissive, willing to do anything that the powerful alpha may ask him to. Wonwoo’s pheromones were undoubtedly stronger and headier than his, causing so much devastating effects on his mind at the moment. Wonwoo could not make it rough with Joshua, but he knew that with Jun, he could, and he really did it. The gentle hand got stronger when it came to Jun’s head, and the younger alpha was startled by the feeling of being pulled on his hair not very gently. However, it did not hurt, and Jun felt nothing but more pliant to the alpha above him. He remained eye contact with the other, eagerly waiting for anything - a movement, a request, or _an order_.

Wonwoo smirked when he saw Jun starting to get hard again.

“Can I fuck your mouth, Junnie?”

The question in such a deep voice sent Jun immediately to hell. He nodded without thinking. He even did not know why he started this after a long time of rejecting, but there was definitely no way out anymore.

Born as an alpha, Jun is not born to let an alpha’s cock fuck his mouth deep down to his throat, but he was okay with letting Wonwoo do that to him. Because this was not their first time anyway. He had got used to that, submitting to the older alpha and letting him make use of his mouth, his throat to get his climax. Getting what he had always desired after three months straight of delay, Wonwoo felt utterly satisfied, enjoying every single movement of his dick fucking Jun’s mouth, adoring the beautiful and lewd sight of the younger male’s lips wrapping around his length.

Wonwoo did pull Jun’s hair, but he still made sure not to hurt the other, since he knew that Jun was not a fan of roughness. There was twice in which the lead alpha loosened his grip, turning to pat his cousin’s hair and whispering seductively.

“Good boy, Junnie.”

The alpha on the floor whined at the praise, sending vibration through his throat to Wonwoo’s cock, trying to suck harder and better. However, when the older male’s hand came to hold the back of his head and his neck, Jun lost all control over everything completely. The only thing he could do was just to keep his mouth open and let his partner fuck him until he came.

Like Joshua, Jun tried his best to swallow all of Wonwoo’s cum, tasting it on his tongue and did not regret anything. He kept sucking hard while feeling the liquid was still coming out, and kept sucking long after that until the lead alpha completely rode out all his orgasm. The taste did not help anything, just making him felt more aroused although his mind did not want to. Jun hated himself for that. There was no way to hide that from Wonwoo. Not to mention that he had forgot to fix his pants properly after Joshua finished his job, the scent was revealing enough of his condition.

When Wonwoo pulled himself away from Jun, the tip of his cock slowly and accidentally swept through the corner of the younger’s lips and cheek, leaving a streak of cum there. Jun did not really seem to let it go willingly, and Wonwoo quickly caught that expression in his eyes. Using his thumb to wipe the streak on Jun’s face, he brought that finger to the younger’s lips and lightly pushed in. Obediently, Jun sucked that finger clean but did not soon let go. His mind was still pretty much hazy, and the feelings, the taste on his tongue were so good that he unconsciously closed his eyes. There was not a few alphas trying to make Jun submit, but none of them succeeded. However, Wonwoo is an exception. A deadly exception.

Nonetheless, Jun’s mind immediately woke up when pleasure suddenly hit him hard. Shocked and startled, he quickly opened his eyes to see Wonwoo also kneeling down in front of him. The lead alpha’s hand was on his cock and stroking relentlessly.

“You are hard again just by sucking me off?” Retracting the thumb in Jun’s mouth, Wonwoo smirked and leaned closer to murmur in his cousin’s ear.

However, Jun did not take that as Wonwoo had expected. He started to squirm, trying to escape, but to no avail. He was only able to stand up when Wonwoo stood up first, and the strong grip on the cock completely stopped him from moving away from the older alpha. Wonwoo could not understand why Jun’s attitude could change so quickly, and he began to feel frustrated. Jun had just sucked his cock and then now he was protesting while Wonwoo pleasured him by giving him a handjob? That did not make sense at all, and Wonwoo would not allow Jun to do something so stupid like that.

“Stop… Wonwoo, stop!” Jun started to beg, torn between mixed feelings, hands holding on the older’s wrist in an attempt to make him stop. “Don’t… don’t do that… Stop it, please!”

“What if I don’t stop?” Wonwoo gritted his teeth, pushing out all his alpha pheromones to overwhelm the other. Surely, he would not stop.

“Please… don’t do this to me… Wonwoo… don’t-AHHH!”

Jun failed to finish his plead when he was pulled against the wall. Just by one hand, Wonwoo grabbed both of Jun’s wrists and pulled them over his head, keeping tightly in his strong grip, preventing the other from moving even a bit. Jun suddenly became helpless, completely trapped between Wonwoo and the wall, locked by hands. He tried to break free, but the pleasure had taken away too much of his strength. He was so weak at the moment, and the sinful hand on his cock was pushing him into ecstasy. Jun is an alpha; he is not easily affected by another alpha’s pheromones like omegas are, but Wonwoo is too powerful in comparison with him. He could sense clearly an increasing urge to submit. Wonwoo was proving himself to be obviously the stronger one, forcing Jun to give in and let him take the lead.

“Can you say that you don’t like this?” Wonwoo whispered in his ear, making Jun’s body get even hotter.

Of course, Jun could not say that, but he kept weakly saying _“don’t”_ and _“stop”_ continuously. Having had enough of that, Wonwoo shushed him by his own lips, kissing the younger roughly. Jun was almost lost, gradually losing all of his will to protest. Wonwoo really knew how to work with his hand, finally eliciting a moan from Jun. Satisfied to hear the deliciously lewd sound, Wonwoo suddenly stopped everything and nearly threw Jun towards his desk.

Just with one arm and in one move, Wonwoo pulled everything on the desk to the ground (except for the desktop, certainly) in order to get more room. Instantly, Jun was pulled to lie with his back flat on the desk and his legs hanging at the edge. Wonwoo was standing between his wide spread legs, leaning over to him and carefully watching his facial expression while the hand was still playing with his cock with no mercy. At the moment Wonwoo’s thumb teased the slit on the tip, Jun threw his head back due to the intense pleasure, and the older alpha immediately took the chance to attach his mouth to the exposed neck.

Jun moaned and groaned when his cousin kissed and intentionally left red marks on his neck, his shoulders and his chest. Although Jun was wearing a shirt with collar, a few undone buttons on the top was enough for Wonwoo to ravish his chest with numerous kisses and nibs and sucks. If Jun was conscious enough, he would realize that he was seriously being scent-marked by the older alpha, and that peppermint scent would probably stay on his body for a whole week long. Wonwoo wanted to make Jun submit, and this was the first time he managed to get what he wanted after months of being rejected and ignored. The affect was partly from their previous sexual activities with Joshua, but he did not care much.

When Wonwoo realized that Jun was close, he cruelly gripped the base of the other’s cock, preventing him from reaching his climax. Jun whined loudly in frustration, slamming his head on the desk, hands quickly moving towards Wonwoo’s wrist. He tried to make the older move, but Wonwoo was determined to stay still. Catching the younger’s wrists one more time, the lead alpha pulled them over Jun’s head, pinning them tightly on the desk and shaking his head. Jun could no longer move his hands or arms, completely helpless under Wonwoo. He squirmed, but in that position, there was not much that he could do, and nothing changed. Jun hated Wonwoo so much. He knew, his cousin wanted utter submission, and he had not given enough of that. Now he was being trapped here with a hard dick in the lead alpha’s hand and no ability to cum.

“Want to come?” Wonwoo asked, eyes piercing into every smallest part of Jun’s face, making the alpha below feel vulnerable under that look.

No, Jun did not want to be manipulated like that. He hated how Wonwoo usually controlled other people, but now he was also becoming a victim. To be more exact, he had always been a victim, but under no circumstances things were so bad like this. He needed to answer quickly, because the longer he hesitated, the longer Wonwoo would keep that dark and lustful look on him, driving him crazier and crazier.

After more than ten seconds, Jun finally nodded with a frown, body stopping moving completely. Still not satisfied, Wonwoo asked in his deep voice, sending shivers down the other’s spine. Jun’s voice would never be able to reach that level of being deep, and he hated how that sexy voice was having influence on him.

“Beg for it.”

Jun’s breath hitched at the moment he realized that growl was an alpha’s command, and he almost opened his mouth to say out loud what Wonwoo wanted after just one second. His stubbornness refused to do that. He is not an omega, and he will never be an omega. There was no reason for him to obey an alpha’s words if he did not want to. Jun tried to keep his mind straight, but Wonwoo quickly captured what was going through his younger cousin’s mind. The hand on his cock suddenly moved again, making Jun arch his back and moan, relieved to get the pleasure again. However, the stroke did not last long. Wonwoo stopped again, gripping firmly at the base at smirk at the scene of Jun whining with his face contorting with both pleasure and frustration. The wrists in his hands were trying to break free again, but Wonwoo just held them more tightly, quite sure that the skin would be beautifully bruised after all of this.

“Tell me what you want, Jun.” Wonwoo whispered to Jun’s ear, earning some more moans from the younger just because of his hot breath touching the ear and the sensitive are of skin around that.

Nonetheless, the answer was unexpected to the lead alpha.

“No…” Jun shook his head vigorously, despite his shaky voice. “I won’t… If you don’t let me… leave me alone, Wonwoo…”

“Really?” Wonwoo slightly raised an eyebrow, moving his thumb to tease the slit at the tip.

Jun bit his lower lip to stop the moan from coming out of his mouth, but that expression was enough to tell the other how he was feeling.

“You want to be like this?” The lead alpha asked again, continuously moving the pad of his thumb on that slit, locking his eyes with Jun’s. “Okay. I can play with you all night.”

“Fuck you, Wonwoo!” Jun suddenly cursed in anger.

Wonwoo frowned instantly at the harsh word. Jun regretted what he had just said almost immediately, as the angry pheromones soon started to surround him considerably. That was not a wise way to ask for mercy. The smirk on Wonwoo’s face never promised anything favorable for Jun.

“Let’s see you will be that confident and stubborn for how long.”

Without stopping teasing the slit torturously, Wonwoo leaned over, using his chin to pull Jun’s collar. The action was so quick that Jun did not have any time to brace himself before Wonwoo managed to reveal his left nipple. The older did not spend time looking; he went straight to lick the sensitive nub by his flexible tongue. Jun failed to hold back his moan, feeling electricity spreading all over his body. The licks quickly turned into aggressive suck while Wonwoo was still far from allowing his cousin to come.

The stimulation coming from both the cock and the nipple was making Jun insane, but he really did not want to beg Wonwoo such a dirty thing. Jun never wanted to lose this battle. If he gave in just once, Wonwoo would go even further in the future, giving him no escape, no way out. Jun had never regretted his action so much like this in his life. He should have gone together with Joshua. Why was he so stupid? Why had he failed to resist the older alpha’s temptation? Did Wonwoo intentionally release his pheromones at that time to keep Jun stay and pay attention to his hard dick?

“No… Let me go…” Jun begged, voice broken. “Stop… Wonwoo… stop…”

However, hearing his own name coming out of Jun this way, so helpless and breathless, Wonwoo had no intention of letting his cousin go.

For not fewer than three minutes after that, Wonwoo from time to time stroked Jun’s cock in a very fast pace, pushing him extremely close to the edge, then he suddenly stopped. Again, he gripped the base, and began attacking the younger’s slit and nipples. Jun kept thrashing and moaning continuously, but never got what his body wanted. Wonwoo just did not listen to him. Jun soon lost his ability to say no. All he could do was just moaning and whining but to no avail. Every time he thought that he was about to cum, Wonwoo stopped him, then gave him more pleasure by his cruel stimulation on those extremely sensitive spots to drive him crazy.

Eventually, Jun lost the battle before he actually realized that he had. The feelings got unbearable and he started to beg without thinking.

“Please… Wonwoo… let me cum… I… I beg you… please…”

What really stopped Wonwoo from his torture was not the saying, but the tears spilling from Jun’s eyes. He could not endure it anymore. All his mind could process at this time was just finding a way to get out of this condition, no matter what it is. He would do anything that Wonwoo wanted, as long as _it stopped_.

In fact, Wonwoo did not intend to make Jun suffer. He wondered why the younger made himself suffer like that while he should have said this much sooner to help himself. Anyway, Wonwoo did not mind much of the curse that Jun had spit on him not long ago, also did not mind the younger’s stubbornness that had hurt both of them. The tears made his heart clench, and he moved away from Jun’s chest to carefully look at him in the eyes.

Jun was crying. He had never cried when the disgusting alphas violated his body or hit him in the past, even though there were times he bled badly, but now he was crying because of Wonwoo. Jun should have used their safe word, but he did not, because he did not consider this as an intimate moment they shared with each other. He simply thought that Wonwoo wanted to torture him as a brutal way to get his submission. The lead alpha did not need to hear anything more. He understood.

Let go of the wrists that were already limp and bruised, Wonwoo moved his hand to Jun’s face, gently wiping the tears, realizing that the man beneath was trembling violently. Wonwoo just stood still silently, wiping the tears again and again, waiting for his cousin to calm down. Jun tried to turn his neck away, avoiding looking at him but Wonwoo kept the younger’s face in his hand, forcing direct eye contact. The lead alpha was not so fierce like he had been before, but more loving and gentle as he was trying to help Jun get back his normal breath.

Wonwoo patiently spent time waiting until Jun got soften a bit, enough for him to take his hand away from his cock but he did not release. Even when Wonwoo took both his hands away from Jun, the younger only lay there, chest heaving, eyes hazed, body limp and tired. Standing up straight, Wonwoo carefully maneuvered Jun out of the desk. After sitting down on his own chair, Wonwoo opened his legs wide to make enough room so that he could place Jun in between with the younger’s back pressed to his chest. Jun did not protest or say anything as if he had lost all of his energy. Wonwoo felt the pain in his heart to see Jun like this, and he decided to gently bring the younger alpha to his orgasm.

Placing one hand on Jun’s neck, the lead alpha moved the younger head towards him and leaned over at the same time until their lips met each other. Jun did not response to the kiss at first, but after a minute, realizing that the other was being gentle, he slowly started to move his lips and opened his mouth, inviting the other to take everything. At the time Wonwoo’s tongue began invading Jun’s mouth, his hand moved back to the neglected cock of the younger, and continued stroking. This time, he would not stop until Jun fought back out of overstimulation.

Jun moaned and sighed in satisfaction when the pleasure was coming back, but part of his mind was still being afraid that Wonwoo would stop when he was close. However, he could not think much, because the lead alpha’s hand had not been on his neck anymore, but was sneaking in under his shirt. His whole body jolted at the moment those rough fingers touched his nipple, twisting and pinching relentlessly. Wonwoo refused to break the kiss, forcefully sucking on the other’s tongue and lips, creating numerous dirty sounds. Down there, he was speeding up, and feeling Jun starting to tense up.

Neither of his hands stopped what they were doing. Just a minute later, Jun came really hard on Wonwoo’s hand, dirtying his hand with white cum while his body trembled and convulsed in the taller man’s arms. Wonwoo smirked while adoring the scene, and kept stroking until Jun swatted his hand away with a loud whine. Temporarily stopping kissing, Wonwoo brought the hand to his mouth, licking clean all the cum while keeping an intense eye contact with the other. Jun blushed, but the scene was too appealing to stop looking, and he did not expected that Wonwoo would soon attach their lips together again, letting him taste himself a bit in passionate and long kisses. The younger agreed to remain sitting there longer, lengthening the kisses while Wonwoo’s arms wrapped around him to form a tight hug.

However, not long after that, not long enough for Wonwoo, Jun broke away from his arms and stood up pretty quickly. He frowned while watching the younger alpha frantically fixing his clothes. Wonwoo stopped him half way, grabbing his wrist tightly. The oldest alpha unintentionally put more force in his hand than what he had intended due to the rising anger burning in his head, causing Jun to wince. Nonetheless, after seeing that reaction, Wonwoo still did not want to loosen his grip. He could not be gentle with his cousin anymore, since he had seen so far, that being easy and lenient to the stubborn guy would solve nothing.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before blaming me for anything, please turn back and read the tags again. I have already put the Non-con there ;_; This should be considered as Non-con or Dub-con? I am not sure really TvT 
> 
> Wonwoo and Jun will have a talk in the next chapter, definitely! I hope you will look forward to it ^^ 
> 
> Since many of you are anticipating for Junxalphas content, I really want to read your comments to know how you think about this!!!!!


	20. Desperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo kept Jun in his room to talk but things got out of control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you were angry with Wonwoo in the previous chapter, but you could be angrier with this one :')
> 
> There is some gentle JunShua smut in this chapter ^^

“What the hell was that, Jun?” Wonwoo asked sternly, his gaze piercing into the younger’s face.

“You’ve already known that. We’ve done it many times. Still need me to explain?” He retorted with a deep frown, and his eyes were still watery.

“Are you going to leave without saying a word like that?” Despite Jun’s effort to break free, Wonwoo just strengthened his grip, releasing more and more angry pheromones. “After three months straight ignoring me?”

“I don’t ignore you. You are the fucking jerk who has to stay away from me.” Jun almost shouted to Wonwoo in the face.

“Don’t think that you can get away with this!” The lead alpha pulled his cousin’s wrist, forcing him to come closer, snarling, voice threatening. “Do you know that you’re acting stupid? You kneeled down for me and then threw curses into my face? Just stop that and listen to me.”

“I have nothing to hear from you.” Jun gritted his teeth, eyes filled with frustration and even desperation. “Everything… everything was just a huge mistake. From the beginning. You have to stop! You need to stop this, Wonwoo.”

“That’s not a proper explanation, Jun.”

Jun gasped in shock and whimpered in pain when Wonwoo suddenly violently pulled him to the wall, slamming his back on the hard surface. His wrist was suffering a lot of pain and would surely get seriously bruised the next day. On top of that, he was overwhelmed by the intense pheromones of a noble, something that would always be stronger than him and was forcing him - a normal alpha - to submit. Jun did not want to accept that fate, struggling fighting with all of his instinct to not obey, but he was still scared and hurt.

Wonwoo was really angry. For years, the lead alpha had never been violent or aggressive towards Jun, but at this moment he was. That was a promise for Jun’s dark future.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Jun?” Gritting his teeth fiercely, Wonwoo pinned both of his cousin’s wrists on the wall. Jun squirmed, writhed and wriggled his arms but to no avail. He could be stronger than many alphas, but nothing compared to a noble. “There’s no reason for me to stop and I will never.”

“You’re such a jerk, you know.” Jun still did not give in, his voice getting louder and higher, but the frown on his face got deeper because of the increasing pain on the wrists. “You’re getting married but you didn’t even ask me. Don’t turn me into _your toy_! I shouldn’t have let you get Joshua either.”

“Haven’t I ever told you that I would never let you go? Don’t understand me?” Wonwoo’s eyes got ten times darker and colder, making Jun flinch, but the younger had no intention of stopping trying to be bold. “I’m fucking sick of _your game_. I’ve told you more than a hundred times. I will divorce soon, just wait two years. The marriage means nothing. Haven’t I made it clear that I love you and I will _do anything to make you mine_?”

“You’re a fucking bastard, Wonwoo.” Jun snarled back, feeling his heart shattering into pieces in his chest. “Can’t you understand me? I don’t want to be your toy. I’m not that stupid to trust your promise of _that “two years”_. What am I to you? I’m just a joke. Don’t act like you care about me while you even didn’t bother to tell me about your marriage! We aren’t kids anymore. Stop playing _our stupid game_, live your own life and let me live my life.”

Jun did not know that he had just pushed Wonwoo over his limit. The angry pheromones outburst in just a second and Jun had no chance to regret his words or to escape.

He whimpered loudly in pain when the older alpha violently flipped him, making his chest pressed to the wall. Jun tried his best to run away but everything was just useless; Wonwoo was too strong. Jun helplessly held onto the older’s arms in an attempt to stop him, but Wonwoo just ignored that. Mercilessly, the angry alpha pulled his cousin’s sweat pants down along with his boxers to under his butt. Jun nearly shouted at the feeling of the two dry, rough and long fingers shoving deeply into his hole, violating him cruelly with no warning. Jun bit on his own fist, trying to muffle the sounds but whimpers still came out continuously from his mouth as the pain was seriously overbearing. He had never found Wonwoo that intimidating, cruel, brutal and scary, especially when the man whispered a true threat to his ear, pressing his fingers deeper inside.

“Do you know that I can just tie you up then knot you and bite you to claim you as mine forever? And you will have no choice but to accept it?”

Jun’s breath and also heartbeat hitched at the saying. He understood that what Wonwoo said was true, but that was not what he was able to care at the moment. Tears started to roll down on his cheeks, and he had no strength to fight back anymore. He was mentally and physically hurt by Wonwoo. He wished nothing but for this to stop.

“Stop it, Wonwoo, please…” He begged, voice weak and shaking. “Let me go… please… It hurts... Don’t treat me like this…”

It was not until Wonwoo saw the tears on Jun’s cheeks did he realize that he was hurting his own love. Once again, Jun had completely stopped fighting, only tears streaming down from his closed eyes. His scent was too sour, too bitter to Wonwoo. That was a mixture of fear and pain. Jun used to be hit and touched inappropriately, but nobody had ever gone this far to him. Wonwoo never wants to make Jun cry, but he had always eventually caused that to happen. His heart ached terribly. All of a sudden, what he wanted was just soothing, loving Jun and taking care of him, alleviating the pain and making all the tears disappear. He desired to make Jun his, but not hurt him.

Still keeping the younger stay still against the wall, Wonwoo slowly took his fingers out, making Jun whimper pathetically and tremble a lot. The older alpha frowned when seeing blood on his fingers, quickly regretting his action. Even if Jun were an omega, he would never be able to take things intruding his most vulnerable place without lube or preparation, and Wonwoo had done that with no consideration, violently. Raising his other hand to reach Jun’s face, Wonwoo gently used the back of the hand to wipe the tears, caressing his cousin’s cheek at the same time with the hope to calm him down, but even the tender action made him flinch. Wonwoo had scared him.

Jun had always believed that Wonwoo would never hurt him or force him into anything. Then it turned out, that he was totally wrong. He was actually living with a monster that would take him at any cost.

Wonwoo was able to flip Jun with no difficulty, putting his cousin into the position of standing face to face with him, leaning his back on the wall. Jun was still sniffling when Wonwoo lightly kissed his lips in his most tender way.

But his apology did not sound sincere at all in the younger male’s ears.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Like Jun, who had never expected to be violated by his cousin, Wonwoo had never thought that he would get a slap on the face from the younger.

“I hate you.”

That was all Jun threw back at him in tears and desperation before he ran out of the room, no looking back even once.

In minutes, Wonwoo just stood there in silence, feeling the pain of the slap on his cheek, but his heart ached much more.

Jun hated him. Finally, that day came. Despite all of his efforts, this was what he got. Jun never changed his mind, never agreed to give in and submit. For a brief moment, the tears made Wonwoo think that he ultimately broke him or defeated him, that Jun would understand objection would bring him nothing but pain, that he was just trying in vain to stay away from him. Their ways of thinking were just opposite to each other. Jun refused to follow Wonwoo’s plan, while the lead alpha wanted to have everything under his control, including _Jun and his life_.

Wonwoo was not aware since when his hands had formed tight fists and his teeth was gritting in utter anger.

…

In Jun’s bathroom, Joshua had finished washing himself in the shower and was waiting for the bath to be filled. Here, he felt safe enough to even not bother to close the bathroom’s door, waiting for Jun to join him as he had expected. Nonetheless, he still put Jun’s shirt on, feeling so vulnerable by walking naked. It might take him a quite long time to wait for Jun; he surely wanted to have clothes on. The shower helped the hybrid clear his mind a bit and he was glad that when he had been in such a hazy state previously, he was still wise enough to obey Jun and give his alphas some time together.

However, Joshua did not really wonder what they were doing with each other. He was more concerned of himself at the moment. Of course, he was tired, but he felt his skin abnormally hot. He took a cold shower and it felt extremely comfortable, but the skin had not got any changes in temperature. The hybrid was a little afraid that he was about to get a fever, but the thought immediately flew out of his mind when he heard the door opened.

Joshua was surprised and also worried when looking at his alpha at the moment. Everything was telling him that there was something wrong with Jun, but he could not identify exactly what that was. There was just only one clear thing - Wonwoo had hurt his beloved Jun. Moreover, he saw some bright red bruises on the man’s wrists. Joshua suddenly felt a wave of anger wrecking through his body and his mind, but instead of letting out any angry outburst, he hurried towards Jun, trying to look into his eyes to find the tears and a light shade of red.

Jun had tried to stop all the tears, sniffles and sobs before returning back to his own room, but it was impossible to hide everything. For the first time, he felt so grateful towards his little omega for not asking anything. The boy just hugged his waist, nuzzling into his chest and murmured so quietly, sounding sad.

“Can we take a bath now?”

That was what he genuinely wanted now. Therefore, he hummed a soft agreement and then held Joshua’s hand, leading him to the bathroom. The hybrid was still shy even after their not-very-chaste activities, hesitating a lot before helping Jun taking off his clothes. Jun told him that he could do it by himself, but Joshua shook his head, determined to do that because he honestly wanted to, which made his alpha smile.

The bath seemed to be small for two people, but both Jun and Joshua enjoyed staying close to each other in the warm water. They did not say a single word, just spending time hugging, cuddling each other. Joshua sat between Jun’s legs, leaning his back against the alpha. The boy was happy to welcome Jun’s lips on his lips, feeling utterly relaxed by the hands caressing tenderly on his bare arms, thighs and torso. It was strange for him to see Jun staying silent in such a long period of time, but he was relieved that the scent was gradually getting better. Later, the man finally spoke when he was nibbling the boy’s ear, a hand caressing his cheek.

“I love you.”

The saying made Joshua smile, and he craned his neck to look at his alpha in the eyes. Seeing the contented and lovely smile on his omega’s face, Jun also smiled and let himself indulge in the heavenly happiness brought by the pure love Joshua was giving him.

“I love you too.”

Joshua eventually managed to tell Jun, and the reaction he got was worth all of the embarrassment. The boy just wished that he had had enough courage to do this earlier. Jun embraced his precious lover tightly in his arms, ravishing him with all of his gentle attention and affection, leaving kisses on all over the adorable face.

Joshua intended to make the bath a comfortable and happy ending for an intense night, but he had to give up that idea. When the alpha’s fingers brushed over the hybrid’s nipples, he nearly jumped. Jun had not touched them when they were still in Wonwoo’s room. Consequently, the feelings were so new to Joshua now, making him crave for more. Neither of the alphas hurt the boy, but Wonwoo had more force in his hands, while Jun was just as gentle as always. On the other hand, after figuring out that Joshua was extremely sensitive at those spots, he did not move his fingers away in any second. The non-stop touch drove Joshua crazy quickly. It was so embarrassing; after minutes of feeling Jun’s hands on his hot skin, he failed to keep a moan from coming out of his mouth. Jun was actually not amazed, because Joshua’s scent had slowly changed in accordance with his emotions. He only smirked and found it funny that his boy was so worked up to smell the difference in his alpha’s scent.

When Jun whispered _“Turn around for me”_ to Joshua, the hybrid blushed really hard and he could not look up anymore. However, that was just a worse thing to do, because when he ducked his head, he was able to see his owner’s admirable hard cock in the water. Not saying anything more, Jun just pulled his omega closer, closer and closer, adjusting their position until they were in a perfect condition for him to wrap his hand around both of their cocks and started to stroke, rubbing them together. Joshua certainly did not expect this to come. He yelped in bewilderment, and then began moaning.

The atmosphere in the bathroom was so peaceful and quiet that Joshua even did not want to destroy it in such a state. He magically kept his moans feeble but continuous, and sometimes he just went breathless, giving out no more sounds, just gasping for air. When they were both close, Jun kissed Joshua passionately one more time, picking up his speed, bringing them to climax together.

At the moment the hybrid came, he finally opened his mouth to speak, and the only thing escaped his mouth was just the name of his alpha who he loves most. His ecstasy seemed to get lengthened when Jun bit the mark on Joshua’s neck. The sweet and lewd chant of his name in combination with Joshua’s eager hands coming to stroke the alpha’s cock finally made Jun cum too. They both decided to get cool down by another warm and intimate kissing session with Joshua straddling his alpha’s lap, skin on skin, caressing and snuggling each other closely.

Joshua knew he would never forget this moment, and also knew that nobody could ever replace Jun’s position in his heart. In the man’s loving embrace, the hybrid even shyly confessed quietly that he wished the first alpha to claim him permanently would be Jun only. Hearing that, the alpha for a second felt like he did not deserve his precious omega’s love, and no words in this world could ever describe how wonderfully the boy warmed and healed his broken heart after what Wonwoo had done to him. Hugging Joshua tightly in his arms, Jun promised that he would fight against both of his cousins or any other alphas to be the hybrid’s first mate and nothing would be able to change that. Instantly, Joshua smiled happily and then eagerly left a hickey on his owner’s neck as a way of showing his desire to claim the man to be his own.

After Jun helped Joshua get dried, he told the boy the get fully dressed in his room and then go back to Wonwoo’s room to sleep. However, the hybrid stared at him with the look of being hurt and rejected, making the alpha feel his heart heavy. Joshua whined and clung desperately to Jun, refusing to leave the comfortable position of sitting on his lap while the man was at the edge of his bed.

“Why do you keep pushing me away?” The boy buried his face in Jun’s neck, hugging tightly. “You don’t want to be with me anymore?”

Jun sighed, patting the back of his boy, almost giving up. For almost a month living here, Joshua had spent half of the nights sleeping in Jun’s bed, and tonight he was obviously not in the mood of sleeping with Wonwoo at all.

“Don’t you know that your heat is coming, Joshua?” His voice was filled with worry. “Your scent is too sweet. Wonwoo is a noble. He will control himself better if your heat hits you in the middle of the night.”

Heat? Joshua had never thought that he had to be worried about that when he had Jun by his sides. The alpha had already known what he wanted, what they had all agreed to do when his heat comes. He trusted Jun, undoubtedly.

“I don’t care.” He shook his head stubbornly, voice getting muffled by the alpha’s shoulder. “I know you won’t hurt me. I trust you. I won’t go anywhere. I just want to stay with you tonight.”

Jun’s heart is too weak for Joshua. He gave up. And neither of them bothered to tell Wonwoo about a change of the plan. Joshua was temporarily mad at Wonwoo for hurting Jun. The boy was even happier to wear Jun’s clothes before falling asleep in his arms. The alpha’s presence made him forget his strangely hot skin and the notion of an upcoming heat.

There is nothing to worry about when Jun is with him.

\-----------------------------------------

Joshua woke up in the middle of the night, feeling his throat oddly dry and his body hot. The sleep was so good that he actually did not want to leave the bed at all, but when he accidentally inhaled more deeply than necessary, Jun’s scent almost got him choked. The boy was immediately drawn to his love, shifting under the blanket to move closer to his owner. The alpha was turning his back to him at the moment but Joshua did not care; having Jun here was enough. He draped his arm over the man’s torso, pressing his face to the wide back, enjoying the peaceful warmth radiated from his man. However, the thirst kept bothering him. Joshua did not want the blanket anymore although he knew that he always got cold at night. His throat did not allow him to go back to sleep easily.

Finally, Joshua had to agree with his body that he needed to drink some water, so he groaned to himself and got out of the bed, heading to the kitchen. He struggled a bit because his body seemed so sore, but he thought that was the result of the sexual activities he had done with his alphas. Wonwoo’s scent shocked Joshua when he passed by the alpha’s room and also Mingyu’s room - although the giant man was not at home - but he tried to focus on getting some water first; his throat felt too hot. However, the mixture of the alphas’ scents in the apartment was seriously suffocating him. He found his head spinning more and more after each time he inhaled. The cold water taken out from the fridge stopped the thirst, but did nothing to his dizziness.

Joshua ended up sitting on the chair by the dining table, refusing to go back to Jun’s bedroom because his body was having hundreds of other ideas. With this head, he would surely fall flat on the ground before making his way to anywhere. Furthermore, every step hurt him and he did not understand at all. Joshua whined softly and brought both his legs up on the chair, hugging them closely to his chest, placing his own chin on the knees. He started to feel the cramps spreading like crazy all over his body, especially his stomach. Just a moment later, he was already burying his face in his arms and knees. The feelings were so annoying, so uncomfortable that he just wanted it to stop.

Joshua did not know what was happening to him until he smelled the scent of peppermint getting clearer quickly in the air. The lead alpha had never smelled that good to the boy, enough to make his hole _cry _literally. The scent hit him so hard that he reeled back, and then jumped out of the chair when his owner appeared at the door of the kitchen. Although his body was screaming, asking him to run towards the man, his trauma was saying the opposite thing. Joshua wanted to run away from Wonwoo. He could not let the alpha come close to him. This would be when his happy life ended.

_“Things will end like this.”_

_“Everything will end.”_

_“This is the end.”_

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate Wonwoo too much ;_;  
AND JOSHUA'S HEAT CAME!!!!! JIHAN SMUT IS COMING!!!!  
By the way, have you guys watched the newest episode of Going Seventeen? My heart exploded when I saw Joshua playing with the kitten T_T Also the others with the kitten T_T They're too cute ;_;  
Again, I am desperate for reading comments T_T Please everyone say something after reading, I just want to know what you think so much aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!! T__T
> 
> \---
> 
> You can skip this part because it's not related to the story.
> 
> Am I supposed to feel any better only after two weeks of taking medicine? I still feel like breaking down every night, and there were days in which I just could not type a single word. I am in the middle of writing WonHui smut, but it's too difficult. I think, we at least should "feel something" when writing such steamy things, right? But I don't. No feelings. I tried to read some smut to get the feelings, but nothing works.
> 
> And there are days I can only stare at the ceiling, listening to sad songs, and doing nothing.  
I even saw my dog in my dream yesterday.
> 
> Really tired.


	21. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua's heat came, torturing his alphas.  
However, thanks to it, they got a chance to get to know a little more about the cat's past through Jeonghan.

Since Wonwoo was too worried of the soft cries and the pain in Joshua’s scent, he tried to get closer to the boy. Nonetheless, the more he attempted to approach the hybrid, the further the poor omega dragged himself backwards on the floor until his back hit the corner of the counters. Joshua had to know that there was no place that he could hide himself from his owners in this house and running away would never be a better option, but he still cried out loudly when being trapped and having no way to escape. The scene was so heartbreaking that Wonwoo was forced to stop moving completely. All he could do was just kneeling down in front of his boy a meter away from him, trying to observe his condition. Curling up like a small ball, Joshua shook his head vigorously when he begged in broken voice.

“Please… don’t… don’t come to me… Don’t…”

“I won’t. I won’t do anything. Don’t be scared, Joshua. You’re okay.”

But the man’s eyes were so dark. His voice was not normal. Joshua was able to smell the alpha’s arousal, which was also the reason for his hole to leak more slick, wetting his pants. The hybrid found it too hard to breath. Wonwoo’s pheromones were still demanding the submission that Joshua refused to give, but he was too scared. According to his experience, _a rejected aroused alpha is the most cruel and brutal creature in this world_.

And Wonwoo is a noble. Things would be a hundred times worse. He would shatter Joshua into pieces. The hybrid’s instinct wanted an alpha right now, but the consciousness left inside of him was just feeling his world falling apart. Wonwoo felt like having a déjà vu, because Joshua was begging him like he had done in the day the man was so careless that he mentioned the _blood_ and _knot_ to his broken boy. In the end, when it came to something related to sex, or to be more exact, something sexual and related to penetration, the cat would not trust him anymore. Wonwoo suddenly hated himself for being a noble, for having his pheromones so strong that he effortlessly intimidated people when he genuinely did not want to. No matter how hard he tried to calm the hybrid down, he failed, and Joshua was crying on the ground pathetically, as if he were facing a monster.

A minute later, Jun also ran into the kitchen. The sounds of his footsteps and his scent made Joshua flinch so hard and whimper in fright. Unlike Wonwoo, Jun stopped himself right at the door, afraid to risk his own self-control by getting too close to his omega being in heat. He used to be able to control himself in front of other omegas in heat, but Joshua was an exception, because he is _his omega_. Even though the bites were just temporary, it definitely ruined the alphas’ minds in this situation, and they were sure that the feelings in their heart for Joshua terribly affected their hormones too.

Jun started to step back, voice a little shaking.

“I… will call Jeonghan and Jihoon.”

Much as Wonwoo was focusing on the hybrid who was having the cat ears on his head, he immediately frowned at the saying. Joshua flinched again when he felt anger rising up in the man.

“I will do it.” He demanded, standing up quickly, making Jun stop moving right away. “You stay here with Joshua.”

Jun was really unsure about that. “But…”

“He trusts you more than me. You should come here to calm him down.”

Jun did not notice the anger in Wonwoo because he was still concerned of letting himself too close to Joshua, but he finally agreed with a light nod. The lead alpha left his spot, taking out his phone and starting to follow the plan they had agreed with each other before.

When Jun slowly closed the distance between him and Joshua, he found his head spinning due to the effort of controlling his own mind. He could not lose his mind; he could not let it start thinking or imagining things that he should not visualize in this situation. Thoughts would lead to actions; he needed to stop himself from thinking Joshua in that way. Instead, he paid all of his attention to the crying and sobbing boy on the floor. The scent was too sweet, too alluring, but the scene in front of him was too heartbreaking. Joshua did not show any sign of arousal. He was just frightened.

Jun spent so much time bracing himself before moving that Joshua had enough time to clear his mind a bit and figure out who was going to him. When Jun came into the hybrid’s sight, Joshua threw himself towards the alpha without hesitation. Jun was startled, ready to run away from the boy, afraid that Joshua had already lost his mind, but things turned out to be totally different. The boy did not come to him for sexual needs. He clung desperately to the man, crying for help in tears and pain. Joshua clumsily wrapped his shaking and painful arms and legs around Jun, holding tightly onto him and crying his eyes out. The scent of fear stroke the alpha’s nose and broke his heart. Joshua was not only begging him to help taking the pain away but also pleading his owner to protect him from Wonwoo.

In Joshua’s mind at the moment, Wonwoo was the real monster.

Although Wonwoo was busy talking on the phone, he took everything happening at the counters in his eyes, and sighed. He was really paying for his mistake, because he had always wanted to be dominant towards Joshua, towards anyone in the house. The boy did not believe that he was capable of taking rejection. Now, only his presence was scaring the hell out of Joshua.

What could he do? He could only feel relieved that Mingyu was not here at the moment. He doubted whether Joshua would be able to keep calm in front of the giant alpha that he had been scared of from the first day coming here.

“Just wait a little bit, baby.” Jun tried to shush his boy, hugging him tightly but not stroking his back like he usually did. Joshua must be very sensitive; touches like that should be avoided. “We will bring you to Jeonghan soon. Seungcheol is away. Your friend is at home alone. You will be safe with him.”

The hybrid did not reply, just kept holding Jun as if his life relied on the man. Jun was terribly torn between feelings, but he had no choice. He could not force Joshua to let go of him. The intense self-restraint made him feel like his own body was also in pain. His arms and legs were slightly shaking. Things could be better when the omega stayed a few meters away from him, but fate was playing a cruel game to him. He even did not realize that his hold on the boy’s body was getting tighter until Joshua let out a painful whimper and wriggled. Astonished by that, Jun hurriedly loosened his arms, murmuring countless apologies to the hybrid but Joshua did not really mind that. He thought the pain came from the heat torturing his body, not his gentle alpha. He did not flinch away from Jun even a bit.

Jun really wanted to cry. Joshua trusted him with all his heart. There was no room for the slightest doubt in his pure fragile heart.

At first the alphas thought that fifteen minutes of waiting for Jihoon to arrive would be like hell for them, but it turned out that they eventually made the driver wait for them to get downstairs. It took Jun much time to coax Joshua into sitting in the living room to wait for him getting dressed and also getting the scent-blocker for him. When he put Joshua down on the couch and was about to rush back to his bedroom, the hybrid gripped his arm tightly. Joshua did not want to let Jun leave him for even half a second, but he was given no other option. He was not sure what he wanted to do with him, but his instincts were screaming to keep Jun by his sides. Would he let the man fuck him? Of course not. Even so, the notion of staying apart from the alpha was enough to make him cry. Tears were rolling down on his cheeks when he asked the man with broken voice.

“We… we will go to Jeonghan’s place… right?”

“Yes, my kitten.” Jun’s both hands tenderly wiped away Joshua’s tears. The boy saw his pupils dilated, but the concern in his eyes was even greater than anything else. “Don’t cry, baby. Just a few days. You will go back home soon. I will come to get you right after your heat ends. I promise.”

“Can I wear your clothes?” Joshua kept sniffling, making his words hard to hear, but Jun understood him enough to quickly catch his idea. The man nodded, giving his omega one last kiss on his sweaty forehead then ran to his bedroom.

“Can you let Joshua wear your pants? Any kind, just give him one pair.” Jun said when seeing Wonwoo at the hall. He did not like to talk to the man, but Joshua was the first priority in this situation. “He asked for my clothes but I think we should give him all of ours, including Mingyu’s.” He sighed, palming his own forehead. “We were all wrong. I thought that he would not anything of us at all. We need to repack his bag, stuff it with our clothes, not his.”

Wonwoo nodded, pointing a finger towards Mingyu’s room.

“I’ll do that. You should go back quickly to calm him. I’ll get the toy in Mingyu’s closet.”

“The toy?” Jun’s eyes got widened in surprise. “I thought Jeonghan is the one who prepares those for Joshua?”

“A dildo, with Mingyu’s scent. That will help Joshua a lot.”

The look on Jun’s face was still obviously shocked, which made Wonwoo raise his eyebrow.

“What? Aren’t you the one who suggested that Joshua may buy a dildo to play with if he gets bored?”

“But… are you sure that’s okay? I mean… Will Mingyu’s scent on it freak him out?”

“Don’t worry. Joshua will have Jeonghan then. It won’t frighten him. I think he will like it. It’s not big anyway.”

“But why Mingyu?”

“Joshua must miss him a lot. He’ll enjoy it.”

Jun was not really sure about that, but he trusted Wonwoo and did not ask more. After getting changed, he stopped at his cousin’s room to have a quick check on how he was packing Joshua’s stuff in a bag. Wonwoo was right when he said that the toy was not big. It was carefully wrapped in a T-shirt of Mingyu, seriously reeking of the giant man. Judging the size, Jun even doubted its ability to satisfy an omega in heat. Maybe, in Joshua’s case, things would be different. He got the sweatpants from Wonwoo then went back to the living room where his kitten was waiting for him in tears.

There were so many conflicts torturing Joshua at the same time when his alpha gave him the clothes. The boy was shy but he wanted Jun to help him change, and he really asked the man to do that. A minute later, he realized that he should not let an alpha undress him in this condition, but it was too late; Jun had already taken off his top. Joshua shivered in fear, biting his own lips and suddenly closing his legs when the man was about to pull his pants down. However, he was so weak at the moment; his action of closing the legs was just like a slight squirm, not enough for Jun to consider as a protest. Consequently, he still kept on his job, stripping the hybrid thoroughly until he only had his boxer on.

Jun was visibly sweating; hands trembling and scent getting heavier. He knew that he was unintentionally scaring the hell out of Joshua, but there was no getting back now; he had to finish dressing the boy properly to bring him to Seungcheol’s house. It took him much more time than he had expected. The reasons were not only just him being clumsy with his hands but also Joshua being reserved and scared. Wonwoo’s sudden appearance in the living room made things worse, but the lead alpha decided that he ought to help his cousin to end this faster.

“It’s okay, Joshua. It’s okay.” Wonwoo continuously humming gently by the boy’s ears while sitting down behind him on the couch, letting the hybrid’s bare back pressed onto his chest. “Let’s get dressed quickly so that we can go to Jeonghan. I will put Jun’s shirt on for you, okay?”

Joshua was scared of Wonwoo, but the good aspect of that is, he was also extremely obedient to the man. The boy never dared to disobey his word. Once Wonwoo had said that and been determined to keep the hybrid firmly in his embrace, Joshua did not squirm or fight, making the process much easier for the both alphas.

The only problem was the distraction brought by Joshua’s _tail_. They had totally forgotten that the tail would appear. Jun had to run back to his room to get the scissors and cut a hole on the pants right on the spot. The fur on the tail matched the color of the boy’s ears and hair, long and extremely soft. Since Joshua was just lying there limply, Wonwoo was the one sitting behind him, so he had to pull the tail through the hole. He tried his best to be gentle, but the tail was such a huge attraction, as if screaming to be touched and stroked. Wonwoo did not intend to make any sensual touch, but Joshua instantly moaned when being touched there. The sound attacked the alphas’ ears, destroying their minds cruelly. Joshua closed his legs more tightly in embarrassment, feeling his hole dripping more slick because of the sensation brought by Wonwoo’s gentle hand on his tail.

That was the first time the alphas believed that death was something much less scary and less torturous than this moment.

When Jun wrapped the hybrid carefully in a long thick coat, Wonwoo sprayed on him the scent-blocker, which was like a kind of perfume that help hiding the extraordinarily sweet scent from the boy. They could not risk bringing their omega outside without such protection, since danger could come from anywhere and at any time. Bastards may cross the line and attack a mated omega while his alphas are nearby too.

Joshua realized the scent-blocker. The moment he saw the small bottle of that perfume in Wonwoo’s hand, he got a little bit calmer, because that was a very clear and undeniable sign of protection. Wonwoo wanted to protect him. Therefore, the man had no difficulty covering the hybrid with the scent-blocker, and then he opened the door for Jun to bring Joshua out.

Their plan had to be changed. Originally, they intended to let Wonwoo sit in the same car with Jihoon and Joshua since they had believed that nobles are good at controlling themselves, and Jun would drive Wonwoo’s car - he did not have a license, but they thought it would be fine to risk this time. However, Joshua’s condition told them that he did not want any nobles near him now. As a result, Jun carried the boy into Jihoon’s car and Wonwoo followed behind them in his own car.

The drive took not much more than twenty minutes, but both Jun and Jihoon felt like they had been sitting in the car for hours. Sitting on Jun’s lap, Joshua kept burying his face in the crook of his alpha’s neck, trying to inhale deeply the scent that he loves. Jun tried his best to ignore the smell of Joshua’s slick, but it was just getting clearer and clearer, enough to make his dick twitch in his pants. Jihoon felt so worried. He really did not know what to do if something happened. He was informed that he would have to help bring Joshua to Jeonghan when the boy’s heat came because he did not want to let his alphas end the heat, but he was not told about how to solve troubles. Moreover, Joshua smelled extremely scared. It made the short omega concerned.

Luckily, nothing happened. When Jihoon stopped at Seungcheol’s mansion, everyone was still safe.

However, things were really bad when the alphas entered the living room and saw Jeonghan there. Troubles were like doubled. The scent coming from Jeonghan made them both reel back. They were so worried about Joshua that neither of them remembered the fact that their friend’s mate was near his heat too. They could tell Jeonghan also used the scent-blocker to protect himself from the alphas who were not his mate and came to his house at midnight, but the perfume seemed to be not much effective on him. The blonde omega, fully dressed like he had always done when they met in the past, was a real siren even when he was just standing quietly and staring at Joshua. The scent was luring them badly.

Although Jihoon was tiny, he was strong enough to take Joshua from Jun to bring him inside. The cat hybrid kept whining and reaching his hand out for Jun, on the verge of crying again. That reaction hurt Jun like hell, but he could not do anything except for saying nonsense words to calm his omega down and promised to see him again soon. Wonwoo placed a hand on his shoulder, reminding him not to worry about that too much, since Joshua was not really aware of small details like that anymore. Jeonghan opened the door for Jihoon and then closed it; the alphas no longer saw their beloved omega.

“Thank you for making the right choice.” Jeonghan said gratefully, but did not move closer. “He might be very needy, but if you do something to him, he will surely freak out later.”

“Can you please tell us what happened to him in the past?” Wonwoo suddenly asked, making Jeonghan freeze.

The alphas quickly realized, the blond omega did not want to talk about that either. Jun was startled to see Wonwoo talking to Jeonghan, but he decided to stay silent and watch first, hoping that the man was not going to be hostile.

“We don’t need details. We just want to understand why he is so scared like that.” Wonwoo lowered and softened his voice, genuinely hoping that Jeonghan would give them the answer for the question that they had been wondering for a long time.

Seriously, this was a wonderful chance to do this. They were not able to talk to Jeonghan privately while Seungcheol was around. At those occasions, they would have not only the man but also Joshua nearby. It was impossible to ask anything at those times.

“Please, Jeonghan.” Wonwoo used all of his strength to clear his mind and suppress his own pheromones at the same time, with the hope of making himself sincere and harmless in front of a sensitive omega who was being near his heat. “I understand that it was something _very bad_. But we still need the truth, and Joshua never agreed to talk about it by himself.”

Much as Jun wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, he wished to know what had happened to his boy before he met them. His eyes were fixed on Jeonghan, and so were Wonwoo’s, which put a lot of pressure on the hesitant omega. He looked at Wonwoo, then Jun, and back to Wonwoo again, contemplating whether he should trust the noble in front of him or not.

Finally, Jeonghan replied, but it was something really unexpected.

“Can you please… not tell Seungcheol about this?” His voice was low, extremely low, and hard for the men to hear, because he was scared.

Wonwoo were quite taken aback to see the blonde beauty scared of his mate even when he was not here, although Seungcheol hurting Jeonghan was something they had not only heard but also witnessed. Unlike Wonwoo, Jun was not surprised any longer, because he had seen and known enough, but the question stung, dragging him slowly from the position near the door to the spot next to his cousin.

“If you don’t want us to, we won’t.” Wonwoo promised instantly, but Jun was having a bad feeling about this. If things kept on like this, his older cousin would have _two of Jeonghan’s secrets_. It would be a disaster if one day the man got mad at him for some reasons and revealed all of them.

Jeonghan would not be able to survive at Seungcheol’s mercy. If he were just a human omega, he may, but he is in fact just an omega _hybrid_, so he will not.

Jun wanted to warn Jeonghan not to ever trust Wonwoo, but he was too late. The omega had already begun speaking.

“Joshua was raped by his previous owner. Over and over again. For months.” Jeonghan struggled with his words, because it was too hard for him to talk about this, and he avoided looking at the alphas in the eyes. “I know hybrids like us have no right to say that we were raped by our owner… but it was. That was rape.”

Judging by the scent and the unstable heartbeat from Jeonghan, Wonwoo realized that they were pushing him too much just by asking him to talk about _the past_. That was enough for him to know that the one standing in front of them had gone through exactly the same things as Joshua had. They immediately sympathized for the omega and suddenly felt worried that he may break down and they had no clue how to calm him down. He had already started to tremble. Jun wanted to step closer, giving him some comfort, but he really should not, especially when Wonwoo was here.

“I call that _“rape”_ because Joshua always screamed, cried and bled badly. He also got hit when he failed to please _him_ in many other ways. He didn’t have time for healing before the next one came. Every day was the same, until _that man_ got bored and threw Joshua back to the pet shop.”

There was a minute of silence. Wonwoo and Jun had predicted that Joshua was a victim of rape, but they had never thought that he was hit terribly and the crime had occurred _“over and over again”_ while their little boy had no right to fight back or escape. If he had run out of that house, nobody would have helped them; they would just put him back there to be tortured again. Thinking of Joshua, they could not help staring of Jeonghan, who must be the victim of the same horrible things. He was ducking his head, feeling insecure in his own house. He gave one final explanation.

“That man is an alpha human. That’s why we are both scared of the alphas.”

It totally made sense. The omega was standing two meters away from them, and he had always been anxious whenever they had dinner together. Wonwoo would have only thought about Joshua if Jeonghan’s scent had not attacked their lungs and somehow made his heart heavy. From the outside, the blonde omega still seemed fine enough, not too broken, but he was giving off the same sour and bitter scent that Joshua had usually had when he got a panic attack. All of a sudden, Wonwoo landed his eyes on the claiming mark on Jeonghan’s neck, and he finally understood everything.

Seungcheol had no idea about his omega’s trauma. Unlike them, he had claimed Jeonghan as his own for good, and the omega also had his heat with Seungcheol once. These were all the reasons why Jeonghan was scared of his own mate. To him, Seungcheol was not different from an owner; the rabbit hybrid would never dare to disobey even if the man continuously hurt him both mentally and physically.

“You should tell Seungcheol about this, Jeonghan.” Jun felt irritated, and he had to speak out, ignoring Wonwoo’s burning gaze. “He needs to know about this, or else he won’t understand…”

“No! No! I can’t.” Jeonghan shook his head vigorously, visibly trembling in fear. He finally lifted his head up to look at them, but they felt bad for seeing tears in his eyes. Once again, Jun almost stepped up, but Wonwoo’s presence stopped him on time, because Jun was much more afraid of causing more troubles to the rabbit. “He… he hates hybrids… Everything is bad enough to me. He will kill me if he finds out that I’m not only a cheap hybrid but also a filthy hybrid who failed to please my owners.”

“Seungcheol is not a murderer. He won’t kill you.” Wonwoo wanted to assure the omega but that did not seem to help.

“He will dump me. He will kick me out of the house. I can’t go back to the pet shop.” To their bewilderment, Jeonghan kneeled down. “Please, I beg you. I let you know about this because I want you to understand and protect Joshua. Please, just leave me out of this. Pretend that you know nothing about me. Don’t tell Seungcheol! Please! I beg you!”

Not only Jun but Wonwoo hurried their footsteps towards the hybrid, intending to pull him up, but the quick movements obviously scared him and he immediately flinched. Both the men stepped back; instead of trying to reach Jeonghan, they lowered themselves to the ground.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already promised.” As the one who made the promise, Wonwoo reassured him again, softening his voice to the utmost of his ability. Jeonghan was going to take care of Joshua for them; he could not break the omega at this moment. “I won’t tell him. Please stand up, Jeonghan.”

Luckily, it did not take the two men too long to successfully persuaded Jeonghan to trust them and stand up. Since the alphas were worried and a little bit guilty for bringing up the topic that made Jeonghan cry, they were even not aware of when they had moved closer to the omega, carefully observing and checking his facial expressions to track his emotions. Crying and sobbing, Jeonghan did not realize the closing distance either.

When Jun gently handed him his handkerchief, the hybrid took it, bowing his head and murmured a very quiet _“thank you”_. Wonwoo glared at them both unblinkingly, eyes gradually narrowing, but also at that moment, Jeonghan’s long sleeves accidentally slipped off his wrists, revealing the purple bruises. Without seeing the obvious evidence like this, Wonwoo would never think that his friend - Seungcheol - was a real monster to his mate. Why was he that violent to such a vulnerable omega? He guessed that, when nobody was nearby, Jeonghan was actually limping too. The pain in his sorrowful scent was clear and more intense than just those bruises.

_“No wonder he preferred a gentle alpha.”_

Jun was able to see the bruises, too. If Wonwoo were not here, he would ask Jeonghan to take care of himself better, or give him some advice to take care of them and make them disappear quickly, but he got no choice. He would not bring more troubles to the rabbit. Jun heaved a long sigh, then said.

“I know you will just stay here to take care of Joshua, but please remember, don’t go out these days. It’s really dangerous for you. You will have not only your scent but also Joshua’s on you. If you need anything, just ask Jihoon to do it. He is hired to take care of Joshua, and in this case, take care of you too.”

Jeonghan nodded, and said a very soft _“thank you”_ again. His shoulders were still shaking, making it harder and harder for the alphas to control themselves. They had to wonder, how could Seungcheol not feel the urge to comfort and protect such a beautiful and fragile omega like this? Wonwoo thought that he was supposed to hate Jeonghan, but in fact he could not keep any ill feelings for the rabbit hybrid, because he found it unreasonable for him to do _that_. He was thinking, that he might be able to forgive the omega and forget what had happened in the past. Seungcheol had already broken him down enough; Wonwoo should not add more into his misery.

Although Jeonghan was really scared of the human alphas just like Joshua was, he was also an omega near his heat right now. He did not know that he forgot to return the handkerchief to Jun while the man did not seem to care about taking it back either. The handkerchief was carefully folded, clean, new, and smelled like Jun. When Jeonghan used it to wipe his tears on the cheeks, the scent calmed him down. He suddenly did not want them to go. The house did not have any alphas inside; Jeonghan hated living here on the days Seungcheol was away, especially at night. He wished they could stay longer, but he could not open his mouth to say it, because that was just inappropriate.

He cursed at himself for being so weak and pathetic.

…

Joshua was now safe and he would be fine thanks to the help of his best friend, but the alphas left the mansion with heavy hearts.

Jun had no choice but to go home in Wonwoo’s car. They remained silent the whole way home. Jun never looked at Wonwoo even once, while the other spent every single second of the time waiting for the light to to green staring at him. To stop the older from saying anything to him, Jun closed his eyes, turning his head to the direction of the glass window, pretending to sleep. There was no sign of anger or anything similar in his scent; he was just too tired of anything about Wonwoo and he did not want to talk to the man who hurt him anymore. He felt exhausted. The next few days would be hell - nobody was at home. There would be just him and Wonwoo.

Jun had just had Joshua in his arms just minutes ago, but he missed the hybrid already. Jun did not know since when the mental and physical exhaustion screwed up his mind and made him unconsciously pull both of his leg onto the car seat. Hugging his knees close to his chest, Jun wished that Mingyu were waiting for him at home. He wished that Mingyu would open his arms to him when he came home, would embrace him in his wide chest and comfort him with his quite silly but sincere words. Although he and Mingyu usually bickered with each other, they were just being playful, and Mingyu had never threatened or purposely made Jun upset. Whenever he was sad, the giant man was always the first one to run to him, asking hundreds of questions and trying everything he could to light up his mood. Mingyu would not mind throwing punches into Wonwoo’s face if he found out what the lead alpha had done to his cousin.

Jun never wanted to make use of Mingyu, since he had rejected him, too, but he wholeheartedly wished that Mingyu were at home. Just this time. Only this time.

When they reached home, Wonwoo found Jun asleep soundly. Without hesitation, Wonwoo carried the younger in his arms and brought him to their apartment. There were people along the hall. They all stared at them curiously, but Wonwoo just needed to glance once, and no one wanted to look at them any longer.

Wonwoo kept Jun in his bed again, taking off the sleeping alpha’s clothes by himself. Jun was always like that, sleeping like a log in spite of how much he hated Wonwoo when the lead alpha was nearby. He did not wake up even once during the time his cousin put on him a pair of pajamas reeking of peppermint. Whenever Wonwoo moved quite far from the bed, he started to smell his cousin really awful, even hearing him whimper softly in his sleep. The sounds and the scent simultaneously broke his heart, urging him to quickly come back to his love in the bed. Wonwoo could not help wonder how Jun slept on the nights in which he did not have Joshua or anyone with him. Was he going to have troubles with sleeping alone like Joshua? Why? Just because Wonwoo hurt him?

Regardless of how much Jun hated Wonwoo more after this night, the lead alpha still embraced his cousin tightly the whole night. Before closing his eyes to sleep, he kept staring at Jun’s neck, visualizing how it would look like with a bite there. Wonwoo is a noble while Jun is just a normal alpha. Wonwoo totally has the ability to claim Jun and the younger will never be able to get rid of the mark by himself. He will be forced to take it, just like any omegas. Wonwoo believed, that after being marked, Jun would no longer have any reasons to fight against him.

_“You’re mine. Must be mine. Forever mine.” _

That was what Jun vaguely heard in his sleep, and he thought that was a nightmare, where a demon insisted on claiming him. He whimpered in fright, and in the dream, he cried out for Wonwoo to help him, to save him from the demons like he had always done. Those beautiful scenes came back to him in his dream, letting him see again how his older cousin had beaten the bastards to death because they disrespected, violated and hit Jun, how he had destroyed various important contracts with those alphas’companies just because of Jun.

_Those were the good memories that would never come back._

_\---------------------_

Joshua felt so hot that he just wanted to get rid of his clothes right away, but he did not like having no clothes on himself either. In fact, he had no idea how to stop the irritating feelings inside of him and on his skin. He curled up like a fetus on Jeonghan’s bed. This was Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s bedroom. He knew he should not be here; the scary alpha would not be happy if he knew this, but Joshua’s alphas insisted that staying here was much better than going to a hotel for omegas in heat. Moreover, Jeonghan believed that Joshua’s heat would end before Seungcheol got home; they would have enough time to clear the place, bringing it back to the original condition.

The bed smelled much like Seungcheol - an alpha - but Joshua did not like that scent at all. Therefore, he tried to bury his nose in his own shirt, wrapping himself by his own arms, so that he could only smell Jun, his most favorite scent in the whole life. Joshua had heard people saying so many times that omegas just generally crave for alphas when they are in heats, but he found his own heat not the same. He smelled Seungcheol everywhere in this house but he kept scrunching his nose and refused to take more of that scent into his nose. He took off his big coat completely and embraced it tightly in his shaking arms, pressing his nose onto the thick fabric.

Wonwoo and Jun had picked the largest coat they had in order to cover Joshua, blocking some of his scent from the outsiders. Of course, the biggest they may found belongs to Mingyu. The coat reeked of sandalwood. Joshua loved that too; he was missing Mingyu badly. He could smell Wonwoo too, but he was not sure where the scent came from. Anyway, he was temporarily glad that he still could smell them here and blocked all of Seungcheol’s scent from his nose.

Sitting by Joshua on the bed, Jihoon was worried but did not know what to do rather than waiting. He was waiting for Jeonghan. At the same time, he sympathized for the miserable boy. He was informed that this was just the second heat in Joshua’s life and his first one was ended by some kind of harmful medicine, leaving him at a loss at the moment. The boy obviously had no ability of dealing with his heat by himself. Jihoon tried to push out some soothing pheromones to help Joshua relaxed, placing a palm on the hybrid’s head, stroking tenderly.

“Just wait a bit. Jeonghan will help you.”

Joshua nodded, leaning into the gentle touch, closing his eyes. They both stayed there silently while waiting for Jeonghan, and when the blond omega really showed up, Joshua got up immediately, frantically pulling his friend to the bed and clinging to him desperately. Realizing that it was his time to go, Jihoon stood up and grabbed his bag.

“I will sleep on the couch, if you...”

“Oh, no no, Jihoon.” Jeonghan shook his head instantly. “There is a room for the guest at the end of the hall. I’ve already prepared it for you. You can sleep there, and just use anything you find in the house.”

He wanted to lead Jihoon to the room, but once Joshua got his friend, he refused to let him go even just a second. Jeonghan could not pull Joshua away, and luckily Jihoon got the situation and smiled to the mated omega.

“Thank you. It’s at the end of the hall, right? I will go there. Thanks a lot. Just tell me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Jihoon.”

Right after the short omega disappeared behind the door, Joshua began to whine, holding tightly to Jeonghan’s arm.

“Jeonghan, help me… I hate this feeling. Can you… make it stop? Please!”

Suddenly, Joshua’s whine turned into sniffles, and he literally climbed into Jeonghan’s lap. Right at that moment, the older omega could feel the dampness on his thigh. Joshua curled up like a small ball, nuzzling his teary face in his friend’s chest and crying like a baby. Jeonghan had never thought he would be affected by another omega’s heat, but it turned out that he actually was. He was not just simply influenced. He was intoxicated. The rosy strawberry-candy liked scent seemed too delicious for him to keep his mind straight and clean. Jeonghan found it incredibly lucky that Joshua had mentioned sex with him this morning, since the rabbit hybrid doubted his ability of controlling himself after stripping his kitten off.

Anyway, what was happening really broke Jeonghan’s heart.

“It hurts… I want my alphas…” Joshua kept crying and whining miserably. “My alphas…”

“It’s not time to try that, Joshua.” Jeonghan hugged him tightly, rubbing circles on his shivering back. “You can only do that when you’re not in heat. They can’t be here with you now.”

“Help me, Hannie.” He cried out, clutching onto the older’s shirt. “Make it stop… Help me, please.”

“Of course. I’m here to help you, kitten.” Pulling the boy away, Jeonghan gently wiped the tears by his long sleeve. Joshua stared at him with red, watery and nervous eyes. There was so much hope and anticipation in those dove-like eyes that Jeonghan started to feel his pants tight. He faked a small chuckle to ease the situation. “You need to stop crying or I will feel like I am going to do something bad to you. Come on, don’t make me feel like I’m a jerk having a crying cutie on my bed.”

The light joke magically made Joshua smile a bit, perhaps because it was an effort from not anybody else but his best friend, who he trusted most in this world. Together with Jeonghan, he wiped his tears away, too, eager to get any help from the older. Once his face was dry and the sniffles stopped, Jeonghan lowered his voice to say, somehow sounding like commanding.

“Take off your clothes, Joshua.”

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you all can see that THE NEXT CHAPTER IS JIHAN SMUT!!! Yeahhh I'm excited for it >< And I hope you will look forward to it too ^^
> 
> Moreover, Jun is alone with Wonwoo for a few days now. There will be many things happening between them :) 
> 
> It's quite stressful to see that my fic has stopped getting more kudos recently :'< If you have a little interest in it, I will be very grateful if you can leave a comment or give a kudos ;_; Thank you so much!!!


	22. Angel in the darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua went through his heat with Jeonghan. The rabbit hybrid knew that his heat was near as well, but the one he was thinking of was not Joshua or his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JIHAN SMUT IS HERE!!!! I like it and I hope you will like it too ><
> 
> I know that some of you may have not much interest in this part but I strongly advise that you should at least skim through the chapter, because the story still progresses here. There are some more secrets revealed here. If you skip it totally, it will be difficult to understand later.

_“Take off your clothes, Joshua.”_

The hoarse voice coming from Jeonghan made Joshua skip a heartbeat and feel as if the person in front of him were a real alpha. At the realization, he blushed hard. Although Jeonghan was still an omega, there would be nothing wrong to consider him as Joshua’s alpha now and he was going to fuck the cat for real. He found it then difficult to speak normally. All he could do was just stutter.

“Can… Can I… keep the shirt?”

Jeonghan nodded without asking, since he was able to smell Jun from the shirt Joshua was wearing. He just did not know that the way his dark eyes were looking at Joshua made his friend shudder and even leak more slick.

“Then take off your pants, baby. And at least unbutton your shirt.”

The embarrassment added more into the shade of red on Joshua’s cheeks and how enticing his scent was, but he still asked shyly, abnormally braver than usual to convey his desire.

“Can you… do that for me? Un… undress me?”

All of a sudden, Jeonghan felt himself stupid. Why did he even think of asking his friend to do that on his own? Joshua was scared, but he craved for affection and attention. Cracking a smile, Jeonghan leaned over and whispered, ghosting his hot breath on the fluttering boy’s face.

“Anything you want.”

Joshua was evidently shaking a lot when Jeonghan took his pants off along with his boxer. Trembling and buzzing in excitement, the cat frantically tried to take his friend’s clothes off too, but Jeonghan just gently pried his hands away and smiled.

“You don’t have to do that. Just let me.”

Before Joshua could protest, he got lost in Jeonghan’s kisses. The boy was still sitting on his best friend’s lap, but there was nothing covering his bare ass and legs anymore, causing him to feel extremely exposed and vulnerable in the older omega’s arms. The more they kissed, the wetter Joshua became, which made him utterly embarrassed. He was totally unaware of what was happening to his shirt until Jeonghan’s soft but cold fingers touched one of his nipples, rubbing and pinching.

Joshua mewled, arching his back, trying to hold Jeonghan’s arm.

“Hannie… don’t… don’t tease… I want you… I want you…”

“Already that impatient?” The older was quite amazed, but there was a smirk on his face. “You really just want me to fuck you, baby?”

“Yes.” Joshua nodded with pleading eyes. “I want you… Please… I need you.”

“Wait a little more, baby.”

Much as Jeonghan was terribly aroused, he had to make sure that Joshua was ready first. Laying the boy down on the mattress, he delivered more kisses on the cat’s lips while his hand came to find the inviting hole that was soaking wet. Joshua moaned and squirmed endlessly while Jeonghan used his fingers to open him, mouth licking, sucking and biting the younger boy’s nipples. Different from Wonwoo and Jun’s, Jeonghan’s fingers were so slender and tender that Joshua’s mind flew away in just a second, and Jeonghan also thought that he would soon lose his mind too, since his kitten was being so appealing, so irresistible and the smell of his alphas on him did not help at all.

Playing enough with the boy’s nipples, Jeonghan came back to his lips, swallowing his moans while slowly stroking his cock down there.

“I have to ask you again.” At this time, Jeonghan was a little reluctant. “Do you really want to do this with me? It will make you freak out.”

“Yes… I want to.” Joshua breathed heavily, but there was determination in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Jeonghan to hug him closer when they kissed again. “As long as I have you, I’ll be fine… Please, Hannie… No matter what, don’t stop… I want you. I want you to be my first.”

Of course, they both knew, there was nothing called _“first time”_ for Joshua anymore, but they did not want to consider a rape as their first encounter with sex either. If Joshua wanted to remake his first time to be something beautiful and memorable and Jeonghan was his chosen one, the rabbit hybrid would wholeheartedly gave his kitten all he could to make this as perfect as possible for him only.

“But you know… we are doing this quite hastily.” Jeonghan was still concerned.

Joshua whined loudly and slapped his friend’s arm.

“You’ve been sucking my nipples so long, it’s about to hurt.” After blurting out, Joshua immediately regretted his words and his face turned seriously red.

“Oh, really?” Jeonghan smirked at the boy, pinching one pink erected nipple again, getting an erotic moan from Joshua. “I don’t think that it hurt. I just see someone enjoy this so much.”

“Don’t tease me!!!” Joshua could not stop whining and blushing, nearly covering his face with both hands. “Do you want to do this or not?”

Taking those hands away, Jeonghan placed a kiss on the boy’s forehead, giving him an honest comment.

“I want. I want you a lot. You’re just so cute that I can’t think of destroying you.”

“Just do it.” Joshua knew his face was burning but if saying this could make the worry in Jeonghan go away and urge him to go straight to the main job, the boy would be more than willing to do anything. Kissing his best friend again, Joshua murmured on his lips. “I want to be ruined by you.”

Finally, Jeonghan could not hold himself back in any more seconds.

After the older omega finished taking his pants and boxer off, Joshua wanted to get rid of the shirt too, but Jeonghan just shook his head. Taking clothes off completely would make him feel himself weak and vulnerable, while he never wanted to be like that in front of Joshua. As long as the boy was by his side, he always wanted to be the stronger one so as to protect his kitten and give him all of the safety and security that he desired to feel happy and protected.

Jeonghan knew, that if one day Joshua ran to him, crying to him that his alphas did not treat him well, he would just leave Seungcheol’s mansion to run away with the cat hybrid, leaving everything behind forever.

Jeonghan had hoped that things would be okay, but finally, once he buried all of himself deep inside Joshua, the boy started to cry; he was having a panic attack. The penetration brought him back to his darkest day of being raped over and over again, his rim ripped in blood. The boy did not push Jeonghan away, as he had never dared to reject _his previous owner_. All he could do was just crying and sobbing pathetically without saying a word. Begging had never meant anything, and Joshua was too scared to force his mind to process any proper words.

Jeonghan brought Joshua together with him when he sat up, letting the boy sit on his lap and straddle his waist. The shift of position made Jeonghan go deeper inside the cat. The older omega was not sure if that hurt his kitten, only knowing that a strong tremor wrecked through the sobbing boy. Jeonghan spent minutes hugging Joshua in his arms and whispering soothing words into the boy’s ears.

The rabbit hybrid still remembered clearly the day _that gentle alpha_ helped him through his heat. Jeonghan remembered that he was not anything different from Joshua today, crying miserably after the alpha entered him thoroughly. Everything he was doing to comfort his best friend was all that man had done to him. They had never been a real couple; they had never really had a private conversation with each other before that day, but at that moment, Jeonghan felt like they were destined for each other. He had never been held so tenderly like that in his whole life. He knew he made the man quite startled, but everything was better than whatever he had dared to expect.

Despite the intense and devastating arousal, the alpha was still incredibly calm and controlled, embracing Jeonghan in his arms, caressing his hair and kissing him slowly. Those gentle touch and actions dragged the rabbit out of his obsession, his dark past, and the voice calling his name by his ear was sweeter than any sounds that he used to hear in this world, as if the alpha was really worried about him, aching for him.

“Look at me, Hannie.” That was not a command. It was evidently a request, or even a plea. Jeonghan tried to look at the person in front of him through his teary eyes. He saw the savior of his life, saw the man that cherished him more than his own mate. “You’re okay. You’re safe. _I’m here with you, Hannie. Remember my name? Tell me who I am, Hannie. Please!_”

Although the alpha was the one who asked, he ended up being also the one who stated his own name, trying to remind Jeonghan who he was being with. When the blond omega heard that name, a wave of relief washed through his body magically. Blinking his eyes, sobbing and sniffling, Jeonghan tried to bask in the affection, the temporary love that the alpha was giving him, and tried to stare at his face, which always displayed gentle expression. At this moment, the omega felt like his pain and inner wound were being shared and sympathized through the gaze from that alpha.

“Don’t be scared. I will never hurt you. I’m here for you, Hannie. _I will never hurt you. I swear_.”

There was no rush or hesitation in the man’s words. There was no slightest sign of lie in his nervous eyes or considerate action. Jeonghan melted under his intimate kisses, feeling the pain and fear swallowed by the man’s determination to calm him down. The rabbit felt loved and protected. When the alpha’s name escaped his mouth in a feeble moan, he did not feel shy or embarrassed anymore, because it was so natural and comfortable to do that.

Consequently, Jeonghan imitated what that alpha had done to him. He reminded Joshua of who he is, that he was safe, and everything would be fine. Joshua cried and whined loudly, holding his best friend more tightly than he had ever done. The moment the younger omega buried his face the other’s neck to smell the lavender scent that he loves, Jeonghan realized that some of his mind had got back to him. Joshua at least knew who was being with him.

Jeonghan was a little brutal when he grabbed the back of Joshua’s neck to yank him off his neck, but the kisses he pressed on the boy’s lips right after that was more passionate and erotic than what he had ever done with his own mate. He knew he could do this, because _that man_ had never kissed them. Joshua moaned and moaned between the hot kisses while the sobs gradually subsided. He was soon laid back down on the mattress again, but his lips were still being locked in chains of deep kisses. The presence of Jeonghan became clearer and clearer to the cat hybrid, and even before he really had a grasp of the situation, his friend had started to move.

Jeonghan never regrets taking some aphrodisiac that night. He knew that the chemical along with Joshua’s heat and such intense sexual activities would make his heat arrive right after his friend’s one was gone, or even sooner, but everything was worth it. Had it not been for the aphrodisiac, he would not have been able to keep his boner while waiting for Joshua to calm down, but it was also the cursed chemical that drove his mind crazy and made it as difficult as hell for him to hold himself back before his kitten was ready. Once he began to move, there was no way he would be able to stop anymore. He broke the kisses to watch Joshua, and that was the end of his self-restraint.

Having already fully realized the only one being inside him was his beloved Jeonghan, and having already produced too much slick and opened up enough, Joshua could not detect any pain in the feelings. The pleasure started to attack him immediately. He gasped in shock, but his hole uncontrollably clenched around the dick rubbing his walls in the most heavenly way. The realization of the identity of the partner was like a key for Joshua to break the lock to get out of his obsession.

Joshua saw his angel above him. He saw himself being caged between his best friend’s slender arms, but he felt thoroughly safe and free. The older omega’s eyes were dark and lustful, but the way he looked at Joshua was still loving, and his movement was so gentle in such a heated moment. In the cat’s eyes, his angel was so ethereal, unreal, just like how his presence in Joshua’s brutal life had been. The life was no longer that bitter, but fate still allowed him to have Jeonghan by his sides to get healed and pampered.

Jeonghan had been the one being with Joshua in his worst days, and he would also be the one who held his hands and led him out of the darkness. Right at the moment that thought crossed his mind, his friend intertwined their fingers together on the bed, also pinning the younger boy down there at the same time without making him feel bound or helpless. Joshua wanted to hug Jeonghan, but he enjoyed this feeling as well. He felt them being completely connected in the best way that his imagination was even unable to ever dream of.

When the older omega slowly pulled out, Joshua’s instant reaction was trying his best to keep him inside. His muscles got tightened around his friend, and he immediately got embarrassed at himself for being so horny and needy. Jeonghan hissed at the tightness, but that was just a strong stimulation for him to keep moving. Of course, no magic in this world could make him get out of Joshua when neither of them was done, and he thrust continuously in a slow pace. Without stopping, from time to time, he leaned closer to the moaning boy and whispered to his fluffy cat ears.

“I love you, Joshua.”

Joshua was terribly worked up, but he still tried to stutter back to Jeonghan between his weak but lewd moans.

“I… I… I love you too… H-Hannie…”

However, before Jeonghan thought that he may speed up without scaring or hurting Joshua, he had to stop in concern since the boy was trembling and even convulsing. He was worried that there may be something wrong, but Joshua whined loudly at the sudden stop, frowning deeply and wriggling his hip in such a seductive way.

“Why… why do you stop???” He was literally begging, even bucking his hip to get more friction. “Don’t… don’t stop… Hannie… please…”

“Are you still okay?” Once again, Jeonghan hissed and groaned due to the impatient boy’s movement, but he was determined to figure out what was happening to his kitten before going on. “You are shaking a lot…”

“I’m… I’m close…” Joshua was quick in spitting the confession, but his face was blushing hard, clearly drowned in embarrassment.

Jeonghan was surprised to acknowledge his friend’s sensitivity, but he smirked and placed a kiss on the boy’s lips, asking while his hip continued to move with the same pace as before.

“Do you want me to make you come a few good times, kitten?”

“Y-Yes… Hannie… Hannie…”

After that, all Joshua was capable of voicing out was just moans and his best friend’s name. Jeonghan did not need to speed up and Joshua still came, spilling his cum on all over his and the older omega’s stomachs. Joshua squeezed his eyes close and threw his head back when he cum, exposing his neck to his partner like an instinct of an omega submitting his neck to his mate. Jeonghan is not an alpha; he will never be able to leave a claiming bite on another omega, but he still attached his teeth to Joshua’s sweaty skin and bit him hard enough to elicit a string of satisfying moans. He generously scattered bites and kisses all over Joshua’s neck, leaving some beautiful hickeys while still thrusting into the shaking body slowly and steadily.

Jeonghan intended to give Joshua a short break after his release, but one more time, the boy frantically tried to keep him inside and whined, or to be more exact, begged.

“Don’t… don’t stop… Hannie… Don’t stop…”

“Are you sure, baby?” Jeonghan was really concerned. “You have just…”

“I’m okay.” Joshua was panting, but he just desired more. “I want you… I want you... Please, Hannie... _Please…_”

Since the boy asked by himself, Jeonghan could not say no anymore.

He sat up, kneeling on the bed, releasing the boy’s hands to lift his hip up onto his thighs so that he could go in deeper and pounce harder. Joshua’s whole body jolted in accordance with each of Jeonghan’s hard thrust, but he felt no pain. There was an extreme overstimulation, but that was also something that he genuinely enjoyed. Joshua did not know why, but he loved being pushed over the edge by his lovers, and loved being at their mercy. What Jeonghan was doing to him then was still nothing in comparison with what an alpha might do, but that was enough for Joshua. He was just like a virgin who had never known the pleasure of having a cock in his ass until Jeonghan fucked him relentlessly. He did not know that it was possible to feel so good to have a dick destroying his hole like this.

When the older found the sweet spot and began abusing it purposefully with his full force, Joshua was soon writhing and thrashing on the bed, just as beautifully as what Jeonghan had imagined. A small part of consciousness in his mind let him feel relieved that Joshua’s owners did not insist on helping the boy through his heat by themselves. They would never be able to control their inner beasts by witnessing their boy blissed out like that. The feelings of the cat’s unbelievably deliciously tight hole squeezing their large dicks would drive them crazy in less than a second. For the first time, Jeonghan felt lucky to be an omega, who would never have enough strength to hurt his beloved boy in this situation no matter how rough he could become. And, he felt lucky to have enough strength to bring his boy to the heaven of sexual pleasure. It was satisfying as hell to hear his own name coming out of Joshua’s mouth non-stop in minutes.

Again, Jeonghan leaned over and placed his arms on the bed next to Joshua’s head. He whispered, being about to reach his limit.

“Come for me, baby.”

Joshua nodded instantly, and he smiled, whispering back to his friend.

“I love you… Hannie.”

Jeonghan did not voice out his answer, just letting the boy soaked in his love by kissing him passionately, crazily, almost inhumanely, and pounding like maniac into the boy’s body to chase his own orgasm. Joshua was the first to come, and just a few seconds after that, Jeonghan broke the kiss to sit up straight again, one hand wrapping the boy’s cock to milk him dry while his hip were still thrusting with no mercy. The cat hybrid was totally unable to ride out his orgasm or even stop spilling white cum until a few minutes after, when Jeonghan finally came and pumped his semen into the boy. He gradually slowed down his movement into shallow thrust and only decided that it was enough when he really stopped filling his kitten and the younger omega’s overused cock was not able to let anything out anymore.

Joshua was exhausted, but he welcomed his friend’s lips with all his heart while they cuddled each other after the intense sex. The cat knew he was really filthy with so much of his own cum and slick all over his body, but he could not bother to think of getting washed in the bathroom. He just wanted to stay there with Jeonghan, in his embrace and received his unconditional love. The sex was wonderful, and the aftermath was not less perfect. Jeonghan’s cock was still hard for a few minutes after his orgasm - thanks to the aphrodisiac - and since Joshua whined a lot, trying to clench on him to keep him inside, the older omega quickly understood that his baby did not like feeling empty after sex. He smiled lovingly to the boy and kept himself there, spending time kissing and hugging his tired boy tightly in his chest.

Joshua even fell asleep before Jeonghan pulled out. He only frowned and whimpered a bit at the uncomfortable feelings, but he did not wake up. It was too soon to say that the heat was over, but at least Joshua temporarily felt satisfied and he had some time to have a good sleep to regain energy. If the heat did not hit him too bad in the morning, Jeonghan would spoil his boy with delicious food and a lot of love.

At the moment, Jeonghan felt his own ass craving for a dick, but he tried to ignore that. After making sure that Joshua was soundly asleep, he got out of the bed to shove a powerful dose of suppressant into his mouth, desperately wishing that his heat would wait for Joshua’s heat to end. He could only get himself satiated after that; or else, the boy would insist on them getting through the heats together.

Jeonghan loves Joshua, for sure. Unfortunately, for his own heat, the cat hybrid was not the one he preferred to seek for help. The rabbit felt guilty by craving for the gentle alpha that he once asked for help. No matter how hard he tried, the upcoming heat messed up his mind, and all he could think of was just that man, the only one who had ever fucked him for real and brought him to cloud nine without breaking him.

It was all his fault. Why did he even let himself pay too much attention to how gentle, kind and elegant that alpha was from the first time they met? And Seungcheol was there, always by his sides while he saw the man until the day he begged the man to meet him at the hotel for omegas in heat through a desperate phone call. Seungcheol gave him that man’s numbers because he was worried for his mate’s safety, hoping that Jeonghan would have other people to call for help in case Seungcheol could not help by himself. That was not the _help_ that anyone had ever expected to occur, but it was _a real help _to Jeonghan, a help that Seungcheol failed to give him at that moment. Magically, the gentle alpha agreed to show up there, and the omega no longer found his way back.

Jeonghan wished that he were craving for Seungcheol, but he just could not. The memory of spending his heat with his alpha even made him wince and tremble in fright. Trying to push all the negative thoughts away, Jeonghan got back to his friend in bed, snuggling and looking for comfort from his pure baby.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

When Joshua woke up, the sun was shining gently out of the glass window, generously showing him the beautiful garden full of pretty flowers. Right here on the bed, he could smell the best flower in this world - lavender - but Jeonghan was nowhere to be seen. The boy was a little disappointed, but he was relieved to see himself not being aroused at the moment. He still felt abnormally hot, but he guessed the heat temporarily subsided and he could spend some time living normally.

Joshua did not rush himself, just slowing stepping into the bathroom. He had _feelings_ in his ass, but they were not bad at all. He did not feel hurt. There was just _something_ there that reminded him of his sex with Jeonghan last night, and that made him smile shyly to himself in the mirror. No pain, no wound, no blood. He only saw the hickeys on his neck while the two claiming bites had already disappeared. Joshua did not like that, but anyway he still had his alphas’ clothes with him. He got changed into new clothes, which still belonged to his alphas and were stuffed into the bag that they asked Jihoon to carry along with the hybrid. When Joshua was ready to get out of the bathroom, he felt peaceful.

In the kitchen, Jeonghan and Jihoon were preparing breakfast, and they both welcomed Joshua with bright grins on their happy faces. They just scrunched their noses a bit when the boy approached them closer. The scents of his alphas on the clothes were too strong. Neither of them had ever been accustomed to living in close proximity with a noble. However, Jeonghan still placed a gentle kiss on Joshua’s forehead before asking him tenderly.

“Are you okay now?”

“I’m fine.” The boy smiled back at him adorably. “At least for now.”

“It’s a good sign.” Jihoon commented while placing a plate of fried eggs on the table. “I think your heat won’t last long. If it were an intense one, you wouldn’t have so much time to rest like this.”

The information made Joshua beam. He hated the irritating feelings on his skin and in his stomach during his heat. A good sex would extinguish the fire torturing him, but of course such feelings were unavoidable; it would surely occur before he got satisfied. Moreover, Joshua wanted to go back home with his alphas. He loves Jeonghan, but this is not his home. He hates smelling Seungcheol in this place, and he hates being away from his beloved owners. Thanks to the heat, he could understand how sad and lonely Jeonghan was whenever his mate was away on his frequent business trips.

Joshua enjoyed his breakfast together with the other two omegas. He was fine enough to eat slowly, tasting the delicious food and chatting with his friends. Jihoon was obviously captivated by the hybrid’s cat ears and tail, which he did not pay much attention to last night because the boy had been pathetically whimpering in pain and desperation. Since Joshua was feeling fine and he had gained some trust with Jihoon, he allowed the short omega to touch them. Jihoon’s fingers were careful and gentle in every of his touch, and the smile reached up to his ears when he complimented.

“So cute. If I were an alpha, I would spend hours snuggling my baby with his ears and tail like this.”

Both Joshua and Jeonghan laughed at the saying, and Jihoon also laughed at himself. When the two hybrids started to tease him about having not found his alpha yet, Jihoon retorted at them but he blushed hard, looking sulky like a kid.

“Then how do you deal with your heats?” Joshua asked curiously, but he did not realize that Jeonghan had never liked to talk about this topic. He remained silent, just listening to the other two.

“Since I’m on suppressant and not living with any alphas…” Jihoon was still sulky when he answered, but he did not seem to hold any grudge at all. “It rarely comes. I have already prepared some nice toys for myself.”

Suddenly, the short man almost choked on his food. Something clicked in his mind, making him remember something important.

“Oh, about the toys, your alphas put one in your bag. Have you seen it? They told me to let you know in case you are too worked up to look through the bag.”

This time, it was Joshua’s turn to blush, his face turning as red as a tomato.

“A-a toy? My alphas?”

“Yeah.” Jihoon shrugged. “But that’s all I know. Check it yourself. Your collar is also in the bag. They said that because they would not be here to bite you, you could put on the collar if it may help you feel better.”

Joshua pouted and sighed sadly, whining, since he missed them so much. “Why don’t they just drop by for a second? I’m totally fine now.”

However, Jeonghan and Jihoon objected at the same time.

“Oh no, Joshua!”

“No, no, baby! You’re absolutely wrong.”

The cat still kept whining. “Why??? I want to see them.”

“Your scent and pheromones will make them lose their minds.” Jeonghan slowly explained, but his voice was firm, forcing Joshua to understand that he would not let the alphas step in this house at all cost before his heat ended. “That they were fine last night doesn’t mean that they will also be fine in other times. Besides, if you let them do _such a thing _to you during your heat like this, it’s not different from giving your whole body to them.”

“It is that serious?”

Jihoon raised an eyebrow. “You did not learn about these, Joshua?”

“He just presented as an omega last year, Jihoon.” Jeonghan reminded him, making Jihoon _“Oh”_ and nod at the realization. “Nobody will let a beta enter an omega school.”

After explaining to Jihoon, Jeonghan turned back to Joshua, determined to help him understand the whole problem. “Although your marks are just temporary, the meaning is not much different. It’s a strong connection between you and your mate. Biting you will make them crave for you more. Yesterday was already extremely dangerous. You have two marks on your neck. I was so afraid that his instincts would take control and he would even kill me to get you.”

“You’re overthinking, Jeonghan.” Jihoon frowned and lightly patted the oldest omega’s shoulder. “They’re not that kind of people.”

Who knows? Jeonghan was still scared of the alphas, especially when even the one he loves most is also _the scariest alpha_. He had to watch out for a dominant and over-possessive noble named Wonwoo.

Unlike Jihoon, Joshua paid more attention to the way his friend mentioned _“he”_, not _“they”_.

“You mean… Wonwoo?” He asked, looking for a confirmation.

Jeonghan skipped a heartbeat. He had just made a mistake in his saying.

“Yeah… I was wary of both of them, but mostly Wonwoo.” Since there was no chance to take back the words, he had to keep to talking about the problem in this way. “His aura is… too scary. I know the nobles have superior self-restraint, but still…” He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Luckily, Jihoon added more, nodding in agreement.

“I agree with you. Wonwoo is really scary in all ways. He scared the hell out of me when I came to his office to have an interview for this job.” And he laughed softly. “It’s so funny, right? We know that the nobles are better than normal alphas in all aspects, but we are even more scared of them and forget that they also have better self-control.”

Joshua had no more questions, because he had the same feelings with the other two. Reminded of that, he suddenly felt guilty for acting evidently scared of Wonwoo last night one more time. The lead alpha had already apologized to him maybe a thousand times, but Joshua still got frightened for no particular reasons. He wanted to go home, to hug his alpha and say sorry to him, but he had to wait.

Joshua had to wait. He hated that. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his alphas.

During breakfast, Joshua was conscious enough not only to talk normally but also to smell Jeonghan even sweeter than before. Sometimes, he even found Jihoon staring at the rabbit with serious concerns in his eyes. When they had a chance to have some words without Jeonghan’s presence after the meal, Jihoon whispered quietly to him.

“I think his heat will come soon. How will he deal with it then? His mate won’t come back on time.”

“I… I will help him, I guess.” Joshua scratched his head, a bit confused. He had never really thought of that. He did not think he was capable of fucking Jeonghan, but perhaps he could help by using his hands, his mouth or some toys.

Jihoon suddenly frowned. “But he is mated! Not like you, Joshua.”

The cat started to feel something bad. “What… what do you mean? I am not an alpha. I won’t harm him…”

“I know you won’t, but mated omegas need their alphas for their heats. Of course he can deal with the heat with someone or something else, but that will just make the next heats worse and worse.”

“How worse can it be?”

“It will come sooner and get more intense. He will become more alluring, enticing, appealing to his mate.”

Joshua still found himself dumbfounded. After spending half a minute thinking, he had to ask again.

“Is that… a bad thing?”

Jihoon slightly grimaced, sounding quite confused and worried at the same time. “I guess, for other people, it’s okay, but… You said Jeonghan is a rabbit, right? He looks quite… fragile, but Seungcheol doesn’t seem to be a gentle man. It’s just my feelings. I have just seen him once, and his scent is still very clear in this house. He may get rough with your friend, I’m afraid.”

The cat hybrid was immediately reminded of what Jeonghan had told him about his last heat with Seungcheol. He was really rough then, not just because he was angry with finding out his mate was a hybrid, but also because Jeonghan had spent his previous heat with _a gentle alpha_ that neither Seungcheol nor Joshua knew. The boy wanted to do something good for his friend, but he was not sure that might be. The alpha might have concentrated too much on his work that he did not realize his mate’s heat was near, or he valued his work so much that he did not bother to care about that. No matter what the reasons were, Joshua doubted whether Jeonghan really wanted his alpha.

The questions kept circling Joshua’s mind that it took him much longer than usual to finish brushing his teeth. Fortunately, the house had more bathrooms than the number of people living there at the moment; therefore, nobody had to wait for anyone. After that, the cat looked around Jeonghan’s bedroom and finally found his blue bag placed at the corner of the room. Deep down inside, his hand found something that seemed to be hard, long and certainly not clothes. That must be the toy.

The item was carefully wrapped in a shirt belonging to Mingyu, and when Joshua had finished unwrapping the thing, his cheeks turned red right on the spot. Joshua did not know much about sex toys, but he was pretty sure that this one was a thing that people call _“dildo”_. It was black, a little smaller than Jeonghan’s size, but admirably long and in shape of a dick. Joshua gulped, trying to fight against the sudden sinful thoughts appearing in his mind. There was a strong temptation in the object, drawing Joshua’s attention and curiosity to it like crazy. Right in this moment, Joshua terribly regretted his own imaginations of how Mingyu would look like under the layers of clothes, because those thoughts were coming back to him like a devastating flood.

The dildo reeked of Mingyu.

And Joshua was sure that his alpha’s dick is much bigger than this. He did not know when his mouth started to get watery, and he even licked his lips unconsciously.

Gosh, he missed Mingyu, missed his smile, his warmth, his body…

Joshua loves the height difference. He loves the fact that Mingyu is big - he was not scared of that anymore. The giant man always gives out such a virile aura that even the timid boy wanted to try…

_Knock knock knock_

The sounds made Joshua jump. It was not until then did he realize that he was terribly sweating. He hurried to place the toy back deep inside the bag, zipping it closed and running towards the door. Wiping his own sweat once before opening the door, he tried to inhale deeply and pretended as if nothing had happened.

Jihoon was standing in front of the room, fully dressed and ready to go out.

“I’m going to the supermarket. Do you want me to get something special for you?”

The short omega held the cat’s wrist and dragged him back to the kitchen to write down the things he wanted to buy on his small piece of paper. Joshua could not describe how grateful he was for Jihoon’s consideration. The discussion about today’s meals and snack was enough to distract Joshua from the toy, and after the short man was gone, all of his attention was placed on Jeonghan again. That was also the time when Joshua started to feel uncomfortable.

He was not sure how exactly uncomfortable he was, but some kind of instinct took control of his body and dragged him back to the bedroom.

After getting more comfortable, the cat hybrid felt a strong urge to find Jeonghan. He did not want to be alone any longer. Following the thick lavender scent in the air, he came back to the kitchen to find his friend cutting some fruits at the counters. Joshua adored looking at the back of his best friend, only two of them sharing a peaceful space in the safe house. He was shining brighter than anything else in this room, more beautiful than any angels that may exist in this universe - Joshua believed so. He always felt calm, relaxed and happy to see Jeonghan, from those days until now.

And Jeonghan was wearing a loose blue shirt. Joshua always loved seeing him in blue. He was strongly drawn to the man in front of him, and his foot started to move on his own towards the person he loves.

Before saying anything, Joshua placed himself sitting on the counter first, right beside the plate of fruits beneath his friend’s hand. Swinging his legs slowly at the edge of the counter, he slightly tilted his head, asking so innocently.

“You are cutting the fruits for me?”

Smiling at him lovingly, Jeonghan dropped the finished piece of apple into the plate to pinch the younger boy’s nose.

“I’m making this for all three of us, you spoilt brat.”

“Who spoilt me?” Joshua asked and pouted, suddenly too cute for Jeonghan’s weak heart to handle. “Do you have the grapes for me?”

Obviously, the boy did not let his friend continue working with the fruits anymore, since he put the hand that had just pinched his nose to place on his thigh while opening his mouth a bit, waiting for the grape he likes. Jeonghan had no choice but to put down the knife, and maybe for good. His eyes flickered at the cat’s bare thighs. He was only wearing a shirt reeking of Wonwoo. No pants.

Putting the grape in Joshua’s mouth, Jeonghan asked while watching him chewing the fruit happily.

“Where are your pants?”

“They’re not comfortable. I like this better.” The boy was quite shy to say so, but he still had enough courage to speak out.

“Uncomfortable?”

Amazed, Jeonghan asked again, but he soon realized his kitten was already pulling his arm, silently asking him to move closer. The boy parted his legs invitingly, keeping the innocent but needy stare into his friend’s eyes. The opened legs allowed the sweet and enticing scent of the slick to come out and attack Jeonghan, powerfully luring him to take care of the place that was leaking the sweet liquid down there. The blonde omega did not need much time to register what was going on; another wave of the heat was about to wreck Joshua. It had not really arrived with full force yet, but the boy was certainly being affected.

It would be much better to start _doing something_ before it hurt his baby.

Joshua was so embarrassed when he saw Jeonghan’s smirk, but he was also relieved that his friend agree to follow his pull and settle himself between his legs. The cat hybrid wrapped his naked slender legs around Jeonghan’s waist right away, pulling him even closer, putting both his hands on the older’s chest. However, before Joshua was able to figure out in his pretty chaotic mind what he wanted to do with Jeonghan first, the rabbit hybrid had begun caressing his thighs seductively. He gasped but enjoyed the touch, staring into his angel’s eyes while those cold hands were still sending shivers up and down his spine.

“What do you want, kitten?”

“I… I don’t know…” Joshua knew his answer was stupid, but his mind got hazy too quickly once he was drowned in the attractive lavender scent and the heavenly feelings that the gentle hands were bringing to him.

Jeonghan made his boy blush harder just by a soft chuckle, and he could not help raising one hand up to caress Joshua’s cheek tenderly, adoring how lovely he was at the moment. The older omega’s whisper was just like a stream of honey pouring into Joshua’s ears, making him shudder in a strange happiness.

“It’s okay. I think I know already.”

When Jeonghan started kissing Joshua’s lips, the boy instantly hugged his friend tightly around his shoulders. For a second, the boy suddenly realized that they were going to have sex on the kitchen’s counters. He was so worried that it would not be okay to do that, but Jeonghan insisted on staying there and not giving him any chances to get away. Much as Joshua was concerned, he was far from thinking about that much longer, soon kissing Jeonghan back enthusiastically.

This morning, the cat hybrid was feeling good enough to go through some foreplay, which they had skipped last night. He still refused to take off his shirt completely, but allowing Jeonghan to unbuttoned him thoroughly so that the older’s hands could wander to the boy’s chest and play with his nipples. Joshua felt it so strange to have his best friend plucking, twisting, pinching his nipples and even sucking them, but he soon got lost in pleasure and had no more problems with that. He came the first time in the morning after Jeonghan asked him to come to the empty dining table, pushing him laying down on the surface and sucking him off passionately.

Of course, that was not enough for Joshua.

Obeying his friend’s command, he got back to sit on the counter, shivering at how demanding and dominant Jeonghan was at this moment. Joshua had produced so much slick that the blonde omega needed no time to open his hole before pushing his cock inside smoothly in just one move (He was not as big as an alpha, anyway). Joshua was obviously blissed out at the intrusion. His body accepted Jeonghan so well, and the panic attack was just something belonging to the long gone past.

Joshua was so sensitive that he came two more times just by getting fucked by his friend. He was contented to feel himself full with Jeonghan’s cum. The feelings of the liquid dripping out of his clenching hole after Jeonghan pulled out were just wonderful.

Helping the tired hybrid get back to the bedroom, Jeonghan generously and considerately gave Joshua a butt plug. It was brand new, still fully sealed. The older omega explained that it would bring Joshua a fake feeling of being knotted by an alpha without actually hurting him. Usually, just a single word “knot” would freak him out, but at this time Joshua found himself calm while listening to Jeonghan’s explanation. Moreover, since his friend was the one who put it in for him, he had nothing to worry about.

Joshua was so happy to know that Jeonghan was totally right. His hole did not like to feel empty after the sex at all. He kept longing for the feeling of being stretched, which the butt plug was giving him in a very nice way. The plug was not very big and was even coated with a considerable amount of lube applied by Jeonghan. The cat was more amazed to know that there was even a blanket in the bag that his alphas had prepared for him. Jeonghan covered the boy with that blanket, letting him indulge in the scent of peppermint embed intensely on the object. Last but not least, he put the collar that Joshua’s owners had bought for him on his neck.

It was a black leather collar with names of all Joshua’s alphas on it along with their address and phone numbers. Those details were embed on the smooth fabric in a very delicate way so that it would not look weird, just much more like a nice choker on the boy’s neck. The scents of the alphas on the collar were really intense and would not be faded by all means. In general, a collar for a hybrid was not only an official signal for other people to know that this hybrid is already owned but also a thing that helps the vulnerable creature feel the presence of his owners, reminding him of his condition of being someone’s property. In fact, Jeonghan hates the collar, and he felt lucky that Seungcheol had never mentioned getting a collar even after finding out his hybrid identity. Nonetheless, if that was what Joshua genuinely wanted to have, he would gladly provide it to the cat. Joshua sighed in relief, then soon fell asleep again.

The boy did not exactly felt like being knotted by Wonwoo, but the combination of the scent and the stretch in his hole was so comfortable that he could not keep his eyes open anymore.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be about Jun, Wonwoo and Mingyu!!!  
I really want to know what you think about Jeonghan now... Poor him, he just desired to be loved ;_;
> 
> His heat is near. Let's get how he will deal with it~~~
> 
> And in reality, our Jeonghan and Seungcheol are not in good health condition T_T I hope they will get better soon!!!
> 
> \---
> 
> You can skip this part because it's not related to the story.
> 
> Two days ago I had a very bad dream. In that dream, many people gave bad words in their comments of my fic :( They said that the way I write was fucking boring and weird. They didn't just say that they didn't like it. They described my fic as something cheap and disgusting. When I woke up from that dream I was crying ;_; But I'm so happy that it was just a dream!!! T_T
> 
> Last night was a bad night for me, again. Tonight isn't, because I'm here to post a new chapter and I can't describe how much I enjoy this. But there is still something that makes me feel like, if one day you see this fic not updated in a month straight, then perhaps things has got out of my control.


	23. Breaking down, bit by bit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Joshua was being taken care of by Jeonghan, Jun was having a hard time with Wonwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you love Jun, then this chapter is definitely for you! The whole chapter is about Jun, Mingyu and Wonwoo.

Jun felt extremely bad to wake up in Wonwoo’s bed, in Wonwoo’s arms.

When he looked at himself in the bathroom, he saw three new hickeys on his neck. No shirt would ever be able to cover them.

They had breakfast out of the house, and Jun stayed silent all the time. He even did not look at Wonwoo. The man encouraged him to eat more, but he really had no appetite. He could not smell himself. All he could feel in his nose was the aroma of peppermint. That would keep the alphas away from him, or maybe not. Would Wonwoo ever stop this? Jun was already sick of everything. He hated how people talked about him unmated but always having another alpha’s scent on his body and even some hickeys.

Jun was not able to smell himself, but in fact Wonwoo could smell him very well, even to the extent of getting agitated. Wonwoo was familiar with this kind of situation, but he sensed something abnormal this time. Jun’s health overall was reacting negatively to everything happening around him, Being harassed, overworking, overthinking, his younger cousin did not seem to be healthy at all. Last night, Wonwoo once left the bed to get some water in the kitchen, but when he came back, Jun smelled awful and he was frowning, obviously going through a bad dream. His condition only got better when the lead alpha embraced his sweating body in his strong arms and hummed gentle words to the sleeping alpha.

And now, his rut was coming near, out of schedule. Jun’s ruts usually come once in three months. However, it had not appeared for nearly five months straight. Losing appetite had never been one of his symptoms in the past.

Near lunchtime, Wonwoo walked out of his office and informed Jun that he was going to meet a client outside and he would have to eat lunch alone today. Jun even did not look at him, just silently nodding. Wonwoo felt a bit angry, but the younger male’s pale face softened his heart. There was a pain in his chest for observing his love being in such a bad state, which he was certainly partly to blame for. He never wants to hurt Jun; he just wants to make him become _his_. For years, he had felt for sure that Jun was aware of the fact that he belonged to Wonwoo, but it turned out that the younger alpha did not seem to understand anything at all. Right now, he was stubbornly fighting back for a freedom that Wonwoo failed to understand. They did not understand each other.

Observing Jun’s indifferent attitude, Wonwoo still could not help raising a hand to touch his cousin’s forehead. Jun flinched, and even dodged, but the lead alpha was determined to check on his health. Not having enough of a convenient position, he walked straight to behind the desk and stopped right beside Jun, keeping the same hand on his forehead. He was not really feverish, but hotter than usual. It would be extremely awkward if someone saw what was happening, so Jun decided to let Wonwoo do whatever he wanted so that it could end quickly.

“Take care of yourself, Jun. You’re a bit under the weather. Don’t skip lunch.”

Other people may feel as if Wonwoo was being a good cousin - or brother - taking care of his dongsaeng, but Jun never felt that. He was able to detect the command under his gentle saying. Wonwoo would get mad if he disobeyed, but Jun genuinely wanted to disobey. He did not want to eat anything at all. Wonwoo would not be here during lunch, so nobody could supervise whether he actually had something to eat or not.

After Wonwoo left, Jun did get out of the office during lunch break, but not for getting any food. He sat in a milk tea shop and ordered a large cup for himself. Perhaps this was the only one thing that he wanted to swallow at the moment. The sweet flavor and the chewy boba brought a small lovely heaven to him, suddenly making him hate going back to the office. He would have to meet Wonwoo there, working with him for the whole day, and then going back home with him. At home, there would be no one waiting for Jun. From the moment leaving Joshua at Seungcheol’s house, Jun could not help considering his own life useless and helpless. Without Joshua, he meant nothing anymore. The cat hybrid was the only hope in his desperate days recently, and maybe he would be the only hope in this world for him.

When was the last time an omega dared to approach him? Since when did the alphas started to look at him in a whole different way? Why did it take him so long to realize what he had agreed to allow Wonwoo to do to him was stupid? What did he do to deserve being left at home alone with Wonwoo? He wanted Joshua and Mingyu back. If Mingyu were not on his business trip, today Jun would come to his company while Wonwoo was away to seek for some comfort. If Joshua were not in heat, Jun would come home and bring the boy out to have lunch with him.

Now, everyone had everything, except for him. Not only Wonwoo but also Mingyu had their own jobs, their own reputation, and their own attractiveness towards the omegas - to be general, their own _freedom_. Joshua had his best friend and also a new good friend. Their lives were so fulfilled. It was too late for Jun to realize what he was and would be stuck at for the rest of his life. Becoming Wonwoo’s secretary was the worst decision of his life. He had been unable to imagine that he would never have the chance to get any promotion for another position in the company or anywhere else. Wonwoo never lets him go. Now, having Joshua to be shared among three of them, the other two alphas knew for sure that Jun would never be able to leave them. He was so naïve to trust his cousin from the first place.

Jun had nothing for himself.

That was how his life would be if one day Wonwoo also got sick of playing with him and decided that he longer needed an alpha - a man of the same second gender to him - in his life.

Spending break time alone, Jun did not expect to get a video phone call from Mingyu. He sighed and smiled to himself at the same time, not sure whether he should feel sad or happy to see his younger cousin now. Before he was able to answer that question, his finger had slid on the screen on its own, letting Mingyu’s handsome face appear. The giant man immediately grinned brightly when seeing Jun, effortlessly making the other smile too, but he did not know how much he was hurting him at the moment. The pain in the chest took away Jun’s energy so much that he ended up placing his phone on the table, letting it lean against the small flower pot instead of keeping it in his shaky hand.

“Is Wonwoo there with you?” Mingyu asked, but there were sparkles in his eyes due to his high expectation of not having the other alpha by Jun’s side.

“No. He is meeting a client. I’m alone.”

Mingyu’s whole voice and facial expression changed right after hearing the first sentence from Jun.

“Are you okay? Are you ill or something?”

“No, I’m fine.” Jun shook his head and tried to fake a smile, but it looked awful, he guessed.

Mingyu did not find that convincing at all.

“You look very tired. Because Joshua woke you up last night?”

“I guess so. You know, I lost more than one hour of sleep.”

“But I don’t think just one hour of sleep could harm you that much. Is there anything wrong?”

“Trust me, Mingyu. I’m fine. It’s just work.”

However, Jun did not realize his abnormal way of talking had already revealed himself. First, he said that he was fine, then quickly admitted that he did not sleep enough, and then rapidly switched to the reason of working too much. He even said _“trust me, Mingyu”_. Jun was never the one who asked other people - especially Mingyu - to trust him unless he was lying.

“I can see what’s on your table, Jun.” Mingyu frowned deeply, obviously unhappy. “Only milk tea for lunch. Really?”

“I’ve already finished eating…”

“Oh, quit it.” Mingyu snapped, not letting the other finish his sentence. “I know you can never finish eating anything that quickly. I know what time it is now in Korean. Your lunch break has just started only fifteen minutes ago and it took you at least five minutes to walk from your company to that store. Ordering and waiting should have taken you more than another five minutes.”

Jun had to give up. Mingyu understood him too much; he could no longer lie to him anymore. He sighed, pretending to be sulky to lighten up the mood a bit.

“Can we move on? Don’t tell me that you call me in order just to check what I am eating for lunch?”

“Actually, for a person who usually skips meals when feeling upset like you, it’s worth worrying about.” Mingyu could not stop being so concerned over the matter of Jun’s health. “Awww, I wish I were in Korea now. I would cook you a perfect dinner to make up for your lunch. You’ll definitely love it.”

Jun could not explain why, but that saying suddenly made his heart warm. He smiled sheepishly, looking down at the table for a pretty long while, making Mingyu’s heart drop and causing him to worry more at the same time.

“You really wish so?” The older alpha’s voice became lower and quieter.

“You know I can’t lie.” Mingyu also softened his own voice for his own cousin only. “If I were in Korea right now, I would drive to your place and take you home immediately. I would call for a day off too.”

“Wonwoo would kill you for taking his secretary away.”

“I would kill him for forcing you to work while you’re not fine.” Mingyu gritted his teeth, evidently already irritated by the said man.

“But trust me, really. I’m not that bad. Don’t worry. The only one who should worry about now is Joshua.”

“Since Jeonghan had not called either of you, I believe that our baby is just fine. At least he is having someone to take care of him. But you are not.”

“Wonwoo will take care of me…”

Jun slowly trailed off, and the last part was almost inaudible to Mingyu. That was the limit for the giant man to keep his mind calm. Of course, he saw the new hickeys on his cousin’s neck. Wonwoo had not called him to let him know about any bastard harassing Jun again, so this time the jerk must be the lead alpha himself. Mingyu knew he had been bad to Jun, too - he also left hickeys on his neck - but he had never made the man he loves so upset like that. What Wonwoo had done was not just leaving some hickeys. Mingyu was sure that he hurt Jun in some ways.

“What did Wonwoo do to you, Jun?” The tone of his voice became accusatory, displeasure tinting clearly in his eyes.

“Nothing special.” Jun shook his head, unconsciously running his fingers across his neck in a not really comfortable way, making Mingyu carefully follow every single movement of the hand. “Just… typical of him, you know.”

“Typical of him?” Mingyu snorted. “That doesn’t sound like a good thing.”

The more they kept going on about that topic, the more exhausted Jun gradually felt. He tried to pretend to be okay in front of Mingyu, but until now he was not able to do that any longer. Palming his face for a few seconds before putting his hand down on the table, Jun sighed audibly, and he suddenly begged so quietly.

“Can we stop talking about Wonwoo?”

Mingyu’s broken heart made him nod immediately despite the burning anger in his stomach.

“Okay okay, no more Wonwoo. Just you and me.”

“Can I start asking about you now?”

“Sure. Anything you want.”

Jun started asking many things about Mingyu in France, but that topic did not help ease out the concern he had had from the beginning of their talk. Jun slowly drank his milk tea while listening to him, but his eyes told Mingyu that something was bothering him seriously. The giant alpha doubted that Joshua’s heat had somehow triggered his cousin’s rut to come, but there seemed to be another problem.

He hated to think that Jun was being deeply distressed.

“I really want to go home. Miss you so much.” Mingyu ended the topic of his business in France by a sincere confession. “Do you miss me too?”

Asking that question, Mingyu had already braced himself to prepare for an indifferent reaction. He had been rejected a long time ago. He once confessed his feelings to Jun, but the man coldly replied that _“you’re just my cousin.”_ Mingyu knew that was not the truth and he had never tried to get rid of his beautiful and sweet feelings towards the man he loves. He had wished that one day a miracle would make Jun change his mind and attitude, but the older alpha just kept treating him the same as before, as if nothing had ever happened. Whenever they argued or bickered with each other, Mingyu felt happy that at least he was still a good cousin of Jun, but it was heartbreaking at the same time.

He thought that if one day the slightest miracle came to his life, he would welcome it with his happiest and warmest heart. Nonetheless, the truth was just the opposite, cruel and painful.

“Yes… I miss you.” Jun’s voice was hard to hear, and he did not look at the phone while mumbling that sentence, but that was what he had spoken out by himself for real.

He was slouching and slumping. Mingyu almost jumped into his phone’s screen to wrap his cousin in his arms, embracing him and giving him all of the comfort that he might be capable of. Jun was too tired to fight back anyone anymore. All of a sudden, Mingyu went speechless. His breath somehow seemed to stop while he was sitting there, staring at his love being desperate, fatigued and stressed out. Mingyu wanted to scratch his own brain out of his skull, almost losing all of self-control because he could do nothing to help Jun but fucking stare at him like this. He nearly let out an enraged growl, an aggressive hiss in his utmost anger but Jun’s abrupt question stopped him.

“Will you get married, Mingyu?”

If Jun’s mind had not been thoroughly covered in a thick layer of darkness, he would have laughed at Mingyu’s shocked expression. About marriage, Mingyu could only think of two people, one of which was the one who was talking to him. Was that what Jun wanted to talk about? Mingyu believed so, because it would be unnecessary to ask him about marrying Joshua like that.

However, Mingyu was still unsure whether he should get excited about this or not. Consequently, he answered by another question with a lot of confidence and also an abundant amount of confusion.

“You mean getting married with you?”

Jun immediately blushed and fluttered. He stuttered.

“No… I… I mean… just getting married.”

There had not been any positive promise in Jun’s question yet, but only the mention of this problem was more than enough to make Mingyu’s eyes shine with sparkles.

“If you agree, then of course yes, I will.”

“Stop joking, Mingyu.” Jun frowned and snapped, but his cheeks were still slightly pink. “Joshua is…”

Not letting him finish, Mingyu stated firmly. “You first. Him next.”

“But…”

“Why should there be a _“but”_ here?” The giant alpha cut off his cousin again. “Is there anything not normal with this?”

“But what if you only…”

“Then you, only.” Mingyu answered without hesitation, as if he had already considered his own decision in such a difficult situation. “If in the end you can’t stand polyamory when it comes to marriage, you will be my final choice.”

“But we have already had an agreement on sharing Josh…”

“I can break it for you. If you have already broken it first, I will just follow that to get you.”

Jun remained silent after hearing Mingyu’s last saying. He really did not know how to response to his cousin, hating himself for creating this trap on his own. It was stupid of him to mention marriage with Mingyu. He should have known that a person who had never given up like the giant man would not skip this chance to prove his feelings and his determination. Jun was surprised with himself to see that he considered Mingyu’s attitude as a _determination_, which meant he thoroughly understood how much his cousin loved him and wanted him to know and believe in that fact.

“I am not like Wonwoo.” Lowering his voice again, Mingyu sounded more gentle than how he had ever done. His eyes were even more sincere and meaningful than his words. “He has many things to care about. But you are _my first priority_. Always.”

Jun could never deny the fact that he actually could feel Mingyu’s love for him. He knew what made him run to the younger alpha on the day he found out the truth about Wonwoo’s marriage. However, Jun was too scared to trust an alpha again.

Everybody knows that an alpha should be mated with an omega. Nobody has ever said that two alphas would make a perfect couple. How could Jun make sure that Mingyu’s instinct would never be lured to an omega - especially Joshua? How could Jun make sure that he himself had something that might attract Mingyu and made the giant man love him - an alpha - rather than a sweet and adorable omega? Wonwoo’s case was not the same as that, but it anyway taught Jun a lesson. The lead alpha brutally woke him up from the most beautiful dream of his life, and Jun did not dare to have another similar dream.

Jun had been silent and ducked his head for so long that Mingyu had no choice but to switch to another better topic so as to lighten up the atmosphere. He was not sure what was Jun’s intention of asking “will you get married” and he had no way to explain that either, but he definitely did not want to make his cousin sad when making a call with him. Mingyu tried his best to cheer him up by telling more about something interesting in his trip. He promised to buy some souvenirs for Jun before coming back and to return home as soon as possible if his work went smoothly. Luckily, his effort was effective, since Jun soon lifted up his head to stare at the screen again, and at least when they said goodbye, he smiled, just weakly.

From that moment, Mingyu was determined to finish his work and go home earlier than his original schedule. He got the feelings that he would die if he was forced to see Jun in that condition through the phone screen a few more times.

…

When Jun returned to the company, Wonwoo was still nowhere to be found, as lunch break had not ended yet. Jun felt tired, so he let himself take a short nap at his own desk. Normally, in the past, he would just lay down on the couch in Wonwoo’s office to rest, but today Jun did not want to do that anymore. Sleeping in a sitting position at a paper desk is certainly uncomfortable, but he considered that to be the best option he had at the moment, hoping that he would feel a little bit better in the afternoon and go on well with his work.

After waking up thanks to the alarm clock on the phone, Jun realized that Wonwoo had already come back while he was still sleeping. When he got into the CEO’s office to bring him some documents, he almost reeled back right at the door. The prominent and dominant alpha pheromones coming from a powerful noble got him slightly dizzy. This situation had happened many times and Jun was used to it, except for when he was not in good health condition like today. Wonwoo’s scent was extremely bitter and spicy, which was a clear evidence of him being angry at something - or _somebody_. Jun highly doubted that person was him, although he did not know what he had done wrong. Maybe, it was because he did not sleep on the couch? Or Wonwoo was able to tell from his scent that he had not eaten anything yet?

The way Wonwoo looked at him had never been that cold. Jun hated himself for letting his heart shatter just because of that look. He just wished to live a happy life with Mingyu and Wonwoo like they were supposed to be, but fate did not allow that to happen. His life, all of his relationships with them, all corrupted, and it was his fault, Jun thought. He was stupid and useless. Why had he ever thought that the place between two excellent noble alphas would be suitable for such a weak alpha like him?

Jun could drive, but had no license, because Wonwoo or Mingyu had always been his free driver. He could hardly cook, because Mingyu had always been with him and fed him with his delicious food. During Jun’s first year in university, parted away from his parents, he was sick of eating out every day, and once Mingyu officially stepped into his life at his second year, he never had to suffer from any trouble about food. He could not afford one third of the rent for their apartment but he had never thought of that problem, because Wonwoo had always used his sweet words to lure him into letting the lead alpha pay for his part.

Jun did not own a car like Wonwoo and Mingyu did, because his job never paid him enough to do that. He had never had to worry about how to deal with troubles alone while his parents were not with him like when he was a kid, because Wonwoo and Mingyu were always by his sides to support him, taking care of him when he was sick, bringing him to the hospital when necessary, beating to death (almost) all the bastards that messed up with him. Even when he got a nightmare and found it hard to get back to sleep, both of them had always been ready to welcome him to their beds with open arms and warmest smiles.

Jun had never done anything for them. He just depended on them. And now, it was impossible for him to leave them. Before Jun woke up from his sweet dreams, he had become too weak to be independent.

His heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach when Wonwoo nonchalantly threw him a thick stack of paper, commanding without even looking at him, as if he were something not worth giving a glance.

“Don’t go home if you can’t finish that. Bring your laptop in and sit there.”

Jun did not need to ask where “there” was. He just nodded, bringing the paper to the table at the corner at the room, and silently bringing his laptop inside. This was not the first time of him working in Wonwoo’s office, but this was definitely the worst day he had ever been through in this company. Jun bit his lips, smiling bitterly to himself, then starting his work. Jun knew for sure, with his ability, he would not manage to go home today. Would Wonwoo just go home and leave him alone here?

They stayed in the same office for hours, but neither of them chatted. They only spoke when they really had to do that, and the topics were certainly just work and work. Jun was left alone in the office when Wonwoo went out to have dinner with a client. The man did not say anything when he stepped out of the room around six o’clock, making Jun staring at him in his utmost concern. No matter how hard he was trying to avoid being intimate with Wonwoo, one of the last things he wanted was to be abandoned in this office for the whole night. Maybe, he could just go home, as he had the key into the apartment, and he had money to catch a taxi. Wonwoo could be mad at him, but then what? He would fire Jun or what?

Actually Jun would be very glad if someone fired him so that he would not have to work in this company under the power of Wonwoo anymore.

Waiting anxiously, Jun decided to make use of his boss’s absence to take a break and call delivery for dinner. His appetite had not come back yet, but his stomach was growling and his body urged him to fill it with real food. Jun ended up sitting on the couch with some porridge, a small box of salad and a cup of milk tea on the coffee table. Anyway, he did not like to eat, so anything would just taste the same, except for the milk tea. Fortunately, the food gave him more energy to keep up with his work.

Wonwoo came back to the office around eight o’clock. Jun was tired, but at least that was the only happiness that life gave him at the moment. He did not know what Wonwoo had to do in front of the computer screen, but the man remained sitting there in silence for the whole night. At ten o’clock, Jun started to feel sleepy, and that was also the time he decided to stand up, moving towards Wonwoo’s desk to talk, so that he could interrupt his sleepiness and keep himself awake longer.

Jun intended to speak, but it was somehow difficult for him to talk when he had already stood there but Wonwoo did not even gave him a glance, still staring at the computer screen with all of his attention. Then, the CEO suddenly asked, catching him off guard.

“Finish your work?”

“N-not yet.” Jun shook his head, then cleared his throat to speak louder. “I want to tell you that I will have to take three days off, starting from Thursday.”

It was Tuesday. He would leave the office from Thursday till Saturday.

“Reasons?” Wonwoo hummed a question without looking at the man speaking to him.

Jun hated Wonwoo for making him say it out even thought he had already known the reason.

“My rut is near. I can’t go to work on those days.”

“So you can’t go home today and tomorrow. Sit there and finish your work. You can take your days off when you’re done.”

Jun immediately got exasperated.

“What? You mean I have to stay here from now till Thursday morning? I’m not a slave of this com…”

“Do you know three days is a long period? Who would do your job when you are away?” Wonwoo’s voice was still stable and fucking cold, _fucking annoying_ to Jun. “You want to delay the company’s job just because of your rut?”

“I’m a human. I’m not a machine. I can’t stay here to work for two days…”

Cutting him off once again, Wonwoo finally looked up, piercing his sharp stare into his younger cousin.

“Then just spend your rut here, if you want to. You know that it will end faster if you _get some help_ through it _here_, right?”

Jun just wanted to punch Wonwoo in the face. However, in the end, Jun can never be a man of anger and violence. Over all the guys who had been bad to him, Wonwoo eventually became the one that really made him angry, but he did not retort or hit the man. He just went straight back to his laptop and kept on working, hoping to find a miracle for him to finish this soon so that he would be able to go home.

After seeing Wonwoo putting more paper on the stack of documents he was working on, Jun realized that he had been really stupid. No matter how hard he tried, Wonwoo just simply did not want to let him live in peace. He is the boss; he could do anything to cause Jun to stay here as long as he wanted, and he knew that Jun was not the kind of people who was able to argue with him. Sometimes, Wonwoo had to admit Jun was so nice that he was close to the extent of being weak.

Staying up through a night without sleeping was no problem to Wonwoo, but it was a huge trouble to a man who was not in his best health condition like Jun, especially when he was being forced to work like crazy by _the fucking CEO_. Around midnight, Wonwoo found his cousin falling asleep on the table, resting his head on his own arms folding on the mess of paper. The awful smell started to come out from him soon, letting Wonwoo know that he was having a bad sleep. Jun’s scent was the kind of scent that was always able to soothe and calm people, but when it changed, it would break people’s heart. He wondered, what happened in Jun’s nightmares? Were they about the horrible days in the past when the bad guys hit him or planned to kidnap him? Was there any single dream that was about Wonwoo?

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I guess now you hate Wonwoo more...
> 
> \---
> 
> You can skip this part because it's not related to the story.
> 
> It's so hard to write these days, especially after knowing about Seungcheol's health condition. I truly wish that he will be fine. I hope not only Seungcheol but all of the members will live well and happily. About myself, I wish that I will be fine too, but it seems not. I don't know what I should do. I really want to write, but I can see that the quality of my writing is going down.   
Really desperate.


	24. Desperate love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan kept on taking care of Joshua in the remaining days of the cat's heat, while Jun was still stuck at Wonwoo's office.  
Luckily, Joshua was able to return home early, but Jeonghan's heat was really near. So was Jun's rut. Both of them were in troubles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have told myself to post a new chapter 4 days later after the previous one so many times but I always failed :') I guess I will never be patient enough to wait that long :> Hope that you will enjoy this chapter~~~

For the rest of the day, Jeonghan had sex with Joshua two more times, always able to make the boy come twice before the blond omega finished. The cat hybrid was extremely shy about that, forced to admit that he was too sensitive and horny. Jeonghan just smiled fondly at him and had nothing to blame the boy. Joshua was still very young, and it was normal for a young omega hybrid to be that sensitive. In fact, Jeonghan found that a reason for him to be happy, because it proved that his best friend was comfortable when sleeping with him. If the boy were scared, he would not be able to experience any pleasure in those activities.

Of course, that was not enough for an omega in heat. Jeonghan eagerly gave Joshua many other ministrations to get him off and the cat failed to count the times. After bringing his friend a few good orgasms by his mouth, his fingers, and some small vibrators, the rabbit hybrid finally successfully coaxed the boy into using the dildo that his alphas had prepared for him. Thanks to its modest size, Joshua was still calm when he examined the object one more time, and Jeonghan was sure that Mingyu’s scent on it definitely had immense impact on the cat’s mind. He had to admit that those alphas were not only smart but also thoughtful for their omega. With Jeonghan’s presence, Joshua would be calm in any circumstances. Moreover, the toy had an acceptable size for a timid and broken boy like his friend. That the dildo reeked of Mingyu would draw Joshua’s attention to it and also helped him get familiar with the notion of being fucked by his alphas. It was not really the same, but this was absolutely a good start.

Luckily, that was a dildo that could vibrate in different settings, which means that it would_ help a lot_.

Jeonghan was right. It did help a lot. The blond omega let Joshua sit comfortably on the bed while leaning against him and resting his head on his shoulder. That was the only position that made Joshua feel safe with this, so they both agreed to do it this way. Jeonghan was so surprised to see that it was not very easy for the toy to slide in as he had expected, but the moan escaping from his friend’s mouth brought him a relief. Joshua was unbelievably tight, but the intrusion caused no pain, and he did not need much time to adjust to the object after the whole thing was pushed deep inside of him.

Jeonghan decided on his own that it would be better to slowly bring Joshua over his limit a few times rather than letting him hit an intense climax at once. Therefore, he started by thrusting in and out of the boy’s ass by the dildo without turning on thee vibration mode. The rabbit hybrid honestly admired the length of the toy, since it was capable of letting Joshua feel a whole new level of stimulation that his dick and fingers could not do.

Having already acknowledged that the cat had no problems with overstimulation (or even enjoyed it) or multiple orgasms in a short period of time, Jeonghan pushed the button of the lowest setting right after Joshua had just got down a bit from his climax. Joshua screamed right on the spot and threw his head back, hands clutching tightly to his friend’s shirt but his mouth never pleaded him to stop anything. Not stopping his hand, Jeonghan kept using the toy to fuck Joshua relentlessly.

When the last button was pushed, it did not take much time for the cat to come. At that moment, he was hardly able to create much sound, just gasping and panting heavily. Jeonghan gently shushed him by sweet kisses and carefully turned the vibration to a softer mode while the boy was riding out his orgasm. Once the blond omega finally took the whole toy out, he whispered _“I love you, kitten”_ to his beloved friend, earning a weak but happy smile back from Joshua. Lazily curling up, the cat nuzzled into Jeonghan’s chest, murmuring so quietly that it almost went unheard.

“I love you too, Hannie.”

Soon, the cat hybrid succumbed to his tiredness, falling asleep peacefully in the older’s arms. Jeonghan felt his heart warm just by watching Joshua sleeping in peace like that, but he could not hold back his own disappointed sigh. He was painfully hard and actually had slightly expected the younger boy to suck him off after he was done, but it turned out that Joshua was too exhausted in the end. The worse thing was that the cat was seriously reeking of his alphas, not only the one who owned the shirt he wore or the one whose scent got stuck on the toy but also the other alpha. Jeonghan had no choice but to deal with it by himself. He felt bad for leaving Joshua alone in the bed for a while, but he had to.

Of course, Joshua did not know that his friend took something from the bag his alphas had prepared for him before heading to the bathroom and locking the door carefully.

Another dose of strong suppressant was taken by the rabbit hybrid in an attempt to desperately delay his own heat till the day Joshua’s one was gone. Murmuring a soft _“sorry”_ to his best friend, Jeonghan cleaned up all the mess for him, dressing him properly in new clothes (also taken from the bag) and then joining his kitten in bed. As if sensing a familiar presence, the boy immediately shifted closer to the source of love and warmth. Jeonghan was not sure whether Joshua could hear him in his sleep or not, but he still from time to time whispered how much he loved the boy to his ear.

Jeonghan truly does. He loves Joshua more than anything or anyone in this world.

\-----------------------------

In the morning, Jun woke up not on the table, but on the couch.

The worst thing was, he was not alone there. Startled and then infuriated, he squirmed and kicked so hard to get out of Wonwoo’s embrace that he ended up falling down onto the floor. Being woken up that way, the older alpha was even more enraged. However, rather than throwing ugly words towards each other, Jun just ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind, while Wonwoo furiously ruffled his own hair and let out a hiss.

When being alone, Jun had more time to realize, his shoes had been taken off. His vest and his tie were just the same. His shirt was untucked. Two buttons under the collar were opened. He checked carefully in front of the mirror to seek for any new hickeys, but luckily nothing changed. Nevertheless, he jumped when there was a knock on the door, and then came Wonwoo’s voice.

“Come out here and get your clothes. I bring them here for you to get change. Take a shower then go out for breakfast with me.”

Jun growled out loud at _the command_. That was not a request. Wonwoo was using his dominance to command him again. The lead alpha had already set up a clear plan and he wanted his younger cousin to follow it. Jun hated that.

Jun had no idea when or how Wonwoo got the clothes for him from home, and he hated to go out to see him, but he had no choice. It would be gross if he kept wearing the same clothes for the whole next day at work. Still gritting his own teeth, he opened the door to face Wonwoo right away. Just by a quick smell, Jun could realize his cousin had already taken care of himself previously, and all he was waiting for was Jun doing the same thing before starting a new day. Jun knew that proved how much Wonwoo cared about him, but nothing could ever stop his rising anger.

_Why the hell did that jerk torture him and take care of him at the same time?_

Jun grabbed his clothes from Wonwoo’s hands not very gently and then slammed the door again.

The day had just started, but Jun already felt exhausted.

All the things between him and Wonwoo just made him tired.

Breakfast was awful, because he severely reeked of Wonwoo, which drew too much of other people’s attention to him. A simple glance or a stronger push out of pheromones from Wonwoo was more than enough to make everyone stop, but it did not fix the whole situation. It would never. In everyone’s eyes, Jun would forever be a weak alpha under Wonwoo’s control.

Right after they got back to the office, Wonwoo got a phone call from Jeonghan. Seeing the omega’s name appearing on the screen, they were not sure if they should feel happy or worried. However, there just could not be anything wrong. A heat cannot kill anyone. If an omega like Jeonghan were not able to help Joshua and calm him down, then what the hell two alphas like them could do?

Jun immediately relaxed when he saw Wonwoo’s smile after a few seconds of answering the call.

“Okay. I will come right now.”

It was a huge effort of Jun to keep his patience and wait until Wonwoo hung up to ask hastily.

“How is Joshua? He’s fine now? We can bring him home?”

“Yes.” Wonwoo confirmed, voice still cold. “Jeonghan said it was not an intense heat. Joshua is still a bit sensitive now, but he smells normal, and not feverish at all. Our baby insists going home.”

Jun quickly checked his watch and got excited instantly.

“It’s still early. We should go now.”

He did not know that his obvious happiness was offending the man in front of him.

In the past months, Wonwoo had never been able to make Jun that happy like a small piece of information about Joshua could do. It was easy for the lead alpha to imagine what would happen when they came to bring the hybrid home. Joshua would just jump into Jun and cling to him during the whole way home, and that would be a perfect distraction for the young alpha to totally forget about Wonwoo’s existence.

If Jun refused to give Wonwoo what he demanded, then he would never give anything to his younger cousin _until he understood what he had to do_.

“No. I go. You stay here.”

“What?” Jun froze and stared at Wonwoo unblinkingly, eyes wide. “Why? I’ve promised to Joshua that…”

“Finish your work or you won’t have your three days off.” Wonwoo had no emotion in his voice, stabbing thousands of sharp knives into Jun’s heart. The younger alpha felt as if he were nothing to Wonwoo, not even a friend, or a cousin. Just his employee.

“Please, Wonwoo. It’s just less than an hour and when I come back here I will…”

“Meeting Joshua at home after finishing your work or going through your rut in this office. Choose one.”

Wonwoo did not let Jun argue with him any longer. Grabbing his key on the desk, he walked out of the room, leaving Jun behind, hurt and shocked.

His cousin no longer had any mercy for him. Jun did not know how long he stood there, and when he realized he had been freezing there for a long while, staring at nothing but the cold and silent door, he also felt a tear rolling down his cheek.

What did he do wrong? Did Wonwoo hate him? Was this the end of everything? Jun was supposed to be the one who hated Wonwoo due to what the man had done to him, but eventually, Jun just felt that it was all his fault for destroying everything he adored.

…

When Wonwoo came to Seungcheol’s mansion, Joshua was already waiting for him at the gate together with Jeonghan and Jihoon. The boy beamed like a kid, jumping to Wonwoo and hugged him tightly. Jeonghan was right, the cat hybrid no longer smelled too sweet; his cat ears and tail were all gone. The only extraordinarily sweet scent here was coming from the rabbit, not Joshua.

However, the boy’s smile faded away after he realized a problem.

“Where’s Jun?” His eyes were sad, obviously hurt. “He promised to come here to pick me.”

“Jun’s busy. I told him to stay at the office.” Wonwoo explained briefly.

Nonetheless, such answer was not enough to make Joshua any happier. The hybrid understood Jun enough to know that work would never make his beloved alpha break a promise. He knew it was Wonwoo who forced him to stay there, but he did not dare to show any attitudes about that. Obediently, he followed the man into his car after saying goodbye to Jeonghan and Jihoon.

Joshua was not mad at Wonwoo. He just wished that Jun were also here and hoped that the oldest alpha had not done anything bad to his cousin.

Anyway, Wonwoo was surprised when Joshua suddenly gripped his arms by both of his slightly shaking hands at the time he was stopping at the red light. When the man turned to look at his love, the hybrid was already begging him through his dove-like eyes.

“Master…” Joshua had just started to speak very timidly, but Wonwoo was ready to do anything that he may ask. “Can I sit with you?”

Wonwoo did not need to ask what that meant, because he was the one who spoilt his little hybrid by letting him sit in the car that way. His heart immediately got weak because of the innocent boy. Without saying a word, he stopped the car by the sidewalk, making Joshua grin brightly and quickly unfasten his seatbelt. The alpha easily brought the boy up by his strong arms, placing the slender body on his lap, willingly spoiling his baby rotten one more time. Wasting no time, Joshua instantly wrapped his arms around Wonwoo’s neck and happily nuzzled into the man’s neck. He missed Wonwoo, missed his warmth, his scent, his love, practically everything about him. Previously, he did not show much of his feelings because Jeonghan and Jihoon were there. He felt too shy to express his love for his alpha in front of his friends. At the moment, when there were just two of them inside the car, Joshua did not have to hold anything back anymore.

Having witnessing Joshua clinging to Jun the whole time, Wonwoo somehow did not realize that his baby also loves him a lot. That the hybrid prefers Jun than him and Mingyu never means that his love for the other two of them was not considerable. Joshua’s scent was even revealing much more of his happiness than his actions, drowning Wonwoo in the sweetest atmosphere that he had ever been in. While rubbing the boy’s back, he noticed the collar on his neck, and an idea popped up in his mind. Wonwoo was confident that he knew for sure what Joshua wanted now.

“Can I bite you now, baby?” He whispered in Joshua’s ear, making the boy shiver by the deep voice that the omega loves and missed so much.

Joshua nodded with no hesitation, and he even begged.

“Please, master.” Wonwoo felt the hybrid’s lips movement of his neck, but not sure whether that was just the boy speaking or he was really kissing him there. _“Make me yours.”_

Wonwoo wished that he could rip off Joshua’s pants right here to claim him forever.

“It will hurt very much, and there is no one here except for you and me.” He carefully warned the boy, trying his best to maintain his self-restraint that was being tested by his needy omega. “Are you sure about that?”

Joshua nodded without thinking, whining like a cat.

“Please, master. Just bite me. The collar is not enough.”

“Okay okay.” He gently shushed the boy by some kisses on his head. “Baby, call me Wonwoo. I’m your alpha, not your master.”

Tenderly pulling the boy away, Wonwoo originally just wanted to make Joshua look at him in the eyes, but it turned out that the omega had another intention. He wriggled his own body, carefully making some shifts until his legs were on two sides of the alpha, and he was straddling the man’s waist, sitting comfortably on his lap, facing him with barely any distance between two bodies. Joshua was blushing, but he could not stop himself from doing that. He just wanted to get close to Wonwoo as much as he could.

Resting both his arms on the alpha’s chest, Joshua unconsciously bit his lips, still finding it difficult to call him by the name instead of _“master.”_ In the boy’s mind, Wonwoo was one of the men who brought him from the pet shop, and he had been _trained_ enough to be afraid and wary of his owners who had the thorough control of his life. Looking at Joshua with gentle eyes, Wonwoo slowly took the collar away from his neck, carelessly throwing it to somewhere behind him. Tilting his head, Joshua submissively showed his bare neck to the alpha, waiting to be claimed even just for a short period of time. The innocence in the hybrid’s eyes at such a moment made the monster inside Wonwoo scream. It had always been difficult for Joshua to learn to trust him, but right now Wonwoo was able to enjoy a private moment of him and his baby only. The pure happiness drew a gentle smile on his face, and he even did not know by himself how much he was effortlessly making the boy’s heart flutter.

“Call my name, Joshua. Please, I want to hear it from you.”

Joshua had never heard Wonwoo’s voice that sweet, soft and sincere, bringing a feeling like this was just something he could only hear in his most unrealistic dreams. Out of the three alphas, Wonwoo had always been the one who wanted Joshua to call his name the most, and the boy also realized that Wonwoo was also the one who attempted to approach him with the greatest amount of determination and affection. The man did make mistakes in the past, scaring the hell out of Joshua, but his love is undeniable.

The hybrid understood, maybe, Wonwoo loves him much more than the alpha who he loves most. According to what Joshua had observed, Jun loves Wonwoo more than he loves anyone else, while Mingyu loves Jun much more than whatever the gentle alpha had ever done for his younger cousin. The hybrid had always clung to Jun from his first day of being their property - or their omega - but he did not acknowledge that Jun had never fought for him. Meanwhile, he could not count how many times Wonwoo had stolen him away from the other two alphas’ bedrooms just because he wanted to sleep with his baby and could not stand waiting. At those times, Joshua just giggled and let the man bring him to his bed, indulged in the love that Wonwoo gave him the whole night long. The day Joshua dropped a mug in the store, Wonwoo was the first one to run to him, while Mingyu was busy checking on Jun first.

Life was unfair, but with this kind of “unfairness”, Joshua felt no problems but a short moment of bitterness.

When Joshua finally opened his mouth to whisper his alpha’s name, he was so shy and nervous that his saying went unheard, making his owner keep staring at him in anticipation. It was not an overstatement to say that Wonwoo was pleading him through his eyes, encouraging him by the tender hands on his back. Joshua knew this was not typical of the lead alpha, since he always seemed to be possessive, dominant and fierce. If he was acting this way, then this desire must be so strong that the hybrid was not able to measure.

“Wonwoo…” Joshua tried for the second time, and the timid smile started to decorate his flushed face. “I miss you.”

Finishing the sentence, the boy leaned over and hugged Wonwoo tightly, burying his face in the man’s neck to inhale his scent. Wonwoo chuckled and also embraced his lover, getting his lungs filled with the scent he missed. It was nice that Jeonghan and Jihoon was considerate enough to help Joshua get rid of all the foreign scents so that he just smelled like himself and a bit like his owners as the moment since he was wearing their clothes. The shirt Joshua was wearing belonged to Wonwoo, and the alpha admitted that he had put more of his clothes than any of his cousins in the bag, but the hybrid did not seem to have any problems with that. That was such a huge relief for Wonwoo, allowing him to believe that he was forgiven for his mistakes in the past.

Joshua just loves his alphas so much. He can be scared, but he will never hold grudge towards them.

When Wonwoo bit Joshua, it still hurt, but the boy did not shed any tears. He had thought that, pain was not something that a person could ever be used to. However, reality proved that everything was possible. Much as it was painful, Joshua still eagerly waited to be bit every day, enjoying the feelings of Wonwoo’s teeth digging deep inside his skin, his flesh. To the boy, it was not just a temporary claiming mark. It was also a promise of his alphas. When they bit him like this, it means that they would keep waiting for him till the day he was ready to willingly let them knot him and officially claim him forever. Joshua was not able to tell when he would be okay with all of those things, but their actions warmed up his heart day by day. Especially Wonwoo.

Joshua was able to understand that for a person like Wonwoo, it was extremely difficult, almost torturous for him, to contain such a desire. Since _that day_, the man had never had any signs of a bad intention again, making Joshua gain back his faith in his greatest man. The boy never wanted to challenge his alpha intentionally, but he loves him so much that he even failed to hold himself back from having various intimate actions with Wonwoo.

In the end, still nothing wrong happened. Joshua safely and happily sat on lap on his way home. Although Jeonghan had already fed the boy well, he still nodded when his alpha asked him whether he would like to eat something or not. Wonwoo stopped to buy some nice food and drink for the hybrid, and even suggested bringing him to his office, but Joshua admitted that he was quite much tired and sleepy. Therefore, he preferred sleeping at home and waiting for them to come back. Wonwoo easily agreed with the boy, understanding that the heat had drained much of his energy.

At the apartment building, Wonwoo spoiled Joshua more by carrying him into their place, putting the boy in one of the chairs in the kitchen so that he could comfortably eat the food he had bought on the way. However, the boy kept looking at Wonwoo expectantly, as if he was still hoping that something would happen. The alpha spent only one minute trying to figure out what may be going on in the hybrid’s mind as it was not difficult as all to know what his love wanted. Wonwoo chuckled, and in just one move, he easily put Joshua on his lap, closing the distance between them and earning the brightest smile on the boy’s adorable flushed face. He was happier to hear his love asking.

“Can I borrow your clothes and sleep in your room?”

“Anything you want, baby.” Wonwoo smiled again, melting the boy’s heart. “If there’s anything, just call us. Okay?”

Joshua nodded and grinned. He did not dare to ask for much, but he was certainly extremely happy when Wonwoo patiently stayed with him, watching him eat, talking to him, waiting for him to change clothes, and sitting by the bed, not leaving until he finally fell asleep. The last thing Joshua’s eyes captured was the image of his alpha sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his hand gently and petting his hair. This was his heaven. Being with Jeonghan was good, but being at home with his alphas would always be the best. If his alphas were not around, he would also be okay, because it feels wonderful to be at _home_.

Joshua still craved for Jun, but Wonwoo was also perfect. It was a different kind of perfection, but since the hybrid desired nothing more than love, he thought he could adjust his own heart this way. Putting all his hope and faith in Wonwoo, Joshua somehow believed that he would get more than whatever he could hope to get from Jun. Wonwoo would always be ready and willing to give Joshua anything, which was exactly what he wanted most. No magic in this world can ever stop Wonwoo from doing what he wants.

Joshua wants someone who can do everything for him and loves him more than anything or anyone else. He wants _to be someone’s priority _over everyone else.

\---------------------------------------------

Jun tried his best to work as fast as possible, but Wonwoo kept adding more paper on his table, and he was interrupted from time to time by some important people visiting the CEO. Wonwoo went out for lunch, while Jun had no choice but to call for a delivery to the office and spend his whole day here. He needed to speed up if he wanted to go home. Whether the rut would come tomorrow morning or not, he just wanted to go home and rest. The work that seemed to never end was gradually bringing him closer to the extent of being desperate. He wanted to call Joshua, talking to his baby a bit, seeing his face after days of being apart, but he could not, because he understood what Wonwoo wanted.

The lead alpha wanted him to give in.

Jun could not let his life end this way. He never wanted to be _a minor part_ of an alpha.

Wonwoo did not state his reason when he left the office at six o’ clock in the evening, but Jun believed that he was leaving for good, because Joshua was waiting for someone to come back with him at home. At that time, the stack of documents in front of Jun was still at least six centimeters thick. No magic could enable him to finish it before the next morning. However, there was also no kind of caffeine could boost his energy to continue working through all night long one more time. Jun had dinner alone in the office, but the food had no taste in his mouth. He soon ended up getting rid of two thirds of his meal and went back to work. Nonetheless, not only his body but also his mind did not want to work anymore.

His back and shoulders ached. His eyes could no longer see things clearly. His hands hurt. A horrible headache had been torturing him from the afternoon. Jun wanted to go home, but what would happen if Wonwoo got angry because he had not finished his work? The worst thing is that they shared the same apartment, and Jun believed that Wonwoo’s anger would not do him any good. There was no evidence of a promising tragedy waiting for Jun at home, but he was still scared. That was the moment he collapsed, realizing thoroughly that he might be just as weak as people had always thought, too scared to fight against Wonwoo despite the fact that he just wanted his own freedom like anyone else in this world.

It was his fault from the beginning until now. It was him who had always been weak and made them want to protect him, made them no longer consider him as an alpha. Jun had lived all this life wrong, innocently giving all his life to Wonwoo, and when he wanted to take it back, it was already too late. The man would never give him what he wanted. It seems like, everyone in this world had known for long that Jun belonged to Wonwoo, except for him, the naïve alpha who depended on his older cousin for everything. No, that was not exactly the truth.

Jun desired to have Wonwoo claim him as his forever. Wonwoo was his first love, all of his first sweetest and most beautiful experience. Being at the same age, they had always been classmates and even went to the same university. Wonwoo was the one who stole Jun’s first kiss, was the first one to take off his pants and let him know what sexual pleasure was. Neither of them had ever confessed their love for each other, and Jun had always confidently said that they had been doing that to help each other fulfill the needs because they did not have any mates and they both refused to seek for that kind of pleasure from prostitutes or some random omegas they had no feelings for.

Jun let Wonwoo do everything to him, feeling his love through his eyes, his kisses, and all of his gentles actions for him. He thought that he would not need Wonwoo to actually confess to understand his feelings.

Then one day, his life collapsed when he was told that Wonwoo was going to get married soon with someone Jun had never known. On that day, he cried himself to sleep, realizing that he was nothing to his older cousin.

Jun did not know when the tears started to roll down on his cheeks. He just knew that at the moment, his shaky hands were crazily struggling to make a useless phone call to Mingyu. Mingyu was still in France. There was nothing he could do for Jun, and what he might tell or let the giant man see would just make him more desperate, but Jun had lost his self-control.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JUN WAS CRYING!!! I HOPE YOU GUYS WANT TO KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HIM AAAAAAH ><  
It hurt me a bit while writing the part in which Joshua found out that Wonwoo loved him more than how Jun did. But I think in reality life also works in the same way. And yeah, it hurt a lot at Jun's part TvT Anyway, the name of the fic is "Fate is unfair", so there will be a lot of unfairness here...


	25. Selfishness and Priority

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In desperation, Jun made a phone call to Mingyu even though he thought that the giant man could not help him in anyway.  
Jun had never felt that he needed Mingyu so much like he did on this day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEVENTEEN GOT THEIR FIRST DAESANG!!!! I'M SORRY BUT I HAVE TO MENTION IT HERE!!!! AND THEY GOT IT IN MY COUNTRY!!! I COULDN'T COME TO SEE THEM BUT I'M STILL HAPPY!!!

Jun called Mingyu three times and failed all three times.

However, he refused to give up. Between two calls, he spent ten minutes waiting and crying, and those ten minutes were the longest period of time he had even gone through in his life. Still crying and trembling, he tried the fourth time, the fifth time, and the sixth time. Eventually, the giant alpha answered at the seventh time. It was a phone call through the Internet, not a video call, but Mingyu immediately realized there was something wrong with his cousin just by hearing him calling his name.

He sounded so weak, so desperate, like crying.

“Jun, what happened? What’s going on?” Mingyu was about to lose his temper soon. “Tell me, Jun. What’s wrong? Where are you?”

“Mingyu…” Jun called his name again, and this time, Mingyu no longer doubted his cousin was crying. He could hear his sob very well, feeling his heart shatter in his tightened chest. “I… I want to leave this place… I don’t… I don’t want to be here anymore…”

“Where are you? Jun, baby, don’t cry. Please, tell me where you are.” Mingyu begged, his own voice shaking and drowned in worries. “I will come and bring you home.”

“No, you can’t.” Shaking his head, Jun cried out louder. “Wonwoo forced me to stay here until I finish my work, or else I won’t…”

“I don’t care. I’ll punch him if he stops me.” Mingyu angrily snapped back, soon realizing that Jun was still at his fucking office at this seven thirty. “Just get out of that office and go downstairs, Jun. I’ll be there in a minute. I’m back, Jun. I’ve just got out of the airport. I’ll come to get you right now.”

Mingyu was back?

Jun thought that he misheard, but that was the only reason for the alpha to insist coming and bringing him home. Jun had thought he would be so happy to get Mingyu back here, but it turned out that he was too desperate to know what happiness was. His mind only knew Wonwoo, Wonwoo, and Wonwoo. He could not get out of this maze, this chaos in his mind. He was trapped, he was jailed. He would never be able to escape from Wonwoo. He was useless and helpless.

“Mingyu, don’t make it harder for me.” Jun’s voice was broken because of his sobs, and his broken heart. “If I leave, Wonwoo will…”

“But you’re exhausted and crying, Jun.” Mingyu tried his best to convince the crying alpha, not wary of the fact that he himself even sounded more aggrieved than the one who was being treated unfairly. Having no patience to wait for Jun to make a decision, he had already got on a taxi and asked the driver to go to that company. “I can’t let this go on. You want to go home, right? I will bring you home now. Wait for me. Just ten more minutes. Please, go downstairs, stay inside and wait for me, Jun. Please.”

Jun was about to continue to protest, but Mingyu had hung up before he had the chance to speak more. Although he had just strongly objected to his younger cousin’s idea, Jun was forced to acknowledge that Mingyu would be here soon, and he could not deny how much his heart was longing for the giant man’s appearance. He wanted to see Mingyu; he missed Mingyu so bad. Would it be stupid of him to think that Wonwoo would not be able to do anything to him while Mingyu was there? As long as Jun had Mingyu, he would be safe and protected. Mingyu was different from Wonwoo. Wonwoo had too many important people and things in his life, but Jun had never had to doubt that he was the only person that Mingyu needs.

It was not that Mingyu did not love Joshua or did not need the hybrid, but Jun was his priority.

Frantically wiping the tears, Jun decided to ignore Wonwoo, ignore anything that may bother him at the moment, only thinking of going back home with Mingyu, seeking for just the smallest bit of peace by the giant alpha’s sides. His violently shaking hands hurried to shut down the computer, turning off all the lights in the office, locking the door and then, he ran. He ran to the lift, crazily pressing the button again and again as if that could make the door open faster. While standing alone in the lift, he could not stay still, walking around and around continuously, then running again once the door opened at the ground floor.

Jun could not stand waiting inside the building, totally forgetting what Mingyu had just told him to do. He ran outside, impatiently looking around while waiting for Mingyu at the place he knew taxis coming to the building would stop at. However, he forgot the fact that seven thirty five was the time everyone had left the company, and he was unprotected once he stepped out of the door of the building. The world was no longer a safe place for Jun, an alpha reeking of a much stronger alpha - a noble - with several hickeys on his neck and tears on his face, along with his swollen red eyes. Moreover, he was near his rut. His scent was supposed to attract the omegas only, but in Jun’s case - with his beautiful figures and his reputation for being an alpha belonging to another alpha - he could draw any kinds of living creatures towards him effortlessly.

Only looking at the road and waiting for a taxi to come, Jun did not notice that someone was approaching him from the opposite direction. Only when that person touched his shoulder did he get startled and jump. However, Jun was not calm enough to properly deal with the situation anymore. He did not know who that person was, just smelling the strong scent and feeling the dominant pheromones being purposely pushed out by an alpha. A strong grip on the shoulder was definitely not a normal way of greeting and Jun immediately dodged, trying to get away from that hand. Angry, irritated and also scared, he let out a hiss, violently shoving the hand that was trying to get him one more time.

“Don’t fucking touch me!”

Jun wanted to strengthen his scent and push out his pheromones to block the other alpha away too, but his current health did not allow him to do that anymore. Whenever a person’s health gets bad, his scent will also fade away. Jun’s scent was affected by his health, but his own scent was even covered by Wonwoo’s one. He was covered thoroughly by the smell of a powerful noble, but his appearance already revealed that he was just a normal alpha. The only thing which was clearly coming from him was the strongly virile scent of an alpha being near his rut, and that was absolutely not a thing that might scare off anyone.

Jun did not know what the man was saying, or who he was. All he knew was, that person was not his friend, and that was an alpha with no good intention. The further Jun moved, the closer that bastard tried to come to him and reached out his dirty hand to grab Jun again. However, Jun soon got trapped, and it was too late for him to realize that he was being surrounded by three alphas. None of them was a noble, but three were already too many for one.

One of them suddenly grabbed Jun’s arm firmly, catching him off guard.

“Where is your alpha? Why are you left alone here, beauty?”

“I see no bite. Still unmated, huh?” One bastard tugged at his collar to reveal more skin of his neck.

“So what’s up with this smell? And these hickeys? Are you abandoned?”

“Look who’s close to his rut. Need some help, baby?”

Much as Jun was weak and exhausted, he managed to get his arm out the man’s grab and punched one of the jerks, getting a space to run through. It was possible to foretell that he would not be able to run away that easily. Jun almost fell on the floor when one man grabbed his shoulder violently and pulled him back. Jun used all of his energy left to fight back frantically, but he himself even did not see any hope. His vision was blurred. His head, back and shoulders ached. He did not eat enough. He did not sleep well. He had worked too much. Everything was just wrong. Even if those men wanted to beat him to death, they would be able to do that without much effort.

“That’s not nice, baby. You want to play rough with us?”

“You’re pretty strong, huh? Let’s see _how strong your hips can be_.”

Every single words coming from those men were disgusting in Jun’s ears. He wanted to scream, to shout, to fight, anything that he might do to help himself get out of this situation. Nonetheless, that just looked more like a dream to him at the moment, when his body only wanted to give up and rest regardless of what kind of danger was threatening to drown him in hell. For his whole life, he had never thought that it will be possible for an alpha to be more exposed to danger when he is near his rut. Life was unfair for him from the beginning till this day. Why all of the bad things had to come together in one day? Why was he trapped alone at night when he was in his worst health condition?

Jun was not really sure what happened, but he knew that he did fight with them, throwing punches and kicking many times. On the other hand, instead of trying to beat him down, those men concentrated more on catching Jun’s wrists to stop him and drag him away. The more he tried to punch them, the easier it was for them to grab his arms. Jun failed to aim precisely at their face many times, but he luckily escaped from their hands many times as well. However, he was alone while they were three. He was tired but they were all conscious and strong. It did not take long for them to finally succeed in catching both of his wrists. The men quickly started to drag Jun away from the building regardless of his kicks and screams. Jun’s heart was beating so rapidly and violently that it was threatening to jump out of his ribcage, making him almost out of breath, gasping for air between his desperate screams.

The only thing he could think of was Wonwoo. He wanted to cry out for Wonwoo, for his older cousin to come and save him like he had done so many times in the past, but Wonwoo was not here this time. And Jun would be dead, or even something that might be much worse than death.

At that moment, miracle came to Jun. That miracle was named Mingyu.

The scent hit Jun’s nose strongly before he was able to recognize the noble’s appearance by his eyes, and he soon found himself being about to collapse under the overwhelming pheromones coming from his cousin. He could not hear exactly what Mingyu growled fiercely to the men dragging him on the road, but the saying definitely made a considerable impact on those bastards. The grips on his wrists immediately loosened, just a bit, but there was an undeniable hesitation among those men because of a noble’s disapproval. Mingyu was using his commanding tone on purpose, but that was not all he did. He was not patient enough to wait for the jerks to figure out what kind of alpha they were dealing with.

Jun’s vision was so unclear that he did not know how his wrists were freed, only hearing sounds of violence and pain, but he did not feel scared anymore. As if his eyes were only able to see what he wanted to see, his vision came back to him clearly when Mingyu was the only one in front of him under the dim light of the street. Jun felt like home when the giant man crushed him into an extremely tight hug in his wide and warm chest. Jun had never known that it would feel so heavenly like that to be in Mingyu’s embrace, surrounded by his love and protection. Perhaps, that was the first time Jun did not protest when Mingyu wrapped him in his muscular arms after the confession, and he no longer wanted to make any further reject in the future.

Jun had never felt he needed Mingyu that much in his life. Jun would kill anyone that forced him to part away from the younger cousin at the moment. He let all his guards down, trembling and shedding tears in the giant’s chest. His body eventually gave up, leaning all of his weight against the taller man. Jun literally broke down.

So did Mingyu’s heart.

No words were needed. Mingyu had no trouble lifting Jun up by his arms, bringing him into the waiting taxi and never leaving his cousin for a single second. Jun desperately clung to Mingyu and was strangely silent. Tears were still rolling down on his cheeks, but Mingyu heard no sniffles or sobs, just feeling the front of his shirt getting damp. He let Jun sit on his lap. His weight caused no trouble, but the scent made it so painful for Mingyu. It was so hard for him to find Jun’s own scent on his body, partly because he was covered in the aroma of peppermint, but mostly because he was too tired. Although the small part of scent left on Jun was sharper and more appealing than his original one, Mingyu was just fixated on his cousin’s mental condition.

One of Jun’s hands was gripping the giant alpha’s shirt tightly while the other arm was wrapping around his waist in a very tight hug. Every single second was tearing Mingyu’s heart apart. Watching Jun finally showing his affection towards him turned out to be more depressing and painful than whatever Mingyu had been able to imagine. Mingyu knew that Jun would never act this way if he just considered Mingyu as his cousin. Nonetheless, Mingyu still thought that he should have known this sooner. An alpha who is as stubborn as Jun will never show any signs of his weakness to his younger brothers or cousins like what Jun had always done.

Mingyu should have fought to take care of Jun better, to love him more, and let him know more about his feelings. Before hating Wonwoo, Mingyu chose to hate himself first because he was not able to protect his love as well as he had always wished to.

After the taxi stopped in front of the building where the three alpha’s apartment was located, Mingyu was wondering how he would be able to carry both Jun and his luggage to their place, but Jun jumped out of the car right after it stopped moving. That action left Mingyu perplexed and confused. He rushed to pay money, getting his luggage out and then immediately turning all of his attention to Jun, who was ducking his head to the point his chin was touching his chest, after the taxi had already gone, leaving just the two of them on the sidewalk, still frighteningly quiet.

Dropping everything of his own on the ground without caring even a bit, Mingyu placed both his hands on Jun’s trembling shoulders. Although Jun is an alpha, Mingyu was being as gentle as he had always been with Joshua. As long as the person is the one he loves, he will give all the best things to that one, regardless of their genders or identity. Mingyu was so scared to see Jun obviously influenced by his touch, but he was just encouraged to keep going on.

“Look at me, Jun. Please.” Lowering his voice, Mingyu begged, one hand coming to cup the older alpha’s face, intentionally using a little force to lift his face up in a very slow and tender manner.

Jun somehow seemed like he wanted to protest, but he did not. Once Mingyu was able to see his cousin’s face clearly, he mentally punched his own face when he realized the reason why he had not heard any sounds coming from Jun since the moment they got inside this taxi. Jun’s lips had already turned white due to his continuous bite on them. He had desperately tried to hold back his sobs and sniffles for some fucking reasons that Mingyu did not want to know. He was frustrated, enraged, but most of all, hurt and broken because of the heartbreaking scene in front of his eyes.

“Stop that, Jun. Stop biting your lips. They will bleed.” Mingyu moved his thumb to Jun’s lips, intending to part the teeth away from his lower lip, but Jun did not obey, and even shook his head.

If Mingyu put more force in his hand, he would be able to easily make Jun stop biting, but he could not stand hurting his cousin more. Instead, he gritted his teeth, growling and threatening.

“If you don’t stop biting your lips, I will kiss you.”

Mingyu had thought that his heart would be filled with relief when Jun finally agreed to stop hurting himself and let the sobs get out, but it turned out that he got more furious than before. The threat of a kiss had enough power to make Jun change his mind immediately, and now he was really crying in front of Mingyu. His sobs were very quiet, but still painful and tearing Mingyu’s heart apart. When Jun looked at him in the eyes, Mingyu could see so much unspoken hope and anticipation, as if he was the last one that his older cousin could lean on at the moment. Jun obviously melted under the touch of the large hand on his face, standing still and allowing Mingyu to caress his cheek by the calloused thumb.

The aggressive part inside Mingyu suddenly wanted to come back to kill all the bastards that had hurt Jun, crushing their skulls, breaking their necks, draining their blood and shattering their skin and flesh into thousands of pieces.

For the first time of this night, Mingyu heard Jun speak, which was just much worse than staring at him standing in silence.

“Mingyu…” The effort in forcing his words to be audible was so clear, making Mingyu seriously doubted his ability of finishing the whole sentence he wanted to say. “I… I don’t want to…”

Mingyu was right. Jun could not continue anymore. A heavy sob took control of his throat, letting out a broken noise of desperation. All of the things Mingyu was watching were just a proof of Jun’s love for Wonwoo. The acknowledgment burned, but Mingyu could endure everything for Jun. Much as he knew his cousin loves him, he also knew that Jun loves Wonwoo more than how he ever loves him. Did Jun consider him as a replacement? That was possible, but why did Mingyu have to care? He just needed to know and keep it in his heart that Jun still needed him, and in the feelings the older had for him, there was something called _love_.

Despite Jun’s inability to finish what he was about to say, Mingyu leaned closer to his face, where the tears were still rolling down and had no signal of a stop. He murmured a quiet apology although nothing was his fault. Mingyu apologized for not being able to follow Jun’s wish at the moment. He scattered soft kisses on his cousin’s cheeks and forehead, saying that no matter what happened, they had to go home today and then trying to sort things out later. The brutal truth brought more tears to Jun’s face, but he nodded and said nothing back. He wanted to see Joshua, too. He wanted to embrace the boy, to shower him with love to make up for the days they had not been allowed to meet each other.

Jun’s mind was so hazy that he barely figured out what the giant man was going to do, but when he felt the younger alpha’s warmth on his lips, he was not shocked or startled. The feelings were strange and foreign, but not unwelcome. The sudden kiss was totally unplanned, and even Mingyu was surprised about himself for his bravery and insanity, but the first taste of Jun’s lips made him intoxicated and there was no longer a way out. The hand that had been placed on Jun’s cheek carefully embraced his sharp jawline, half touching his neck, gently lifting his head up more for Mingyu to have a better access on his lips, so that he could kiss the man he loves deeper, and thoroughly.

Jun lost the control of his own mind and body only a few seconds after the first touch of Mingyu’s lips on his. Closing his eyes, he suddenly got the feeling of security to soften all of his muscles and let his cousin take the control. Mingyu wanted him to be weak for him, and just like that, Jun also felt that it was absolutely safe and fine for him to be weak and vulnerable in Mingyu’s arms, because Mingyu will protect him and love him till the end of his life. Soon, Jun was leaning against the giant man’s chest, with one of his shoulders pressed to the man. His head nearly rested on somewhere between Mingyu’s chest and shoulders, but that was still enough of a good position for the younger alpha to kiss Jun continuously. While one of Mingyu’s hands was still on his cousin’s face, the other big and muscular arm was wrapping protectively around the shorter man’s body.

Mingyu only stopped when he figured out that Jun was not crying anymore. The older alpha looked like he wanted to protest, but he did not say anything, just slightly blushing. Taking that as a good sign, Mingyu took his hand in one hand, while the other one grabbed his luggage and then led his love back to their apartment.

Right after Mingyu opened the door into the apartment, Joshua was faster than a cheetah. To be more exact, his and Jun’s reactions were simultaneous. They both ran towards each other, and Joshua grinned so brightly while he was swept up in his beloved alpha’s arms. Joshua just wanted to cling to Jun like he had always done, and maybe he would use all of his body to wrap around Jun and never let him go for the rest of the night. However, the faded scent changed his mind immediately and the boy was sensitive enough to realize that he should not put more pressure on his alpha.

Nonetheless, after being put down, he was the one who got startled by the sudden attack of kisses from Jun. When his owner said _“I miss you,”_ he also smiled and replied that he missed him too, but that was all Joshua could say. Jun sealed the boy’s lips by his own, letting all his longing feelings for his omega burst out in just a second. The scent of the pine forest gradually got stronger and stronger, drowning Joshua in the atmosphere that he had always liked but also made him feel something wrong. Of course, he was not aware of his other two owners glaring disapprovingly at each other, but after a minute, they both started to turn all of their attention to the kissing couple.

Almost at the same time, Wonwoo and Mingyu stepped up to detach the alpha and the omega away from each other. Wonwoo just needed to gently pulled Joshua back and locked him in his arms, because the boy just stared at him in bewilderment but had no protest. On the other hand, Mingyu had to use more strength to handle Jun, feeling like his cousin was ready to punch him in the face for his action. Mingyu kissed his cousin to calm him down, whispering something that Joshua could not hear. The hybrid could only stand still in Wonwoo’s arms and watched Mingyu almost shoved Jun into his bedroom - Mingyu’s bedroom - without saying anything more.

Joshua did not understand anything, and he looked at Wonwoo again, searching for an explanation.

“Jun is near his rut. We can’t let him stay too close to you for long.”

The lead alpha felt the boy in his chest tremble violently at the mention of _“rut”,_ and he did not ask any more questions. Nevertheless, Wonwoo still continued to say more in an attempt to comfort his omega.

“He will be fine. Nothing will happen. You just have to stay away from him in a few more days.” While saying, the alpha held Joshua’s hand and led him towards his room. “Can you stay alone for a while so that I can have a talk with Mingyu? I’ll be back with you soon.”

Joshua nodded obediently. He sat on Wonwoo’s bed and continued to read the recipe of a particular dish that he wanted to make for his owners. Wonwoo’s explanation killed all of Joshua’s wishes to come to Jun, but once again, the boy felt bad for feeling that way towards his alpha. He knew that he was not a good omega for them. He is their omega, then he is supposed to be the one who helps them through their ruts, but in fact, Joshua did nothing. He even ran away.

But Joshua was _still scared_. A single thought of an alpha in rut fucking him crazily was enough to make him sweat heavily. However, would his alphas understand that? Inside the room, Joshua could hear Wonwoo and Mingyu being loud towards each other. They were quarrelling? Was it his fault? Were they arguing about whether they should just throw Joshua into Jun’s room so that he could use him through his rut?

Thinking of Mingyu, Joshua felt even worse. He was so happy to see Jun that he forgot Mingyu completely. Perhaps since Jun was near his rut, Joshua was more drawn to him instinctively, but he still felt bad. He wanted to go out there and apologize Mingyu, and hug him and let him know that he missed him too, but Wonwoo had already asked him to stay here and wait. If Joshua went out, it would mean that he was disobeying his owner. Wonwoo could get mad. Any of them could get mad at Joshua. Mad alphas are the worst.

Joshua’s chain of thoughts was disrupted when the door suddenly opened. Surprisingly, the one peeping into the room was not Wonwoo but Mingyu. The hybrid jumped out of the bed immediately, and his foot started to run before his mind told them to. The giant man smiled to his boy and welcomed him to his chest with open arms, letting Joshua bury his face in the wide chest and hug tightly around his waist. Previously, Mingyu was quite hurt when Joshua only ran towards Jun, but at the moment he had already forgotten all of those jealousy and sadness. The boy’s feelings were always sincere and genuine, letting him understand thoroughly that Joshua loves him too.

Easily and gently, Mingyu lifted Joshua up so that the boy could straddle his waist, closing the distance between them to the most intimate position. The hybrid was so happy to bodily wrap around his giant man and also see his shining grin. Joshua whispered to Mingyu’s ear that he missed him a lot, that he felt like the alpha had been away for weeks. Mingyu had the same feelings, but he found it lucky that he had already left before Joshua’s heat came. Although Mingyu was a noble, he still doubted his self-restraint when it comes to Joshua’s safety and he admired Jun’s ability to control himself in front of an omega in heat. Jun’s love for Joshua was so marvelous, wasn’t it?

“Can I bite you now, baby?” Mingyu blurted out while staring at the boy deep in his eyes lovingly.

With no hesitation, Joshua nodded, tilting his head to show the bare neck to his alpha. The mark Wonwoo left in the morning had already disappeared but he had not got a new one yet. Mingyu was excited to claim his omega even just for a few hours, and he admired the mark he put on his boy’s neck by giving light kisses on the sensitive area of skin around the bite, making the hybrid giggle softly. It was more surprising for the alpha when Joshua suddenly attached his lips to his neck too, doing something Mingyu was pretty sure was like kissing. A few seconds passed, his mind clicked in and he understood - Joshua wanted to leave a hickey on his owner.

The giant alpha laughed delightfully at the boy’s mischief and his sign of being possessive of his alphas. Unlike Wonwoo and Jun, Mingyu had been away from home and he smelled not very familiar to Joshua. The hybrid disliked that. His instinct felt an urge to make himself feel Mingyu belong to him again. Since Joshua could not mark his alpha or rub his scent all over the man, he chose to create a lovely hickey on his neck. With the chosen position, he was sure that everybody would be able to see the hickey no matter what kind of clothes Mingyu might wear. If time allowed, Joshua would leave at least one more on the tan skinned neck, but he really doubted his chance tonight.

After Joshua finished the first hickey, it was true that he had no time for making the second one, but there was a beautiful reason for that. The boy’s plump lips were stolen by Mingyu’s lips, locked in a passionate kiss that created more sounds that whatever they had done to each other. Joshua blushed so hard but he still enjoyed the moment. Things only get better when Mingyu kissed the hybrid’s neck back, purposely creating a hickey in a bold shade of red. Joshua could not help moaning feebly at the feelings of having Mingyu’s lips, tongue and teeth dancing on his skin. The moan startled Mingyu a bit, but Wonwoo was quick to interfere. Actually, it was not necessary for him to do anything, since he had already knew Joshua was fine with some sexual activities. Nonetheless, due to the fact that Mingyu was having Jun for tonight, the lead alpha could not agree to let his giant cousin get anything more from Joshua. 

Wonwoo had already had the plan and desire to have Joshua for him this night. Nobody would be allowed to take the boy away.

“Gyu, he’s still sensitive. Be careful.” He tapped his cousin lightly on the shoulder, waking Mingyu up from the seduction of Joshua’s reaction.

The giant alpha immediately stopped what he was doing as he thought, if he got aroused, Joshua would feel nothing but frightened. (Mingyu did not know what his cousins had done with Joshua while he was in Japan) Rubbing soothing circles on the boy’s back, he tried to fight against the wish to stay with his omega the whole night long.

“I’m sorry, Joshua. I didn't let any of you know that I was going back because I wanted to give you guys a surprise. I luckily finished my work soon. I know I have just come back. I really want to be with you a lot. But tonight Jun is not fine, and he doesn’t accept Wonwoo.” The burning anger inside of him did not allow him to go through that without throwing _a look_ at the older alpha. Joshua had questions, but he remained silent. “So, I have to stay with him. Can you wait for me till tomorrow, honey? I promise, I will be with you tomorrow. I will bring you to my office, too. Agree?

Joshua had no choice but to nod, although his heart was whining and groaning like crazy. Luckily, he managed to calm himself down by telling his mind that, he could not be selfish. Jun needed to be taken care of as well. It was not too difficult to realize that Wonwoo had done something really bad to his cousin. Joshua could only wish that he would not get upset with the lead alpha after finding out what had exactly occurred to Jun.

Joshua and Mingyu exchanged goodnight kisses to each other before the giant man went back to his room and Wonwoo joined Joshua in his own room. After the door was closed, there were only two of them left inside, but the hybrid decided not to ask anything. A month was enough for him to understand that in this kind of situation, it was still better to keep his mouth shut. It was not that Joshua did not care about Jun or did not wonder what was wrong with him, but his priority now was just not messing with Wonwoo.

Joshua wanted to be happy with Wonwoo. Was he being selfish? Maybe.

But Joshua believed that he had the right to do things that he deemed possible to bring happiness to himself.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the vague memory of mistaking "Jun's rut" as "Jun's heat" somewhere but I couldn't find it. Please point it out and tell me if you see it ;_; I will be very grateful. If there's none, then I'm so relieved!
> 
> I really want to know what you guys think about the fic. Mingyu is finally back!!!!! There will be some smut in the next chapter, and the identity of the alpha that helped Jeonghan is going to be revealed soon too. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who had left comments on my fic. My days were brightened up whenever I saw a new comment ;_; 
> 
> Seventeen was at my country to perform yesterday but I was unable to attend to see them. I'm so sad T_T Fate is unfair to me, too T_T But anyway, the Daesang saved my heart. Congratulations to our wonderful men!!!


	26. Temporarily happy but lost and stuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After knowing that Jun's rut was near, Joshua had so many questions and concerns in his mind. He could not help asking Wonwoo, sharing his thoughts and feelings with his owner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A smut is coming!~ To ease out the atmosphere a bit. Or it may make you hate Wonwoo more...
> 
> The previous chapter got so few comments that I started to worry ;_; Is there anything wrong with the fic, everyone????

Now that Joshua was much more comfortable with his alphas, especially Wonwoo who had successfully gained more of his trust after their intimate night, the boy gradually removed part of the wall placed between him and his owner. Still somehow affected by the aftermath of the heat, Joshua only wore a large white shirt belonging to Wonwoo when going to bed. Besides, he only had his boxer, and that was all. Joshua liked the feelings when his and Wonwoo’s legs tangled with each other under the warm blanket, and it was just better when he wrapped his bare legs around the alpha. Wonwoo was utterly satisfied with his omega’s behavior, and he could not help biting the boy for the second time of the day.

After the mark was formed, Joshua felt so contented that he smiled happily to his alpha, receiving a loving smile back. Wonwoo offered his arm to the boy as a pillow, so that Joshua could easily snuggle into his wide chest and indulge in the strong scent in order to be lulled into a peaceful sleep. However, before that, the boy finally voiced out what had been haunting his mind tonight.

“Will Jun be okay?”

“He will.” Wonwoo sounded promising, although he did not really think so in his mind. “Actually, you don’t need to worry about tonight. He’s near his rut, but not that near. I’m used to it. His scent must be sharper if it’s really about to come in just a few more hours.”

“How do all of you get through your ruts?” The hybrid started to get curious after nodding and digesting his alpha’s helpful information.

“Jun and I helped each other in the past.” Since Wonwoo had already told Joshua about his abnormal relationship with Jun, he felt no need to lie this time. Moreover, he believed that his omega could sense that before he answered. “About Mingyu, he just locked himself in his room about two days.”

“How do alphas help each other?” Joshua frowned a little, still very confused, but he pushed himself closer to Wonwoo chest while the shining dove-like eyes were still looking at him endearingly. As a result, the alpha knew his boy was not holding any grudge towards him for what he had done with Jun and he was surely not trying to blame his alpha for anything. He just wanted to know some facts.

“Just use our hands and mouth. I have never fucked him, although I really want to.” Wonwoo smiled a bit to ease out the tension that such saying may bring about. “You know, a person like him would not agree to do that except for when he really wants it too.”

“What about this time? Will you help him?”

Wonwoo did not show much of his emotion, but Joshua was pretty sure that the alpha had just sighed lightly.

“Maybe Mingyu will do this time.”

“Why does he suddenly reject you but accept Mingyu?” The boy could not help asking, because this was extremely difficult to understand.

“It’s complicated.”

Whenever Wonwoo said that, it was the end of the conversation. Joshua knew he had better ask no more. The curiosity was still there, but the hybrid managed to suppress it so that it would not upset himself or his alpha. Instead of sticking to that problem, Joshua decided to forget about what was going on between Wonwoo and Jun by thinking about himself.

“Will he… get disappointed at me?” His voice suddenly got so weak and quiet. “B-because I cannot help him…”

“Don’t worry, baby. We all understand.” Wonwoo pressed a kiss on the boy’s forehead. “That you also love us back is already a blessing. We have never thought that we would be this lucky to get so much from you.”

“You didn’t think that I would love you back?”

“Of course we were extremely worried about that.” Wonwoo used his hand to caress Joshua’s cheek, tracing his fingers along the pretty face. “We were so whipped when we first saw you that we only started to worry after paying the money.”

“What would you do if I didn’t love you back?”

“I seriously have no idea about that.”

The honest answer caused Joshua to giggle, and he reached up to give a light quick kiss on his alpha’s lips, murmuring a sweet confession that he had always felt the urge to do. He had already hurt Wonwoo a lot; the alpha deserves to know that he is being loved more than anyone else.

“But anyway, I love you.”

Wonwoo might mostly look cool or even cold most of the time, but at the moment, Joshua felt him not any less gentle than Jun. His smile was shining not so brightly like Mingyu’s, but much more like a tender moon giving off the warm light to lit up the dark night in the most delicate way. That was also the resemblance Wonwoo and Jun shared. The comparison of the moonlight suddenly broke part of Joshua’s heart, creating a wound in his chest and dripping blood slowly but painfully. The boy could not know until when he would be able to move on and forget the fact that Jun would never love him as much as he loves the alpha.

This is not an unrequited love. Joshua knew Jun loves him too, but he wished to be loved back equally. Why did not he realize this earlier?

Although Joshua did not speak out what he was actually thinking in his mind, Wonwoo could sense the discomfort in his omega. The hybrid was usually spaced out, and it was easy to detect such moments, since Joshua would always stare at his alphas - or anything that was requiring him to look at - with all of his attention when he was in his right mind. At this time, there were some silent moments in which the boy just stared at his own hands placing between him and Wonwoo’s chest without saying anything. The alpha patiently waited to see if his love was going to tell him something or not, slowly rubbing circles on the boy’s back, carefully watching every smallest movement of his eyes.

Joshua was aware of Wonwoo watching him for the whole time, but he did not feel pressured or annoyed by that. He tried to inhale deeply, intentionally suffocating himself by Wonwoo’s strong scent. It was a bit too much; Joshua was really suffocated, but after that he just enjoyed the feelings of having the aroma of peppermint fully in his lungs and maybe even his brain. His body welcomed the scent happily thanks to the bite he was bearing on his neck. It could recognize that the source of the scent was also the creator of the mark. Nuzzling into the alpha’s chest again and again, Joshua admitted that he was crazy for love. He wanted nothing but love. He wanted to be loved and adored.

“Wonwoo…”

Hearing the soft voice calling his name, Wonwoo hummed back to his love.

“Just tell me, baby.”

“What will you do if Jun breaks into this room at midnight to kidnap me?”

The question was actually silly and Wonwoo thought he could laugh at it, but the reason behind it stopped him. Whenever Joshua doubted something, he was not fine. Wonwoo did not need time to think before he answered.

“Of course the first thing to do is to get you out of him and never let him get you again.”

However that was still not enough for Joshua yet. He asked again.

“What if you’re late and… he’s already marked me before you come to rescue me?”

“When his rut is gone I will force him to stay away from you long enough until the mark disappear.” This time, Wonwoo did not show any hesitation either, voice stern. “_I must be the first one to claim you_.”

The saying sent shivers up and down Joshua’s spine, and his breath hitched. Joshua had been wishing for a long time that Jun would be the first alpha of his life while Wonwoo was having a whole different plan. It was wonderful to know how much Wonwoo wanted him, how much the alpha was over-possessive over him, yet it was terrifying at the same time. What would happen if Wonwoo insisted on doing what he wanted regardless of the hybrid’s wish? Would he agree to follow the boy’s heart? Joshua really doubted his chance, since he remembered clearly that _no magic could stop Wonwoo from doing what he wanted to._

Perhaps, to save his own life, Joshua should follow the lead alpha’s intention. It would never be good to go against Wonwoo. The boy definitely needed to be obedient to him to survive and live well in this house. The first mark was something meaningful to Joshua, but he also wanted peace, and such a thing would only come when he knew how to behave and be submissive to the most powerful alpha that owns him. Consequently, Joshua tried to convince himself that it would be the best to stop dreaming about letting Jun claim him first and forced his heart to open its door wider for Wonwoo. He should consider the man as his sun, his God, his everything, and then the man would return him with anything he had. Joshua would have nothing but happiness under Wonwoo’s love and protection.

The lead alpha was able to realize that it took Joshua pretty much time to have a proper reaction to what he had said. For a few minutes, the hybrid’s face was almost emotionless and he said nothing, staring at his hands between them again. Nonetheless, Wonwoo did not really care what Joshua might be feeling, because he did not intend to give anyone a choice. That he will claim Joshua first is a _must_, and he would do anything to _teach_ the boy that his fate was already arranged in this way. After about three minutes, the boy finally smiled, not very brightly, but adorably enough to turn Wonwoo’s heart upside down a few times in his chest.

“But what if he doesn’t agree?” Nervous but also eager to feel more of the lead alpha’s love, Joshua kept asking further, lips slightly pouting cutely in anticipation. In fact, he pouted intentionally, trying to act cute in front of the man in an attempt to make him think that the boy was not searching for a way out of this.

Leaning closer to the hybrid’s ear, Wonwoo whispered, blowing his hot breath into the boy’s sensitive skin, causing him to shiver again. However, Joshua was more distracted by the rough hand that was caressing his bare thigh and also slowly moving to a higher position.

“He has to. I mark you first or no one does.”

Ending his sentence, Wonwoo started nibbling on the mark he left on his boy’s neck, eliciting a feeble moan from the omega. Right at the moment the alpha’s hand grabbed a handful of Joshua’s ass cheek under his boxer, his whole body jolted in shock. The hybrid’s face immediately turned red while his owner’s naughty hand kept playing and teasing his butt relentlessly. The mark was also taken care of carefully with gentle kisses and bites that burned Joshua’s skin. It did not take long for Wonwoo to move his hand from the back to the front of his boy and began stroking his cock without warning. Joshua gasped and squirmed, feeling the sinful pleasure spreading from his cock in his alpha’s cold hand to every other part of his body. Arousal clouded his mind, and he soon moaned shamelessly under Wonwoo’s stimulation.

“Is it great to do this every night before you sleep, Joshua?” The alpha murmured to the hybrid’s ear again, but his voice was ten times lower and deeper than before, messing up with Joshua’s heartbeat. “Should I make you cum a few times so that you will have a very good sleep?”

Joshua spent at least one minute collecting his mind before replying, wishing that Wonwoo would stop what his hand was doing so that he could talk properly, but the alpha definitely had no mercy for that.

“I-I’m… not in heat anymore… That… That may be too much…”

Wonwoo chuckled, grazing his teeth along the boy’s jaw. Joshua also wished that Wonwoo could stop talking. His voice was already too much in such a situation, regardless of the content. _But shit_, his dirty talk was always too good, and of course he would not stop that so early. Joshua knew that his own body was still very sensitive after the heat, and he would not be able to last long.

“You don’t know anything about yourself, baby? You’re a hybrid. That’s what you’re capable of. That’s how you’re more special than a human omega.”

The boy’s breath hitched.

“R-really?” He stuttered in awe, not really sure whether he should consider that as good or bad news. Nonetheless, when the alpha used the pad of his thumb to tease the slit on the top of the hybrid’s cock, Joshua recognized that this was _bad_.

Wonwoo did not answer that, but he asked another question.

“Will you let me create several hickeys all over your body, honey? You’ll look very beautiful.”

Joshua could not even say a “yes”; he just nodded desperately, feeling himself excited by the idea. However, at this time, he genuinely wished Wonwoo would stop talking, or stop teasing him with his words. Maybe the alpha wanted to check his attitude and opinion first, but this was so torturous for the boy’s sensitivity. Since Wonwoo was still occupied with talking, his hand was very slow in its movement, which was not enough for Joshua at all. He needed more and wanted more. Certainly, how could a person like him be brave enough to open his mouth to ask for more?

“Did you use the toy I put in your bag?”

The mention of the toy made Joshua blush even harder and he nodded in utter embarrassment.

“Can I use it on you, baby?”

Again, he nodded.

“I want to cum on your body, on your face. Is that okay?”

Joshua also nodded.

“It won’t hurt. I promise.”

That was the last thing that Wonwoo told him, and it was the thing that warmed his heart the most and got him prepared for whatever his alpha was about to do with him. Joshua trusted Wonwoo.

The hybrid was soon stark naked on the bed, beautiful body fully exposed for his alpha. Wonwoo was not joking at all when he said that he wanted to leave hickeys all over his body. Joshua felt his lips and teeth everywhere, knowing for sure that he would not be able to get rid of Wonwoo’s scent on his body for weeks. It was quick for him to cum the first time just by his alpha stroking his cock and giving kisses here and there.

Although Joshua had already produced a lot of slick, Wonwoo still brought a bottle of lube from the drawer of his desk to the bed. The boy noticed something long wrapped in some kind of fabric in the alpha’s hand, and his mind quickly realized what that object might be. If it was taken from Wonwoo’s desk, then it could not be the one that Joshua had used at Jeonghan’s house, and he was pretty much sure that this one must reek of the lead alpha, not Mingyu anymore. The imagination instantly reminded him of the heavenly feelings he experienced when he was covered under a blanket smelling exactly like Wonwoo and had a plug in his ass. Joshua unconsciously licked his lips, throat getting dry. For nearly a minute straight, he could not tear his eyes away from that thing until Wonwoo settled himself in front of the boy on the bed again and placed it behind his back. The hybrid had no choice but shift his concentration back to the alpha only, anxiously waiting for his next move. Knowing that his omega would always be shy and willing to play the inactive role, Wonwoo was eager to do everything for his lover.

Moving closer to the naked cat, Wonwoo lifted Joshua’s hips up and gave his own legs as a support for the boy. In a very gentle manner, the alpha caressed Joshua’s inner thighs, then slowly pushing both his legs up until his knees almost touched his chest. The hybrid’s face was as red as a tomato, but when Wonwoo asked him to hold his legs by himself, he obeyed without hesitation. In that position, the alpha had a perfect view of Joshua’s hole being fully exposed to him, dripping so much slick and looking so tight and inviting. It was also convenient for him to adore the boy’s fleshy butt cheeks and give his sensitive inner thighs some stroke.

“M-master… don’t… don’t stare…” Joshua stuttered as he had never felt this embarrassed.

“Don’t call me master, baby.” Wonwoo smirked again, kissing the bare thigh tenderly, earning a cute moan from the omega. “Again, Joshua. How do you call me?”

“Wonwoo…” Joshua tried again, begging. “Don’t stare at me like that…”

“I have to, kitten. You don’t know how beautiful you are.”

There was certainly nothing that the boy could do to stop Wonwoo from carrying out his intention. The alpha did not make his kitten wait too long; he soon coated his fingers with the lube and carefully entered the boy with his index finger. Wonwoo nearly lost his mind in just a second; it was so lucky that he managed to hold himself back just in time. Despite the fact that Joshua’s heat had just gone, the boy was incredibly tight like a virgin. Since the boy gasped and was scrunching his face a bit, Wonwoo knew that it hurt, but the puckered hole was swallowing his finger as if it was craving for the intrusion. Wonwoo pushed in torturously slowly, making Joshua whined loudly, but the alpha was determined to prioritize his lover’s comfort. No matter how much pleasure the hybrid was enjoying, he still had to make sure that the pain must go away first, and he would surely not achieve that aim by rushing.

Helping Joshua forget the pain, Wonwoo’s free hand came to the hybrid’s chest and began playing with his cute pink nipples. The boy really loved the feelings when his alpha tweaked, pinched or even just lightly brushed over his nipples, yet since those spots were so sensitive, Joshua thought that he might be killed by his own embarrassment. The way Wonwoo talked only made it worse.

“They’re so cute, just like you.” The man ended his compliment by a hard pinch on the right nipple, making Joshua mewl.

The boy did not where to concentrate on - Wonwoo’s finger entering his hole or the fingers teasing his nipples. When his hole suddenly felt empty at the moment the alpha took his hand away, Joshua whined pretty loudly. Nonetheless, what happened in front of him effortlessly shushed him immediately. Wonwoo put his own finger, the finger that was wet by the hybrid’s slick, into his mouth and sucked it while locking his eyes with the boy’s, slowly burning Joshua’s face until he was as red as a tomato. Smirking, the man carefully licked his finger clean, not wasting even a bit. Greedy and still wanting more, Wonwoo’s hand came back to the clenching hole, using one finger to push in slightly and collect more liquid. Once again, he brought it to his mouth and tasted his little baby.

Wonwoo leaned over to peck Joshua on the cheek and murmured on his flushed skin.

“My kitten is not only cute…” The alpha went to peck on the other cheek and continued his whisper. “…but also _sweet and delicious_.”

The hybrid whined weakly, pathetically drowned in embarrassment but having no way to get out of this. His heart was about to explode if Wonwoo kept on complimenting him this way, but Joshua was not sure if he really wanted his alpha to stop or not. Anyway, he gasped and moaned again when the man’s finger got back to his work down there, entering his hole again, and the number was increased to two this time. Nibbling Joshua’s earlobe, Wonwoo made use of his sinfully deep voice to turn the boy’s heart upside down a few times.

“Do you know that you taste like candy, baby?”

Part of the hybrid’s brain knew that it was not actually a question, but he still shook his head in a response to the alpha, face quickly heating up, on the verge of combusting. When Wonwoo moved his head to a lower position, Joshua’s eyes did not miss any single movement of his owner, and he was definitely anticipating a lot to come, but nothing could stop him from gasping and moaning when the man licked his nipple slowly and sensually. The other erected nub was taken care of by Wonwoo’s long and rough fingers. Joshua did not dare to think of the day the lead alpha really fucked him. Wonwoo would absolutely torture him by his terribly slow but perfect foreplay and then the hybrid would be completely wrecked by the dick in his ass. Joshua believed that the orgasm could be intense enough to make him pass out after fewer than three times.

Surprisingly, Wonwoo was just having some similar thoughts in his mind. He did not let his tongue fully leave the boy’s nipple when he looked up, staring at Joshua in the eyes, and telling him.

“In the future, when you’re ready to accept me, I will fuck you the whole day long, until you’re completely destroyed.” As if to emphasize his determination in this, Wonwoo bit Joshua hard on his nipple, causing the boy to jolt but moan shamelessly. Not satisfied yet, the lead alpha continued with his dirty talk. “I will make sure you can’t get out of the bed the next day.”

It was undeniable that Wonwoo was as kinky as hell but Joshua could not find any reasons to explain why he always complied with the man so well. He knew what the alpha had just said was actually creepy but he could not stop himself from feeling it so hot, and part of his heart was even eager to find out how it would be in the promising future.

After that, Wonwoo said no more, just focusing on sucking his kitten’s nipple and fucking him by the fingers. The boy was surprised to find Wonwoo extraordinarily gentle tonight, only thrusting his fingers in and out in a steady pace, just picking up the speed extremely slowly, as if the alpha was still testing to see which kind of sex would Joshua enjoyed the most. The hybrid was not sure about that either, but his heart was melting because of his alpha’s consideration. He could not be scared at all when his partner was treating him with so much love and care like that. He was confident to believe that Wonwoo would never do anything that hurt him, and would certainly stop right on the spot if Joshua showed any sign of discomfort. The relief and happiness contributed to the pleasure coiling in his stomach, and he soon came for the second time of the night, even though Wonwoo had just put two fingers inside.

Joshua was so embarrassed when his muscles clenched impossibly tightly around those long and rough fingers of his alpha, never wanting to let them go. Wonwoo smirked, making his baby blush harder, but then locked his lips with Joshua’s in a passionate chain of kisses to distract his love from the embarrassment, helping him enjoy the pleasure only. After that, their lips did not break away from each other anymore, and Wonwoo kissed Joshua as if there would be no tomorrow. The boy was overwhelmed by so many complicated but beautiful feelings that his head could not stop spinning, but he loved every second of being loved and treasured in his alpha’s arms. He had never known that sexual activities could be this loving, intimate and gentle. For a long time, Joshua had always thought that sex was just something belonged to animal instincts. This moment, his lover proved that sex was love, was a choice between two people who love each other and decided to give everything to the other one without thinking about himself.

Joshua could never imagine what kind of magic Wonwoo was using to control his inner beast. He just knew that he had to love Wonwoo more and more and appreciate his efforts, which he would never be able to find in anybody else.

After Joshua came the third time, he was quite tired, leaning limply on Wonwoo’s chest, but the appearance of the dildo in the alpha’s hand made his heart jump in excitement. It was black, slightly larger than the previous one and also had the buttons of different settings. Wonwoo let Joshua observe and examine the toy by his own hands, checking whether it was suitable for his endurance or not. The smell of peppermint on the dildo made the boy’s mouth water. Catching the positive signal, Wonwoo whispered some sinful words to the hybrid’s ear, making him blush violently and then open his legs further for his alpha to have a better access.

Thanks to what Wonwoo had done to open Joshua, it was not much difficult for the toy to get inside. The alpha was still careful and slow, but it did not take him much time to wait for Joshua to adjust to the object. The boy was not ready to have an intercourse with his alpha, but he had enough faith in Wonwoo to let him use the toy on his body like how he had allowed Jeonghan to do. Joshua was fully aware of his owner being much stronger than his best friend, but in fact the man was just as gentle and tender as the blond omega. Knowing that Joshua was already tired, Wonwoo still wanted to make sure to drive the boy crave for another release before ending for good.

The lead alpha’s movement was gentle, but the brutal thing was the toy, and Joshua went crazy right after the first button was pressed to get started. Smirking at the scene of his moaning and writhing lover, Wonwoo was happy to see how much worked up the hybrid was. The boy’s hands clutched tightly to the lead alpha’s free arm. He was shaking and sweating heavily but having no wish to stop anything. Wonwoo gave no warning at the times he pressed the buttons of the higher settings for vibration. The man did not know exactly why, but he enjoyed watching his pure and innocent boy get broken and destroyed in lust. Who the hell in this world could imagine that such a sweet and cute boy like Joshua would look so tempting, irresistible and alluring like this during sex?

Joshua knew he was being used over his limit when the toy kept on stimulating him even after his climax. The vibration was not softened down even a bit; it only went to a higher level. The boy did not know how it was even possible, but his body was still genuinely enjoying everything despite the fact that he was convulsing and moaning with no control in Wonwoo’s arms. When he looked at his alpha, the pleasure got more intense and more wonderful. Perhaps, he was not used over his limit. When he still liked it, then no line had been crossed yet. He loved the thirsty look Wonwoo was giving him, and loved how the man told him _“I love you.”_

With the dildo deep inside him and the vibration at the highest setting, Joshua came hard and he was loud, but the wanton moan was like beautiful music in Wonwoo’s ears, causing his pants to get unbelievably tight, but since his hybrid was his priority, the alpha kept thrusting the toy in and out of his hole with the lowest setting of vibration to get him ride out the orgasm.

_“I love you”_ was all Joshua was able to hear from his alpha, not once, but so many times from the beginning until this moment. The boy murmured the same answer to his owner, cracking a happy and contented smile on his blissed face, but once he got his mind back - about ten minutes later - he was fully aware of the fact that Wonwoo had not come yet. Without asking or saying anything, the hybrid got out of his alpha’s embrace and slowly crawled further away from the man. Wonwoo was confused but he did not ask, patiently waiting to see what his lover was being up to. Joshua was still shy but he had the urge to give Wonwoo the pleasure that the man had given to him. Joshua wanted his alpha to feel good like him as well, and he would fight against all of the embarrassment for that.

Wonwoo silently watched the omega pulling his pants down a little by the clumsy and shaky hands, enough for him to slide one hand into his tight boxer and get the fully hard cock out. This was definitely not the first time Joshua saw it - the veiny thick and long dick of his owner - but he was still amazed by the sight in front of his eyes. Again, he knew it would hurt like hell to have this dick fuck him in his hole, but part of him was still actually craving for it, and Joshua would satisfy himself by his mouth. Without hesitation, he engulfed the whole monstrous thing in his mouth, deciding not to tease Wonwoo even a bit. For him only, Joshua would try to do a deep-throat, sincerely hoping that Wonwoo would like it and understand that Joshua only did this for him because he loves him as much as the alpha adores him.

Wonwoo was shocked when he felt the tip of his cock hitting the back of Joshua’s throat, immediately worried that he would choke or hurt the hybrid. However, Joshua had no sign of discomfort. Remaining intense eye contact with his owner, he bobbed his head up and down to let the dick fuck his mouth, wishing to bring more pleasure to Wonwoo. It was not easy at all, but Joshua still tried his best. When the man reached his climax, the hybrid swallowed his cum like a reward, using his hands pumping gently to get out everything he could, letting some of it land on his face as Wonwoo had wished, but Joshua did not let that happen for long. Eagerly, he wrapped his lips around the tip again, sucking to the last drop and licking like a kitten until Wonwoo caressed his cheek and gently pushed him up so that their faces could be at the same level with each other.

When Wonwoo wiped the cum on Joshua’s face by his thumb, the boy quickly caught that finger between his lips and began sucking it erotically while his eyes were still staring at the alpha continuously. Wonwoo hissed, desperately wanting to curse at the boy’s innocent look on his face while his mouth was doing such a dirty action and creating the noise that made Wonwoo want nothing but wreck him hard until that little mouth was not able to do anything else except for moaning and chanting his name relentlessly. Joshua was inexperienced and naïve, but those were also the fatal characteristics that made him appealing and irresistible.

It could not be enough for Wonwoo, but the alpha decided to make his mind believe so. He helped Joshua clean up, and then the boy was happy to go back to bed and quickly fell asleep in his owner’s embrace. Wonwoo did not know how long he would have to wait until the day Joshua fully recovered from the wound of his past, but at least for now, he was relieved to know that there was a way of helping the boy gradually getting used to sexual activities with him.

Besides, the most important thing that was making Wonwoo smile to his sleeping omega is that, Joshua finally trusted him.

Joshua taught Wonwoo that faith could be more precious than anything in this world.

\-------------------------------

When Mingyu came back to his room, he found his cousin curling like a ball under the blanket in his bed, sleeping soundly and giving off a gentle scent, not too sharp, and not much faded either. His slightly wet hair let Mingyu know that he had already finished washing himself and just could not wait for the giant to come back. He was too tired already, to the point that he did not even bother to come to his own room to get clothes. Mingyu was sure that his shirt was on Jun’s body, and perhaps his pants too. Smiling to the sleeping alpha but also feeling a pain in his chest, Mingyu leaned over to put a kiss on his head then rummaged through the wardrobe to find some clothes for himself and went to the restroom.

Getting back, Mingyu carefully got into the blanket so as not to wake Jun up. Unlike Wonwoo, he had not had too much experience of sleeping with Jun while there were only two of them in the same bed. As a result, he was very much worried of disturbing the other alpha’s sleep by his height and also his clumsiness. However, no matter what he intended to, right after he lied down completely on the bed, Jun instantly moved closer. Startled and perplexed, Mingyu was dumbfounded for a second, but he quickly got his mind back and laid out his arm towards Jun’s direction. Naturally and smoothly, the older alpha placed his head on Mingyu’s thick bicep, curling and nuzzling into the giant man’s chest with no hesitation. Then, he just closed his eyes, seeming ready to fall back into sleep again as if he had already found his most comfortable position.

Finally having Jun conscious but willing to stay in his embrace for the first time, Mingyu could not help grinning to himself like it was the best day of his life. However, knowing that such a bright smile would possibly offend Jun at the moment, he adjusted his own facial expression before gently lifting Jun’s face up by his fingers placing on the older’s chin. Jun frowned and whined feebly when being waken up, but the knit between his eyebrows immediately disappeared when Mingyu kissed him softly. The giant man did not intend to create much sound, but somehow he did, unintentionally drowning both of them in an intimate atmosphere. He bravely went for a few more tender kisses on Jun’s soft lips, then whispering quietly while they were still not completely detached.

“Good night, Junnie.”

Jun was too tired to come up with a proper answer, but Mingyu did not mind. It was happy enough for him to just lie there and watched his love slept peacefully in his arms. Unable to keep his hands to himself, Mingyu let them wandered on Jun’s hair, face, arms and shoulder, giving him light caress and touch, but the older alpha did not wake up even once. His scent just got better under the affection that he liked, and Mingyu thought that he could stay up all night long to keep looking at Jun like this. It was painful to see the fatigue on his love’s face, but Mingyu would definitely remember this night, the first time he got Jun for himself with a full acknowledgement of his love for him.

More than this, Mingyu wished to claim Jun one day, and he kept staring at the smooth skin of his cousin’s neck revealed under the collar and let his imagination dance around in his mind.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I actually felt that Wonwoo was quite like a jerk while I wrote this part. He treated Jun like that at work, leaving him crying, exhausted, and when he came home, he did such a thing to Joshua...
> 
> I really want to know what you are thinking about the fic ;_; 
> 
> And I am so moved by the newest episode of Going Seventeen T_T


	27. One and only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day, everything started to get wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY BUT SEVENTEEN'S PERFORMANCE AT MAMA MADE ME CRAZY!!! THEY ARE SO AWESOME!!!  
And Wonwoo eating the rose... My poor heart ><  
Anyway, let's go back to the story~ I hope that this chapter will bring you some surprise~  
Enjoy ^^

The next morning, Mingyu woke up pretty much early before the alarm in his phone went off. The reason might be his arm reaching out to find the body of his love but getting nothing. Mingyu groaned in his sleep and then decided to open his eyes to seek for his cousin. It turned out that Jun was nowhere to be found. At first, he thought that the older alpha just woke up early and he was still somewhere in the apartment, most likely in the bathroom, but the small piece of paper placed under his cellphone shocked him.

_“My rut came. I can’t stay here anymore. Don’t try to look for me. I’ll be fine. I’ll be back when it’s gone. Don’t call. Just text me. I won’t be able to answer calls. I’m sorry._

_I love you._

_Jun”_

That was all Jun left for the giant alpha. Mingyu was not angry at all, but he was extremely worried. He knew that Joshua was the reason for Jun’s leaving the apartment when his rut came, but it was so strange for the gentle and considerate alpha to leave without a better announcement or discussion with Mingyu and Wonwoo. Mingyu rushed out of his room to find Wonwoo who was still sleeping in his own room with the hybrid. The door was not locked, and there was a second in which the lead alpha regretted his action. However, a few seconds later, figuring out what was happening after his youngest cousin spitting out hundreds of words about Jun, he immediately got completely awake and agitated.

“Has he ever discussed with you about this?” Mingyu hastily asked, ruffling his hair a little violently.

It was not Mingyu’s voice that woke Joshua up. It was Wonwoo’s angry and fierce pheromones that startled the boy and made him flinch right after he just opened his eyes to see two alphas in the room. Totally unaware of what was going on, Joshua was so scared that he might be the reason for his alpha’s anger, but he did not know where to seek for comfort or protection when the danger he sensed was coming from the scariest alpha of the place.

Luckily, Wonwoo was really quick to realize his omega had just woken up and was shaking in fright. Joshua flinched when the alpha’s hand reached out to him, but he relaxed right after the man gently patted his head and squeezed his shoulder, shushing the whimper he was about to let out.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Joshua. We’re not mad at you. Mingyu and I are talking about Jun.”

_“Jun?”_

Joshua’s attitude changed right on the spot.

“Why? What’s wrong? What happened to him?” He looked at Wonwoo, then at Mingyu, frightened to see the obvious concern in the giant man’s eyes and the anger that was burning in every single expression of the lead alpha.

“His rut came and he left without saying a word. He just left this note to me.” Mingyu sighed and shook his head, handing the piece of paper to the hybrid, and quickly turning back to his cousin. “He really didn’t talk to you about that? That’s not like him at all. I thought he always tells you everything.”

“He used to.” Wonwoo mumbled, hands gripping the comforter tightly in a manner that made Joshua watch out for him again even though he was assured that he was not in trouble. “But I think I understand why he did that.”

“Why?” Mingyu asked impatiently.

However, Wonwoo did not answer that question. Instead, he commanded.

“Don’t worry, Mingyu. I’m sure that he’s fine. Wait for me and I’ll find him soon. There’re not many places that he can go.”

“Are you sure?” Mingyu was still incredibly nervous and anxious. “I’ve already told you. If I had been late just a few more seconds last night, he would have been ganged up on by those bastards.”

“Ganged up on?” Joshua asked and gasped in shock. “Jun? Last night? How…”

“Don’t freak out, Joshua.” Facing the boy’s panic, Mingyu got calmer, knowing that he was not the only one worrying about Jun. He placed a hand on the hybrid’s shoulder, keeping him from jumping out of the bed. “Nothing happened. He was a little scared, but he’s fine. He was just exhausted from overworking. But I’m worried that he doesn’t know how to protect himself. He might not be in his right mind…”

“I think he was.” Wonwoo snapped. His anger started to confuse the other two, and they kept staring at him while he got up from the bed to open the drawer at his desk with quite more force than he should have. “The scent-blocker is not here anymore. He was conscious enough to think of getting it. And he got inside this room without doing anything to Joshua. I’m sure he’s fine.”

To this point, Mingyu was finally convinced that Jun was okay. It was undeniable that Joshua was still safe even though Jun had secretly entered this room while they were all sleeping, and an alpha who was in his rut would never be able to have any notion of a scent-blocker while he was being so close to an omega. Nonetheless, Mingyu got more confused, and a little bit upset. Wonwoo had just proved that Jun lied to him. The lead alpha seemed to understand the reason but he refused to explain to his younger cousin. Mingyu had already been living under the same roof with Wonwoo long enough to understand that there was no point persuading him to give a hint. He could only wait and keep checking on Jun’s condition by texting him.

Joshua gently asked them to sleep more while he prepared breakfast for them but neither of the cousins was able to rest their mind anymore. Sitting at the table in the kitchen, Mingyu sighed desperately and quickly sent Jun a text, asking if he was doing well. The answer came one minute later, but annoyingly and unexpectedly short.

_“Still fine.”_

Frowning and growling, the giant man texted again, but what he received just made him want to throw his own phone.

_“Don’t text me again till the evening. You know I don’t have time.”_

If it had not been for Mingyu’s effort to control his temper for the whole month living with Joshua, he would have had really thrown something to the nearest wall after reading the message. The anger filling the air was enough to startle Joshua so much that he almost dropped the pan onto the floor. The smell of fear getting more intense in the room was like an alarm to Mingyu, causing him to instantly collect himself. The man could tell that Joshua had not been at ease since the moment he was woken up by Wonwoo’s scary pheromones, and he would just made his omega get more stressed by letting his mood take over him.

Joshua never deserves that. Mingyu cannot make him feel scared just because of his being mad at Jun. Getting up from his seat, the alpha walked straight to the hybrid and wrapped his arms around the tiny waist from behind. His touch was so gentle that Joshua got relaxed in his embrace right away. He even smiled when feeling Mingyu’s chin nuzzling to the top of his head.

“I’m sorry, baby. Jun’s so rude to me. He’s not sweet and cute like you.”

“What did he do to you?” Joshua asked while he was still trying to work with their breakfast. His voice was so soft that Mingyu melted right on the spot. “You seemed angry just by looking at your phone.”

“He told me not to text him anymore.” The alpha groaned and whined at the same time. “That’s really annoying but sounds really like him whenever he’s annoyed. At least that helps me believe he’s truly fine.”

Joshua was genuinely happy that Jun was okay. Tenderly placing his hand on Mingyu’s, the boy switched off the fire and craned his neck to look at his alpha.

“If you think so, then he’ll be fine.” When Joshua said that, Mingyu felt so trusted, as if he was someone great and important to the point that the boy would trust whatever coming from his mouth. “I’ve just finished making breakfast. Maybe after eating you’ll feel better.”

However, Joshua was caught off guard when the alpha’s teeth suddenly slightly dug into the mark on his neck. He shivered and moaned feebly as the sensation was like electricity spreading through his whole body. He could feel Mingyu’s lips moving on his skin while he whispered in a deep voice.

“I crave for something more than breakfast.”

“What… what is that?” Joshua struggled with words again once he was shy.

Mingyu liked that. He liked seeing his boy being timid and shy because of him like that.

“Your lips taste better than anything.”

Not wasting any seconds, Mingyu lifted Joshua up by a tight hug around his torso and quickly placed him on top of an empty counter. He did not wait for the boy to open his legs; he parted Joshua’s legs on his own, allowing himself to enter the space given to get closer to the hybrid. Joshua was blushing but he smiled when the alpha approach him. It was hard to tell who started the kisses, since Mingyu eagerly came to devour the boy’s lips while the boy reached out his arms to wrap around the man’s neck and opened his mouth for his man to do whatever he liked.

That Joshua’s lips taste better than anything is never an overstatement. After the first touch of their lips, Mingyu’s mind and muscles immediately got relaxed. He could not stop worrying about Jun, but the omega he also loves was like an angel easing out his mind and helping him feel that everything would be just fine. Joshua is always like that, appealing and irresistible, but also bringing a kind of soothing and calming feelings to whoever is close enough to him and is loved by him as well. Mingyu is glad to have Joshua in his life so that there could be moments in which he is allowed to believe that heaven does exist on Earth.

“I think I will spend the whole day in my office doing this.” Smirking, Mingyu murmured playfully on the boy’s lips, causing him to giggle.

Joshua did not say anything to reply, just getting back on kissing his alpha. After a month, he understood them much enough to know that they just loved to joke like that. Of course, they spent a considerable amount of time or anything that may be needed to do what they had mentioned, but his alphas were not perverts anyway. Honestly, after some hot and intimate moments with them in the office, he loves watching them work hard, watching their enthusiasm in their own job and their sociability when communicating with other people. Joshua knew that they were smart and well respected, which made him feel proud and respected as well.

Suddenly, Joshua yelped when he was pried away from Mingyu by some strong arms. Both the boy and the alpha whined loudly in frustration, but the hybrid was quickly softened back when his eyes captured the possessiveness tinting in Wonwoo’s eyes. The lead alpha easily lifted Joshua up from the counter, forcing him to straddle his waist while one of his arms supported the boy’s weight on his back and the other hand was on one of his thighs. Despite having already slept with Wonwoo for the whole night, Joshua still felt his heart stroke by happiness when facing the man.

The boy knew he had always been longing for Jun most of the time, always wishing to have the gentle alpha by his side, but to Wonwoo, things were totally different. It was true that Joshua was much scared of Wonwoo and the man had also done _something_ that the hybrid did not really react to well. Nevertheless, something in Joshua’s heart was telling him that Wonwoo is his perfect match. From the first moment, the lead alpha was the first one to reign his power over Joshua, the first one to successfully coax him to speaking, and Joshua had never stopped believing that Wonwoo would protect him from other dangers under any circumstances.

At the moment, the boy did not complain at all about being taken away from Mingyu, which just earned a few more whines from the giant man. Joshua literally melted in Wonwoo’s embrace, hugging him tightly and even not caring about where his alpha was taking him to. He felt so warm to feel the vibrations from Wonwoo’s chest to his one while the man spoke to his cousin greedily.

“You’ll have Joshua for the whole day. Then I must have him for now.”

“You’re so mean, Wonwoo.” Mingyu’s whine just got louder, but Joshua’s position did not allow him to check how the man was looking like. “Why do you always steal him from me and Jun?”

Wonwoo shrugged, saying nonchalantly.

“Because I want to.”

Joshua giggled against his shoulder, and the alpha turned to kiss him almost right away. The boy ended up having breakfast on Wonwoo’s lap while Mingyu kept pouting and sulking while staring at them. The oldest alpha was still giving off slightly angry pheromones but the affection calmed Joshua down and he finally understood that there was nothing to worry about. He should wonder why Wonwoo was mad at Jun instead. Joshua deadly wanted to ask him where Jun might be and what he was possibly doing according to his opinion, but he did not dare to.

In fact, even if he asked, Wonwoo would not answer, because he thought it was not a suitable time to do it yet. Part of him still desperately wished that his guess was wrong. He would try his best to find out what was really happening before revealing the devastating secret. He believed that was the only way to stop Jun.

If in the past Jun intentionally revealed that "secret" to Wonwoo just to annoy him and stop him from his own actions, then now the lead alpha would just do the same.

\------------------------------

Jeonghan intended to make it slow, but he immediately lost all of his patience after feeling the tip of the alpha’s cock entering his tight hole. The feeling was so tempting that he could not help picking up the speed, pushing himself down quickly to completely take the whole length in, sitting comfortable on the man’s lap. Jeonghan moaned loudly at the sensation, hugging the alpha tightly by his shaky arms, burying his face in the neck to take in the virile scent while the man was rubbing his back gently to calm him down. Jeonghan actually did not need the alpha to help him calm down. His presence was enough to make the omega feel relaxed. The long foreplay had already got Jeonghan too wet and too ready for anything to come. The combination of the masculine scent and the slow but seductive movement of those calloused hands on his back was like a strong stimulation, causing Jeonghan to start moving instantly, bouncing up and down on the long dick stretching his hole in the way he had dreamed of.

“Slow down or you will hurt yourself, Hannie.” The alpha carefully warned him, still not moving his hips even a bit. His muscles were tensed due to the effort of controlling his instincts, but his voice was still like honey in Jeonghan’s ears.

“I’m… I’m fine… Not… not hurt at all.” Jeonghan struggled with words since he was lost too deep in lust. “Why… why do you smell so good? Too good… much better than normal…”

The alpha’s hand slowly moved to the hybrid’s lower part and gently squeezed the fleshy butt. Jeonghan moaned lewdly at the touch, starting to wish that the man would move to give him more pleasure. This was not enough. The man’s ministrations for Jeonghan were always gentle and having his own special way to make the omega melted. However, the man was also determined to see Jeonghan getting comfortable with having a dick inside him. Only his hands were helping the omega moving up and down more easily.

“My rut is near. And you will make it come sooner.” The alpha whispered to the rabbit’s ear. His hot breath drove the blonde crazy.

“Is it possible… to come tonight?” Jeonghan asked eagerly.

The alpha caressed the hybrid’s thighs sensually, once again checking his reaction.

“Maybe, if you keep moaning and being so needy like that.”

“Yay!” Jeonghan beamed like a kid. “I… I don’t want this to… end soon. I… I want you…”

The alpha gritted his teeth, gradually losing his self-restraint. The omega was clenching deliciously around him, begging him to thrust into that beautiful supple body, inviting him to invade in the deepest of that heat.

“You like my cock that much?”

“Not… not like that…” Jeonghan shook his head vigorously, placing his lips on the man’s jaw, nibbling while speaking. Every single word coming from his mouth was honest, coming from deep inside his heart. “I like… how gentle you are… I need you… I want you… No one… just you…”

Right after that, Jeonghan was startled to feel himself being lifted up by those strong arms. Just a second later, he was sitting at the edge of the table. The movement and the change of position made the cock shift in his hole, making the hybrid moaned shamelessly. He tried to wrap his legs around the man in front of him to keep him close. His muscles squeezed around that cock again, refusing the let the man go, urging him to move, to thrust, to pound. Jeonghan had never desired any alpha’s cock like this, so he was inexperienced in doing such a thing, yet he was glad to figure out it was not difficult to do that. Once he truly wanted to do something, it became so easy.

Finally, the alpha started to pull out and then push in, but still very slowly to Jeonghan’s liking and he knew the man was still testing his reaction. He wanted more, not too much, yet a little more, but the alpha shushed his moan and whine by his lips. And when the alpha broke the kiss, just by listening to his lustful voice, the hybrid knew that he was going to start soon. Jeonghan was already impatient, continuously inviting, luring the man by clenching on his dick, wriggling his hips, desperately craving for more friction.

“If I tell you that I know someone who is more gentle than me, will you…”

Not letting the alpha finish his sentence, Jeonghan shook his head vehemently without hesitation. Desperately trying to hold the man more tightly in his shaky arms, the rabbit pressed his nose to the alpha’s neck, inhaling his scent while murmuring against his hot skin.

“Only you… Or I will deal with this by myself…”

After the confession, Jeonghan felt so appreciated and cherished by the way the alpha kissed his temple tenderly, as if the man was silently letting him know that he was happy to hear it.

“You deserve all the best.” The alpha was moving while whispering, but torturously slowly. Nonetheless, Jeonghan still enjoyed it, loving being stimulated and then satisfied by a long and loving sex. “I will give anything I have for you.”

Jeonghan did not know why he smile, but he really did, and he also used both face to cup the man’s face. The urge to kiss the alpha was irresistible, but something in the omega’s heart made him feel too shy to initiate it. However, the man never hesitated in kissing the hybrid, especially when the blond beauty was being that close and looking at him by those shining eyes. Jeonghan melted in his kiss, completely relaxing all of his body in the alpha’s protective arms. It was hot, but sweet at the same time, making the omega feel like he was being drowned in the particular honey that God made for him only. 

“Still remember our safe word, Hannie?” Caressing Jeonghan’s back, the alpha asked him on his lips, searching for eye contact, and the omega certainly could not resist.

Looking at those eyes, he felt utterly calm, safe and protected.

“I won’t need to use it…” Jeonghan tried to move his lower body to trigger the man, still keeping their eyes locked together when he said softly and breathlessly. “I trust you.”

What the omega saw in the alpha's gentle eyes suddenly gave him the courage to dream. Was it unrealistic for him to think that the man was happy to find out how much Jeonghan trust him? Should Jeonghan fool his own heart and allow himself to believe for a moment that he was being loved? In those eyes, was there anything called love? If yes, was it just fake and temporary, or real and genuine? Why the longer he stared into those eyes, the happier and warmer he felt?

“Just call your mate’s name if you want.” The alpha used the last piece of his self-control to tell the omega, hands holding Jeonghan’s hips tightly to stop him from moving, getting prepared. “I won’t mind.”

“No, I won’t. I don’t need to.” Jeonghan shook his head, kissed the man one more time before intentionally driving him crazy by his words. “Just fuck me, Jun. Please, fuck me. Jun, I need you.”

And that was the last thing that Jeonghan’s mind was aware of when he opened his mouth. The next sound he gave out was just continuous moans when Jun started to ram into his body relentlessly. Jeonghan was lifted up from the table, and a second after that, his whole body was supported by nothing except for Jun. The rabbit could not hold onto or lean against anything, giving all himself to Jun, but he was not scared, and this position just made them closer to each other, more intimate, and everything was hotter than ever. Jeonghan endured no pain, only pleasure spreading from his most sensitive place being connected with the gentle alpha’s cock to his whole body.

The omega did not know how many times he had come in just half a day, and things just got better when Jun went into his rut right at that night as they had expected. Stamina means nothing to an omega in heat and an alpha in rut. Jeonghan was sure that he would by no means be able to walk properly the next day, but he did not care. Anyway, tomorrow would surely not be the day they left this hotel. Jun had already called for three days off while Seungcheol would not come back in the next four days. Jeonghan had all of his time to spend his heat with Jun. Even if his heat ended before Jun’s rut did, he would be willing to continue staying here to satiate the alpha’s sexual needs. Until now, Jun was the only alpha who had the ability of bringing him orgasms without pain and fear. Jeonghan had already got lost. He could no longer imagine how to go through his heat without Jun. He enjoyed this.

Right at the moment the first cramp appeared, all he could think of was Jun. He knew he would never regret this decision.

He even doubted that he would also love to be fucked by Jun out of his heat.

_“Give me your knot, please, Jun… All that you want… Just give me…”_

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is short but I think it should be.  
FINALLY YOU KNOW WHO THAT ALPHA IS!!!  
I'm really excited to know how you think about this ><  
There will be some more detailed explanation about this in the next chapter. I hope that you will look forward to it. ^^ But for now, I really want to know if your guess was correct or not. 
> 
> Will there be more of their smut? Yes OF COURSE YES!!! Right in the next chapter!!!


	28. Our secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun still remembered the day he received a call from Jeonghan on a Saturday morning.
> 
> “Can I… Can I ask for your help?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH I'm happy that some of you were surprised :') Now let's continue with this secret relationship~  
I really like this couple a lot ><

Jun still remembered the day he received a call from Jeonghan on a Saturday morning. When seeing the name of Seungcheol’s mate appearing on the screen, at first he was startled, thinking that something wrong was happening to the omega but his friend was on a business trip so Jeonghan had no choice but to call him for urgent help. He quickly answered, not surprised at all to hear Jeonghan’s voice shaking, almost on the verge of breaking.

“Can I… Can I ask for your help?”

Much as Jun knew Jeonghan must be in an emergency, he was quite taken aback by how cautious the omega was. A little hesitantly, he encouraged the omega to ask whatever he needed and Jun would try his best to help since Seungcheol had already politely asked him to give his mate a hand if something happened. However, it took a pretty long while for him to wait, and Jeonghan only replied back after nearly two minutes. The omega explained all of the reasons why he needed Jun at the moment, and it took another two minutes for the alpha to actually digest all of the words he had never expected to hear from his friend’s mate.

If at that time Jun had not been mad at Wonwoo…

If on that day Jun had not been trying to push Wonwoo away from him…

If on that day Jun had not been carrying a broken heart due to the news of Wonwoo getting married to a person he had never known…

…he would have turned Jeonghan down.

Nonetheless, it was obvious that all of the hopes were attached to a heartbreaking word that read _“if”_. Jun might not be in his right mind, but he did not bother to spend much time considering his option. About fifteen minutes later, he appeared at a “special hotel” that Jeonghan had given the address for. People usually come to the hotel before their heats or ruts really hit them so that it will be safe for not only themselves but also for other people. Of course, in some circumstances, a few people can only reach there after they are already _in trouble_, and the hotel staff is always highly wary of those guests. All of the people working in the hotel are betas, which means they are not affected by any kinds of scents or pheromones coming from alphas or omegas.

Each omega checking in the hotel will have to prepare a secret code and will only share it to whoever he wants to invite to join him at his room. Given the code, Jun only needed to tell the receptionist Jeonghan’s name, and then the staff called the omega so that Jun could talk to him and tell him the code. After that, Jun handed the receiver back to the staff, so that the hybrid could confirm this was the person he asked for. The process was complicated, but it was all for the safety of everyone. Then Jun was led upstairs to the exact room. While he waited for Jeonghan to open the door after he rang the bell, the hotel staff - who was a beta - waited patiently by his side to make sure that this alpha would not wander around the hotel or try to break into another room.

Once the door was opened, Jun was immediately hit by the devastatingly sweet and delicious scent of an omega in heat, but he was much more startled by the arm reaching out of the very tiny opened creek to grab his arm. Jun realized that Jeonghan wanted to pull him inside without appearing in front of the door, but the omega’s hand was so shaking and so weak that he could barely do what he wanted. Not wasting a single second to make the poor omega suffer more, Jun willingly pulled himself towards the door, only pushing it open a bit more to give his own body more space to sneak in. Before facing Jeonghan, he made sure to lock the door carefully.

After that, it was really suffocating inside that small hotel room. Although Jun had tried hard to brace himself for what he was going to deal with here, his instincts were unexpectedly attacked by another sensation. Not only the scene but also the smell was breaking his heart at the same time.

Jeonghan was standing a meter away from him, still fully dressed even though part of his white shirt was seriously wet because of his heavy sweating. His beautiful blond hair was quite messy, but the omega was still overall beautiful, bearing the attraction of a siren. Jeonghan even looked mushier than usual with his two white rabbit ears, which were resting against his head. As a person who loves animals, Jun had already read a lot about them and if his memory served him right, that position of the ears proved that the hybrid was somehow frightened. Starting to feel worried, Jun took a glance over the bed, only to realize that Jeonghan had not started anything yet since there were no remnants of any sexual activities. The bed just seemed to be messed up by Jeonghan tossing and turning on it for not a much long time.

However, despite being in heat, Jeonghan did not really have any signs of being needy or craving for some kind of sexual relief. All Jun could see was just the omega shaking, shrinking and giving off a strong smell of fear. Both his arms were hugging himself tightly, which just made him smaller and more fragile in Jun’s eyes. He was obviously leaking - Jun could smell the enticing slick very clear in the air - but he did not seem to be holding himself back from jumping into the alpha. Jeonghan was ducking his head, his chin almost touching his chest, but when Jun tried to lower his own head a bit, he was able to see the fear evidently in those watery eyes. Jeonghan was scared, but Jun had not done anything yet and did not want to scare him at all.

How could he want to do such a cruel thing to a beautiful and vulnerable omega like this?

Surprisingly, Jeonghan was the one to speak first. His voice was shaking like how he had been when he called Jun minutes ago, and a little bit weaker.

“Can I… lie down before we talk?” Jeonghan glanced at Jun nervously but quickly averted his eyes back to the floor. “It… it hurts really bad.”

Jun nodded without thinking.

“Okay okay, just do whatever you want, if that makes you feel comfortable.”

Despite the urgent need to lie down, Jeonghan moved extremely slowly to the bed, and when he did lie down, it looked like he did not get much of the relief that he had expected. When the omega finished lying on one side, finding his most comfortable position, Jun allowed himself to walk towards the bed. He saw Jeonghan flinched at his movement, but there was no other choice left. They could not keep their distance if they both wanted to solve this problem. Not hasty at all, Jun slowly lowered himself until he was kneeling on the floor right in front of the hybrid and their faces were about the same level, easy for an eye contact, and easy for them to hear each other whispering.

“So…” Jun cleared his throat, unsure how to start, and unsure why he started to murmur quietly, and also softly. “You’re a rabbit hybrid?”

Jeonghan weakly nodded. A tear rolled down his cheek when he opened his mouth, and Jun found the tear distracting him from the threatening arousal, causing his heart to sting a bit.

“Please, don’t let Seungcheol know about this! He… he hates hybrids! I can’t let him know this!”

“Seriously, Jeonghan? You’re his mate but he doesn’t know this?” Jun frowned, still shocked at the truth. “How long will you keep this secret? Next time your heat can come when he’s right by your side.”

“I don’t know.” Jeonghan sniffled, shedding more tears as he tried to talk. “But… but not now… My heat will last for a week if I try to deal with it by myself… but… but Seungcheol will go back in just three more days… he’ll see my ears… he’ll hate me…”

“No, Jeonghan. Don’t think like that.” Jun shook his head, but he soon failed to keep his hand to himself any longer. At the moment, one of his elbows had already landed on the mattress, and his hand came close to the omega’s face, thumb wiping the tears on his heated skin. “I know Seungcheol. He loves you. He won’t hate you just because you’re…”

Not letting the man finish his sentence, Jeonghan shook his head vigorously.

“No, you don’t… You don’t know him… He hates hybrids… He’ll hate me too. Please help me, Jun! Please!”

For second, Jeonghan looked as if he were about to grab Jun’s wrist while begging him, but finally something still held him back. Instead, he just gripped the mattress so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

“I know… You may think that I can take the medicine… There’s one to stop the heat… but it will bring me a fever that lasts a week… He’ll bring me to the hospital… and find out the reason… He’ll be mad… He’ll be very angry…”

Overall, Jun realized that Jeonghan was scared of Seungcheol to death, and also loved him to death. It was no secret to all of Seungcheol’s friends that he disliked hybrids for no particular reasons. Once passing by a pet shop with Seungcheol, Jun remembered clearly what his friend had said when he saw a deer hybrid shouting and kicking while being taken out violently by a giant guy. While Jun was feeling uncomfortable with watching the scene, Seungcheol did not hide his disgusted expression, stating that those hybrids disobeying their masters were just shameless and useless. What would happen to Jeonghan on the day Seungcheol found out the truth? Jun did not dare to imagine.

“Please help me… Jun… I beg you…” Jeonghan could not stop sniffling pathetically. Every single word of his was like stabbing into Jun’s heart. “I have… I have to do this… I can’t let Seungcheol find out… I don’t want to… to leave him… I have nothing left in my life… but him.”

“Don’t cry! Don’t cry, Jeonghan.” Jun tried to shush the omega, unconsciously lowering and softening his voice. At the same time, his hand came to caress the hybrid’s hair.

It was heartbreaking to see Jeonghan immediately melted under the gentle touch on his head, as if he had always been craving for this tenderness. The touch did not stir him. In fact, it seemed to comfort him and help the sniffles subside a bit as Jun kept his hand on the omega’s hair. Jun was cautious about touching Jeonghan’s ears, but he still tried, and the result turned out to be positive. He could not tell exactly what the hybrid was feeling, but his body looked more relaxed, and the smell of fear was fading away bit by bit. Jun knew that the longer he waited, the more Jeonghan had to suffer, but he still had one more important question in his mind.

“Why me, Jeonghan?” He could not help asking, hand coming back to the omega’s face to wipe away all the tears left. “Why not anyone else?”

Feeling a need to encourage, he gently continued to speak while leaning closer to Jeonghan.

“It’s okay. Just tell me. I need to know. So that I know how to treat you properly. So that I won’t hurt you.”

“I…” This time, the omega was extremely hesitant, but he was convinced. Jun was definitely right. He would not get what he exactly wanted if he did not tell Jun his true problems.

“Let me know, Jeonghan.” Jun petted the blond hair, letting the hybrid bask in his affection. “I have no problems with hybrids. I’m already here. I won’t walk out of this room before you’re okay.”

It took three minutes for Jeonghan to eventually answer, and at that time, his eyes were shedding new tears again.

_“I used to be raped. I can’t bear roughness. I need someone gentle, like you.”_

Suddenly, Jun felt like he was holding glass in his hands, so fragile and vulnerable. Jeonghan came to him seeking for help, but if he was not careful enough, he would just break the omega like any other bastards could. Like Seungcheol did.

Jeonghan did not flinch when Jun shifted closer to place a kiss on his forehead, but he did let out a soft whimper. The alpha traced his fingers along the hybrid’s jaw, lightly tugging at his collar only to see some red lines around the slender neck. It was clear to him then; Seungcheol was really a bastard to his lover, treating him violently and making him suffer from such a misery.

“Seungcheol did this to you?” Asking, Jun still wanted a confirmation, not really wanting to believe that his friend had done this. If it was true, then Seungcheol was not only clueless about his lover’s past; he was also cruel to his omega.

Jeonghan sobbed heavily at the mention of the marks on his neck while Jun could not help touching them. The omega flinched, scared of getting hurt again, but he did not move away too far, and soon relaxed again after receiving no pain from the alpha’s touch. Nonetheless, Jun did not let his fingers linger there for too long, since he was afraid of hurting the hybrid as well. Heartbroken by the tears on Jeonghan’s cheeks, he used his hand to cup Jeonghan’s face and wiped them again. Almost instantly, the omega closed his eyes, drowning himself in the comfort brought by the warm and tender hand on his cheek, and also swallowing the lump in his throat due to the pain in his chest.

When Jeonghan opened his eyes, Jun was still looking at him with those gentle and pleading eyes, persuading him to tell the truth. No alphas in this world had ever cared about the rabbit’s feelings, but now Jun was trying to convince him to share them. No more words were spoken out, but Jeonghan could see them in his eyes.

“Two days ago… when Seungcheol went home… he was angry about something…” Jeonghan started, voice terribly shaking, but he was relieved to feel Jun’s hand coming back to his head to caress his hair and stroke his long soft ears. “He was rougher than usual… I was scared… It hurt too much…”

Suddenly trembling violently, Jeonghan curled up to the smallest possible size of himself, unable to speak anymore. He whimpered pathetically as if the real pain was wrecking through his body again. Startled and utterly shocked, Jun hurriedly leaned over, sneaking one hand under Jeonghan’s face to cup the side that had been lying on the pillow so that he could hold the hybrid’s whole face by both hands.

“You’re safe now. Don’t be scared. Seungcheol isn’t here. He can’t do anything to you.” Desperately trying to shush the omega, at the same time, Jun struggled to suppress his anger for his friend, knowing that his angry pheromones could frighten Jeonghan even more. He had always wondered why Seungcheol’s mate smelled sad and painful all the time, and why the omega never spoke to him and his cousins even just a simple greeting. He thought that Seungcheol was just over-possessive towards his lover and did not allow him to talk to other alphas, but things turned out to be a hundred times worse that whatever his wildest imagination could think of.

Still crying, Jeonghan kept staring at Jun, making the alpha feel as if the hybrid was trying to seek for something from him but he was not sure if he knew what that was. However, Jun by himself had the real desire to soothe Jeonghan, and his hand just naturally went back to stroke the omega’s blonde hair, since it was obvious that the hybrid liked to be treated that way. His other hand became a new pillow under Jeonghan’s face, pressing his palm to the soft cheek, but the omega even used his own hand to hold Jun’s hand closer to his face, as if it was still not enough for him to feel the warmth and tenderness that his heart craved for.

If this was what Jeonghan wished to have, Jun willingly gave everything he got, as long as he could help the omega feel better and overcome his pain or sadness.

“I started to beg… I know I shouldn’t… but I lost my mind… and I begged him…” Jeonghan continued to speak after receiving Jun’s kiss on his forehead as an encouragement. “He got angrier… and scolded me for being disobedient… a bad omega... He choked me… to shut my mouth…”

Stopping there, the rabbit let out a broken sob and was unable to tell anymore. Nevertheless, Jun did not need to hear more, or else the grudge and anger in his chest would be built up enough to make him punch Seungcheol right in the face at the next time they meet. Running his hair through the hybrid’s hair, Jun noticed the way Jeonghan closed his eyes again while he whispered softly to the rabbit ear.

“Okay. I understand. I won’t talk about him again. I promise.”

A few seconds later, the omega opened his eyes and slowly nodded, subtly nuzzling into the hand under his face, melting the alpha’s heart.

“Can you give me a save word, Hannie? I need to know when you can’t handle it anymore.” Jun murmured while his face was only an inch away from the omega. The change of name caused his breath to hitch, but Jeonghan soon gave him an answer.

“R-rose.” He stuttered, and soon received one more kiss on his temple.

“Okay.” Jun hummed in agreement before asking one more question. “Can you handle foreplay now?”

“Yes…” He nodded weakly in embarrassment, but he had no choice. “I… I need that.”

Jeonghan felt so strange when Jun kissed him on his lips, but since he was in heat, it was not much difficult for him to accept an alpha although that person was not his mate. Moreover, Jun’s lips were so soft on his ones, and the alpha did not try to make any intrusion yet, just a light and sweet kiss between lips and lips. At that moment, relief started to bloom in Jeonghan’s heart, encouraging him to believe that he had made the right choice by choosing Jun. The man would be as gentle as he had expected, wouldn’t he?

“You need to trust me.” Breaking away from the lips, Jun still kept caressing the hybrid’s hair and looked at him deeply in the eyes. “It won’t work if I keep asking you whether I should do this or do that. Let me take care of you, okay?”

Jeonghan was scared. He was not sure of anything. However, he nodded, agreeing to give himself to Jun since there was no way back anymore. 

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for cutting it in the middle again ;_; I intended to post the whole JunHan smut in just one chapter but it turns out to be more than 8k words long @@ Therefore, I have to devide it into 2 chapters (or even 3).
> 
> I hope you will look forward to the next chapter~
> 
> Well, I guess now you hate Seungcheol more...


	29. As if we were destined for each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun thought that Jeonghan deserved all of the best things. He needed to be loved, and Jun would love him for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JunHan smut for the whole chapter! Yay~
> 
> I really hope that you will like it as much as I do.

Jeonghan held his breath while Jun climbed onto the bed. During the process, his hands gently pulled the hybrid’s legs to stretch him out of the curling position. The alpha placed his knees on the sides of the omega, putting not all of his weight on the person beneath him, but enough pressure for the hybrid to feel the contact between two bodies.

As promised, Jun was extraordinarily careful and gentle with Jeonghan when he started, but things were not as difficult as he had thought it would be. Jun had always been a nice and gentle person to anyone that was not his enemy. And now, he was having to himself a broken omega, a rape victim, a beauty who was severely reeking of fear during his heat. Nothing in his mind or his instinct allowed himself to hurt the omega. On the other hand, he wanted to help Jeonghan feel loved and treasured like how he deserved to. Jun thought that Jeonghan deserved all of the best things. He needed to be loved, and Jun would love him for tonight.

The omega was reluctant when Jun wanted to take off his clothes, but he still let the man do it for him, and the alpha soon understood one of the reasons. Now, he thoroughly figured out why he had never seen Jeonghan wear short-sleeved shirts or anything that may reveal a bit of his skin. There was obvious evidence of violence, of brutal sexual activities all over the slender body. The omega’s fair skin was decorated with red hickeys and black bruises in many different spots. It is normal for a person who has a lover to get some hickeys, but in Jeonghan’s case, Jun deemed that _too many_. The hybrid still had his underwear on, but Jun was able to see the suspicious red skin on both the slightly plump cheeks. Jun tried not to grimace at the heartbreaking scene, knowing that Seungcheol must have spanked his mate a lot.

Jun hated that. There was no way that he would treat his lover, his mate, his partner violently and cruelly with such kind of action. Jeonghan clearly did not seem comfortable at all when Jun stared at those, but he was caught off guard when the alpha tenderly kissed his cheek, whispering into his ear while the rough fingers were tracing along his collarbone to his chest.

“You’re beautiful, Hannie.”

The hybrid’s breath hitched at the comment and also the loving way that Jun chose to call him, but he soon got drowned in the temporary love that the alpha gave him. Jun locked his lips with Jeonghan’s, drinking his feeble moans, hands wandering everywhere on the irresistible body in his arms, feeling every inch of the unbelievably soft and smooth skin, slowly heating up the atmosphere.

Jeonghan genuinely loved the way Jun touched him in every part of his body. There was so much patience in the alpha’s movement. He never rushed or did any with much force. He delivered light kisses on the bruises on Jeonghan’s body; renewing some of the hickeys that Seungcheol had left by his own kisses and gentle bites. Since the omega was known to take a long time to heal his broken veins under the skin, he had no worry about that. Seungcheol would just think that the hickeys he created had not had enough time to disappear. Jeonghan was even sure that his body was nearly thoroughly covered by Jun’s saliva, since the alpha had spent quite an amount of time to literally lick him - except for some special part down there. The licking session made the rabbit feel extraordinarily hot and horny, but also unbelievably adored and loved.

He had never thought that a human alpha would ever lick _a dirty and cheap hybrid_ like him, especially in this way, in the way that Jun did. It was not the end of their foreplay yet, but Jeonghan already felt like Jun was _eye-fucking_ him. However, that intense stare brought no discomfort to the omega. He even blushed adorably, too shy and embarrassed to help the alpha take off his clothes, but Jun did not mind.

Jeonghan found himself calm and relaxed when Jun started to touch his most delicate and private part between his legs. His lewd moans began to get out of control, and he soon realized that he got fully hard in the alpha’s hands, which had never happened even once when he had sex with Seungcheol. Jeonghan indulged in Jun’s gentle stimulation, in his strings of compliments about how beautiful and sensitive he was. Jun did not lie at all. Jeonghan was always beautiful, utterly ethereal. The alpha thought that he had just got drunk, or intoxicated by the omega’s extreme appeal. Without thinking, he engulfed Jeonghan’s whole cock in his mouth, willingly and eagerly giving him the best that his mouth could.

At first, Jeonghan was extremely embarrassed when Jun did that, but he was already too weak and lost in lust to fight back. Until then, Jun was still more gentle than anyone the omega had known in his life. When Jeonghan warned that he was about to cum so that Jun would pull away, the alpha did not comply, only sucking harder, determined to get him off in his mouth.

Jeonghan believed that was the first time he really knew what an orgasm was in his whole life. And, he had never thought it could be that intense but also that sweet at the same time. Jun swallowed all, and then when he scattered little kisses all over Jeonghan’s face, neck, ears and chest, he softly complimented how sweet and delicious he tasted like. Jun said that the omega tasted like flower, and he desperately wanted to know how it would be to feel the enticing slick on his tongue.

That was when things started to go wrong.

Jeonghan knew that he asked Jun to come here to help. Jun knew that Jeonghan was the only one who needed to be helped here. The omega was the only priority in this situation. However, the hybrid soon felt guilty for making the alpha do everything while he just stayed there inactively. He was too embarrassed to admit that he was curious and attracted by the man. No matter what, Jeonghan was still an omega hybrid in heat; he could not help feeling that way, especially when that alpha had not done anything but made him feel good and treasured. When Jun kissed him deeply and sensually on his lips, the omega immediately wrapped his arms around the man’s neck to pull him closer and kissed him back with all of his enthusiasm. They were both enjoying this.

Jun did not ask for permission. He only asked the hybrid to change position to all fours on the bed. Already lost, mind too foggy, Jeonghan immediately obeyed without wondering the man was about to do with him. Feeling Jun’s hands on his butt cheeks, he only thought that the alpha was going to open him in an attempt to prepare him for the intrusion. Then, his legs almost gave up when the alpha’s tongue all of a sudden licked over his wet puckered hole. Jeonghan was even shocked by the moans coming from his own mouth, but he could not do anything to stop them anymore. Jun stopped for a brief moment, leaning over to whisper into Jeonghan’s ear to let him know how sweet he tasted down there. After that, he did not say more, only focusing on eating the omega out.

It did not take long for Jeonghan to cum one more time.

Then, everything just went smoothly as Jeonghan did not seem much afraid or too embarrassed any longer. Getting the omega relaxed and calmed was what Jun wanted most before really fucking him like what his painfully hard dick was craving for. Kisses were not awkward anymore. They kissed each other on the lips, letting their tongue play with each other and explore the other one’s cavern as if they were a real loving couple. It only sting a bit when Jun’s fingers worked the hybrid open, but it was still endurable for Jeonghan, and the bad feelings soon went away as pleasure took over and made his clenching hole desire to have something longer and bigger inside.

Jun only got alarmed when Jeonghan started crying and sobbing heavily after he entered the omega. That moment, he was fully aware of the fact that Jeonghan had a horrible past of being raped by an alpha. He was still fine until his hole was filled by an alpha’s cock, completely wrecked by a panic attack. Jun had no idea about what he should do. Just by instincts, he wrapped the omega in his arms, shushing him by sweet coos and caressing his hair, his back, trying to remind him that he was fine, that he could break free if he wanted, that this was not a rape at all. The sweet words and gentle care slowly brought the hybrid back to reality, reassuring him of a safe and comfortable condition he was being in.

When Jeonghan finally realized Jun again, he kept crying while begging the man to be gentle. Jun did not remember how many times he promised to the omega that he would always be, and he tried to distract Jeonghan by countless hot, wet and passionate kisses on his shaking lips. Jeonghan did not know when the alpha began to thrust. He only started to moan uncontrollably and shamelessly when pleasure spread speedily from his hole to the whole body. From that moment, Jeonghan just did not want to let Jun go, wishing to keep the man to himself, keep the alpha inside him forever. His hole kept clenching and incredibly got tighter, deadly inviting and driving Jun crazy.

In the middle of their first intercourse, all of a sudden, Jeonghan realized that they were having sex with no condom. The only protection was the pills that the omega had been taking due to living together with his mate. However, it was just a realization. He had no intention to use anything more, no idea about whether they should do this differently. Jun had no intention to ask Jeonghan if he could cum inside or not, even though he should have asked. Those kinds of thoughts just simply did not cross their minds. The alpha never stopped thrusting, while the omega kept trying to hold him closer.

Jeonghan wondered if his thoughts were being written on his face or not, or whether some kind of magic in this world was connecting their minds together. He did not need to ask anything, but Jun never broke their eye contact, and for their first time, the rabbit was thankful for the man’s decision not to let themselves ever involved in any positions in which they could not look into each other’s eyes. There was no awkwardness between the couple, and they both just wanted more and more. When the alpha kissed Jeonghan on the lips while his hips were still moving, the hybrid instantly complied, wrapping his arms around the man’s shoulders and kissed him back.

Jeonghan could not use any words to express how much he loved this kind of sex. The omega had never been given the choice to find out, but at this moment, Jun let him know how much he loved to be fucked gently. Neither of them wanted things to end quickly, so the alpha kept it slow and as long as possible. Jeonghan had no reason to protest, receiving everything Jun gave him with all of his heart.

When the orgasm hit the rabbit, he was like floating in the clouds, utterly blissful and contented. Certainly, he would want more soon, but for now, Jeonghan was happily satisfied with the alpha’s cum inside his body, wholeheartedly listening to the man’s low and sexy grunt and groan when he came a minute later. Right after they both got their minds back a little, they kissed again, basking in the affection brought by the other. Jeonghan unconsciously let out a few feeble and soft sounds of satisfaction while Jun embraced the omega’s shivering body in his arms and scattered kisses on his flushed face.

It did not take much time for them to wait until they were both ready and eager for the second round.

Under the impact of such a fatal appeal coming from an irresistible omega in heat, Jun tried extraordinarily hard to keep part of his mind to himself so that he would not fuck the hybrid senselessly and forget to take care of his health. There were times in which Jeonghan literally passed out due to exhaustion, and Jun knew it was the most suitable time to help the rabbit clean up a bit and get him some food. However, it was not easy at all to actually follow what the brain told him to do. Even after the omega closed his eyes and lied limply on the bed, Jun still desperately wanted to fuck him into oblivion, taking and taking all of him. The little red clenching hole invited him to devour it. There was no single second that Jeonghan stopped giving off his tempting and delicious scent.

Jun had never helped any omega through a heat before, but he had met some during those sensitive times. Nonetheless, the temptation had never been this devastating. At first, he thought he would be able to control the whole situation since his heart had gotten weak by the omega crying, being sad and scared of everything. On the other hand, things changed drastically after Jeonghan got relaxed and started to thoroughly trusted Jun with all his heart. Things were even worse when the hybrid began touching, tracing his slender fingers on the alpha’s bare skin and muscle.

Being near an omega in heat is already bad, but being with Jeonghan during his heat was just worse. Even if Jun were a beta, he thought he would not be able to hold back either, because just the omega’s beautiful body was the killing poison, leaving the man intoxicated. He could not stop telling Jeonghan praises of his beauty and elegance. He saw clearly how the compliments affected the omega, judging by the way his eyes twinkled and his scent got even better, more pleasant and less melancholy.

When the heat subsided for a while and gave Jeonghan some time to sit and eat calmly with Jun. He shyly told the man that no one had ever said those pretty words to him in the same way as he did. The rabbit even asked him if he really meant that or he just blurted out in the heated moment. Right after voicing out the question, Jeonghan seemed to regret his saying instantly, but Jun firmly assured him that he honestly spoke out what he felt. Jun did not know what gave him the nerves to even tell Jeonghan directly that he was like an angel, wounded but still flawless and ethereal. However, the reaction broke Jun’s heart and startled him.

Instead of smiling like what the alpha had expected, Jeonghan ducked his head, and the man could see tears falling from his eyes. The omega mumbled quietly as if he were talking to himself, but Jun was just fixated on the rabbit enough to hear anything.

“I wonder… if that were the truth, why would I have been returned to the pet shop about… ten times in just a few years…” By shaking hands, he wiped the tears on his own. “And the one who claimed to be my mate… only treats me like a fuck doll…”

All of a sudden, Jeonghan sobbed pathetically, but chuckling bitterly, mocking himself.

“Or maybe… that’s the curse of beauty… or I have some _special things_ that… interest and bore people quickly.”

Jun was so confused and heartbroken that he did not know what to say. He kept stammering, trying to reassure Jeonghan that he did not have any _“special things”_, that those bastards just did not know how to respect someone, that those jerks failed to see how precious he was. Jeonghan continuously stared at Jun while the man gently cupped his face with both hands, thumbs wiping the rolling tears on his cheeks as if he were a strange animal. Jun was shocked to see the hybrid sob more loudly under the tender treatment. He started to curl up into the smallest possible size and seemed to intend to cry alone and try to hug himself in the mental breakdown.

The little piece of information was enough to let Jun know how tough Jeonghan’s life had been, how fate had been so unfair to him, giving him no love or care. Feeling overwhelmed almost right on the spot, the alpha could not help wrapping the hybrid in his arms, pulling the trembling body into his chest. It was difficult to persuade Jeonghan to believe that he could rely on Jun both physically and mentally at this moment. The alpha knew how much Jeonghan loved being petted on is hair, rubbed on his back and hugged tightly in a loving embrace, but he had to spend not less than three minutes to coax the omega into hugging him back and crying on his shoulder. When Jeonghan finally did start to cling to Jun, he did not want to let the man go anymore.

After that crying incidence, Jun was slightly confused to see the hybrid’s reluctance when receiving his kisses, but once he was worked up enough to look at the alpha with hazy eyes, he eventually kissed back passionately and obviously enjoyed having their tongues sensually embrace each other. His moans got sweeter in Jun’s ears, and to one point the omega began calling the man’s name while his hole was being stretched and pleasured by the pulsating long dick. Hearing his own name being called by such a lewd but lovable voice, Jun was only stirred severely. They never went back to the previous shy state even once.

Everything was good. Jun was always careful and afraid of breaking the already broken omega, but that just made things perfect for Jeonghan. After two days, he could not remember how many times Jun had fucked him, but in the middle of the third day, after another one orgasm, he told the man that maybe he just needed one more time and then he would be fine, needing no more. Jun nodded, understanding.

However, when Jeonghan had what he had supposed to be the last climax of his heat, Jun was still far from getting done. He knew that he should stop no matter what he felt because the omega’s feelings had to be prioritized in this situation, but it was too hard to stop like this. What he needed was not just a few more thrust, but a while. Beneath him, Jeonghan was panting heavily after collapsing on the bed, his hole clenching tightly around Jun’s cock. They had just done a doggy position, and Jun was still holding Jeonghan’s hips tightly so as to stop him from detach away. The position allowed Jun to watch the erotic sight of the omega’s hole hugging his cock and leaking out white cum since there was already too much inside. _Too much_. All was Jun’s cum. The hole was red and swollen as the alpha had not let his cock soften or slid out in even a single second for hours.

Leaning down closer to Jeonghan but not letting go of his hips, Jun asked, voice hoarse and dark.

“Can you endure this a little more for me, Hannie?” He ended his question by a kiss on the hybrid’s sweaty temple. “I haven’t done yet.”

Surprisingly but luckily, Jeonghan easily nodded. He remained silent while the man strongly held his upper body up, but this time he kneeled up straight on the bed with his back pressed to the alpha’s wide chest. Over-stimulation was new and a little uncomfortable for the rabbit, but he just bit his lips and let Jun do whatever he wanted. Jeonghan did not think much, just wanting to give the alpha back something after the man had done so many beautiful things to him.

Jeonghan certainly did not think that his being submissive and obedient woke up the possessive instinct of Jun. The man failed to control himself when he brought one hand to the omega’s nipple, twisting and pinching, and the other hand to the omega’s cock, stroking him mercilessly, determined to bring him to another final orgasm. That was probably too much for Jeonghan, but the pheromones coming from Jun then was so prominent, dominant and demanding, asking him to give in. Jeonghan thought that such kind of pheromones would freak him out, but then he had no will to fight. He simple obeyed without any fear, and the feelings soon got overwhelming. His cock was fully hard again and Jun was close.

“Can I knot you, Hannie?”

The sudden question brought back to his mind some horrible memories, but it was too strange to hear this. No one had ever asked for his permission, and this time Jun was really holding himself to wait for the answer. This was the first time Jeonghan was given the chance to choose. It was not until then did the omega realize that Jun had not knotted him even once, because he respected him. Only mated couples usually do this. Only selfish bastards do this to their sex slave. What kind of motivation urged Jun to do that? Jeonghan could not figure out, but the question made his heart warm and happy.

“Y-yes…” He stuttered, breath shaking because of anticipation. “Knot me… Jun… Just don’t bite…”

“I know. I won’t.” Jun sighed in relief, slowly getting back to thrusting and stroking while asking another question. “Which position do you prefer? If I spoon you, you won’t see me and it won’t be awkward. Or else you can sit on my cock and straddle my waist, but then you’ll have to see me for at least an hour and I’m afraid you’ll feel…”

“I want to sit.” Jeonghan begged before Jun finished. “Please let me sit… face to face…”

Saying no more, they changed the position into the chosen one, and then the alpha started to slam into Jeonghan’s body to chase his orgasm. Every single snap hit the omega’s already abused prostate so precisely that Jeonghan could do nothing but moan uncontrollably and chant Jun’s name over and over again. The rabbit failed to imagine that he could enjoy this so much after that amount of time, but he could not find any part of himself that wanted the man to stop. Jeonghan had never thought that this would be possible. His heat was entirely gone and he was definitely in his right mind now, yet his soul was truly enjoying what was happening.

The knot did not take much time to form completely and it locked them together while Jun came inside the hybrid one more time. Despite the fact that Jeonghan was lost in ecstasy, the knot still made him whimper in pain, since he had never enjoyed being knotted in his whole life. The omega collapsed on Jun’s shoulders and whimpered painfully into his sweaty skin. Stopping moving, the alpha quickly used both hands to rub Jeonghan’s back and hair, murmuring the sweetest words to soothe him. The hybrid was not really sure what Jun said to him then, but it felt so sweet, so loving. The connection turned out to be so heavenly, and his mind was eventually fooled thoroughly.

When Jun gently cupped Jeonghan’s face and lifted his head up so that he could kiss the omega’s lips softly and shush his whimper, the hybrid subconsciously whispered to him.

_“Alpha…”_

The alpha let out a grunt and even a hiss at the sight of the omega being all pliant and submissive to him. The rough sounds luckily woke up Jeonghan’s mind at the right moment for him to realize that he was about to bare his neck to the alpha. Holding himself back on time and searching for Jun’s reaction, the omega easily saw that the man almost sunk his teeth in his neck as well. The urge was crazy, and they both decided to find each other’s lips in a desperate attempt to distract themselves from the desire to claim and to be claimed. In the bruising kisses, Jeonghan suddenly lost the feeling of pain down there, as if his body was made to do this, to perfectly accommodate Jun’s knot.

He felt comfortable.

Therefore, after that, everything was incredibly smooth and sweet. When Jun was fine enough to break the kiss, one of his hands came to wrap around the hybrid’s cock and stroke it, making him moan again. Scattering kisses on Jeonghan’s shoulders, neck and ears, the alpha told him in a gentle voice, sending unexplainable tingling sensation through his whole body.

“Cum for me, Hannie.”

Right at the moment Jun went back to kiss Jeonghan on the lips and brushed his thumb over the slit on the tip of his cock, the omega lost it. The way the hybrid cried out Jun’s name in a breathless voice sounded purely angelic in the man’s ears, and he refused to leave those tempting lips, drinking all of the omega’s weak moans, helping Jeonghan think that this could possibly be the longest orgasm he had ever been through in his life.

Minutes after that, they were still kissing, feeling as if they would never get tired of this. Jeonghan was certainly exhausted after all, but he felt just fine to be held tenderly in Jun’s embrace, letting the man comfortably explore every single corner of his mouth and loving the way their tongues snuggled together. When Jeonghan was too tired to keep that position, he just simply leaned his whole body against the alpha, peacefully resting his head on the firm shoulder, wrapping his arms loosely around the man’s torso. Still gently as always, Jun slowly caressed the hybrid’s blonde hair and sweaty back, bringing more and more comfort to the fragile omega in his arms.

From time to time, Jun put a kiss on the omega’s hair, neck, or shoulder, and the sweet lavender scent in the room was utterly beautiful as its owner. All of a sudden, the alpha said something Jeonghan had never dared to expect.

“If one day Seungcheol finds out our secret, don’t hesitate to call me. I will deal with him.”

Much as the omega was surprised, he was too tired to express any reaction, just staying silent for nearly a minute. Nonetheless, his scent was telling the alpha how he was feeling on its own. Nuzzling his face into Jun’s neck, the omega inhaled deeply once before nodding lightly. Jeonghan had already felt like floating from the moment he reached his last orgasm, and now the feelings were just better than that, especially after the alpha had said such a nice thing to his ear while his hands were slowly caressing the rabbit’s bare back.

Jun literally failed to keep his hands to himself. The temptation to touch, to treasure Jeonghan was irresistible. He could not find any reasons to stop this, since the omega was completely relaxed in his arms, and he was enjoying the sensation of feeling the hybrid’s smooth and beautiful skin under his hands. Sometimes, Jeonghan shivered a little bit, softly purring like a kitty, showing no discomfort during the whole time.

Jun thought he would never mind keeping such an ethereal and lovable rabbit hybrid in his own house, despite the fact that he would have to work harder and save more money to give the bunny a happy life. He had never thought of getting a hybrid. He was only thinking of having _this particular bunny_, not any other one.

“If one day he throws you to the pet shop, tell the shop to call me. I will come to buy you.”

The omega nodded one more time, unsure whether he should be a silly rabbit and trust an alpha’s words or not, but his heart deadly wanted to. Life had taught him so many times not to ever put his faith in any alpha, yet Jeonghan was unable to contain his own wish. In fact, it was already late to consider if he should trust Jun or not at this time. He had already put his life into the man’s hand by asking him to help him through his heat.

Jeonghan knew he was stupid. He could not remember since when he had stopped trusting the human alphas, or any kinds of alphas. He had been thrown back to the pet shop and been bought over and over again too many times, to the point that he could no longer remember when the year his parents sold him to the pet shop was. Five years? Seven years? Ten years ago, when he was just a kid? He had lost the count of years, or even his own age, because his life did not matter to anyone. So, what was the point of counting his own age?

Fate must be toying with him, Jeonghan thought bitterly to himself. The alpha named Jun that was hugging him and caressing his hair made him _stupid_ again.

“Can you please… do me a favor?” He asked, voice extremely soft and quiet, already afraid of the possible rejection. If they were not being pressed so close to each other, Jun would not be able to hear anything.

“What is that, Hannie?” The alpha replied without hesitation, unknowingly flipping Jeonghan’s heart in chest a few times in just a second.

“Can you say… _‘I love you’_ to me?”

Until days after that, or even months, or years, Jeonghan still felt as if what happened at that moment was a dream. He regretted his words right after saying them, but Jun showed no bewilderment towards his request. The gentle man tenderly pulled the omega to sit up, so that he could deliver a loving kiss on his lips. Basking in the affection, Jeonghan timidly kissed him back, wanting more, but Jun soon broke the kiss to whisper on his lips, sending warm breath to his mouth.

_“I love you, Hannie. My little bunny.”_

Staring into the man’s eyes unblinkingly, Jeonghan’s mind automatically played the beautiful sound that he had just heard a thousand times. When Jun kissed him again, everything suddenly became so real, so sweet, and so heavenly to the hybrid. The omega did not know what urge him to do that, but his both delicate hands bravely reached up to cup the man’s face, holding it gently. Jun stared back at him, directly into the rabbit’s breathtakingly beautiful eyes, expectantly.

At that moment, Jeonghan had all the nerves to believe that Jun was expecting to hear the same thing as what he had asked for previously.

_“I love you, Junnie.”_

The corner of the alpha’s lips curved up to form a smile. His shining eyes gave off the most tender light Jeonghan had ever seen in his life. The feelings recalled him of the nights in which he was locked in those dark and cold rooms, and when he looked out of the small window, he saw nothing but the moon, which was always shining tenderly, giving him the only beautiful light in the middle of the miserable and scary darkness.

They found each other’s lips and sealed them by kisses again. The only thing that stopped them was just Jeonghan’s exhaustion. The hybrid did not know when he fell asleep, yet he did not care, because he felt safe and protected.

The alpha gently hugged the omega in his arms, cuddling his body in the bed and allowed himself to sleep in satisfaction. Putting a kiss on Jeonghan’s temple, Jun silently wished the hybrid a good night, sincerely and genuinely knowing that neither of them would regret this decision later on. It was hard to tell when the knot would deflate enough to pull out, since he had never got so excited and pumped so much seeds inside an omega that much in his life, but Jun had no problems with that.

Jun was only sure about one thing, which was that, if something really happened because of what they had done with each other, he would definitely use everything he had to protect Jeonghan. More than anyone, he truly believed that the hybrid deserved all of the best things in this world. If Jeonghan needed Jun, he would love him with all his heart, warming him up by his body and giving him only tender treatment under any circumstances.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I have read this over and over again, about... a hundred times TvT I really love this couple a lot ;_; I want to be "Jun's bunny" too ;_;
> 
> Anyway, please remember that what you have just read is the first time Jun helped Jeonghan through his heat, not the second one. You will know how the second time goes on in the next chapter. I will update soon~
> 
> Please feel free to share your feelings and opinions ^^ I'm always eager to know how you think about the story.


	30. Fate was cruel, and unfair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No secret can be kept forever.  
Especially when there was already the third person who knew it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy that you guys love this couple!  
Now let's come to the second time Jun helps Jeonghan through his heat and see what happens~

Just like what they had predicted, Jeonghan’s heat ended before Jun’s rut did, but the omega still stayed there with him. Luckily, it was finally gone in around the middle of the third day, and the couple decided to spend the rest of the day in the hotel sleeping and cuddling in the bed. At that moment, both of them were relaxed and calmed, but neither felt the urge to part away from each other, as they both found comfort from the other one. As Jeonghan was already tired before his heat came, he slept soundly in Jun’s arms, smelling nice through all his sleep, which brought a relief to Jun.

The last time Jun knotted Jeonghan, they did spend at least an hour kissing and whispering to each other. It was hard to remember exactly what they actually said to the other between their gentle and sweet kisses, but the feelings earned from the moment were definitely unforgettable for both. However, Jun could remember clearly in his mind how the omega’s lips felt so soft and sweet to him all the time, or how Jeonghan was thoroughly relaxed and contented in his embrace. Jeonghan knew he would miss all of the alpha’s tender movement and words. The knot was not bad at all, and he assumed it was because he was with no one else but Jun.

There was a moment of bitterness for Jeonghan when he was basking in Jun’s chain of sweetest kisses. From the first time he saw the alpha, he had always paid attention to the man who seemed to be more gentle and nicer than any other men in this world. There were countless times in which Jeonghan tried to ask himself why fate did not bring Jun to his life earlier. Why could he only know the man through Seungcheol? If it had not been for his alpha, he would have never known Jun’s existence.

Jeonghan wished that Seungcheol could be just half as gentle as Jun.

He deadly wanted to wish that Jun were not Joshua’s alpha or owner. Even if it was just a wish, he did not dare to do that, too scared of hurting his best friend. However, in fact, he did.

This was a betrayal. Jeonghan should have stopped thinking of Jun on the day Joshua appeared at Seungcheol’s mansion together with his owners. Polyamory is legal, and Jeonghan knew the cat hybrid loves him, but nothing could make sure that the boy would agree to share his lovers with him, or whether Jun would agree to keep this relationship after seeing Joshua getting hurt by them. Love requires respect. Jeonghan and Jun were not respecting Joshua if they slept with each other before talking to the boy about this and acted like they even had never talked privately. If one day this secret got out of his control, if one day Joshua found out that his best friend slept with his most beloved alpha, Jeonghan’s life would come to an end. The rabbit smiled bitterly to himself, unable to figure out why fate could never be kind to him even once.

Happiness seemed to be something too luxurious for him. Jeonghan was not sure since when the smallest notion of happiness was not alive in his dead heart anymore. Sometimes he felt like Jun was there to heal him, but after all, the alpha was just breaking him more and more. There were also times in which Jeonghan lightly giggled or smiled when Jun murmured to him something too sweet for his heart to handle, but the pain followed right away, torturing him slowly but cruelly.

Should he just let Seungcheol know about this, so that his mate would throw him to the pet shop and then he could call Jun to come there and buy him? In that way, Jeonghan would become Jun’s hybrid, _Jun’s bunny_, would live in the same house with him under the gentle and sweet treatment his heart desired. Nonetheless, nothing could make sure for the rabbit that Jun would keep his promise. What if Joshua did not agree?

Realizing that there was something wrong with Jeonghan, Jun nervously asked him if he was still okay. The rabbit deadly wanted to tell Jun that he was not fine at all, but in the end he decided to hold himself back and shook his head. Jun did not ask more, but he definitely did not agree with the omega’s answer, since he was able to smell the melancholy scent from him very clearly, still so sweet and delicious, but sad and unexpectedly making his heart go through various uncomfortable feelings.

Still gentle as always, Jun pushed Jeonghan’s head to rest on his shoulder while he closed his arms a little bit tighter around the hybrid, embracing the soft body with all of his tenderness. Jeonghan allowed himself to bask in the affection, closing his eyes and leaning all of his weight on Jun, knowing that the alpha would never mind that.

“Are you tired?” Jun asked quietly by his ear, but Jeonghan was more distracted by the hands caressing his hair and his back slowly.

He nodded, also timidly forming a hug around the man’s torso.

“I’m sorry for making you this exhausted.” Jun said, sounding really guilty. “You know, actually this is the first time I go through my rut with an omega.” He chuckled to himself. “I’m glad that you’re my first one.”

The moment of silence coming right after that was utterly awkward. Even Jun did not expect himself to say such a thing, and he did not know why he was happy about that. Nevertheless, did he want to take back his words? Of course not.

Luckily, Jeonghan broke the silence and eased out the guilt in Jun’s heart at the same time.

“Don’t say sorry. I’m fine. It’s normal to get tired after all of this.” Jeonghan unconsciously got more and more clingy to Jun while speaking, but Jun welcomed him with all his warmth and consideration. “It just hurt a bit when you knot me.”

“Is it too bad now?” Jun worriedly asked, rubbing soothing circles at the lower part of the hybrid’s back, causing him to shiver, somehow even purr in comfort like a cat.

Jeonghan shook his head.

“I can even sleep in this position.”

“Wait a little bit more.” Jun cooed in such an encouraging voice, but Jeonghan really doubted that possibility. _“A little bit more”_, no way. He was still feeling extremely tight down there, which means that Jun had not even start to deflate and perhaps half an hour could not be considered as _“a little bit”_. “You should get washed before sleeping. And drink some water, too. That will be better for you.”

This time, the omega nodded, but he had another idea, which was voiced out so quietly that Jun almost missed what he had just said.

“Can you… go with me? Two of us… at the same time?”

Smiling with satisfaction, Jun put a kiss on the hybrid’s temple.

“That’s what I want, too.” His words gave incredible warmth to the omega. Every single words of Jun actually did. “Do you want to take a hot bath with me, bunny?”

Jeonghan nodded again, finding no reason to object whatever Jun suggested, since his wounded heart was buzzing with eagerness to know how it would feel to be taken care of after sex by his partner. In fact, he did experience this once, with Jun also, but no words could ever describe how much he wanted to feel being loved in this way again. This had never happened with anyone else even once in his past, although he was a mated omega.

“Should we go right now?”

The rabbit needed no time to consider Jun’s suggestion. He just nodded, and then hugged the man more tightly while Jun carefully wrapped the omega’s limp legs around his waist, holding him by strong hands on his back and thigh so as to lift him up from the bed and bring the beauty to the bathroom. The shift of position made a move of Jun’s knot in the omega’s body, causing him to whimper feebly. Jun was quite concerned to hear that, but just after a second he realized that it was not really a reaction of unpleasant feelings. Jeonghan tried to relax his own body to the utmost, letting Jun do whatever he wanted to him. There was nothing to worry about when he was with Jun, just Jun only.

It was so nice to be able to trust someone thoroughly.

Jun was extraordinarily careful in handling Jeonghan in his arms, avoiding moving too much to prevent bringing discomfort to the omega. Usually, Jun could endure hot water at a pretty high level, but this time he decided to focus on how Jeonghan would like it, worrying that the rabbit would not be able to bear the high temperature. Much as Jun was concerned when having sex with Jeonghan, at this moment he was even more apprehensive about breaking the hybrid after everything was finished. In his view, Jeonghan seemed to be really emotionally vulnerable, but Jun was determined to let him know that he was still being loved. Jun is never an irresponsible person. He will never abandon Jeonghan after all those things.

He will never.

Jeonghan felt so comfortable to be in the hot bath tub that Jun felt as if the omega was melting in his arms. Still pressed close to each other, they continued to give the other kisses like addicts. It was mostly Jun who started, as he could not help staring at Jeonghan’s eyes and his pink lips without touching them. Jun wondered if there was really any poison in those eyes. Just one look and he was intoxicated, even though the hybrid did not try to seduce him or do any special thing. Jeonghan knew that they kept kissing again and again after all was his fault too, because he did not reject the alpha even once. He kissed back, happy and contented with feeling the slow and gentle movement of Jun’s lips on his own. The rabbit parted his lips for the man to taste every corner inside his mouth, letting their tongues embrace each other. In the warm water, Jeonghan enjoyed being touched by the alpha’s hands on every single part of his body, loving to be kissed on his neck and his shoulders.

He wished he could let Jun leave some hickeys on his skin.

It was natural and easy for the couple to go one more round in the bath. With the knot buried deep inside Jeonghan, Jun only needed to move a little to bring a lot of sensation to them both. The hybrid was tired but he still enjoyed this orgasm with all his heart, feeling the alpha pumping more seeds into his already full stomach. In a split second, Jeonghan was worried that he may get pregnant, which had already happened when he was on pills just like now. However, Jun’s kiss quickly threw the thought out of his mind since he got lost in what he felt like love again. The sex made it longer for them to wait until Jun could pull out of Jeonghan, but neither of them minded that.

It was not easy to get dried while they were still locked together like this, but since they had no reason to rush, everything was still fine and nice in the end. Jeonghan quickly fell asleep after Jun laid him down on the mattress in a spooning position. The alpha was certainly tired too, but he found it unexpectedly difficult to sleep, and he just stayed there hugging Jeonghan, watching the omega sleep and caress his face, his hair from time to time.

When it was possible for Jun to pull out, not wanting to startle Jeonghan, he gently woke the hybrid up, telling him what he was going to do. Jun smiled, knowing that he had made the right decision when Jeonghan thanked him for letting him know before doing that, or else he would have freaked out. Much as Jun loved to adore the omega’s beautiful body more, he could not bear watching the hybrid sleeping naked, which just made him look more fragile and weaker. Jun did not think that it would make his heart ache so badly. He let the omega wear his clothes to give him more sense of security and love, and that seemed to help a lot.

The hybrid did not talk much during the days they were together, but it was never difficult for Jun to guess what he wanted. In fact, giving Jeonghan those things just made Jun feel contented at the same time. Jun did not know when he also got lost in the illusion of them loving each like a real couple. He snuggled the hybrid closely to his chest, letting the rabbit’s head be laid on his chest while sleeping. Jeonghan hummed happily in his sleep, nuzzling into the man’s chest and neck in his peaceful slumber.

However, things did not end up as they had expected. That day turned out to be one of the worst days of their lives.

Jun had never known how it was possible for anyone to break into the room, but when he got his consciousness back, his wrist was tightly grabbed by a strong hand and he was violently pulled out of the bed. The combusting anger in the air hit him like a powerful wave that almost made him dizzy, and the pain on his wrist was horrible. Wonwoo’s enraged face came to his view, but Jun knew his cousin alone would not be able to give off that much angry pheromones. Having no time to worry about himself, Jun immediately turned all of his attention back to the omega on the bed only to have his heart broken.

Seungcheol was there, too.

The sounds of pain and utter fear coming from Jeonghan made Jun lose his mind right on the spot. Seungcheol had no mercy left for his mate, brutally throwing his omega off the bed and slapped him on the face. Never able to gain so much strength to protect himself against an alpha, Jeonghan fell onto the floor, totally unable to prevent his head from hitting the nightstand. Jun used all of the strength he had to fight Wonwoo, to break free from his hold, not even caring about how his cousin could even get madder over his action. If it had not been for Wonwoo being taken aback by his strong reaction, Jun would not have managed to run towards Jeonghan and used his own body as a shield between the omega and a crazy Seungcheol.

“Stop it, Seungcheol. Please, don’t hurt him.” Jun knew he sounded like he was begging, but if that was what he had to do to help Jeonghan get away from this, he would. He might be begging, but his voice was firm and showing no intention of backing off. “It’s not his fault. Please, just listen once, Seungcheol. He’s…”

Baring his teeth, Seungcheol yelled back, showing nothing but anger and aggression.

“Not his fault? Then it’s yours?” The man shoved Jun’s shoulder, pointing an accusing finger to his chest continuously. “Lure him into this? Use my omega to get through your rut? And he agreed to all of this, even slept so happily in the same bed with you? That’s what you want to say? Not his fault, huh?”

All tensed up and just enraged as the other two alphas, Jun snarled.

“He wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t treated him like shit…”

“You dare to reason with me now?” All of a sudden, Seungcheol grabbed Jun’s collar and pulled him closer as his temper had already gone. “After sleeping with my omega? Really, Jun?”

Before Jun could say something back, Wonwoo quickly interfere between the two men, strongly detaching Seungcheol’s hand away from his cousin, demanding by a stern voice that he hardly ever used towards his friends.

“Stop, Seungcheol. I told you to come here and get your mate, not to fight with Jun.”

“Tell your cousin to get the fuck out of my way.” Seungcheol growled Wonwoo, not cowering even a bit under the noble’s command. “Is he going to teach me how to treat my omega properly? Like he understands Jeonghan better than me?”

“I do.” Jun raised his voice, deadly serious and frustrated. “I know him better than a fucking bastard like you, Seungcheol. You don’t know anything he has been through. All you know is just yourself and your own dick. You don’t even know how much you scare and hurt him!”

Seungcheol frowned harshly, but it seemed that what Jun had just said severely offended him in an unexpected way. Luckily, Wonwoo was able to see what was about to happen, which helped him just in time grab his friend’s both arms before he could hit Jun’s face with his knuckles. Seungcheol thrashed and shouted crazily to get out of Wonwoo’s control, but Wonwoo was determined to not let his friend go until he could make sure Jun would not get hit if Seungcheol was released.

However, Wonwoo totally did not expect that Jun would make use of the time Seungcheol was being hold back to take care of Jeonghan. Quickly turning his back to the other two alphas, Jun kneeled down on the floor to check on the crying omega. It turned out to be so heartbreaking for him to see the hybrid trembling violently while curling up and hugging himself tightly in the corner of the bed and the nightstand. Jun had once witnessed Jeonghan going through a panic attack, but he had never seen the omega sobbing that pathetically and painfully before. Most of his attention was directed towards his mate, who was still growling and screaming cruel words to no one but him and Jun.

Jun felt as if he could see every single word coming from Seungcheol was cutting Jeonghan into pieces, and this was enough to even kill the hybrid before his owner beat him to death. Jun smelled nothing but the Jeonghan’s pain and fear, and everything was just overwhelming for him to handle. There was blood on the corner of his mouth, but that was not the most alarming problem to Jun. What he cared most about what the red liquid on the omega’s blond hair. If Seungcheol proceeded to _do something more_ to Jeonghan, the hybrid would surely die. And if he was lucky enough to survive, Jun was sure that Jeonghan would just be broken to the point that nobody or nothing would ever be able to heal him again.

_In that case, surviving would be luck or a curse?_

Jun could not let that happen. That was too unfair for Jeonghan. Jun would do anything to prevent the disaster from coming. He hurried to move closer to Jeonghan, feeling relieved to see the hybrid not flinch away from him and feeling terribly frustrated at the same time. Until then, Jeonghan did not dare to have any contact with Jun anymore, but he was highly aware of the fact that nobody here would protect him except for the alpha kneeling in front of him with the utmost concern in his eyes. Jun swore that the moment Jeonghan looked into his eyes with his teary and pleading eyes, he was ready to die if he failed to help the omega out of this misery. Jun wiped the tears and blood on Jeonghan’s face by his slightly shaking fingers, and then tried to find the wound on his scalp.

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry, Hannie. I will get you out of here. We need to go to the hospital.” The gentle soothing words slipped out of Jun’s mouth when he was trying to shush and comfort the omega, but did not realize that he had just made a horrible mistake.

Seungcheol froze right at the moment he heard Jun say _“Hannie”_. Jun was so focused on the hybrid that he was totally oblivious to the shift in his friend’s mood but Jeonghan caught the threatening change from his alpha very quickly. He instantly whimpered in fright and scrambled to hide himself completely, using Jun as a shield between him a Seungcheol while the man just got crazier than before. Wonwoo had to struggle hard so as to keep the enraged man, but things were getting more and more difficult since he was mad at Jun, too. That Jun called Jeonghan by such a name out of their sexual activities simply proved that the relationship between them had already gone too far and no longer under control.

Jun’s mind was too occupied with Jeonghan’s both mental and physical conditions that he could not recognize his mistake even when the omega started to express his fear too obviously and he was not subtle at all while clinging to Jun, begging for help and protection.

Unfortunately, Seungcheol managed to break free from Wonwoo, violently grabbing and pulling Jun’s shoulder to make him turn and stand. Right after that, Seungcheol punched Jun in his face, making him fall to the ground just like what had happened to Jeonghan earlier.

“You two are just so shameless.” Seungcheol glared at his friend bleeding. The smile on his face made him even creepier and crazier. It was hard for anyone to detect Seungcheol’s feelings at the moment, but, much as he was hurt, he also wanted to hurt people who had broken his heart with the equal amount of cruelty. Pointing an accusing finger at Jeonghan, he gritted his teeth, steeping closer in a rapid pace. “You, such a whore! A slutty rabbit! You slept with my friend but then cry pathetically whenever I fuck you as if you were such an angel destroyed by demon? I should have known this from the day they told me that you had gone through an abortion. Dirty!”

Fortunately, Jun’s head did not hit anything, which means he was fully capable of hearing what Seungcheol had just said and seeing what was about to happen. Jun suddenly became just as angry as the man in front of him. Having never been that fast to recover from the pain, he stood up to punch Seungcheol back, aiming precisely at his face, and perhaps succeeding in breaking his nose in a very sharp and strong throw of fist.

Even Wonwoo was taken aback by his cousin’s reaction.

A little bit weaker than Seungcheol, Jun was not able to make the man fall down after the first punch, but he quickly threw the second fist, and this time, Seungcheol could not keep his balance any longer. Grabbing Seungcheol’s collar, giving him no time to recover, Jun’s pulled his head up from the ground and snarled.

“You have no right to say that to him. You know what, Seungcheol? Jeonghan is a rape victim. Do you know that he was abused by his previous owner? Do you know why is he scared of you? Because you always force him to have sex with you while he is scared. You are violent to him. He’s scared to death, but he never dares to fight you because he loves you. But you never care!!!”

“Rape?” Seungcheol snickered in a way that even Wonwoo started to feel triggered. “What’re you saying, Jun? Now you’re using that as an excuse for Jeonghan to sleep with his mate’s friend? He’s scared of me but so blissed out with your dick in his ass? You’re such a genius, Jun. A genius and a whore. What a wonderful couple.”

Seungcheol got hit one more time, but he regained his strength quickly and punched Jun again. The two alphas got into a real physical fight that seemed to be impossible to resolve.

Wonwoo knew, Seungcheol was not calm enough to listen to any explanation, and Jun was not calm either because of Seungcheol’s ugly words and harsh treatment towards Jeonghan. Wonwoo was the only one who could actually help in this situation, since he knew what had happened to Jeonghan as well, and as a man who was also betrayed, he could be considered as an outsider who did not take Jun or Jeonghan’s side in Seungcheol’s opinion. Wonwoo could smell the blood coming from the hybrid, knowing that he definitely needed to go to the hospital to check the wound on his head. He also knew that it would be not good at all to just grab Jun and let Seungcheol bring his mate home. Jeonghan would be in serious trouble after this. If things got to Joshua and the boy knew that Wonwoo was there but did not help, he would be upset at him, too.

The betrayal could hurt Joshua, but Wonwoo knew his kitten never wanted his best friend to suffer. Wonwoo hated the whole situation, hated Jun’s decision. He wanted Jun to end this forever. The greedy and selfish part of him only wanted to bring Jun home immediately, but he forced himself to think, to come up with a better solution. When Wonwoo turned his head to look at Jeonghan, the omega sensed the noble’s shift of attention towards him instantly. The look made him uneasy, and even scared. The hybrid tried to avoid that stare, shrinking and trembling continuously.

Whenever looking at Jeonghan in that state, Wonwoo could not help thinking of Joshua. He tried to remind himself, that, if Joshua was sold to another man, things like this could also happen to the kitten. No matter how much he was resentful towards Jeonghan for all of those things, he should not blame the hybrid. He really should not. The one who was to be blame must be Seungcheol, not anyone else.

Jeonghan was utterly frightened to see Wonwoo stepping towards him, and he whimpered loudly in an attempt to seek for Jun’s protection. The desperate noise from the poor omega caught both Jun and Seungcheol’s attention, making them turn to him only to find Wonwoo picking up Jeonghan by both arms. Seungcheol immediately scowled, growled and let out all of the ugliest and most aggressive noise at Wonwoo then jumped to the man. Jun did not think that Wonwoo was going to hurt Jeonghan, but he was scared to see that, too.

In fact, Wonwoo really had no intention of hurting Jeonghan. He kicked Seungcheol mercilessly when the man came close so that the distance between them got much further, which gave him a chance to talk to Jun. To this point, Jun quickly understood that his cousin got Jeonghan in his arms so as to protect the omega. Seungcheol could come to Jeonghan while they were talking even in just less than a second, so it would be the best for Wonwoo to hold the hybrid first.

“If you agree to do whatever I ask you to after this, I will let you bring Jeonghan to the hospital, keep him safe, and I will stay here to calm Seungcheol down and explain everything to him. Deal?”

Jun stared at Wonwoo in disbelief. His cousin was using Jeonghan to force him to give in, like what he had been trying to do in the past few days. _“Agree to do whatever I ask you to”_, wasn’t that everything that Wonwoo always wanted?

Did Jun even have any other choice? He could not risk Jeonghan’s life for his own freedom. All of a sudden, the thing so called _“freedom” _became something so meaningless, so tiny in Jun’s mind, when he looked at Jeonghan, crying and clutching at his shirt, pleading for help.

If the price to be exchanged for Jeonghan’s safety and happiness could be that cheap, Jun thought that he was ready for anything.

“I… I will.” Swallowing the tears, Jun nodded, agreeing with Wonwoo. “I promise.”

No more words need to be exchanged. Wonwoo handed Jeonghan to Jun, even helping him get the phone and wallet, and then Jun just ran out of the door, leaving his cousin to deal with Seungcheol alone. He heard the man shouting something, but he decided not to care, just trying to get out of here and getting the first cab to bring Jeonghan to the hospital.

Maybe, if the doctor could officially announce that Jeonghan had mental problem which needed special professional treatment, the omega would be forgiven.

Once Jun entered the first cab he could get, the driver took a quick glance at them then asked.

“Hospital?”

“Yes.” Jun answered right away and told the man to bring them to the most prestigious hospital of the city that he knew. Jun could not risk carrying Jeonghan to the nearest hospital. It must be a good one to make sure that the omega would be taken care of thoroughly. Jeonghan is a hybrid; Jun doubted that some hospitals may treat him like animals.

At this moment, Jeonghan smelled less horrible than how he had been in the hotel, but he was still crying uncontrollably in Jun’s arms. The man could do nothing but hug him tightly in his chest and received no protest. Jeonghan even tried to hold and cling to him desperately, unconsciously shattering the alpha’s heart.

“Don’t cry, Hannie. I won’t leave you.” Kissing the omega’s head with bitter feelings in his heart, Jun tried to murmur soothing words, despite the fact that he was unsure of their both future. “You’ll be safe. Trust me. You’ll be fine.”

Jeonghan could not stop crying on the whole way to the hospital, but he did not reject Jun’s embrace either despite the fact that their secret had been discovered and at this time anyone could just consider them as a _shameless_ and _slutty_ couple, like what Seungcheol had shouted to their faces. It seemed that, nothing could ever stop them anymore, and the long drive to the hospital was the time when Jun felt like his world had collapsed. On the day he agreed to help Jeonghan the first time, he was not able to imagine that things could possibly end up this way, with him unable to leave the omega anymore, and even willing to protect him regardless of any sacrifice.

Why did it hurt so badly for Jun to witness Jeonghan suffering from pain and misery? Why was an omega who was scared of human alphas like Jeonghan not afraid of Jun even a bit? Why did he refuse to leave him even after his mate, the man he truly loves, found out their ambiguous relationship? There could be only one reason, but Jeonghan was not ready to accept it, but he had no will to fight against it either, especially when Jun was the only one who was contributing all of himself to protect and take care of him like this.

Jeonghan was not scared of the hospital. The wound on his head did not hurt him much. He was scared of being taken away from Jun even in just a second. It was also Jun’s loving words that hurt him terribly and he knew he would never be able to forget them until the day he dies.

Fate was too unfair to make them fall in love with each other. It was just unfair. Deep in their minds, they both knew they were people that Joshua loved most in this world, but together they betrayed their little kitten just because of their uncontrollable hearts.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you Seungcheol woud be even worse...  
And he will be worse...  
Poor Hannie ;_;  
There will be explanation for Wonwoo's appearance here later.
> 
> How do you feel after this chapter? TvT


	31. Pain, helplessness, guilt, and betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun brought Jeonghan to the hospital, but it was not that simple to save the rabbit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for hurting them ;_; I love them too, but I love breaking all of the characters TvT

At the hospital, Jeonghan got the treatment that Jun expected. However, he was forced to part away from the omega when the doctor needed to conduct some tests so as to check thoroughly if there was any inner wound in his head, since he was bleeding quite badly and pretty slow in actions. As Jeonghan was reeking of Jun only and seriously dependent on him, everybody thought that the alpha was really his mate, so no one questioned anything. Jun kindly noticed them that Jeonghan had some other problems in mental aspect, and they comforted him by saying that the hybrid would be taken care of by omega doctors only so that he would not have to go through any more difficulties. Jun was willing to use all of his money for this, as long as Jeonghan was safe and happy.

After that, another doctor insisted that Jun needed help too, reminding him that he was also bleeding. It was not until then did he start to remember that he had just had a physical fight with Seungcheol and the man had punched his face a few times. Knowing that Jeonghan was okay with the professional doctors now, Jun sighed in relief and agreed to follow the doctor to another room.

That was the time Jun began to think of the deal he had made with Wonwoo before leaving the hotel. Jun knew that Wonwoo always wanted him to give in, to agree to become his mate despite his upcoming marriage, but he still tried to keep a little hope in his mind, wishing that the man would not actually make him do that, because it was just obviously unfair. In a world in which polyamory is legally accepted, it is normal for an alpha or omega to have more than one mate, but it is not love when Jun had no idea about the other mate of his lover until he found out the truth. Joshua knew nothing either. Wonwoo did not ask for their permission, or even opinion. He literally forced them to accept the fact that he was going to marry someone else regardless of their feelings.

In the end, Jun would still be the alpha that got the bite. Even if he wanted to leave a mark on Wonwoo, he would not be able to, since the man was evidently a stronger alpha. Between alphas, there was still a hierarchy, and Jun undoubtedly fell into the lower category. He would have no right to protest - the same as Joshua. If Wonwoo kept going on like that, perhaps the man would get married with anyone he felt he needed to. Jun never wanted to believe that Wonwoo actually loved him. Love requires respect and sacrifice, doesn’t it?

Jun smiled bitterly to himself. He already made it wrong. He was seeking for respect from Wonwoo but he could not force himself to sacrifice for the man. Jun hated himself for always blaming everything on his own in the end, feeling as if he was at fault for anything happening. However, there was no point in thinking that much anymore, because no matter what was going to happen, Jun had already made the deal, and he believed that Wonwoo could harm Jeonghan if Jun _broke that contact_. The rabbit hybrid was being in a too vulnerable situation. Almost everyone could hurt him. One wrong decision and his life would shatter into pieces.

_Once again, Jun knew it was his own fault._

When Jun saw Jeonghan again, the omega was sleeping in the expensive private room that the alpha had spent a lot of money in. Luckily, the doctor said that the injury was not much serious, but the omega’s health condition was not good either due to severe lack of sleep and abnormal eating habit which had been occurring in a long period of time. The doctor insisted that Jeonghan must spend a lot of time taking rest and a healthier diet was highly recommended. Jun could not do anything else but nod, unsure how he could even make all of those necessary things happen. He had no right towards Jeonghan; only Seungcheol did. If Jeonghan were a human, things would be easier, but unfortunately he is not. If Jun tried to keep Jeonghan for himself, Seungcheol could sue him for kidnapping his omega, or _his hybrid_.

Jun had no intention of going anywhere, just sitting in silence by the bed, watching Jeonghan sleep. He deadly wanted to believe that the omega was in a peaceful slumber, but what he had already known about both Joshua and the rabbit did not allow him to think that positively. Holding the delicate but cold hand in his own hands, Jun hoped to make the hybrid feel a little bit of warmth and love. Jun knew Joshua and Mingyu were probably crazily worried about him at home, desperately waiting for him to go back, but Jun did not know for sure he did not want to go home or he did not dare to. He definitely got a lot of Jeonghan’s scent on his body, and Joshua would be able to realize that in just half a second. And then Mingyu, his pure and loving Mingyu, who had never known anything about all of this, would finally get disappointed at Jun and, maybe, stopped loving him. They would both stop loving him.

If Jun left Jeonghan alone here, Seungcheol might do horrible things to him. Jun totally had no idea how to keep the omega safe. How long would he be able to stay by his sides? Would Seungcheol understand his misery and calm down after listening to Wonwoo’s explanation? It was okay for the man to be mad at Jun. Jun only needed him to have some mercy for the hybrid, hoping that Seungcheol would forgive his mate and welcome him back home with open arms. If hitting Jun could somehow comfort his friend, Jun was willing to donate himself.

Jun was so carried away by his thoughts that he did not notice the sound of the door opened until a hand placed on his shoulder. A little startled, he looked up and saw Wonwoo, who was staring at him with a much calmer manner than before. Wonwoo was not mad at him anymore?

“I bring some clothes and special soap for you. You should get washed, changed and go home.”

Ignoring the command, Jun hastily asked.

“How is Seungcheol? Did you explain to him? How did he react? Did he understand? Where is he now?”

Wonwoo obviously disapproved of his cousin’s reaction, but he was still calm when answering.

“It’s very complicated, but I can say that he understood a bit.”

“Just a bit?” Jun felt his heart sinking to the bottom of his stomach. “So… he’s still very mad.”

“He understood that he mistreated Jeonghan, but he can’t tolerate the fact that you two slept with each other.”

Letting go of Jeonghan’s hand completely, Jun turned his whole body to the direction of Wonwoo, frantically holding the man’s arm. He might not realize it, but he was actually pleading.

“Can you do something to protect him? You saw how Seungcheol hit him, right? He bled very badly, Wonwoo. Jeonghan can’t bear that. He will die if Seungcheol does that again.”

“Seungcheol won’t kill anyone, Jun.” Wonwoo said coldly. “He’s not that kind of person.”

“But Jeonghan will break. He can’t handle that.” Jun shook his head vigorously. “Please, Wonwoo. I know you can do anything. You’re the one who told me that you can do everything with money. Please, please just keep him away from Jeonghan until he really calms down. Please…”

“You know I can’t.” The lead alpha sighed, glancing at Jeonghan pitifully. “It would be easier if Jeonghan were a human, but he’s a hybrid. Seungcheol has all the rights to call the police if we take Jeonghan. At that time all of us will be in trouble. Things will be even worse.”

“But…”

“Seungcheol will be here soon. You need to let him see how unhealthy his mate is. Let him listen to the doctor. I successfully persuaded him to find a psychiatrist for him.”

“But…”

“Listen to me, Jun.” Wonwoo firmly held both of Jun’s shoulders by his hands, voice stern and demanding. However, Jun winced, causing the older alpha to realize he used quite more force than he should have. Loosening his grip a bit, Wonwoo inhaled deeply, trying again to control his anger. “That’s all we can do. Don’t you think Seungcheol will be more enraged if he sees you here? Remember how angry he was whenever we interfered with the way he treated Jeonghan? I can only do that for him now. We can try to talk to him later. The worst thing to do is trying to keep Jeonghan by our sides. Believe me, he’s mad at you more than at his mate.”

“Why… why is that?” Jun found it hard to understand. The pressure of Wonwoo’s intense gaze made him unconsciously stutter.

“Because you fucked his mate not only once but twice.” Wonwoo growled, and then snorted. “But I think _once_ or _twice_ are not enough to count the times for you two at all. _I’m mad at you too, then why the hell isn’t he? _You don’t understand anything, Jun?”

Wonwoo did not realize that he had just tightened his hold on Jun’s shoulders again until the younger winced and showed clear wish to recoil. However, this time, the anger took control over the man, making him simply think that Jun definitely _deserved this_.

Unfortunately, Jun had already thought that he was to blame for everything, and what Wonwoo said just make him fall deeper into an endless hole of guilty feelings. He just ducked his head while the man snarled at him.

“You’re that desperate to make me disgusted of you? Really, Jun? Have you ever thought of Joshua? You’ve already known that Jeonghan is Joshua’s best friend, but you still lied to us to come and sleep with him. You can say that Jeonghan is too scared of Seungcheol, but what about you? What’s the problem with you? Just because you can’t accept the fact that you must be mine? You think that will work? Are you that… naive, Jun?”

Jun’s heart ached so badly when Wonwoo violently grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at his cousin right in the eyes. Every word coming from the older alpha was utterly brutal, cruel and piercing through Jun’s chest. Watching the flame in Wonwoo’s eyes, Jun knew that the man had just successfully held himself back from calling him _“stupid”_ instead of _“naive”_.

“Did Jeonghan ever know that you intentionally let me know about your first time because you wanted me to hate you?” Wonwoo did not stop. His string of words was fatal but precise and painful. “Weren’t you afraid that I would tell Seungcheol? You think you can get away with this second time? You said that I’m a jerk for getting married, then what about you? Do you think Joshua will ever forgive this? What the hell are you? Aren’t you a betrayer?”

Right at that moment, Wonwoo’s hands were suddenly pushed away from Jun. The force was actually not strong enough, but the man was so taken aback that he let go of his cousin easily to glare at the person who had just tried to stop him from harassing Jun by his words.

Jeonghan could barely stand still. He was falling, almost sitting on Jun’s lap while weakly begging Wonwoo not to say those harsh words to him, but then the omega soon fell onto the ground as he intentionally kneeled down in front of the intimidating alpha. Startled and shocked, Jun got out of his chair, getting down on the floor with Jeonghan too. He urged the omega to stand up, but Jeonghan shook his head, determined to beg Wonwoo.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I know this is all my fault. Please don’t blame him. I’m the one who called him first. I beg you, please don’t tell Joshua…”

Cutting him off, Wonwoo snorted.

“Now you’re thinking of Joshua? Did you think of him when you called Jun the second time?”

“I’m sorry.” Jeonghan apologized again in tears, voice shaking. “I’m sorry… I… I was too scared. If Seungcheol comes back and my heat is still there, he… he will…”

“Stop that, Wonwoo.” Jun had no protest when Wonwoo threw those cruel words at him, but he could not stand Jeonghan being treated that way. His attitude changed right on the spot. “You know what Jeonghan has been through, too. He’s been treated like a slave for years. He has the right to be scared of Seungcheol.”

Wonwoo frowned at Jun’s defense for Jeonghan, but anyway he was not genuinely mad at Jeonghan. His only target was only the alpha, so he quickly gave up and turned away with a long sigh of frustration. Turning back to the omega, Jun tried to convince him despite knowing that he may not sound really convincing at this moment.

“Don’t worry, Hannie.” The word slipped out of his mouth again, but he was totally unaware of Wonwoo’s scowl. “Wonwoo won’t tell Joshua. I know he won’t. Please, stand up. You need to rest. Come on. Let me bring you back to bed.”

Instead of helping the hybrid to stand up, Jun decided to just carry him back to the bed. Jeonghan had no strength to protest, but his sobs got louder when he was in Jun’s arms and wrapped by the man’s gentle warmth. Previously, Wonwoo’s scary angry pheromones and voice woke him up, causing him to hear pretty much of their conversation. As a result, he knew that Jun was about to leave and he would have to deal with Seungcheol alone. Jeonghan desperately clung to Jun in his last minutes of having the alpha by his side, crying on his shoulder.

Jun had never thought that it would be possible for a human to survive such a horrible ache in his heart. He felt as if he was choking on air; even breathing was difficult. Jeonghan was so scared that he completely ignored Wonwoo’s presence, only knowing the alpha that he had always craved for but could never own. The lead alpha walked out of the room, leaving the couple a moment for each other after giving a cold reminder.

“You have fifteen minutes. Or Seungcheol will come and see you two like that.”

Jun had to try so hard to coax Jeonghan into letting him go for five minutes so that he could get inside the bathroom and wash to get rid of the omega’s lavender scent on his body. With the special soap that Wonwoo had given him, all of the smell would be washed away thoroughly, but Jun doubted that he and Jeonghan would just cling to each other in their real last minutes.

Shaking his head, Jun tried to persuade himself that maybe he could just ask Wonwoo to scent-mark him like he usually did. The prominent scent of a noble alpha would be more than enough to cover an omega’s scent that only got stuck to him in less than ten minutes.

Jun was right. Jeonghan was just waiting for him to come back, still crying and sobbing in his bed. The scene broke the alpha’s heart so violently he was the first one to moved and wrapped Jeonghan tightly in his arms. _Unfair, unfair, unfair_. All of this was unfair.

The devastating word kept repeating itself in Jun’s mind, driving him crazy.

“I will try all I can to help you.” Delivering a kiss on Jeonghan’s forehead, Jun tried to keep his voice stable so as to soothe the omega. “We will try to talk to Seungcheol. You’ll be fine.”

However, it seemed like Jeonghan was scared of another problem. Fear, pain, hope and desperation were all so clear in his teary eyes when he looked at Jun, asking with shaking and broken voice.

“Will we… ever meet again?” His hands were trembling while grabbing Jun’s collar so hard that his knuckles turned white. “Please… don’t leave me…”

“We will, I promise.” Forgetting the possibility of getting the omega scent again, Jun kissed Jeonghan’s lips, sealing his promise. “Remember that you still have me if you can’t bear Seungcheol anymore.”

Jeonghan nodded, shedding tears that kept breaking Jun’s heart and made it harder and harder for the alpha to go. Jun had never felt that helpless in his life. He once thought that being unable to solve his own problems was already extremely terrible; but now reality taught him that being unable to protect the person he loves is a hundred times worse.

“I’m sorry.” Jun whispered into Jeonghan’s ear, eventually failing to keep his tears from falling. “I’m sorry.”

When Jun finally detached himself away from Jeonghan, the hybrid immediately curled up on the bed, hugging his knees close to his chest and cried loudly, not daring to watch the alpha leaving. Jun could not bear staying to see that any longer either. He ran out of the door, frantically closing it as gently as possible so as not to scare the omega he had just left alone inside, but to no avail. The sound was loud, ugly and painful. Jun did not know why but he just wanted to run away, until he bumped into Wonwoo and the man held him back by two hands grabbing his shoulders firmly.

“Be careful, Jun.” Wonwoo mumbled, demanding Jun to calm down and look at him. Right at the moment Jun looked up, the older alpha frowned harshly, raising his hand to wipe the tear on his cousin’s face. “What’s this? Want Joshua and Mingyu to see you like this?”

Jun shook his head, trying to wipe the tears by himself. That was also the time he suddenly recognized the presence of another person.

“Jihoon will help Jeonghan a bit.” Wonwoo explained while the short omega stared at Jun in confusion. “He doesn’t know anything. Even if he knows, he won’t tell anyone.”

“How can you make sure about that?” This time was Jun’s turn to frown. The way he glanced at Jihoon made the omega uncomfortable.

“He won’t have the nerves to do that.” Ending his statement, Wonwoo turned to Jihoon with a question, sounding utterly threatening. “Right, Jihoon?”

“Y-yes… I will do nothing but take care of Jeonghan and get rid of all the unnecessary things.” Jihoon nodded vigorously, swallowing his own saliva with a lot of difficulty. It would never be a good idea to mess up with Wonwoo. Jihoon knew how rich and powerful the man was. If Jihoon made him upset by breaking any rule, his life would definitely end up in misery.

Jun did not need to ask to know what the _unnecessary things_ were. Jihoon would certainly help Jeonghan washed off all of Jun’s scent, and maybe the short omega would do something to make the room smell less like Jun too. At this point, Jun was grateful for Wonwoo, realizing that the man was actually not heartless. He was doing all of those things just in order to make Seungcheol calm down and not get angry when coming to see Jeonghan.

Wonwoo dumped the clothes that Jun had already taken off into the nearest trash can and then took his cousin to his car to drive him home. Jun had no choice but to follow his cousin, trying his best to make his face look normal in an attempt to fool the two people waiting for him at home. If someone asked, maybe he would just say that it was hard for him to sleep in the past few days, so he looked a little bit tired.

“When you get home, pack your stuff. We have to go on a four-day trip to England. Our plane is at eight o’clock tomorrow.”

Jun jumped at Wonwoo’s sudden announcement, and he gaped at the older alpha in pure shock.

“Tomorrow? But… why? How?” Jun was so shocked that he was not sure what the most precise question to ask was. “You’re not joking, right? To England? Four days?”

“It’s urgent. That’s our company’s work. I have no choice.” Wonwoo said blatantly. “That’s why I kept urging you to go home. I can’t go without my secretary.”

“But if we leave, then what about…”

“I believe it’s better when Seungcheol doesn’t see your face.” Wonwoo stated firmly, agitated by the thought that Jun did not really trust him. “Haven’t I told you that he had agreed to let Jeonghan meet a psychiatrist? It means he wanted to help his omega. The person he holds grudge against is you. Seungcheol has no idea about _what is happening between you and me_. So it’s absolutely impossible for him to easily forgive you for what you’ve done. I can, but he can’t.”

One more time, Jun was overwhelmed by the guilt being piled up in his heart. What Wonwoo had just said suddenly reminded him that he might have just lost a friend. So worried about Jeonghan and Joshua, Jun almost forgot how he had actually hurt his close friend’s feelings. Among all of his friends, Seungcheol is undoubtedly the closest one, but Jun messed up everything. What he had done was really unacceptable to everyone, yet there was only one person who just ignored all and even told Jun that he had failed to make the targeted person to feel disgusted of him.

That person was the man sitting next to him right at this moment, Wonwoo. The whole world could go against Jun for his actions, but Wonwoo could tolerate all. The fact was painful and torturous, as it proved Jun’s life to be a whole failure. Fate had already foretold his future. It told him that, in the end, he would be able to rely on no one but Wonwoo. He knew the older alpha would not tell Mingyu and Joshua about his affair, but no one could make sure that Seungcheol would not, and it was impossible to control their friend. On the day the forbidden secret got revealed, Jun would only have Wonwoo to hold onto, to keep on living. Without Wonwoo, he would have nothing left.

“How did you find us?” Jun suddenly asked, voice extremely low and quiet.

Wonwoo snorted, and the man seemed really annoyed.

“It’s predictable. There aren’t many hotels like that in this city. I told you. Money solves everything. You really thought that I couldn’t figure out you went to help Jeonghan?”

The younger alpha had no more questions, blaming himself for being stupid. Wonwoo knew him, understood him too much. It was almost impossible to hide anything from the man.

Again, he was at fault for this.

The two alphas remained silent from then on. Jun walked to his apartment with a heavy heart and exhausted soul. It was already dark, but Wonwoo told Jun while they were in the elevator after scent-marking him to cover Jeonghan’s scent.

“Try to keep a normal face. Joshua is waiting for you to have dinner.”

Startled, Jun checked his watch again, staring at his cousin in bewilderment.

“At this time? It’s eight…”

“I told him that you will be home this evening, and he insisted that he wait for you to have dinner.” Wonwoo’s voice was utterly cold when talking about this issue. “You can’t imagine how many times he has mentioned you in the past three days. Even his scent changed.”

Again, Jun felt like he was going to die of guilt.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was really painful to write this chapter ;_;   
Brace yourself. A lot of angst for Joshua is coming.
> 
> If you're still wondering, then I may say that the third person who knew about this secret was definitely Wonwoo. Jun intentionally let Wonwoo know about the first time because he was angry at Wonwoo then and he just wanted to make the lead alpha stop trying to get him. Jun thought that Wonwoo would hate him if he slept with their friend's mate, but he failed. Wonwoo never stopped.
> 
> Let's see how things go when Jun gets home in the next chapter. More angst is coming~


	32. Things started to collapse, one by one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun thought that he could die when seeing Joshua again.  
Extremely enraged, Wonwoo wanted to do that as well. Drowned in jealousy and anger, he lost control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst starts to get very heavier from this chapter onwards~ I hope you will like it ^^

Wonwoo did not lie at all. Joshua was sitting at the dining table, extremely fidgety no matter how Mingyu tried to calm him down. They all knew that the boy still loved Jun most among three of them. That burned, and even burned more badly now, since everyone was able to figure out that Jun could never give the boy the love he expected. Mingyu missed Jun so much that he was about to get crazy too, but his heart ached more by watching Joshua getting out of control just because Wonwoo had announced that his beloved alpha would come home today. Tugging the boy onto his lap, Mingyu hugged him tightly, rocking back and forth in an attempt to comfort the hybrid.

“Calm down, baby. He’ll be here soon. I bet he misses you too.”

Joshua had nothing to say back to Mingyu. He leaned against the giant man’s body, continuing to play with the hem of his shirt while waiting for Jun anxiously. He was in fact still not calm at all, but Joshua did not want to make Mingyu upset either. It was not long enough for him to get rid of the idea of obeying his _owners_; therefore he tried his best to pretend to be relaxed. Luckily, Mingyu was able to sense the shift of attitude in the hybrid and instantly regretted his words. He should have chosen another way of speaking to make himself sound less like commanding.

“Are you hungry, Joshua?” Placing a hand on the boy’s stomach, he gently asked. “Do you want to have some snack while waiting?”

“I’m hungry a little bit.” Joshua could not lie, especially when his stomach was growling out of his control. His hand came to find Mingyu’s hand on his belly, which caused the alpha to immediately tangle their fingers together. “But I can wait.”

Holding a sigh, Mingyu kissed the tip of Joshua’s head tenderly, murmuring a question.

“Looking you like this, I’m curious to death to know how much you missed me when I went to France last week.”

“It’s lucky that my heat came on those days.”

Joshua’s honest answer made the man’s heart drop, and he froze. However, the boy kept on saying, completely destroying the sadness that was creeping up the alpha’s chest.

“It distracted me a lot. I couldn’t think normally. Or else I would have…”

Joshua did not finish his sentence because he was too shy to confess that he desperately missed Mingyu. Sometimes, he could, but not always. It was typical of him to be timid and reserved. It was undeniable that the boy loved Jun most, but he never wanted to be apart from any of his alphas. Joshua just wanted all four of them to be together. Personally, he felt guilty for making his owners somehow think that he only loved Jun, but Joshua knew for sure that it was horribly wrong. He could not live happily without any of them. Even if Jun adored Joshua more than anyone else in this world, his life would just be miserable if there was no Mingyu or Wonwoo by his sides.

However, at this moment, Joshua’s mood lightened up when he heard a chuckle from Mingyu, the sound vibrating through the alpha’s chest to his body, making him feel strangely warm and happy. Hugging the hybrid that was emitting a lot of candy-liked scent due to his shyness, the giant man kissed his cheek, creating an extremely embarrassing sound, burning Joshua from head to toe.

“How can you be this cute, my kitten?”

During a minute after that, Joshua was attacked by hundreds of kisses from Mingyu on all over his face. However, it was always a beautiful feeling to be kissed by the man he loved, so Joshua just shyly basked in the affection and let the alpha do whatever he wanted. The boy giggled softly, and finally he even reached up to kiss Mingyu back, earning a satisfied hum from him. The kissing session kept going on for five more minutes until Mingyu suddenly got a phone call from someone Joshua did not know. When the man hung up, he just said that it was nothing important, but the call reminded the boy of something else.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Recognizing the sulky expression in the hybrid, Mingyu lowered his voice to ask, trying to look at him in the eyes.

“Jeonghan hasn’t come to see me for days.” Joshua was sad just by thinking of his best friend. “He kept saying that he was busy. But…”

“But what, kitten? Just tell me.” Mingyu rubbed his back, encouraging the boy to share his thoughts and feelings.

Convinced by Mingyu’s trustworthy eyes, Joshua blurted out.

“I know he doesn’t have any friends except for me. His family abandoned him long ago, too. Seungcheol is on a business trip. Then how can he be busy? I’m afraid that there’s something wrong with him. He may be in trouble. Maybe… maybe he’s ill. I asked if I could come to visit him but he even said that he was busy and wouldn’t let me in.”

“Then you think why doesn’t he just tell you that he’s sick?”

“Jeonghan is always like that.” Joshua slightly pouted, looking down at his thighs. “He never wants to let me see him being weak in any case. I think… even if he’s in heat, he won’t let me know either.”

“Because he loves you, and he wants to be strong in front of you, so that you can rely on him.” Mingyu was really confident when saying this, because that was easy to conclude. It was not difficult for anyone who had brain and eyes to understand how much Jeonghan adored Joshua. “Don’t worry, baby. If there’s something serious, I’m sure that he’ll call Seungcheol right away. I know this sounds ridiculous, but a man like Seungcheol will never let his mate get stuck in any trouble that is not caused by him.”

Joshua frowned harshly at the mention of Seungcheol. He still hated that man. Therefore, he was glad to hear Mingyu click his tongue, obviously disapproving of his friend’s behavior too.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him recently, but he wasn’t like that in the past. On a day when he was calm, he shared to us that he was concerned because Jeonghan always smells sad and he’s speaking less and less. If Seungcheol doesn’t ask, Jeonghan may go through a day without saying a word. I mean… he knows that his omega isn’t okay at all, and he wants to know why, but it’s like… he’s not determined enough. His mind is more occupied with possessing and controlling his mate. And he’s also a workaholic. Things in his company aren’t very good recently, and maybe he was stressed out because of frequent business trips. I swear to you, we are outsiders, but we, I mean me, Wonwoo and Jun, could see that Jeonghan is getting worse too.”

However, a few seconds later, Mingyu shrugged and sighed.

“Or maybe… this is the first time he has a mate, so I think we just didn’t have the chance to know how he would act towards his omega until the day Jeonghan appeared.”

Joshua stared at him in surprise, eyes wide.

“You mean Jeonghan is his first mate?”

“Yes.” Mingyu nodded, thumb tracing along the mark he had left on his hybrid’s neck. “He went out with some people in the past, but I’m sure Jeonghan is the first one to get the bite.” Suddenly, he chuckled. “Why do you seem so surprised? Seungcheol doesn’t look like a serious man?”

Caught off guard, Joshua did not know how to answer, because he did not know why he was amazed at that information either. Fortunately, Mingyu did not mind that, since he understood that the boy definitely could not have good impression of people who hurt his best friend. Hugging the cat tightly, Mingyu went back on rocking him back and forth on the chair, whispering in a calm and soothing voice.

“Anyway, you need to know that Seungcheol certainly loves Jeonghan. I believe that. I know Seungcheol doesn’t like hybrids too, but if after finding out the truth he didn’t kick your friend out of his house, then I’m sure he loves Jeonghan enough to ignore that truth. Seungcheol is not a pervert. He won’t keep a hybrid in order just to please his sexual needs. I’m sure there’ll be a way to fix things.”

Joshua did not know how it would be possible for them to talk to Seungcheol while the man was always enraged and started to attack Jun on sensitive aspects at those times, but he still nodded his head and decided to trust Mingyu.

“We’ll go to our office together tomorrow. Remember?” Mingyu smiled lovingly to the hybrid, trying to lighten up his mood. “There are many good restaurants around my company that you haven’t tried yet. What do you want to eat tomorrow?”

Thanks to the topic of food, the most peaceful topic in this world, Mingyu was able to maintain a joyful conversation with Joshua, successfully making the boy curious and excited about things that he would eat on the next day. Consequently, waiting became less tiring. And then, a few minutes later, all of a sudden, the boy stopped everything he was doing to scrunch his nose. As fast as a cheetah, he got out of Mingyu’s lap and ran towards the door even when there was no signal of the object moving yet.

Once the door was opened, Joshua jumped into Jun immediately, creating numerous sounds of happiness and excitement, which just made the two alphas’ hearts heavy. The guilt deep inside Jun caused him to hug the boy much more tightly than usual, even lifting him up, maneuvering the hybrid to straddle his waist. Jun missed Joshua so badly than he could just stand there and embrace his little omega like this for hours (and forget Mingyu), but the happier the boy was to see him, the more terrible Jun felt about himself. For the first time, he fully acknowledged that he did not deserve Joshua’s love. The boy had always been giving him so much, hoping so much from him, but he did nothing to meet those expectations. How long would this secret be kept? How would the boy react when he knew the truth?

Even Mingyu had a bitter feeling in his heart when Joshua confessed to Jun, despite the fact that he had been so shy to do that with the giant man just a few minutes ago.

“I miss you. I miss you!”

“I miss you too.” Jun kissed his love’s temple, but noticing Wonwoo’s scowl being thrown at him at the same time. “How are you doing, kitten?”

“I’m waiting for you to come back.” Joshua buried his face into the crook of Jun’s neck and inhaled deeply to take in the scent that he loved, instantly feeling contented to the deepest part of his heart, although he also smelled the peppermint aroma, not only the scent of a pine forest.

Nevertheless, the hybrid’s nostrils suddenly met the light scent of blood. At the same time, Mingyu’s voice came to his ears, extremely nervous and even shocked.

“Jun, are you okay? What’s wrong with your face?”

Startled, he pulled himself away just enough to look at Jun’s face, which made him gape. The boy’s mind was too occupied with Jun’s injured face that he forgot to hold onto the man, but Jun quickly supported Joshua’s whole weight by his hands, allowing the boy to freely use his hands to gently touch the bruises.

“W-what happened to you?” Worries filled Joshua’s eyes when he looked at Jun and then turned to Wonwoo who was standing right by his side. The boy wanted to search for wounds on the lead alpha too, but he was relieved to see that the man was totally fine.

“Some bastards tried to drag Jun away outside the hotel.” Wonwoo said in such a stable voice that Jun could do nothing but stare at him unblinkingly. The story might be too familiar, but at least that was the best answer he could give them at this moment. “I came there just in time to save him.”

“Again?” Mingyu growled, burning with anger. “What the hell is going on with people’s morals?”

Jun was unable to look at Mingyu’s worried eyes, or to keep on talking about this topic. He had never been good at lying. Especially at this time, when Joshua’s innocent eyes were looking at him with so much love and care like that, Jun thought perhaps he would be killed by guilt one day, deeming his little boy too precious for a weak and pathetic alpha like him.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’m fine.” Jun had never used so much strength in his life to force a smile on his numb face. “Wonwoo had already taken me to the hospital to take care of the wounds. That’s why it took a bit long.”

Whereas, the hybrid was eager to give his alpha all the love that was always blooming in his small heart, which he had wished to get bigger so as to contain all of the beautiful feelings for his alphas. His face, his voice, everything about him was just too pure like an angel when he smiled and spoke to Jun enthusiastically. He did not know that he was killing Jun and breaking Wonwoo’s heart by every single word and facial expression.

“Wonwoo told me this morning that you’ll be home tonight. I made the food you like today.”

Joshua did not realize any problem, but Mingyu could see that Wonwoo looked as if he were going to kill Jun because of the hybrid. The giant man tried to think what might possibly be the cause, but the scene in front of him just made it too hard for the brain to process something that mysterious and complicated. Mingyu felt heartbroken too, since he recognized that Jun was not being happy at all under such affection.

“I’m sorry for making you wait. I’m…”

Jun was about to say more to Joshua. He had so many things to tell the boy, that he missed him, he missed his dishes, or just everything about him. He wanted to apologize to his kitten a hundred times for being away. However, his intentions were not allowed to take place, since Wonwoo suddenly said in such a cold and commanding voice that he could feel Joshua flinched in his arms.

“Let’s have dinner first. It’s already late.”

Joshua desperately wanted to cling to Jun more, but he did not dare to disobey Wonwoo at all, especially when the man was speaking that way. Afraid that the lead alpha was being mad at something, and not wanting to make him madder, Joshua quickly pulled himself away from Jun, while his beloved alpha also slowly put him back down on the floor. Mingyu was surprised too, but he kept silent while watching Wonwoo take Joshua’s hand to lead him to the kitchen, leaving the other two staring in bewilderment. Nonetheless, the giant alpha still walked to his cousin, bending down to kiss Jun softly.

“Welcome home, Junnie. I miss you.”

Jun was quite taken aback by the kiss, as his mind had not got used to the fact that he had put his guards off in front of Mingyu a few days ago. In a split second, everything flooded back to him mind, reminding him of what he had allowed his younger cousin to do on the day he collapsed because of Wonwoo. There was no way of going back. Jun could not lie that he did not love Mingyu anymore. He even wrote the confession by himself. All of a sudden, he blushed, unsure what to do or what to say to the taller man.

Chuckling at the older alpha’s confused facial expression, Mingyu gently kissed his forehead and then held his hand firmly, urging his cousin to follow his footsteps.

“Let’s go have dinner.”

During the meal, Joshua and Mingyu were able to realize that the atmosphere was extremely strange. Jun seemed to be obviously fixated on other things rather than the food, but the boy was not sure that it was something out of this table. He saw the man keep staring at him from time to time in a way he had never seen before. Joshua was so confused and worried that he started to turn to Wonwoo with a hope to seek for an explanation from the eldest alpha.

Wonwoo was still mad, but he spoke to the hybrid slowly.

“Ruts are just as tiring as heats. Remember the day you came back home, you slept a lot, kitten?” Right after hearing the question, Joshua nodded thoughtfully and stopped wondering. He believed what Wonwoo told him, thinking that Jun was just a little spaced out because he was too tired.

“He’s right, baby. I’m just tired.” Jun smiled guiltily to Joshua from across the table. “Sorry for making you worried. I love your food. I’m just slow.”

The boy smiled to his alpha and eagerly used his chopsticks to put more food into Jun’s bowl of rice. However, all of those answers could not fool Mingyu, who had been living under the same roof with Jun for six years. Mingyu surely knew how tiring ruts are, but he knew the way Jun was acting right now was far from a show of exhaustion. Curiosity was killing him during the whole dinner, but Mingyu was determined to leave it later. Since Wonwoo did not answer honestly, the giant man believed that there were reasons for not letting Joshua hear _something_.

Although Jun said that he was tired, he helped Joshua do the dishes, saying that he missed doing the household chores with his little kitten. The boy wanted him to rest, but he could not stop the man from doing what he wanted to, so they ended up washing the dishes and talking quietly to each other by the sink. Joshua did not know what to ask about a rut, but thankfully Jun kept the conversation going by asking the boy about what he had been doing in the past few days.

Unluckily, one of the biggest problems Joshua had in those days was Jeonghan being cold to him, and he could not help telling his owners how sad he was about that. Jun almost dropped the plate in his hands at the mention of the blond omega. The image of the fragile rabbit hybrid with bandage and bruised face in the white surroundings of the hospital attacked his mind like a violent wave that destroyed everything in its way, leaving him with a painful feeling in the pit of his stomach. What was going on with Jeonghan? Did Seungcheol hit him again, or worse, _rape him_ as a punishment? Was it a huge mistake to leave him at the hospital?

When Jun came back to reality, he suddenly realized that he had just been spaced out again and this time Joshua was looking at him in utter concern. It was nearly impossible for the boy to imagine that there could be any abnormal relation between his beloved alpha and his best friend, so once again, he thought that Jun was too tired.

“Do you… need to get some rest, master?” Joshua took away the plate from Jun’s hand, nervously asking. “You don’t look okay.”

“I’m fine. I’m sure that I’m fine.” The alpha tried to crack a smile, shaking his head slightly. “Yeah, I admit that I’m a little tired, but not too bad. Let’s finish this first and we may go to bed together. Agree?”

There was nothing that could make Joshua believe Jun was fine anymore, but he still smiled because of the promise, getting excited to know that he was going to spend the night with Jun after days of longing for the said man.

“Can I help you pack your luggage?” He asked enthusiastically. “Wonwoo told me that you will leave for England tomorrow.”

Jun felt relieved to know that Joshua was already informed of the shocking information. He would not have to break the boy’s heart by telling him about it.

“That’s wonderful. Thank you so much, baby.” Smiling, Jun leaned over to kiss Joshua’s cheek, earning a soft giggle from his adorable omega.

In the end, Joshua’s dream was shattered when Wonwoo appeared at the moment he was about to head to Jun’s bedroom.

“Where are you going, Joshua?” Grabbing the hybrid’s wrist, Wonwoo asked, voice suddenly so cold and stern, making the boy cower.

Jun, who was holding Joshua’s hand on the other side, stopped his footstep as well. The image of Wonwoo in front of his eyes promised no good prospect. Just by a quick glance, he could tell that his older cousin did not approve of what they were going to do. Sensing the abnormal pheromones spread from the kitchen, Mingyu left the living room and quietly watched the whole things from the door.

“I’m… going to help him pack his stuff.” Joshua was much slower in speaking, intimidated by Wonwoo’s intense stare. “And… I will sleep with him tonight.”

Shock filled Joshua’s mind when Wonwoo pushed Jun’s hand away from him completely. It was not the first time of the lead alpha to do that, but he had always done that in a pretty playful manner. This time, Joshua had no feelings of the playful sides at all. Even Jun was staring at his cousin agape.

“Jun needs to rest. Don’t disturb him. You stay with me tonight, Joshua.” Wonwoo demanded, leaving no room for choices.

However, Joshua had missed Jun for days and he could not contain his heart anymore. The strong feelings piled up after days gave him enough courage to protest, even though his voice was thin and weak, as he was a little scared. He tried to look into Wonwoo’s eyes, pleading.

“But… master, please, can I stay with him tonight? I haven’t been with him nearly two weeks, and he’s going to leave again… Please, master. I want to…”

Joshua instantly regretted his words.

Everything happened so quickly that he could not know what was happening until a horrible feeling spread from the mark on his neck to his whole body. It was not painful, but it was something that he just never wanted to experience again. Right at the second Wonwoo dug his teeth deeply on the mark created by himself on Joshua’s neck, the boy stopped speaking completely. Instead, a whimper escaped his mouth while his body trembled violently as if a wave of electricity had just run through all of his nerves. Joshua felt his whole body _in extreme pain, _as if he had just been taught in a second _how hell was like_. Even after Wonwoo left the mark, he was too scared to move. Joshua just stood still in the trap of Wonwoo’s strong arms, completely helpless and defenseless. He flinched when feeling the man pressed his lips close to his ear to whisper the command one more time.

“I told you to stay with me tonight. Did you hear me?”

Joshua nodded vehemently, having no will to protest or say anything more, even having no courage to look up at his beloved alpha. The hybrid kept his head low, staring at the floor while both Mingyu and Jun were thoroughly shocked. Moreover, Mingyu was not only shocked but also angry. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between him and Wonwoo, strongly shoved his older cousin on his shoulder, almost yelling.

“What the hell are you doing, Wonwoo? He’s frightened to death. When did you become a jerk like that?”

Mingyu understood what Wonwoo had just done was the way the alphas manipulate their omegas. Through biting the formed mark, they could effortlessly beat the omega into submission, sending a chain of the scariest feelings through the omegas’ whole body. This time, the affect was obvious. Mingyu reached out his arm, intending to grab Joshua’s wrist so as to pull the boy to his side but the hybrid flinched and stay away from the touch immediately. If the one who had hurt Joshua was a stranger, he would have definitely sought for protection from his alphas, but since this time, the one who scared him was his own alpha, he saw no choice but to give in. The boy hid himself behind Wonwoo, too afraid to get any further _punishment_. He would not let anyone else touch him except for Wonwoo, because he knew the man would get mad.

The lead alpha was not fazed even a bit, just glaring at the other two in a challenging way.

“I just _teach him to obey_ his alpha. You have problems with that?”

“Teach?” The word made Mingyu even more enraged. To Jun’s bewilderment, he grabbed Wonwoo’s collar, snarling. “How dare you say that about our omega? You think that a jerk like you can say those to him? You force him to do whatever you see fit and even don’t give him a choice…”

Wonwoo harshly cut off his cousin. He did not raise his voice, but it was stern and cold enough to make Joshua shiver behind him although the alpha was not speaking to him. The boy tried harder to make himself thoroughly disappear from Mingyu’s sight, as if feeling afraid that even a glance of the giant man would make _his alpha_ angry.

“Remember _who signed the paper_, Mingyu.” Wonwoo strongly pushed Mingyu away from him, baring his teeth. “No matter what happens, _he’s mine_.”

“Shut up, Wonwoo. He’s ours, not only yours.” Growling fiercely, pointing a finger directly to the man who was giving off deadly pheromones, Mingyu lost all of his self-control.

Joshua was not sure who started the fight, since when he saw a hand was raised, he flinched, dodged and turned his head away instantly. Hurriedly taking a few step back, he watched his alphas throwing fists towards each other in horror. Everything happened so quickly that even Jun could not register that his cousins were really having a physical fight until a few seconds later. Once stepping in to interfere, he successfully made them stop hitting the other one, but Mingyu switched his attention from Wonwoo to the hybrid right away. By just one hand, he firmly grabbed Joshua’s wrist and pull him out of his “safe” position. The boy yelped and whimpered in fright, but he was never strong enough to resist his alpha’s strength, ending up falling into the giant man’s chest.

In contrast to what Mingyu had expected, Joshua did not feel safe at all in his embrace. The boy’s scent changed right into sour state, obviously revealing how scared he was due to the situation. He did not know what to do. Wonwoo demanded submission and obedience; he should only stay with Wonwoo. However, Mingyu was his alpha who had already left a bite on his neck too. If he disobeyed Mingyu, he could get the same punishment that he had just got from the lead alpha, or maybe worse. Mingyu was being enraged, which was the scariest thing that Joshua had imagined in terror from the first day he came here. He was being stuck between two provoked noble alphas. Within their fight, Joshua, a disobedient hybrid who was bad for misbehaving towards his alphas, would be crushed to death, or something even worse than death.

Mingyu was about to throw more harsh words to Wonwoo while the oldest alpha was going to get the hybrid back to himself, but both of them halted their actions at the moment Joshua burst into tears in panic. The stress was overwhelming and he could endure no more. The boy writhed in agony in a desperate attempt to get away from Mingyu, shocking the man to the point that he had to let go of the omega. Heartbroken, Jun wanted to hug Joshua, hoping that he would be able to calm the boy down like he had always done, but this time it was not easy like that anymore. Joshua did not accept his beloved alpha, and he only stopped thrashing crazily when Wonwoo eventually got him in his arms.

Joshua was crying and sobbing so hard that Wonwoo decided to lift him up, bending the boy’s legs to wrap around his waist. The cat hybrid followed whatever his alpha wanted, but it was what he wanted to do as well. Clinging tightly to Wonwoo, Joshua buried his face in the crook of his man’s neck and cried his eyes out. At that moment, all of the alphas were shocked by the powerful impact of the bite. It was just like poison. Joshua literally saw no one except for Wonwoo, and everybody meant nothing to him. Mingyu and Jun tried calling his name, but the boy did not look up even once. He only flinched whenever hearing his name from the alphas who were not holding him.

Saying no more to his cousins, Wonwoo left the kitchen, locking him and the hybrid in his own bedroom, not caring how the other two kept staring at him unblinkingly until he disappeared behind the wooden door.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, Joshua could not live peacefully when there's so much drama around him.  
You know, that's still not the end of Wonwoo being an ass yet. :'>  
There's not much of JunGyu in this chapter but I love that short moment of interaction TvT There will be much more of them in the next one ^^
> 
> I'm really excited to know how you guys think after reading this chapter~
> 
> This is not related to the story but today one of my colleagues mistook me as a teenage student haha :'> He said that when I walked past him he thought I was a student who looked alike his colleague. Believe me, I am only younger than Seventeen 95line ^^


	33. Willing to be a replacement, so as to be with you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Mingyu and Jun were shocked at Wonwoo's action.  
But Mingyu knew that he also had to take care of Jun, and his love would leave again soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone ^^ 
> 
> A long chapter of JunGyu for this Christmas <3 I hope you will like it.

After Wonwoo left for a while, Jun was still standing there without saying anything more, slowly ducking his head until it was difficult for Mingyu to see his eyes. The giant man could tell that his cousin understood the reason for Wonwoo’s behaviors, but he doubted if this was a suitable time to ask Jun, who was bearing wounds on his face and obviously worn out.

Mingyu had been extremely angry and aggressive, but after seeing Joshua’s tears and Jun’s abnormally sad expression, he just could not be enraged any longer. He was only extremely worried and agitated. Much as he terribly wanted to break the door into Wonwoo’s room to get Joshua back, he knew that it was not a good idea. It would make his oldest cousin even angrier and the hybrid would be more frightened. Inhaling deeply, Mingyu tried to persuade himself to believe that, Joshua was crying but anyway he was being utterly submissive to Wonwoo, which was the exact thing that the lead alpha wanted at this moment. Therefore, once having the boy to his own, Wonwoo would probably try to calm Joshua down and comfort the sobbing hybrid.

The one Mingyu should worry about most was Jun, who had just had his lover stolen away as if he had done something so wrong to the point that Wonwoo thought he did not deserve the omega anymore.

Mingyu thought he was going to die of curiosity, but he could not bear making his love more exhausted. Instead of asking and trying to find the truth, he decided to spend the night giving Jun attention and affection. The older alpha would leave soon, so it would be wise for Mingyu to make use of their last night together before his business trip.

Jun only looked up when Mingyu gently tangled their fingers together in a gentle hold on his cold hand. Shining like the sun, or even warmer and brighter than the sun, Mingyu was smiling to him while whispering soothing words that Jun desperately wanted to hear at the moment. He was too tired of fierce and harsh words from Seungcheol and Wonwoo. He was too scared of broken words coming from Jeonghan and even himself. Joshua had been taken away from him. Mingyu was the only one left for Jun to hold onto, to seek for comfort like the day he was left alone at Wonwoo’s office. He could see concern in Mingyu’s eyes, but the huge man was obviously trying to keep a positive attitude to cheer him up.

Fate forced to Jun to realize, that although Wonwoo was his first love and his everything, Mingyu was his savior, the only one that would remain by his sides no matter what happened. No one could stop him, even Wonwoo. Mingyu would never hurt Jun by a marriage like Wonwoo did.

“Don’t worry. I guess… Wonwoo just desperately wants to have Joshua with him tonight. He won’t treat our baby badly. You know, these walls and doors have never been able to block Joshua’s scent. If something happens, we will know and run there right away.”

It was undeniable that what Mingyu said was totally right. This was not the first time they saw Wonwoo being possessive and fierce when it came to Joshua, and after all, the lead alpha always apologized to the hybrid and changed his attitudes afterwards. Reluctantly, Jun nodded after not less than half a minute staring at Mingyu in an attempt to seek for assurance. He saw worries tinting in the huge man’s eyes, too, but both of them knew that it would be the best to let a triggered alpha get what he wanted instead of driving him crazier by trying to stop him. Wonwoo is not a pervert or a bastard. They knew he would not harm Joshua.

Being a man of bright personalities as always, Mingyu grinned and voluntarily gave a wonderful offer to the man in front of him.

“I’ll help you pack your suitcase. Four days are long. There are many things to prepare.”

Not waiting for Jun to reply, Mingyu began walking towards his cousin’s room, keeping his head turning to Jun’s direction to let the older alpha know that all of his attention would always be on him. Still reluctant and scared, Jun hesitated for a while, but the giant man kept pulling him forward and smiled at him endearingly, eyes silently encouraging him to follow his footsteps. Guilt was strong and heavy, but Jun had no strength left to fight against his own wish to go with Mingyu and get any sweet treatment from him.

Mingyu did not ask anything, only focusing on packing Jun’s suitcase properly with all the things that he might need for the upcoming four days in England. Their conversation was just around that topic, and only after ten minutes, Jun was so thankful that he had Mingyu here. Without the younger man, he would never be able to finish this, since the thoughts in his mind were too chaotic to let him think normally. While Mingyu was busy with the suitcase, Jun could not force himself to put his phone down, as he deadly wanted to contact Jeonghan in order to what was going on with the omega. However, he was not sure that it would be a good idea to do that, since it was much likely for Seungcheol to be the one who checked Jeonghan’s phone when a new call or message came. Jun kept staring at his phone, thinking over and over again, not noticing Mingyu had just done locking the suitcase and even let out a happy sound of success.

“Are you tired, Junnie?”

Hearing the loving voice so close to his ear with the hot breath ghosting on his neck, Jun almost dropped his phone, but he quickly got composed again to see his cousin wrapping his muscular arms around him tightly in a backhug.

“Do you want to go to sleep now?” Mingyu asked one more question, expecting a “yes”.

Indeed, Jun nodded his head, but Mingyu was happier and more focused on the fact that he was not pushed away. The period of time in which the giant man got rejected by his cousin was so long that Mingyu sometimes thought he was dreaming those days. At this moment, Jun was calm in his arms, showing no protest, not throwing any painful words to him, not hiding his true feelings anymore. The scent of pine forest was not in a very pleasant condition, but the most important thing was that _Mingyu was accepted_. As long as Jun agreed to admit that he loves Mingyu too, the giant man would have all of his time in this world to comfort his lover and do anything he could to make his sadness go away.

“Do you want to sleep here or in my room?” One more time, Mingyu asked, after putting a kiss on Jun’s temple.

“Your room.” Jun answered with not much hesitation, his hands coming to hold Mingyu’s hands that were being placed on his belly.

“I like that too.” The giant alpha smiled, tightening his embrace. “You don’t know how much I miss you. I was away in three days and then you were gone in three more days. I feel like I haven’t met you in a week straight.”

“I’m sorry.” Jun could not help apologizing in an extraordinarily weak voice. “I’m sorry.”

Mingyu shook his head immediately, resting his chin on the older alpha’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say that to me. Now let’s go to my room first. You’ve been absent a few days. This room doesn’t smell good at all.”

Taking Jun’s hand in his hand again, Mingyu led his cousin to his own bedroom, happy to see the other one willingly follow him immediately. Saying the room did not smell nice was just an excuse the giant man made up to quickly bring his love to his room. Hugging Jun in his arms, he tried to inhale the pine forest, but it was seriously faded away, and the left part was melancholy. Jun never spoke out, but Mingyu knew his sandalwood scent would help him feel better. He would never forget that there were times in which Jun knocked on his door at midnight, asking if he could join him on his bed because he had just had a very bad nightmare and he could not bear sleeping alone for the rest of the night.

Besides, Jun was reeking of Wonwoo. Mingyu had already known from long ago that perhaps he would have to share Jun like what he had to do with Joshua, but at this moment, he felt angry to smell the oldest alpha from his love. Wonwoo had not been nice to Jun, and Mingyu definitely thought the man did not deserve Jun at all. Each alpha is different, but being possessive is just something belonging to their primal instincts. Right at this moment, Mingyu only wanted to have Jun for himself. It was Wonwoo’s fault to trigger him this way. Mingyu would surely punch Wonwoo in the face if the lead alpha ran into his room to steal Jun away from him or did anything bad to him.

Jun was able to realize what was happening in Mingyu’s mind, to see how his younger cousin was acting so protective and possessive towards him, but he had no complaint about that. Even after the door was locked, he felt utterly safe and comfortable in the space filled with Mingyu’s strong but warm scent. Even when Mingyu asked him to change his clothes, Jun easily agreed. The younger alpha let his cousin freely choose the clothes he liked from the wardrobe, and then when Jun got out of the bathroom, the giant man smiled in satisfaction. Wrapping the shorter man in his arms, Mingyu was not subtle even a bit when he sniffed Jun and scent-marked him all over his body, trying his best to use his own scent to cover Wonwoo’s one. Jun giggled softly, willingly sat on Mingyu’s lap as his cousin sat on the edge of the bed and pulled him down together.

Sitting with his back pressed to Mingyu’s chest, Jun was caught off guard when he suddenly felt the giant man’s teeth on his skin. Before he was able to figure out his cousin’s intention, without warning or asking, Mingyu bit him really hard on his neck, creating a temporary mark right there, causing the other one to jolt in shock and whimper in pain. Instantly, Mingyu tightened his embrace to keep his target in place, having no mercy for his cousin, giving him no chance to run away. However, Jun did not really protest or try to escape. It took more time to form a mark on an alpha; therefore, Jun had time to get used to the feelings and after the first jolt, he just sat still in Mingyu’s arms, slightly shrinking and frowning. At that time, Jun totally understood why Joshua cried or almost cried whenever Wonwoo bit him, since it hurt badly.

As an alpha, Jun might be considered to have better tolerance for pain, but in fact alphas are not born to take mating bites. Consequently, the bite does not hurt them less than how they affect the omegas. When Mingyu finally stopped biting, seeing blood oozing out from the mark, he slowly started to realize what he had just done. Instincts took over in just a second and Mingyu was not fully aware of his actions anymore, but now he was highly concerned of his own behaviors that hurt his love. Filled and drowned by regrets, Mingyu waited for a punch or a yell from his cousin, but nothing happened. Jun was just trying to get back his normal breath as the pain was gradually subsiding. The giant man had just bitten him without his consent, but he took it and said nothing. Mingyu’s heart clenched violently in his chest, urging him to shower Jun with love and comfort, or anything he might do to make him feel safe and cherished.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” Mingyu kept murmuring to Jun’s ear, his hug even tighter than before. “I’m sorry, Junnie. I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine.” Jun replied quietly, gently rubbing the back of Mingyu’s hand. “Only hurt a bit.”

“I’m sorry.”

The guilt in Mingyu’s heart was so huge that he just could not stop apologizing, and then the man soon started leaving kisses on and around the newly formed mark on Jun’s neck as he known how much such action would alleviate the pain. The effect was obvious, since Jun’s tensed body instantly got relaxed after a few light kisses. If it was another day, perhaps Jun would feel something more under those intimate and gentle kisses, but today he was just too tired to think of anything else. The comfort brought by his cousin only made his eyelids heavy and his exhausted mind felt calm and comfortable enough to begin getting sleepy. There was a true fight in his brain at this moment, with worries about Jeonghan trying to keep him awake, and Mingyu’s love luring him into a peaceful slumber.

It was not difficult at all for Mingyu to realize how tired Jun was, and it was not difficult at all for him to hold back any kind of desire that might rise up in his mind for the sake of his love’s comfort. Slowly and carefully, he pulled his cousin’s body to lie down on the mattress together with him. In Mingyu’s embrace, Jun somehow still got lost in his concern, and only got his mind back when the other alpha suddenly bit the mark once again, causing him to yelp in surprise, but the sensation was amazingly nice and comfortable.

“Please, Junnie, you need to sleep.” Mingyu whispered softly but worriedly, ghosting his breath on the older’s face. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but you seriously need to stop.”

It was not until then did Jun started to realize that Mingyu had spent minutes kissing and nibbling the mark, trying to lure him into sleep but failed. The younger man was hovering above him, with two elbows and arms on his sides to support his body over the older alpha. Jun was being locked between his cousin’s arms and also feeling the weight on his lower part. Staring at Mingyu guiltily, Jun sheepishly shook his head. His answer was so weak that Mingyu almost missed his words.

“I… can’t.”

“Why?” The giant frowned, keeping his voice low and quiet so as not to make it too loud to his cousin who was acting strangely. “What happened?”

Jun bit his lips, just wanting to tell Mingyu everything that was bothering him, but he could not, because he knew _it was wrong_. However, the urge was too strong. The pressure Jun was feeling was just too horrible. He needed someone to share it, since he had never been good at enduring difficulty alone. No matter what he did, he could not get away from the guilt, the haunting obsession. He tried to get rid of the image of crying Jeonghan but to no avail. He was staying here so peacefully, but maybe Jeonghan was suffering with his crazy alpha by his sides all the time. He might be hit, yelled at, or even worse, raped. If anything sexual occurred between them at this moment, Jun could only consider that as a _rape_. He knew Jeonghan had no interest for that, and Seungcheol could not get any consent from him until the day the omega healed the wounds in his heart.

“I can’t tell you.” Again, Jun shook his head, but his voice was so broken, startling even himself. “I… I really can’t.”

“Why can’t you?” Mingyu’s warm hand came to caress his cheek tenderly. “Am I not dumb enough to you? You think I am still capable of judging you for what you’ve done?”

Jun protested immediately.

“You aren’t dumb at a-…”

“I know I am.” The younger man stated firmly. “I will accept anything you tell me, except for when you tell me that you don’t love me anymore.”

Biting his lips harder, Jun was getting weaker and weaker, too weak to resist the temptation of sharing the heavy feelings in his heart with Mingyu, who was literally begging him to tell the truth. His younger cousin was trying to prove that he was whatever Jun had expected. Mingyu would not judge him. Mingyu would forgive him for everything. Mingyu would never get mad at him. Mingyu would stay by his sides till the end. If both Wonwoo and Mingyu could tolerate what Jun had done, then Mingyu would be the only one to welcome Jun with warmest arms and smiles.

If Jun could not trust him, if Jun could not lean on him, then what the hell on this world would he even have for himself?

“Please tell me, Junnie.” Mingyu was pleading one more time, looking at Jun deeply in his eyes. “What or who is bothering you?”

After one minute of silence passing by, Mingyu thought that he was not going to receive the answer he wanted, but as he patiently waited in one more minute, Jun finally opened his mouth again. This time, a name slipped out of his mouth.

“Jeonghan.”

Mingyu was utterly dumbfounded.

Of course, he understood nothing.

In a split second, he almost blurted out hundreds of questions, but he luckily controlled himself on time to avoid doing such a stupid thing. Asking was just the same of judging. Mingyu understood Jun enough to know that, if it was already that difficult for him to make Jun reveal this secret, then this time would be not suitable to ask for more information. He should only feel grateful that at least Jun trust him enough let him know about this. At least, he had the chance to know that there was _somebody else_ in his mind, in his heart.

Mingyu could not understand or imagine how _that _happened, but he managed to calmly reply with an understanding nod, trying to keep his eyes seem not too shocked, especially when the other man was staring at him unblinkingly and expectantly like a kid desperately hoping not to get a punishment from his parents.

“Okay.” Mingyu caressed Jun’s hair and cheek one more time. “But you know that it’s like… killing him if we try to check on him at this time, right? Seungcheol will be angry.”

Jun nodded vigorously.

“We have to accept that there’s nothing that we can do to him now. You can’t know what he’s doing by worrying about him. You know it, right?”

“But I can’t stop.” Jun shook his head, voice still broken, also breaking Mingyu’s heart. “He’s in trouble because of me.”

“Is he with Seungcheol now?”

Jun nodded, giving a relief to Mingyu.

“I believe that Seungcheol truly loves him. He’ll be fine. We’ve known Seungcheol for years. You have to trust him too, Junnie. Can you do that for me?”

Jun was obviously so fixated on his worries about Jeonghan that he even did not notice that Mingyu did not get angry or disappointed at the fact that he was thinking about the omega all the time while the giant man was nearby. Jun was mentally and physically exhausted, but he just could not stop himself.

“I want to trust Seungcheol, too. But… I can’t stop, Mingyu.” He shook his head, looking at his cousin in desperation. “I… I can’t stop.”

The only thing that made Mingyu upset was that Jun was not trying to sleep while he had to get on the flight in the morning tomorrow, and he doubted the possibility that Wonwoo would kindly play the role of the person who tried to comfort Jun. Gritting his teeth, Mingyu shifted his position above Jun, preparing to do something that Jun was unable to predict.

“Then I might have to make you tired enough to fall asleep out of your wish. You will close your eyes before your brain knows what is happening.”

That sounded scary somehow, but Jun did not protest at all. Nervously trying to think what Mingyu was planning to do, Jun jolted again in shock when the giant alpha touched him, but this time it was not his teeth touching the skin on his neck anymore. Jun squirmed but there was nothing he could do to stop Mingyu’s hand from sneaking into his sweatpants and boxer. His hand tried to hold the bigger man’s wrist but to no avail. Mingyu is undoubtedly stronger.

“Mingyu… what… what are you…” Jun stammered, still trying to stop the other.

“Making you tired.” Mingyu answered, briefly and blatantly, but his eyes were intense and fierce, sending shivers through the other one.

Jun bit his lips extremely hard when Mingyu grabbed his cock in the large calloused hand. Although he was utterly tired, Mingyu’s touch was so new and foreign, something that he had never known. He could not do anything to prevent his body from reacting so sensitively to the man stroking his cock with no mercy. It was easy for the thoughts about Jeonghan fly out of his head due to the intense stimulation. He practically could not think anymore, especially after Mingyu attached their lips together in a chain of passionate and enthusiastic kisses that stole all of Jun’s breath and swallowed all of the sounds coming from his throat.

The fact was that Mingyu started all those things without Jun’s permission, but in the end the older alpha did not fight back, only taking everything given to him, including the impatient tongue that was invading his mouth to explore every corner and taste him thoroughly. Jun knew Mingyu was never a man of patience, but he just could not sense any aggression in the giant man’s action, and he knew he totally could get out of this if he really felt uncomfortable. Jun was surprised, but he could not tell that the feeling he was having in his heart resembled discomfort. Mingyu was determined and fierce in his action, yet in fact the way he touched his cousin was still gentle than most of the alphas Jun had ever encountered.

Just _most of them_. Because there was still Wonwoo, who used to be gentle to Jun, cherishing him more than anyone else in this world. That was just a long gone fact, but it was too difficult for him to avoid thinking of the lead alpha in this situation. How many times had they done this together? Jun could not remember, and the last time they shared an intimate moment happily together was also a vague memory in his mind. Only months had passed by, but Jun felt as if he had been through years or decades without the warmth of Wonwoo’s love, or the warmth brought by the notion of being the person Wonwoo adored most in his life. Reality hit Jun hard, telling him that he had been wrong all the time, and now fate brought Mingyu to him, showing him who was the person that truly loves him more than anyone or anything else in this world.

This was not the first time Jun acknowledged that fact, but it was still painful as hell for him to take the brutal truth. The pain was so sharp and cruel that it caused him to whimper like a wounded animal, but Mingyu failed to recognize the true meaning behind the sound. With a mind getting hazy, he thought that was just a moan escaping from Jun’s mouth where their lips were continuously locked tightly together. However, it was impossible for Mingyu to mistake the problem one more time when his eyes caught the sight of a tear rolling down his cousin’s cheek.

In just a second, Mingyu stopped all the things he were doing, pulling himself back on his arms and elbows so as to get enough distance to look at Jun’s face. The second and third tears soon followed the first one to drop from those beautiful eyes, making the giant alpha’s heart clench violently.

“I-I’m sorry, Junnie. I’m really sorry.” Startled, Mingyu stuttered, quickly cupping the older’s face by both hands, trying to comfort the crying man. “I-I didn’t know… I should have asked you first. I’m sorry, Junnie. I…”

“It-it’s not your fault, Mingyu.” Jun shook his head while the tears kept cascading on his face. His voice was shaking, letting Mingyu know that the sniffles would come soon, and when they did, they stabbed a knife through the man’s ribcage, from the front to the back, leaving him bleeding and screaming inside because of utter pain. “Not your fault… Not you…”

Mingyu’s first reaction was to persuade Jun just to let him know what he had done wrong, but the way his lover was crying clearly told him that he was really not the reason for those tears. Jun even held one of Mingyu’s hands, slowly bringing it down to the waistband of his sweatpants. Swallowing down the tears and trying to hold back the sob, Jun weakly pleaded.

“Don’t… don’t stop, Gyu. Don’t stop…”

“But…” Mingyu could not help getting extremely hesitant, unsure if it was really fine for him to do such a thing to a broken person. “Are you sure, Junnie? I don’t want to hurt you…”

“Please… Mingyu, please.” Jun was literally begging in tears. “Please… help me forget him…”

Mingyu did not know why, but something in his mind clicked in, and he knew _“him”_ that Jun mentioned was not Jeonghan that they had talked about previously anymore.

If there was someone who used to pin Jun down on the bed and brought pleasure to him by his hands, that person must be no one other than Wonwoo. Mingyu had never heard them talk about that, or seen them having intimate interactions like a couple, but he was not oblivious or stupid. He knew they were in love. Mingyu knew Wonwoo was the first one ever to creep into Jun’s heart. Mingyu knew he was just the third person. Somehow, he was not even sure if Jun loved him or he was just a kind of replacement, fitting in the large empty spot that Wonwoo had left in Jun’s heart in the right time.

Overall, Mingyu did not care. He never wished to be a replacement, but if that was the only chance for him to be with Jun, to become Jun’s mate, he would willingly donate himself for that position. If he had been used to watching Jun and Wonwoo being so close to each other after that many years, then why would he be unable to endure loving and taking care of Jun while the only alpha he had in his heart was someone not him?

Without saying a word, Mingyu did as what Jun had told him. His hand went back to stroking the hardening cock in Jun’s pants. Whimpering and moaning at the same time, the man beneath frantically reached out his arms to wrap them around the giant alpha’s neck, pulling him closer and opened his mouth, inviting the other to invade once more. With no hesitation, Mingyu kissed Jun passionately, slowly getting rougher as minutes passed by but the older alpha had no protest. Jun’s lips were not the only things that Mingyu focused on. He littered kissed on all over his neck and his collarbones, anywhere that the collar of his shirt allowed his mouth to reach. It did not hurt at all, but those kisses would surely leave several hickeys.

A selfish part of Mingyu urged him to place the hickeys on the part where it was easiest for other people to see, but finally his love for Jun still won over everything, and he ended up putting the roughest kisses and nibbles just on his cousin’s collarbones only. Since Jun would have to dress up properly while working abroad with no time to play around, he would be able to cover them with formal suits and ties.

Even when Jun had already come once, Mingyu kept on stroking his cock in a torturing pace. The older felt like being overwhelmed but he was already accustomed to this feeling after years being with an over-possessive Wonwoo. However, this time, the thought about the lead alpha did not have any chance to sneak into his mind anymore. It was too much, but he was too lost to voice out what he was feeling, perhaps drowned in subspace from when he did not know. Jun whimpered a bit, but Mingyu’s rough hand was like doing magic on him, refusing to let him soften.

It did not take much time for Jun to get his second release in the bigger man’s embrace. He came so hard that his body kept convulsing for nearly a minute, which made it painfully difficult for Mingyu to hold himself back from the imagination of having his cock buried deep inside his lover in such a condition. The spasm of tight muscles around his hard dick would be like heaven, but it was still not time for that yet. There was nothing Mingyu could do except for hugging Jun in his arms and gently stroking him until the whole orgasm was away.

This time, Mingyu spent time watching his love to contemplate whether it was necessary to get him off one more time so as to wear out all of his energy. The answer was that, he did not need to. Jun was not much conscious while Mingyu littered small kisses on his pale face. Only a few more seconds passed by, and the tired alpha did not open his eyes anymore, succumbing to his exhaustion. Satisfied, Mingyu smiled to himself, retreating his hand but then quickly bringing it to his own mouth to have his first taste of the man he had always desired to have. It was not a surprise for Mingyu to find his love delicious. He was utterly blind in love, anyway. In fact, he even wished to give Jun a blow job if the second orgasm was not enough to make him pass out, but maybe it was not his time yet.

That was fine. Mingyu was already used to waiting for Jun, and he knew he possibly would have to wait more in the future. Things turned out to be easy, Mingyu thought. He had already grown used to everything. There was a sudden confidence growing in his heart, giving him the hope to believe that he would be able to share a happy life together with Jun, regardless of whatever had happened or whoever his mate may love more than him.

Silently, Mingyu cleaned up for Jun, and then went back to hugging his cousin tightly under the warm blanket. He wished tomorrow would never come, so that he could keep his lover in his embrace forever. After this night, Jun would be away in days, and Mingyu honestly felt worried about letting the older go anywhere with Wonwoo those days. Recalling of the lead alpha’s attitude towards Joshua previously, Mingyu guessed that his older cousin knew about Jun’s feelings for Jeonghan too, but he did not seem to accept that well. Would an angry Wonwoo do anything bad to Jun when Mingyu was not nearby?

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Mingyu TvT I love JunGyu TvT   
Wow I love every couple in my fic ;_;  
Now you can feel relieved for our Junnie because Mingyu accepted things very well ^^ We will get to know what happens between Wonwoo and Joshua in the next chapter.  
More angst for Joshua hehe~


	34. Love, alpha, worship, and God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun had Mingyu by his sides to find some comfort.  
Joshua only had Wonwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I promised, here is some more angst for Joshua~  
And of course, WonShua for the whole chapter ^^

In Wonwoo’s room, after sitting on the edge of the bed, the alpha used his hand to wipe the tears on Joshua’s face and murmured to the boy.

“It’s okay, baby. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.”

Surprisingly, only a minute after that, the hybrid really stopped crying, but Wonwoo immediately regretted his words and wanted to punch his own face. Joshua considered his saying as a command. Wonwoo tried to give the boy some more comfort by letting him sit alone on the bed and then moved away, but Joshua still did not move even the slightest. He tried looking at the man, but when Wonwoo glanced at him, he immediately tore his eyes away, deciding to stare at the floor and keeping his head down instead of risking driving the man crazy by some bad behaviors. For more than a month living in this apartment, Joshua had never been scolded by any of his owners. He had always tried his best to be a good omega for them, but he guessed today he messed up everything. He was really bad for disobeying Wonwoo, talking back to him after a direct command. The man totally had the right to be angry, Joshua convinced himself. It was not that Wonwoo was being cruel to Joshua. The boy chose to think that he was to blame for this, and he needed to learn again how to behave.

At this moment, when Jun was no longer in his view and he only had the adorable boy that he deadly wants to love and own for himself, Wonwoo finally gradually relaxed all of his mind and muscles, very slowly starting to regret his action. He still needed to work, so after a few short minutes of hesitation, he brought Joshua with him to the chair in front of his paper desk. The boy was extremely stiff in his arms. Even his breath was cautious as if he was afraid that a simple sound of him may make Wonwoo mad without him even knowing why. As a hybrid holding a dreadful past of being punished over and over again by his previous master, Joshua was unconscious of himself acting this way. It would be precise to say that he was being exaggerating, knowing that he had already misbehaved but then acting cautiously all the time as if Wonwoo would turn into a devil without a proper reason.

However, this time it was not just his haunting past that affected his behaviors. Joshua had not been bitten by _that man_. As a result, this was the first time for him to really experience how it felt to be controlled in the unpleasant way by the alpha who owned him. Joshua had once heard Seungkwan say that all of the effects brought by the mating bite would be more intense when it was the real one. The boy did not dare to imagine how scary it would be then, because what had happened a few minutes ago was a nightmare that he never wanted to think of anymore. He did not want to. He would never want to. Nonetheless, it was too terrifying for him to forget. It kept haunting his mind, coming back to him again and again, and sometimes he just felt like Wonwoo was digging his teeth in the mark and sending those kinds of feelings throughout his body one more time.

Joshua had his phone in his pocket, but he did not dare to take it out, only sitting completely still on Wonwoo’s lap. He wanted to relax, but he could not. The boy was obviously trembling, giving off really sour scent that hurt the alpha’s lungs. Joshua was leaning against the man’s chest as he had always done, but he did not feel safe or warm. His mind had been far gone with the brutal bite that Wonwoo gave him, lost in the fear of punishment and violence. He kept shrinking and curling up, literally hugging himself as if thinking that he could protect himself in that way.

Wonwoo wanted to concentrate on his work, but he certainly failed. All his mind could think of was just the shaking frightened hybrid on his lap. Half of the alpha’s heart wanted to apologize, but whenever he thought of Jun, he could not help feeling angry over the fact that Joshua knew nothing and kept clinging to the man that did not deserve his love. Wonwoo desperately wanted to tell the boy how silly he was to put his faith and heart in Jun, who would never return him the love of the same amount that he had wholeheartedly given away. Wonwoo crazily wanted to let Joshua know who was the one that loves him most, who he should give his attention to.

However, in the end, the man had to sigh in defeat, admitting that he was wrong. Jun was wrong, but he was not better. Joshua had not done anything wrong, because he did not know anything. He was just pure and innocent. Wonwoo was at fault for breaking him and hurting his feelings by selfish action. The boy did not deserve this kind of treatment, especially when Wonwoo is a noble, which means he is more powerful than an average alpha, and Joshua is just a hybrid omega, which means he is more vulnerable than a normal human one. If Wonwoo kept doing things like this to Joshua, he would not be much different from Seungcheol. Wonwoo never approved of what Jun and Jeonghan had done, but he was utterly sick of the way his friend treated his mate in all ways. He was not sure that was even called _love_.

If he loves Joshua, he needs to treasure the boy no matter what happens. Joshua can break his heart, but he is not allowed to do the same thing to his beloved omega. The issue between Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Jun had already taught Wonwoo many lessons. If he breaks his lover, there will be one day when he will have to regret everything but it is too late to make things come back to the originally beautiful state.

Looking at the sad hybrid on his laps, Wonwoo was not sure how to lighten up his mood. This was not the first time he did something wrong to the boy, and he seriously doubted that Joshua would not trust his apology anymore. However, while Wonwoo was still busy thinking of a solution, his kitten had already fallen asleep in his arms. They had dinner really late today, and the cruel bite had taken away too much of his energy. Joshua definitely did not feel safe, but his body and mind just gave up because of tiredness. The scene of the sleeping boy unexpectedly broke Wonwoo’s heart. Without hesitation, he decided to turn off the computer and carefully brought the hybrid to bed, joining him right after that.

Joshua’s scent was still so bad even when he was sleeping, causing Wonwoo to feel his heart heavy with concern and guilt. The boy usually had his scent sour whenever he went through a nightmare, but he had never smelled bad right from the beginning of his slumber like that. Moreover, recently Wonwoo had noticed that even when Joshua had a bad dream, he smelled much better than he used to in the same situation in the past. Wonwoo knew he messed up everything again. Joshua was living in fright because of his brutal treatment. The threatening bite does not make any omegas bleed, but the feelings it give the victim are always worse than those brought by any kinds of physical pain.

Although Wonwoo knew for sure that Joshua had already slept and the boy would not easily wake up because of anything, the alpha could not help whispering apologies to his lover’s ears. Sighing, he tightened his embrace and bit Joshua one more time, with a hope to deliver some comfortable sensation to the sleeping hybrid. Joshua’s body flinched in his sleep, but there was no sign of him being woken up. Luckily, the scent got a little bit sweeter, slightly softening Wonwoo’s heart. After the alpha stopped biting, Joshua squirmed, subconsciously trying to seek for something that his owner was not sure. Eventually, the boy seemed to decide that he had found his favorite position when he pressed his face completely to Wonwoo’s chest with his nose placed on the exposed skin revealed by the collar of his shirt.

Wonwoo wondered how it was possible for a man to survive his heart being broken so many times like this. Joshua was scared of him, but still looking for comfort and protection from him at the same time. Wonwoo cursed at himself, finally admitting that if Jun did not deserve the boy, then he himself was not good enough for Joshua either.

“I’m here for you, baby.” Stroking the hybrid’s brown locks, Wonwoo murmured soothing words in his most gentle voice, which was a voice that he had never used even to Jun. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Joshua. I’ll be here for you forever.”

It took quite much time for Wonwoo to manage to fall asleep, but he definitely did not expect to be woken up in the middle of the night by a hand shaking his arm frantically. Maybe the whole day was too exhausting for him. Maybe he was too tired. Or else, he would have been able to sense the drastic change in Joshua’s scent and hear his sobs before the boy shook his arm to wake him up in desperation. When Wonwoo opened his eyes, he was attacked by the scene of his love sitting on the bed and crying pathetically. Startled, he quickly sat up and the boy did not wait anymore. With no hesitation, Joshua immediately climbed onto his alpha’s lap and hugged him tightly. The boy let out numerous whimpers as if he was being in serious pain and begging Wonwoo to help him out of this misery.

In the days of having Joshua in this house, Wonwoo had never seen him cry so painfully like this. The boy had never seemed this frightened because of a nightmare, and he clung to the alpha as if he would die without his owner. Wonwoo’s protective arms quickly held Joshua tightly and closely to his chest, but the hybrid could not stop crying even though he knew that he was safe in the protection of his alpha. Nobody except for Wonwoo would be able to touch Joshua, but what the boy had just dreamed of was that he got hurt by no one but the lead alpha. When Joshua woke up, all of those horrible scenes disappeared, and all he could see was just his owner sleeping by his sides with arms loosely wrapping around his body. There was no sign of blood, aggression or violence, allowing him to believe that he had just had a nightmare and none of those things were true.

Nonetheless, Joshua was still so scared that he could not even recognize the conflicts in his own heart. Got frightened by Wonwoo in the dream, he tried to get comfort from Wonwoo in reality, forgetting all the possibilities of making the man angry. He remembered nothing about the incident of being bitten cruelly before. At this moment, to Joshua, Wonwoo was just the man he needed most. He would not allow anyone to take the alpha away from him. Joshua did not say anything, but Wonwoo was able to feel that. He knew his kitten would start to panic, screaming and kicking if someone tried to detach them from each other.

Wonwoo stayed silent for a long while, just gently stroking and rubbing Joshua’s head and back, slowly rocking the kitten back and forth on his lap. Instead of saying useless things to the hybrid, Wonwoo spent time thinking hard to come up with the most suitable thing that may comfort his baby. He only wanted to say words that could help his lover feel safe and happy. He no longer wanted to make any more mistakes. Wonwoo knew if he did something wrong right at this moment, he might lose the boy’s faith forever.

“Don’t be scared, kitten.” Leaving a kiss on Joshua’s hair, Wonwoo whispered slowly with his voice low and soft. “If anyone or anything hurts you, just tell me. I’ll protect you no matter what. If you want to cry, just cry on my shoulder. You’re safe, baby.”

Fortunately, Wonwoo got the chance to know that Joshua was conscious enough to understand his words when the boy let out a whimper after his last sentence. He was not sure what that reaction meant, but he persuaded himself to believe that it was a good thing since Joshua had just tightened his arms around him.

However, the boy suddenly spoke up, causing Wonwoo to freeze. Joshua was sobbing so hard that it was difficult to hear what he said, but once the alpha managed to catch the words, he was almost dead inside.

“Master…” For a few days, the man had successfully coaxed the hybrid into calling him by his name, but now he was using the word _master _again. _“Please… don’t hit me.”_

The shock stole Wonwoo’s ability to say in a few minutes. He could not remember how many times he had told Joshua that the boy was his omega, not his pet, but today one more time he just made the hybrid think that he was worth nothing more than just an animal in this house. Wonwoo could not ever think of hitting Joshua, but the boy truly believed that it was going to happen, to the point that he was literally begging his owner not to do that.

“I won’t. I will never do that. I swear. I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry.” Wonwoo blurted out, saying countless apologies into the shaking cat’s ear. “I’m sorry, Joshua. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

The alpha did not know how desperate he sounded to Joshua, and once again, he whimpered, but not because of fear. Joshua’s heart ached when hearing his alpha speaking this way, but that warmed his heart at the same time as well. The boy could not understand well, but he genuinely felt both good and bad while listening to Wonwoo’s apologies. He knew the words were coming from deep inside the man’s heart, knowing that no matter what Wonwoo did, the reasons for that would be only his love, which was too powerful for him to handle, to keep his mind straight.

“If you can forgive me, please call me Wonwoo again. Please, Joshua.” Unconsciously, Wonwoo lowered his voice to beg the hybrid, wanting nothing more than forgiveness from his omega.

It did not take much time at all for Joshua to answer. He replied almost immediately.

“Wonwoo…” The boy murmured between his sobs. “_Wonwoo… please… don’t leave me_.”

“Never. Never. I swear. Joshua.”

Joshua had never heard so many promises and apologies in his lives. He knew this was not the first time for him to hear those words coming from Wonwoo, but the boy could not control his weak heart. He was too crazy for his alpha to remind himself that he would soon get hurt again by trusting Wonwoo. Joshua desperately wanted nothing rather than living happily with his alphas. As a result, it was easy for him to fall for them over and over again, especially Wonwoo, who undoubtedly had always been the one that loves Joshua the most. Burying his wet face in the man’s neck, Joshua did what he usually did whenever he was scared. The more he took in the scent of peppermint, the calmer he became. The more apologies he heard, the more relaxed he was.

Five minutes after that, Joshua was much better. He was still sniffling, but not shaking too much, and the scent was not too sour; there was a small sweet part in it, and that help Wonwoo finally feel relieved to some extent. He genuinely wished there was something he could say to make Joshua feel safer, but apart from just using words, Wonwoo thought he had better do something to make his boy happy. Anyway, he would leave tomorrow and would not come back in the next three days, so it would be the best for him to spend some time with his baby now. It would not be easy to make up with the hybrid when they were not together. Moreover, for the past few days, Wonwoo had been so busy and upset with Jun’s issue that he had no mind to relax, and he had not spent much time for the boy either. Actually, trying to make up with Joshua is not a relaxing thing since it requires a lot of effort, but Wonwoo was determined to do it. 

“Hey, Joshua. Can you look at me, baby?”

The alpha spoke up, hand gently stroking the boy’s hair to get his attention. Raising his head, Joshua looked at his owner cautiously by his watery eyes, silently waiting for a command. He loved the tender hand on his hair at this moment, but he did not know how much his red eyes were hurting the alpha.

“Do you want to eat something now?”

The question made Joshua confused and scared. He honestly wanted to eat. Not too much, but a little ice-cream would be great, since that was one of his favorite food. However, he was not sure if it was okay to say that he wanted to eat at this time. It was midnight already. Wonwoo may consider him to be bad if he craved for food at this time. Joshua was just a hybrid. He should not ask for much from his owners. Dogs and cats never ask anything. They just take what people gave them.

Joshua did not want to be punished by Wonwoo. Despite the fact that the man had just apologized to him and promised many things only a minute before, the boy kept shifting and squirming uncomfortably on the alpha’s lap, too scared to break eye contact, but severely intimidated by the man’s eyes. He knew Wonwoo was waiting for an answer and it had been half a minute already but Joshua did not say a word yet.

Sensing the tense in the hybrid, Wonwoo gently rubbed his back and shoulders, letting Joshua know that he was not pushing at all.

“Just let me know what you think. I will take you out so that we can get something to eat if you want to. Or we will go back to sleep if you don’t want anything.”

Wonwoo rarely spoke much, but when he did, and in such a soft voice, Joshua was convinced that the alpha was being lenient to him and would really give him what he wanted. Joshua was timid but he was still naive anyway, so it was not much difficult for his owners to make him trust them. Whenever it is still easy for them to gain his trust, they believe that the boy still loves them very much.

Eventually, Joshua nodded. Knowing that a verbal answer was better, the kitten tried to speak up, but before he managed to do that, Wonwoo smiled and gave his arm a light tug, encouraging him to stand up.

“That’s great. Let’s get dressed, baby. We will find something to eat out there.”

Joshua could never describe how much he loves Wonwoo’s smile. The lead alpha could be the scariest man in this world when he was being cold, but when he smiled, Joshua only felt that this was the most gentle person coming from heaven.

That was true somehow, because Joshua had always been thinking that Wonwoo was _his God_.

Joshua did not stand up right away. He was so surprised that it was easy for him to ask then.

“At… at this time?”

“Don’t worry. There are many stores that still open at this time.” It just took Wonwoo a second to register that an omega hybrid like Joshua had never had the chance to enjoy walking around on the street at midnight before. The realization made his heart ache again.

Wonwoo was determined to let Joshua know all kinds of happiness in this world.

The boy was totally able to do everything by himself, but Wonwoo kindly helped him get out of the bed to give him more encouragement. In the end, Joshua’s action got quicker and less hesitant when Wonwoo gave him the clothes to change and gently pushed him towards the bathroom. He was not dreaming, and the alpha was not joking either. They were really going to leave the apartment at twelve o’clock.

Joshua apologized to Wonwoo for spending so much time in the bathroom since he had to wash his face carefully so as to make himself look less horrible after crying that much. The man just smiled and patted his head lovingly.

“It’s okay. You always look cute. Don’t worry.”

Since it was summer, Joshua did not need to put on a coat before going out, and he felt warm enough just by having his hand held tightly by Wonwoo’s hand. They did not use the car, only walking by each other’s sides. Joshua obediently followed Wonwoo to wherever the man was taking him to. He did not talk, but nothing could hide the clear curiosity and growing excitement in those innocent eyes. Sighing in relief, Wonwoo knew that he finally made a right choice.

Joshua had never known that there were many people staying up so late to enjoy some midnight activities like this. In his mind, twelve o’clock was just the time everyone went to sleep or the time he did the household chores that he had not finished in the day time yet. There were only twice in which Joshua was forced to get out of the house to go to the drugstore and get some pills for his ill brother at nearly eleven o’ clock. The road there was dark and quiet, almost no people available. Lucky for him, the nearest drugstore almost closed but it had not closed yet, or else he would have had to walk much further to find another one. He did not have the chance to go downtown.

Today, his life was much different. Their apartment was literally in the center of the city. Therefore, it was extremely convenient for them to enter the crowded streets with so many beautiful lights on and many interesting stores still being opened. Along the street, there were also various booths that attracted Joshua’s attention. Afraid that the boy would not dare to ask for permission to stop at a booth that he wanted to look through, Wonwoo carefully observed Joshua’s eyes to figure out what he was being drawn to. Once finding out something that the boy liked, the alpha immediately led his lover there, gently asking him to see if there was anything interesting here. Letting go of the boy’s hand, the man let Joshua pick up and examine things as he wanted.

After just a few times like that, Joshua gained back enough trust in Wonwoo to just tug the man’s arm lightly, the other hand pointing at a booth or a store and timidly asking whether they could check on that or not. Determined to spoil Joshua rotten, Wonwoo let the hybrid do whatever he liked. There was once in which the man thought that he should give Joshua freedom by not holding his hand all the time, so that the omega would not feel like his owner was trying to keep him by his side. However, Wonwoo actually did not need to do anything. When those soft hands were not busy examining objects, they would automatically come back to the alpha’s hand or arm. Joshua never stopped being clingy. He would hold onto Wonwoo whenever he could, because that was what he liked, too.

No matter what Joshua liked, Wonwoo bought for him. Those were just small things for decoration or some kinds of plates and mugs, but the boy loved them so much that he kept smiling after getting them for himself. Both of them ended up eating more than what they had intended to, and Joshua smiled more brightly than what Wonwoo dared to expect. The last thing he got for the hybrid was a big ice-cream cone. The way Joshua wholehearted enjoyed the ice-cream terribly melted the alpha’s heart, and the way the boy shared his food with him made his heart softer than ever.

Staring at Joshua lovingly, Wonwoo stopped his footsteps in the middle of the street to stand in front of the boy, having the best view of his omega. The boy had just finished his ice-cream, and the way his owner looked at him at the moment made him blush shyly. His heart almost jumped out of his chest when the alpha kissed him tenderly on his lips, slowly using his tongue to clean the ice-cream left there, sharing the sweet flavor on their tongues being tangled with each other. Wonwoo’s hand gently caressed Joshua’s cheek, lifting his face up and then landing on his neck. The man’s skin felt so warm on his skin, and Joshua enjoyed every smallest touch that Wonwoo was giving him. He loved the kiss, and loved the hand holding his neck softly as well. Once again, Joshua felt himself delicate when being treated like this by his most powerful alpha, _his greatest alpha, the alpha that he worshiped_.

Joshua understood what love was, thanks to Wonwoo.

“I love you, Joshua.”

Hearing the utterly sweet confession from Wonwoo, Joshua grinned happily, showing his beautiful teeth in a lovely smile to his owner. Almost forgetting all of the pain and sadness given by the man in front of him just a few hours ago, the boy stood on tip toe to put a kiss on his alpha’s cheek and then tightly hugged around his neck and shoulders. Placing his mouth so close to Wonwoo’s ear, Joshua intentionally let his lips touch the man while he was murmuring in his cute honey-like voice.

“I love you too, Wonwoo.”

Smiling back in happiness, Wonwoo also embraced Joshua protectively in his strong arms, willingly promising to himself that he would never hurt his little pure hybrid one more time. No words could describe how grateful he was, since it was clear to understand that, although no one could ever replace Jun’s position in Joshua’s heart - at least not this early - Wonwoo had a special position in Joshua’s heart and no one could ever be compared to him. Wonwoo knew he understood Joshua more than anyone, and he believed that the hybrid also knew Wonwoo was the one he could rely on for the rest of his life.

To Joshua, Wonwoo’s position was irreplaceable. He would never be the same as Jun. Wonwoo would be just Wonwoo, be the man that Joshua considered as his perfect match that fate generously rewarded to him. Joshua strongly believed that no one in this world could ever love him more than Wonwoo, and that he would always look up to the man with all of his heart and soul, wishing to own this alpha for him forever.

Was it crazy for him to desire to own someone he glorified? Perhaps he was, yet it was impossible for him to control his heart, his feelings. The boy knew he would never be able to experience happiness again if there was none of Wonwoo’s existence in his life.

_He needs his God to survive._

Suddenly, the intimate moment was unexpectedly interrupted by someone calling Wonwoo’s name. That person did not say anything more than just a name yet, but there was something in the voice that got on Joshua’s nerves. The couple pulled away from each other to look at the owner of that voice.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's guess who's going to appear~  
There will be more angst for Joshua in the next chapter.   
I hope you enjoy this sad but also sweet chapter ^^ I really really really love WonShua T_T I like their special relationship here. The love Joshua has for Wonwoo is definitely different from the one he has for Jun, and it's hard to compare. Wonwoo's impact on the boy is always incredible.
> 
> I really want to know how you think about them as well.
> 
> Brace yourself for the next chapter. I will hurt Joshua badly. ;_; I guess I will post that chapter on December 31st hehe~
> 
> Besides, I have just created my account on Instagram. I will post some photos of SEVENTEEN and my baby doll or share about my feelings there ^^ You can follow me on @luna.moon96 if you're interested~


	35. Life could never be fulfilled without you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua went into hell one more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I promised, here is the chapter for New Year's Eve ^^ I don't know if it is new year in your country yet, but at my place it's still 2019. Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE ^^

Standing only about one meter away, a red-haired male human omega was staring at them with his head slightly cocked to a side. The guy seemed to be a bit older than Joshua, but a little shorter than him. When the guy looked at Joshua, he was evidently curious, but when the look was directed towards Wonwoo, there was ambiguous fondness in those eyes. That was enough for Joshua to feel annoyed. Still having his hands on the alpha’s chest, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the man’s shirt, as if trying to keep Wonwoo to himself.

Not leaving his spot or trying to push Joshua further away, Wonwoo replied with a steady voice.

“Hey, Soonyoung.”

At this time, the omega named Soonyoung started to step closer. If it had not been for Wonwoo’s presence, the hybrid would have moved backwards. He kept staring at the other omega warily. Wonwoo once said that Joshua was not supposed to speak to anyone if he did not want to, so he just stayed silently, waiting for Soonyoung to speak first.

“Is he… the omega that you usually bring to your office?”

Finally the red-haired guy asked a question. Once again, although it did not seem like there was any kind of bad intention in the saying, Joshua still felt uncomfortable when hearing it. Apart from Minghao, there were some other omegas in Wonwoo’s company and Joshua watched them communicated several times, but the irritating feelings had never been so strong like this. Perhaps due to low self-esteem, the boy was much wary of omegas around his alpha. However, he had never heard anyone talking to Wonwoo in the same way as Soonyoung. He felt like they were something more than just co-workers or friends. Minghao was a close friend; Joshua used to doubt him, but he did not get alarmed by his attitude so seriously like this.

A few more seconds passed by and the hybrid eventually realized what was triggering him when he saw the way Soonyoung batted his eyelashes while staring at Wonwoo and waiting for the answer.

_It was flirty._

Tightening his arms around Joshua, Wonwoo replied calmly.

“He is Joshua, my lover. Yes, he’s the person I usually bring to my office recently.”

Soonyoung smiled, but Joshua did not like that smile either.

“Oh, that’s nice. I’m just a little afraid that he’s someone else. He’s Joshua then it’s fine.”

The hybrid was dumbfounded. He started to look at his alpha with wide eyes in terror. He would be fine if right at this moment Wonwoo retorted at the human omega and asked him to alter his strange way of talking about Joshua, but in fact the alpha did not.

“I only have Joshua. No one else.” That was all Wonwoo replied to Soonyoung, which only increased the insecurity in the boy’s heart.

Soonyoung’s smile even got sweeter after hearing that.

“Yeah, I trust you. Just asking for sure. But… why is he looking at me like that? My parents might dislike that but I think… you will invite him to our wedding, right?”

All of a sudden, Joshua understood everything. He could not hear anything after the phrase _“our wedding”_ attacked his ears like a thunder. The boy used to wonder why Mingyu was upset with the idea of Wonwoo bringing him to his office to make an official announcement that he belonged to the man. At this moment, he registered why Mingyu angrily accused Wonwoo of not giving Joshua any choice.

Because he was just a hybrid. His owner was getting married, and he did not need to ask for his opinion about this. _Joshua was just a hybrid._ No matter what happened, he would be Wonwoo’s.

Who was the one that had tried so hard to persuade Joshua to call him by his name, not _“master”_?

Who had continuously told Joshua that he was his omega, not his _pet_?

_“Liar.”_

Joshua had just figured out, that Wonwoo was just a liar, from the beginning.

Soonyoung evidently knew about Joshua, but the boy knew nothing. Jun and Mingyu knew about the wedding too, but they did not dare to tell him. Joshua did not try to question their motivation or intention. All his mind could think of was just Wonwoo, and a single word.

_“Liar.”_

It was too late for Joshua to realize that Wonwoo did not love him. It turned out that, he was just something that the man owned. He was not a _“lover”_, because people would not marry another person without getting their mates or lovers’ opinions.

When Wonwoo took his arms away from Joshua to step closer to Soonyoung and say something, the hybrid instantly took a few steps back. He could not hear anything that they were talking about. He was almost deaf, and it felt like his heart had stopped beating. Joshua did not know when his tears started to fall, only knowing that he was crying when it was so difficult for him to capture the image of the man he loves in his eyes. The happy life he had been enjoying suddenly was just a memory of a long gone past. Joshua felt himself so small and useless in this world, once again. He was reminded that, he was nothing more than _just an_ _omega hybrid_.

Joshua had overestimated himself.

He had been day-dreaming for a so long time.

He was so stupid to feel happy and proud to walk by a smart and powerful human alpha like Wonwoo _as his mate_. He did not know that the man was just showing off a piece of his _valuable property_.

Joshua began to run. His instincts brought him back to Jun, urging him to find the man he loved most when his heart was shattered and destroyed with no mercy. He heard the voice he loved calling him from afar, but the clearer it got, the faster he tried to run. The commanding tone in that voice made him so scared, but nothing could stop him from running. Everything was too much for him to handle. Joshua could no longer endure the pain that Wonwoo gave him. He never wanted to see that man again, although he knew he still loves him to death.

Since he loves Wonwoo too much, he could not bear looking at the man even one more time.

In his life, there were probably many things that were much dreadful than death. When Joshua’s alpha added one more thing into that list, he wanted to die, so that the pain would stop forever.

If the way back home were further, maybe the thought of death would have enough time to destroy the hybrid’s mind and change into action. Luckily, he got back to the building much more quickly than he thought. Joshua was crying too hard; it took him a lot of time to press the correct code to get into the apartment. Wonwoo almost successfully grabbed the boy’s arm right before he rushed inside. Fortunately, Joshua did not get caught, and he ran like crazy to Jun’s room. However, he passed Mingyu’s bedroom before getting to Jun’s door, and the scent of his beloved alpha made him jump into that door immediately.

It was impossible for Joshua to think of knocking at the moment. He just opened the door and jump right into the bed where Mingyu and Jun were sleeping. Both of the alphas got startled, but the scent got them alarmed right on the spot. Jun hastily sat up just in time as Joshua scrambled to his lap and hugged him tightly with tears streaming down his cheeks. Neither of the men had ever heard or seen such painful sounds of the hybrid crying and sobbing. Jun was utterly upset to see his omega like this, trying his best to embrace Joshua closely into his chest, letting the boy cry his eyes out. Mingyu also quickly moved closer to them, sandwiching the boy between them as protective instincts combusted inside him. They were extremely confused to see the hybrid’s cat ears and tail popped up out of the blue, but neither of them asked, just making use of the chance to stroke the fluffy ears with a hope to give him more comfort.

Just a few seconds after that, Wonwoo ran into the room too, and Joshua immediately whimpered loudly in fright, his tail tucked between his legs. His body tensed up and he clutched onto Jun for his life. Feeling the scent of peppermint getting clearer and closer, Joshua shifted to Mingyu, gripping the giant man’s arms tightly in an urgent plea for help. The smallest part of consciousness left in his mind knew that Mingyu would be able to protect him from Wonwoo, and Joshua needed nothing more than that now.

He never wanted to see Wonwoo again.

Craning his neck to look at Wonwoo, who had already got on the bed and was about to take Joshua away, Mingyu was more enraged than how he had ever been. Pushing out his pheromones, he used his commanding tone to his oldest cousin, growling and warning.

“You’d better get out of here, Wonwoo. I don’t want to break your jaw or even your skull.”

“I need to talk to Joshua.” Violently retorting, Wonwoo snarled back at the other, and his arm did not stop reaching out to the hybrid.

Joshua almost screamed while he crawled back to a safer position behind Mingyu. The giant man became a perfect shield to cover him from the lead alpha, and Joshua came back to crying in Jun’s chest again, too scared, heartbroken. Glaring at Wonwoo, Jun was too irritated to talk to the man. He wanted nothing more than trying to comfort Joshua. It was not necessary to hear any kind of explanation. It was enough for them to watch Wonwoo hurting the boy. This was the third time, already enough.

Strongly shoving Wonwoo’s shoulder, Mingyu stood up, confronting the older alpha.

“Isn’t it clear that he doesn’t want to see you? Back off, Wonwoo. Leave, now.”

“I don’t have to ask for your permission to talk to my omega.” Wonwoo was not retreating, gritting his teeth fiercely. “Two of you, this is none of your business. Give Joshua back to me.”

Frowning deeply, Jun suddenly spoke up.

“Can you just stop this, Wonwoo?” He wanted to come and stop the two men from fighting again, but he knew nothing could be more important than holding Joshua in his arms at this moment. “Please show some respect to Joshua. He’s just ran into the room and cried to us. That’s what he wants. He doesn’t want to be with you now. He’s _our omega_, not _your pet_. Don’t you get that?”

That was all Jun said to Wonwoo, but enough to make the man stop moving forward. At the mention of _“omega”_ and _“pet”_, Joshua suddenly whimpered loudly again, causing Jun to take his eyes away from the lead alpha to look at the boy on his lap. He tried to shush the boy with soft coos, but he only managed to make Joshua stop making those painful sounds. The hybrid was still pathetically crying. Leaving Wonwoo, Mingyu ran back to the bed, joining Jun in the session of comforting their poor omega. When the giant man took Joshua’s trembling hand in his own one, the boy closed his fingers around the larger hand instantly, never letting the man go again. Too fixated on their sobbing lover, the two alphas did not know how long Wonwoo stood there in silence, watching Joshua doing everything he could to hold onto the two men hugging him, to avoid the one whose eyes were boring holes on the tip of his head. They did not know when Wonwoo left, either. The sound of the door being closed was just nothing in comparison with all the sounds that Joshua was making.

They only figured out that their oldest cousin had already left when they realized the change in Joshua’s scent. Once Wonwoo was not nearby anymore, the boy smelled less horrible, since he knew that he was finally safe with the alphas who had not lied to him, who had not treated him like a pet. Jun tried to ask Joshua what happened, but it was too hard for the boy to speak up. Mingyu continuously rubbed the hybrid’s back slowly and gently, desperately hoping to help him feel calmer and better, even just a little bit.

“Why do his ears and tail appear? Is there something wrong?” Mingyu worriedly asked his cousin.

“I guess… he’s too emotional and can’t control it anymore.” Jun grimaced while still stroking the cat’s ears with all of his tenderness. Joshua heard what his owners said, but he did not give any response. Mingyu tried touching his tail, which was currently curling around the hybrid’s body, but Joshua instantly flinched and moved the tail away from the man’s hand, obviously disliking the touch. Filled with regret, Mingyu hurriedly murmured hundreds of apologies to his kitten, yet got no reply. Now that the giant man realized the cat did not like being touched on his tail, he would only focus on pampering his ears, sadly wishing that he had not scared his poor baby.

When the boy started to speak, they could hardly tell what he really said, but there was one word that they heard him repeating over and over again.

_“Wedding”_

Neither of them tried to make Joshua talk any longer.

Exchanging a meaningful look to each other, both of the alphas grimaced, and they both decided to keep silent about that. It would be just useless to talk about that to Joshua. In a desperate attempt, Mingyu sunk his teeth into the mark that he had created on the boy’s neck, trying to give him the most comfortable feelings that he could, hugging the boy tenderly but protectively from the back, closing his long arms around the tiny waist. Jun had not had the chance to bite Joshua yet, and he did it right away on the other side, getting no protest from his omega.

“We’re here for you, Joshua.” Murmuring on the boy’ skin, Mingyu softened his voice to the softest. “You’re okay. You have me. You have Jun. Don’t cry, kitten.”

After forming the mark, Jun dug his teeth in as well, and together with Mingyu, he tried to send as many good feelings as possible to Joshua. Both of them knew that this method could never really solve the problem, but at least it would help for now. They could not stand watching their love crying and sobbing in agony. They were willing to devote themselves to anything that may stop the tears.

More than ten minutes after that, Joshua was not sobbing too heavily anymore, but it seemed like nothing could stop him from crying except for exhaustion. The boy sat limply on Mingyu lap, leaning to the wide chest and letting his tears wet the man’s shirt. He kept burying his face in the warmth of his alpha’s body, not looking at them even once. Jun had Joshua’s legs on his lap; therefore he gently rubbed them to give solace to the hybrid by one hand. The other hand of his was still busy holding the boy’s hand tightly. Joshua let his alphas move him, but if one of them hugged him, he would have to hold the other one’s hand to feel the presence of both men by his sides.

One more time after a very long silence, Joshua spoke, unexpectedly breaking his owners’ hearts again.

“I want Jeonghan! Please. I want Jeonghan.”

The boy did not need more than three seconds of silence to know that he would not be able to get the person he wanted. His mouth was just about to beg his owners to do anything to get Jeonghan here, but fear and insecurity in his heart magically stopped him from doing such stupid things. Once consciousness got back, Joshua knew he had gotten into huge trouble with Wonwoo by acting this way, which was one of the reasons for his unstoppable tears. He would be punished, because he was just a hybrid. He was just a pet of Wonwoo.

The man would be gone tomorrow, but he would not be gone forever. Once he came back, Joshua must prepare to face the worst day of his life.

Smelling the deadly terror from Joshua, the alphas knew that they should not keep their mouth shut at this time. Mingyu was too distracted by the painful and helpless expression on Jun’s face to recognize how cruelly their silence was piercing through the hybrid’s soul. When Joshua whimpered again, the giant alpha hurriedly delivered countless kisses on his head, whispering numerous soothing words to the boy. Mingyu did not know exactly what happened to Jeonghan. He thought that it would be possible for them to persuade Seungcheol to bring his omega here although it was midnight since Joshua was in an extremely bad condition. Nonetheless, Jun’s attitude said it all. It was impossible to do that.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Joshua. But… we really can’t do that.”

Mingyu could not say anything more, because he was just dumbfounded. He was only speaking that because Jun was too lost in his thought to proceed what he was having in his mind into words. In the last effort to make them not heartless to Joshua, Mingyu made up the only excuse that he could think of.

“Seungcheol will never let his mate enter and stay at an apartment full of alphas in the middle of the night. I’m sorry, baby.”

For a split second, Mingyu was worried that Joshua would ask them to bring him to Seungcheol’s mansion instead. However, the boy did not have that intention. He deadly wanted Jeonghan, but he needed Mingyu and Jun, too. No matter how much he wanted his best friend, he was just too weak and deep in pain to have enough strength and will so as to leave this position.

“Don’t be scared of Wonwoo, baby.” After a few more minutes, Jun managed to force himself to speak while caressing Joshua’s hair. “Remember, you have three alphas, not just him. We will never let him do anything to you. He might be upset now, but he won’t be allowed to yell at you or hit you or anything like that.”

“You know what, honey…” Mingyu said with a sad smile on his face, but there was pride somewhere in his saying. “I actually can afford a house for three of us. A house, not an apartment. I can buy us a house that is big enough for us and also our children in the future.”

The giant man was not sure which part of his saying impressed Joshua, but the boy finally looked up, facing him. Cupping the face strained with tears by both hands, Mingyu tried to wipe away the tears by his gentle thumbs, and he continued to draw the beautiful picture of their future.

“I will design our home. A house will be much more convenient than this. We will have a yard. You can plant anything there or buy something and put it there to play with. Our little kids will have a playground at home.”

Even Joshua tried to wipe his tears and rub his eyes when he wanted to look at his alpha’s face clearly. His voice sounded so weak and thin, but no words could ever describe the profound hope in it.

“Our… our children?”

“Yes. Our children, Joshua.” Mingyu grinned, shining sun lights to the boy again, but he suddenly pouted. “Why are you so surprised? We will be mates. I’m just waiting until you’re ready to accept us. Of course we will have children. Right?”

“But…” Jun was amazed when Mingyu mentioned the kids, too, but he was concerned of another problem. His voice unintentionally got weaker, as if he already knew that he would upset his younger cousin by saying this. “You just… leave Wonwoo out like that?”

“Yes.” Mingyu gritted his teeth, enraged by thinking about the lead alpha. “He doesn’t deserve you or Joshua. He doesn’t respect you two. I can’t let him have you two like that. I swear, I can take care of both of you.”

“But…” Jun was still concerned, since he had never thought of living without Wonwoo. His mind was trying to seek for hundreds of reasons to not follow Mingyu’s perfect plan although he knew the giant man was right. “You have to remember that Wonwoo signed the paper. He has legal rights with Joshua. We can’t take him away from Wonwoo.”

At this point, Mingyu turned to the boy on his lap, remaining eye contact with him while one of his hands was rubbing the shaking back to help the sniffles subside.

“Joshua ah, I’m not urging you. I’m just explaining to help you understand this. Can you listen to me now? Do you want to know how to get away from Wonwoo?”

The hybrid nodded, but he did let out a short sound of pain. The thought was painful itself. Joshua never really wants to leave Wonwoo. He loves the man to death. Separation was torturous, but he had no other choice. Joshua would not even survive if he kept staying with Wonwoo instead of leaving together with Jun and Mingyu, who truly loves him and treasures him as _a human_.

“It’s quite difficult for us since you’re a hybrid and there is some shitty paper about you that Wonwoo signed when we bought you from the pet shop. No matter where you run away, he totally has all the rights to call the police to track you down until he gets you back. You can only change this fate when you’re mated to another human alpha.”

Seeing Joshua staring at Mingyu unblinkingly, Jun soon tapped the boy’s shoulder to get his attention.

“Did you get that, baby? Just take Jeonghan’s case as an example. You know, his previous owner still has his paper since he was not returned to a pet shop, right?”

Joshua nodded. The man quickly continued his explanation, forgetting that the cat hybrid had never told him so many details about his best friend. Luckily, the boy was not in a good enough condition to notice that.

“However, he is mated with Seungcheol. He has a mating bite on his neck, and Seungcheol is surely a human alpha. So, the previous owner has no legal rights with Jeonghan anymore. The only one who _owns_ Jeonghan now is Seungcheol.”

“There is one more important thing.” Mingyu said, causing Joshua to look back at him again. “I will use Jeonghan’s case as an example too.” Actually the giant man did not know much about Jeonghan to do that, but he was confident that he had enough for what he was going to say. “Has anyone ever told you that a bite without the omega’s consent will bleed a lot and even affect health negatively? I have never seen a bite like that in reality, but if Seungcheol did claim Jeonghan without his consent… I mean, if Jeonghan did not want that or he is still rejecting the idea of being Seungcheol’s mate, the mark on his neck would look really horrible. It wouldn’t be normal. And in a case like that, his previous owner has the right to interfere. The cops can pay a visit to Seungcheol’s place and drag Jeonghan back to the bastard.”

Ending his explanation, Mingyu slowly pushed Joshua’s head into his wide chest, closing his embrace around the boy as he placed his chin on the omega’s hair.

“Do you understand this, Joshua? If you want to get away from Wonwoo, you will have to accept Jun and me. Or at least Jun only. I know it’s difficult for you, but it’s the only way out. Or else, we won’t be able to go anywhere. Please try to think of this, okay? Can you, baby?”

Much as Joshua wanted to live with Wonwoo forever, he was utterly scared of living as the cold man’s pet under the same roof with his _husband_. He could not choose that over the other option, which was letting Jun knot and bite him, then leaving this apartment and live happily with him and Mingyu in another heaven. It was not difficult for the boy to nod, but at the same time his eyes shed more tears.

The alphas spent fifteen more minutes sitting there with Joshua before they coax the boy into going to the bathroom to get his clothes changed. Jun kindly went out to get his pajamas and quickly came back, locking the door carefully behind him. Witnessing that, Joshua was much more relieved that Wonwoo would not be able to sneak into the room and kidnap him while the other two as sleeping.

Joshua’s tears did not stop falling for the whole time he was in the bathroom changing his clothes, brushing his teeth and washing his face. When the hybrid got out of the restroom, Mingyu was waiting for him right at the door. The muscular man picked him up in those strong arms and brought him to the bed. Joshua was placed between his two owners, safe and warm to the utmost. However, before they lied down, Mingyu was wary of the cat’s tail, showing clear concern in his eyes when asking.

“Joshua ah, we’re in the same bed and I’m afraid it’s hard to avoid touching your tail. Also… I’m afraid that I might accidentally hurt you…”

Even though Joshua was still crying, he was sober enough to understand the situation his owner had just mentioned, and it did not take him much time to answer.

“It’s… It’s okay… But…” The boy suddenly hesitated, sniffles turning to sobs. Ducking his head, he refused to look at his owners in the eyes.

“What’s wrong, baby? Please tell us.” Jun gently caressed the hybrid’s hair and coaxed him into speaking, sensing something not fine with his tail.

“Please… don’t pull it.” Joshua whispered weakly, wiping the tears by the back of his hand. “That… hurts a lot.”

“Of course we won’t. Don’t worry. I promise, we will never do that.” Mingyu crushed the boy into his embrace. “I’m sorry for touching it without asking you first. I’m really sorry.”

The boy shook his head and buried his face into the giant man’s chest at the same time.

“It’s not your fault… I… I’m just scared.”

“Why are you scared, Joshua?” Jun scooted closer so that his chest was pressed to the hybrid’s back and it was easy for him to place his chin on the soft brown locks. “Someone hurt your tail before?”

Joshua nodded without looking at his alpha.

Jun did not mention the exact person, but he knew the bastard hurting the boy must be his previous owner. That cruel man had harmed the hybrid in so many ways, and Jun could not understand why the hell that jerk had to violently pull the cat’s tail. Maybe it was a kind of punishment? Jun knew generally cats’ tails were very sensitive and it was not nice at all to touch them recklessly. Was this the reason why Joshua always hid his ears and tails? They had never known that hybrids had this ability until the day they met Joshua, and Jeonghan also successfully hid his true identity in front of them. The rabbit was a little older and more experienced than the cat, so perhaps Jeonghan taught Joshua how to do it?

“Do you feel comfortable if I stroke it gently, like how I stroke your ears?” Mingyu asked, but then rapidly explained his saying, as if afraid that the boy would misunderstand him. “I’m just asking. I wonder if it can bring comfort to you. I only want to do all I can to make you feel better, baby.”

Surprisingly, Joshua nodded, but he also begged after a sniffle.

“Please… be gentle… master.”

His plea stabbed a sharp knife into Jun’s heart, reminding him of someone who had begged him to be gentle.

With extra care and concentration, Mingyu slowly moved his hands towards the lower part of the boy’s tail, considerately avoiding his butt and starting to rub the tail extremely gentle from near the beginning of it till the end, feeling the smooth fur under his calloused fingers. The effect was evident. Both of the men could feel the crying boy’s body between them relaxed under the touch, melting and melting. Jun added more into the ministration by rubbing Joshua’s hair or back tenderly. No matter what, they always had to keep in mind that the boy craved for attention and affection, so it would be always the best to shower him with love. Being a hybrid that used to be abused brutally, the boy desired to be cherished and touched tenderly.

Mingyu and Jun were all willing to give everything to their omega. They did not think it was possible for them to heal the wounds Wonwoo created in Joshua’s heart right now, but at least they were trying their best to make the boy feel loved, to make up for the lead alpha’s part.

“Why do you have to hide your ears and tail, Joshua?” Jun decided to ask, thinking that it would be better to distract him from all the thoughts about Wonwoo. Moreover, he genuinely wanted to figure out the truth. “I guess doing that also takes some energy, right? You’re safe with us, baby. Why do you still do it even when you’re at home?”

Unexpectedly, the boy choked out a sob, and a violent tremble wrecked through his whole body. He was shaking so hard that the two alphas got alarmed and they both decided to bite him again to make him more relaxed. The boy did stop trembling, but his confession broke their hearts.

“I… _I want to be treated like a human_.”

Joshua had always wished to be just a normal human omega, so that he could live a normal live, be loved and respected, not to be categorized in the lowest rank of the society like this.

And now, Wonwoo, who he worshiped, who he considered to be the man that loves him most in this world, just considered him as _his own pet_.

Jun hated himself for bringing up this topic, causing his omega to suffer even more. Realizing the guilt in his cousin’s eyes, Mingyu reached out one arm towards the older alpha to pat his head gently, giving him an encouraging look, silently telling him_ “it’s not your fault.”_

Carefully and tenderly, the giant man pulled the other two to lie down together with him, letting Joshua lie on his body while Jun used his bicep as a pillow. In that position, Jun was also close enough to drape him arm over Joshua’s torso. Consequently, the boy was wrapped perfectly his two alphas’ embrace. They were actually putting a lot of pressure on Mingyu, but Joshua was too lost to care, and Jun knew he did not have much time left for this rare sad but cozy moment. Together, the two men used all of their efforts to make the hybrid sleep. At the same time, Mingyu did not forget to rub Jun’s back, giving solace to him, the one who had gone through so much today and not had a chance to rest.

The boy was able to imagine, that his future life could be just like this. He would sleep in the same bed with Jun and Mingyu every night, lured into sleep by their sweetest coos and hum.

Nonetheless, his life would never be fulfilled in this way, and Wonwoo’s position would be irreplaceable forever. He would feel lacking an important part of his life until the day he died. The dreadful thought made it impossible for Joshua to stop shivering, causing his owners to worry more and more. Being cuddled between the two alphas, the boy was only thinking of Wonwoo’s embrace, where he had just been in just a few hours ago.

Joshua would never forget how warm it felt to be in Wonwoo’s arms, how happy he was to sleep with his greatest alpha, how safe he felt to live under the powerful dominance of the lead alpha, and how weak he felt when the man spoiled him rotten. He used to believe he was Wonwoo’s beloved little kitten, was loved and treasured by the alpha who seemed so cold outside but always gave so much affection to his omega. He thought that Wonwoo loved him more than anyone else in this world. Then, it turned out that he was just fooling himself, and Joshua would never have the chance to experience those kinds of happiness again.

The heaven named Wonwoo now was just something out of his reach. Bursting into tears and suddenly sobbing heavily again, Joshua curled up and cried in desperation. Right now, he just wanted to run into Wonwoo’s arms again, begging the man to love him, comfort him and spoil him like what he had always done.

The boy was just lost, and utterly frightened, as if this was the end of his life.

As if he had not heard anything about Mingyu’s beautiful plan for their future.

The two cousins tried to soothe their baby, but they also felt hopeless and heartbroken. Everything was devastating, and they just wished they had tried to prevent Joshua from loving Wonwoo so much right from the beginning. They could not imagine how long it would take them to finally heal the boy back after this, or maybe they would never succeed. Without Wonwoo, a crucial part of his soul was gone, and the boy could not go back to his original state anymore.

The only thing made them feel relieved was that, as always, Joshua did not have much energy. Crying just made him exhausted faster. He did not know when he slept. His body simply succumbed to the fatigue. However, things were not that easy for his owners. They could only stay there, holding him, watching him sleep until it was time for Jun to get up and prepare to leave with Wonwoo.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this chapter makes you feel sad ;_;  
The next chapter will be a little better~ As you know, Wonwoo is going to leave soon, and we're going to have MinShua moment soon ^^
> 
> As always, I am eager to know all of your thoughts and opinions!!! 
> 
> I hope that all of you have a great new year with all the best things. 2019 is so bad for me but I hope 2020 will be much better, and I hope 2020 will be a perfect year for you ^^


	36. Dark future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time for Jun to leave.  
There was only Mingyu left to comfort the heartbroken hybrid.  
The two alphas tried to seek for a solution, but they started to feel like it was already too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter of this year, and it's pretty long. I hope that you will like it ^^  
A lot of MinShua in the whole chapter hehe~

“I will ask him if he can go without me.” Jun ruffled his own hair hastily while getting out of the bed, lowering his voice so as not to disturb the sleeping boy. “I really don’t want to go with him at all.”

“I don’t want you to go either.” Mingyu could not stop gritting his teeth whenever he talked about Wonwoo. “I think we can just… Maybe you don’t need to care about him anymore. If we’re really going to abandon this life, you can get a new job. You don’t have to worry about his CEO position or his company anymore.”

When Mingyu said that, Jun felt nothing but guilty.

Because he had never intended to leave Wonwoo’s company. Jun could not imagine how he would be able to live a life without Wonwoo. If they were not going to live in the same place anymore, then at least he just wished to see the man at work.

Jun would do anything to keep that last chance to see Wonwoo. He could not lose it.

As a result, he did not say more to Mingyu, just getting out of the room with the intention of coming back later to tell his younger cousin any reasons that he could think of. Jun did not come to Wonwoo to ask, because he had already known the answer by himself. Even if he did not want to go, Wonwoo would just make him go _at all cost_.

Certainly, Mingyu was upset while watching Jun getting out of the bathroom fully dressed and ready to leave. Under the dim light, Jun was still able to see the fire in the man’s eyes, which just intensified the guilt burning in his stomach. Consequently, he tried his best to ignore that look, focusing on walking around to gather all the last necessary things that he needed until there was a knock on the door. It was time to go.

When Jun opened the door, he was about to tell Wonwoo to wait a little bit so that he could say goodbye to Joshua. However, the lead alpha pushed the door to open wider by himself and spoke first, voice cold.

“I want to say goodbye to Joshua.”

Jun darted a worried glance at Mingyu, who was already glaring at the oldest men and keeping Joshua tightly in his arms. Biting his lip, Jun was unsure about what was the right thing to do, but he hated himself for feeling bad for Wonwoo. He knew, he and Joshua were just suffering the same pain, but he could not bear seeing Wonwoo leave for a few days without saying a proper farewell to their omega. He was afraid Joshua would not take that well, but Wonwoo had always been a deadly exception in his life. And he would always be.

Therefore, Jun moved aside to give the other alpha more space to step in. Following right behind Wonwoo, Jun walked to the bed and immediately felt intense warning pheromones from Mingyu. Not allowing Wonwoo to wake the hybrid up, the giant man murmured sweetly to the boy’s ear before the lead alpha’s hand could reach him.

“Kitten, Jun and Wonwoo are about to leave. Let’s say goodbye to them, okay?”

Dragged out of the slumber, Joshua slowly opened his eyes. It was totally fine for him to see Mingyu first after a tiring sleep, but his mind instantly got alarmed just after an inhale of the air. Wonwoo was here too.

It did not take much time for Joshua to start trembling again. He only looked at Wonwoo in less than a second and then quickly changed the direction of his eyes while the tears began to run one more time. Joshua may know that Wonwoo would not be able to do something horrible to him while he was still in Mingyu’s protective embrace like this, but the boy was afraid of the terrible feelings that would kill his heart again. He could not handle looking at Wonwoo, being touched by Wonwoo, or anything related to that man. Everything would just make the wound in his heart bleed more, hurt more, and perhaps it would never heal.

“I have to go now, Joshua.” Caressing Joshua’s cheek, Wonwoo used a neutral voice, not very sweet, but not scary either. Nevertheless, his words still annoyed the giant alpha. “Be good and stay at home with Mingyu. I will be back to you later.”

Mingyu snorted, obviously displeased at the command _“be good”_. _Had Joshua ever been not good? _Was it necessary to say that to him?

Of course, once Wonwoo said that, he had his own purpose, and he succeeded in scaring the boy again. Joshua knew it more clearly than anyone that he was given a command that he had to obey. Wonwoo asked him to be good, which means that he had been not good. Pain and fear were mixed together in his feelings, and he froze when the intimidating man leaned closer to place his lips on the hybrid’s left cheek, but that was not all.

Unfortunately, Wonwoo’s hand was able to grip the tip of Joshua’s tail at the place in which neither Mingyu nor Jun could really see what was happening. Frightened, the boy could do nothing but tremble violently, and everything was just getting worse.

Wonwoo kept moving further until his mouth was on Joshua’s ear. Mingyu and Jun was not able to hear anything. The lead alpha’s extraordinary deep voice murmured something so quietly to the boy but they could not figure it out even though there was no other sound in the small bedroom.

_“When I come back, I’ll knot you and you’ll be mine forever, no matter you want it or not.”_

Ending the sentence, Wonwoo cruelly gripped the tail in his hand, forcefully and with no mercy, causing the pain to shoot right to the hybrid’s brain. Joshua shrunk deeply into Mingyu’s chest after the saying, biting his lip so hard to prevent the whimper of fright from escaping his mouth. Wonwoo simply moved away after that, but once again, the boy was effortlessly beaten into submission. Joshua was too scared to even let Mingyu and Jun know what had just happened, doing nothing rather than crying, sobbing and shivering. His tail was tucked tightly between his legs, and the boy would not want to let anyone touch it again. Mingyu let out an angry hiss at the scene, knowing for sure Wonwoo had just said something that must be not nice at all to the hybrid, but the chains of negative thoughts in his mind was interrupted when Jun took the place Wonwoo had just left to pull Joshua into a tight hug.

“I have to go, Joshua. I’ll miss you a lot.” Burying his face in the soft brown locks, Jun tried to take in the sweet and cute scent that he did not have the chance to enjoy for the last days. Guilt was still torturing and destroying him relentlessly, making him to find it too hard to let go of Joshua at this moment. “I’m really sorry, kitten. I will spend more time with you when I come back. I promise. It won’t be long. I will be with you again.”

Frantically wrapping his arms around Jun’s shoulders, Joshua sniffled to the crook of his neck. His voice was so broken, like a sharp knife stabbing through the alpha’s heart.

“Can you… can you… stay?” Joshua was not in his right mind to know what he was begging anymore. In this whole life, after Jeonghan, the one he ever wanted most was Jun and Jun only. His heart did not change. He loved Jun the most, and once his heart was broken by Wonwoo, he desperately needed his beloved alpha more than ever. “Please… don’t go… don’t leave me!”

Devastated, right at that moment, Jun did not want to go with Wonwoo any longer. It was more obvious than ever that Joshua needed him too much now. Tomorrow, it would be still impossible for the boy to get Jeonghan by his side, and Joshua would have no one except for Mingyu to rely on. Jun could not deem that enough according to all the things that he had known about the little hybrid. Rubbing the shaking back by both hands, Jun looked at Mingyu, desperately seeking for a solution to help their lover. His eyes were almost watery, feeling like the tears were about to fall. Mingyu was not any better.

Before Jun could answer, Wonwoo sternly said behind him, making the boy flinch.

“What did I just say, Joshua? _Be good. Behave._ Your alpha needs to go, now.”

Jun’s heart was instantly broken when Joshua was so scared of Wonwoo that he obeyed right away. The hybrid took both his arms back, changing to crying alone with his hands covering his own wet face. Unable to endure this longer, Jun turned to Wonwoo, nearly begging.

“Can you please just go alone? I can’t let Joshua stay at home like this. He needs me.” Jun was so desperate that he could not think of arguing or quarrelling with older cousin. All he wanted as just a chance stay at home with Joshua, and he would do anything that may help him get that. “Please, Wonwoo. Just this time. Please.”

Wonwoo did not give Jun the exact thing that he expected, but the man’s eyes were not completely cold and cruel.

“You have to be with me at least on the first day. If things go well, I can let you go home first.”

Staring at Wonwoo deeply in his eyes, Jun doubted the promise he had just heard, but it was surprising that he actually did find honesty in those eyes, and he knew that was the best that he could get. Consequently, he did not try to ask for more, just holding Joshua’s hands, trying to comfort him.

“Did you hear that, Joshua? He said that I could come home early.” The gentle man forced himself to smile. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll be back with you soon.”

“Yes, baby. Don’t worry. I will take you to my office every day. Days will pass by quickly.” Mingyu added to the effort with a fake bright smile too. “Junnie will be home soon.”

The two alphas highly concentrated on coaxing the boy into trusting the promising future, temporarily forgetting about Wonwoo’s presence until the man suddenly tugged at Jun’s collar. Sensing the abnormal swift of pheromones from the lead alpha, Joshua shrunk and snapped his head towards the direction of Wonwoo. It was not until then that he started to notice the mark on Jun’s neck. Still holding Joshua tightly, Mingyu stared at the older with an evidently challenging look on his face. The giant alpha was ready to fight if Wonwoo got angry about him marking Jun like that. Jun was afraid of an upcoming physical fight, too. So was Joshua.

Fortunately, nothing happened. There was just a firm command from the scary man who was narrowing his eyes and frowning.

“Time to go, Jun.”

Waiting no more, he walked out of the room, which was a sign telling Jun to quickly follow if he did not want to get into troubles. Anyway, it was true that he had to leave now or else they would be late. Jun hugged his kitten one more time, pouring countless comforting words to the boy’s ear. Joshua never stopped crying for the whole time, but at least he did not beg the alpha to stay anymore. He insisted on getting out of the bed and following Jun to the taxi waiting for the two men downstairs although they had thought that the boy would have no energy left to do anything.

Jun kissed Joshua goodbye with a feeling as if this could be their last time. The alpha did not know why, but Joshua whispered _“I love you”_ to him in tears, and he replied back to the hybrid also with the same sentence. The saying did nothing good but caused the boy to shed more tears, and once he broke away from Jun’s arms, he hurriedly came to Mingyu and buried his face in the man’s chest. Jun felt his lungs constricted, feeling like he was going to die.

Similar to Jeonghan, Joshua could not handle watching the one he loves leaving him. Both of them avoided looking at Jun when he left. Both of them desperately wanted him to stay, but twice in just less than twenty four hours, Wonwoo dragged him away from both. Jun broke their hearts. He thought he was at fault for everything.

_Everything was his fault. _

Separating from Mingyu did not hurt less.

Jun could not bother to care how angry Wonwoo would be. When he kissed Mingyu, he failed to hold back his tears any longer, since he was about to leave the man who had given him so much warmth, love and safety in the most desperate and darkest moments brought by Wonwoo. Mingyu was the only home where Jun felt safe to act weak and tired when he had no strength left to fight, to pretend to be tough. Afraid of letting anyone else see the tears, after the kiss, Jun buried his face in Mingyu’s shoulder and subtly rubbing his cheek there to wipe the tears by the giant man’s shirt. Nobody but Mingyu knew exactly what was happening, and the man did not let go of his love in more than ten seconds.

In the end, Jun was the one to pull himself away from Mingyu first, because he did not want to be pulled by Wonwoo. He should do that by himself, before his older cousin started to get irritated. Mingyu was too upset to easily let his love go, but the heartbroken sobs coming from the boy standing next to him forced him to stop gripping his cousin’s shoulders. It was not until then did the giant man realize he had just abandoned the hybrid to hug Jun, and he immediately felt extremely guilty for that.

Nonetheless, when Mingyu turned away from Jun, he was shocked to see Joshua hugging Wonwoo right next to him. At first, he thought that the lead alpha forcefully crushed the hybrid into his embrace, but after a better look, he was able to conclude that Joshua actually was hugging Wonwoo as well, even though he was still crying and sobbing pathetically. The giant man really could not believe in his own eyes, and he could see that Jun was not less shocked.

Joshua was actually frightened when Wonwoo came to hug him, but once his body was held in the man’s arms, the boy could not contain his heart anymore. The warmth was still familiar, still something he desired to have, and he was just too weak to resist it. Joshua could not stop himself from hugging his owner back, closing his arms around the alpha voluntarily. It was impossible for him to hug Wonwoo without burying his face in the crook of his neck. After one deep inhale of the peppermint scent, the boy felt his heart broken and dead.

How could he believe that, this was not love?

Why was he hugging and crying for the man who had _promised to rape_ him?

Was Joshua really this stupid and blind?

He felt like was he downgrading himself, but all his heart, his soul, and his body had never stopped craving for Wonwoo as if the man were the source of his life, his air, his everything. Perhaps that was true. Joshua had already known for long that Wonwoo was his everything, and _his God_.

As a result, he had no protest when the alpha bit him hard on his neck to leave a temporary mark there. The pain made him whimper and grip the man’s shirt tightly. Mingyu got alarmed and agitated by that sound instantly, ready to attack Wonwoo if there was something wrong with the hybrid, but Jun soon hold him back and slowly shook his head. Gritting his teeth harshly, Mingyu terribly hated to see Wonwoo manipulating Joshua in all ways, but it was undeniable that he started to sense something very wrong here.

It was not difficult for any of them to see that Joshua was showing submission to Wonwoo. Was the boy aware of his own action and attitude? Was he too scared to disobey the lead alpha? They were not sure about anything, yet the fear was gradually creeping up their hearts. The scent Joshua was giving off was still a mixture of pain and fear, but he obviously loved Wonwoo too much.

Both Jun and Mingyu thought, that love was too much for them to interfere. They were scared to think, that it was already too late.

Joshua did not have even the slightest sign of rejection when Wonwoo kissed him on his lips, but Mingyu could not stand it any longer. The affection from the lead alpha was clearly hurting the hybrid’s feelings, so the giant man decided to stop this by seperating the couple. Simultaneously, Jun turned away quickly and headed to the taxi while Mingyu wrapped Joshua tightly in his arms, forcing the boy to have his face pressed against his chest, completely blocking the boy’s view of Wonwoo, causing the eldest man to let out a deep growl of anger. The giant alpha looked back at his cousin in a challenging way, but Jun gently tugged at Wonwoo’s arm to urge him to go. The boy did whimper loudly when he was detached from Wonwoo - which really annoyed Mingyu - but then just stayed still like a doll in his alpha’s embrace, having no courage to watch Jun or Wonwoo going in even a split second.

“You have me, kitten.” Placing his lips on the tip of the boy’s head to give him a long kiss, Mingyu whispered without knowing that he was sounding hopeless and painful.

…

While Joshua just cried in Mingyu’s embrace until he literally passed out, Jun said nothing to Wonwoo during the whole way. On the plane, he said nothing either, but at least he had some time to sleep. Not better than Joshua, he was just as much exhausted. In his slumber, he did not know that his head automatically fell to the side where Wonwoo was sitting, ending up resting on the man’s shoulder. From time to time, Wonwoo would have to use his hand to push Jun’s head back into place, so that his younger cousin would not fall off his shoulder. Jun did not wake up by that action even once, only getting out of sleep by himself whenever he needed to go to the restroom.

When he came back, he sat on his own chair and went back to sleep again, but not much later, his head would just betray its owner and rest on Wonwoo’s shoulder one more time. Jun was aware of the situation, and he did not realize how the peppermint scent was helping him feel better and calmer. The bad dreams did not come, thanks to nothing rather than just Wonwoo.

At home, things were pretty difficult for Mingyu. Joshua had only one hour to sleep then the man had to wake him up again. The boy was evidently tired when he whined weakly and rubbed his eyes in such a slow motion, but Mingyu had no other choice. Kissing and rubbing the hybrid’s back, he tried to make Joshua understand that they need to leave now so as to eat something for breakfast before heading to the office. Mingyu knew Joshua need a lot of sleep, but it was definitely better to have the boy sleep at his work place rather than letting him sleep alone at home. The tiredness made Joshua lazy but he genuinely wanted to follow Mingyu, so he nodded to whatever the alpha said.

Perhaps Mingyu was over-worried about his omega, but he could not stop walking around and around while Joshua was alone in the bathroom. Therefore, when the boy stepped out and got the sneakers, the man enthusiastically took them away from his hand and pushed him to sit down on the couch in the living room. Surprised, Joshua stared at him through his hazy but curious eyes, and there was a slight tint of happiness there once he realized that his owner was going to help him wear the shoes.

“I know you can do this, but I just want to spoil you today.” Smiling, Mingyu carefully took the kitten’s foot in his hand and put it into the white sneaker. “I’ll prove you than I’m one hundred times better than Wonwoo.”

Hearing that, Joshua suddenly got hit by a powerful wave of guilt. Spending some time thinking about it, he found out that during more than a month of living here, most of his time was for Wonwoo or Jun, and mostly Wonwoo. The reason was very simple: Wonwoo often took the boy away from his cousins and Joshua did not have any protest. He literally let Wonwoo do whatever the man wanted, even though it was unfair to do those things while three of them had agreed on sharing Joshua among each other. It seemed like the boy even took Wonwoo’s sides, just because he preferred his dominance. Mingyu’s huge figure left a bad impression in Joshua’s mind, causing the hybrid to put him in the last position on the list of his alphas.

Right at the moment, Joshua felt utterly guilty, knowing that Mingyu had never loved him any less than Jun did. Did he hurt Mingyu by his unfair treatment? Joshua could not figure out, and he had nothing to say except for _“I’m sorry”_.

“Oh no, don’t say that, baby!” Mingyu shook his head immediately, slowly tying the shoelace beautifully. He was still smiling, but Joshua could tell that the alpha was sad. “There’s nothing for you to say sorry about. I’m the one who have to apologize to you.”

“Why?” The hybrid asked, voice low and quiet, eyes fixed on the man in front of him. “You didn’t do anything to me…”

Mingyu smiled sadly.

“Yeah, my mistake is that I didn’t do anything to you. I have known that Wonwoo is going to get married a long time ago, but I didn’t let you know. I should have told you, but I didn’t.”

Honestly, last night, when Mingyu and Jun showed no surprise at the mention of Wonwoo’s wedding, the boy was already informed of the fact that they had known everything before he did, but the thought of blaming them did not cross his mind even once. Perhaps, Joshua was still so naïve, but he just could not think that way. The wedding was only Wonwoo’s decision; Mingyu and Jun had nothing to do with it. Judging by the way Jun rejected Wonwoo’s love, the boy understood that Jun was hurt by that incidence as well. Neither of them could accept being controlled like a toy by Wonwoo. To them, the lead alpha was merely a liar.

Sighing, Mingyu continued to say, hands reaching to the other foot of Joshua.

“I once intended to, but then… I saw that he loved you so much. I thought that one day his love for you would make him change his mind.”

Tearing his eyes away from the foot in his hands, Mingyu looked at the boy in the eyes.

“You know, I’m sure that Wonwoo doesn’t love Soonyoung. I even hadn’t known him until the day Jun told me that Wonwoo would get married soon with a guy named Soonyoung. I heard that he was a child of Wonwoo’s business partner, some kind of a president of a large company. I don’t know. I’m too angry of him to memorize that.”

Mingyu gritted his teeth again when he mentioned Wonwoo, but his look was still soft since Joshua was the only one in his eyes right then. However, his voice was the clearest evidence that showed how irritated he was.

“Wonwoo said that he agreed to marry Soonyoung just because of business benefit. Okay, I won’t say that I don’t really believe that for now, but I can’t tolerate the way he forces you and Jun to accept a stranger like that. This is a disrespect. So selfish. No matter what he intends to do, he seriously needs to ask first. He said that he would divorce after two years. Well, how can I believe that? Of course, Jun can’t, either. What may happen in those two years? Will there be another reason for him to stay married with Soonyoung? Another kind of benefit? Or love? Will he marry another person in the future for another benefit? I really can’t trust his promise. I really can’t.”

Joshua could not trust those promises, either. He was not sure if he should feel relieved or frightened to know that Wonwoo said he was going to marry Soonyoung just because of “business benefit”. If it was the truth, it meant the man was literally using that omega for his own good. Soonyoung’s parents must own a very powerful company or have a very huge fortune, Joshua guessed. It was a shock for the boy to acknowledge that his alpha was actually this kind of person. Basing on what he heard from Soonyoung, he believed that the omega’s family knew about him and had no objection towards him, but that was not what he cared. They accepted him and then what? This marriage was just wrong, totally wrong.

Or, Wonwoo was just lying to all of them again.

The piece of information Mingyu gave him did not make anything better, but Joshua was anyway grateful that at least he finally knew the whole story. He could understand Jun’s attitude thoroughly now. Unconsciously bringing a hand to place on his left side of his chest, Joshua felt a constant sting there, and he wondered how it was possible to Jun to keep staying here, seeing Wonwoo and working with him every day like that? They used to be close and intimate, probably more than anything the hybrid could imagine, but then Wonwoo’s betrayal destroyed everything.

When Joshua managed to break away from the chaotic thoughts in his mind, he saw Mingyu still sitting silently on the ground. According to what he had known about the man, he expected to see the giant alpha ruffled his hair violently whenever he was frustrated. Nonetheless, Mingyu did not do that; his hands were still busy holding Joshua’s bare foot and his eyes were glued on it as well, which caused the boy to blush. Mingyu only looked up at the moment Joshua wriggled his leg due to embarrassment. The man also smiled shyly.

“Sorry, kitten. I was so angry of Wonwoo that I was trying to find something to help myself cool down and then I couldn’t take my eyes away from your feet. Please don’t think I’m a pervert, but I really think that your foot is cute.”

Mingyu almost passed out when he saw the weak smile on Joshua’s face. Beaming like a kid, jumping like a happy puppy, he stood up immediately to sit down on the couch. Without warning, he lifted the boy up and placed him on his own lap, closing his arm around the slender body that was not shaking because of tears and sobs anymore.

“Oh my god, this is truly magic.” Mingyu terribly failed to contain his heart and he littered small kisses on all over Joshua’s face, making the hybrid blush even more. “Thank you, thank you for smiling for me, Joshua. Trust me. I will make you happy. I will make up for anything Wonwoo or this life has done to you. I will do everything for you.”

Sitting in the warm embrace of the giant man, receiving his sweet kisses and soothing words, Joshua gradually thought that maybe life would not be so horrible after all, because he still had Mingyu and Jun, who love him and truly treasured him. Right on that couch, Mingyu bit Joshua to create a new mark, but the boy did not feel it very much painful like he had felt in the past. The slight pain was taken away when the alpha gave him a gentle kiss on his lips and pinched his cheek lovingly a second later. Once again, Joshua smiled to his owner. The smile did not reveal his teeth or reach his ears, but it was definitely a triumph for Mingyu this morning.

When Joshua came home last night, Mingyu could smell food from him. Therefore, the alpha was afraid that the boy would not be able to eat well for breakfast, partly because of his bad mood, too. However, he was relieved to see the hybrid eating normally, guessing that the tears had taken too much of his energy. Joshua was sometimes spaced out and Mingyu had to tap his hand gently and reminded him to continue eating. On the other hand, he was caught off guard when Joshua suddenly asked, timidly.

“May I… ask you a question, about you and Jun?”

Raising an eyebrow, Mingyu was surprised, but he easily nodded.

“Of course. Just ask. You don’t have to ask for permission like that. But once I give you the answer, please promise me that you’ll finish your breakfast.” Mingyu slightly pouted. “You have to eat breakfast properly to be healthy.”

Smiling softly, Joshua agreed, feeling warm in his heart to know how much the giant man cared about his health.

“I promise. I will.”

“Then what do you want to know?” Mingyu felt like he was being more curious than the person who had the question.

“Now… I understand why Jun rejected Wonwoo. But… what about you?” Joshua was utterly confused, and he thought he might die of curiosity if he could not find out the answer soon. The only way to help him stop getting hurt because of Wonwoo was thinking about other problems, and the relationship between the other two alphas came right on top of all.

Joshua saw them hugged and kissed before Jun left, realizing that their trouble had been resolved. It was a relief, but also a huge question. Was there anything wrong with Mingyu before? Joshua thought he would die if he found out something shocking about the giant alpha. He desperately wished that he would not. It might sound strange or even silly of him to ask that question all of a sudden, but in fact no words could describe how nervous Joshua was at this moment. He was trying so hard to sit still, so that Mingyu would easily answer him.

Joshua thought he would faint if Mingyu gave him another _“It’s complicated”_ like Wonwoo had done.

Although the hardship he had gone through was not torturing anymore, Mingyu still sighed a little before he answered in a stable voice, giving Joshua a relief.

“I think… he was scared. You know, in the past, he and Wonwoo were so close that I thought I had no chance to find a place in Jun’s heart. Sometimes I felt like he loved me too, but I wasn’t sure. The only thing I could make sure then was that he loved Wonwoo so much. I didn’t dare to confess to him until the day he ran into my room and cried to me about Wonwoo’s wedding.”

Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, Mingyu was still displeased by mentioning that day again.

“It was really horrible. That night he couldn’t even stay at home. I had to take him out with a hope that a long walk by the beach would help him calm down. It did for a while. But once he sat down, he just cried again and told me that he could not remember if there was any place in this world that he and Wonwoo had never been to together.”

Stopping half way, Mingyu gently pushed Joshua’s hand towards his own plate with a soft smile.

“Keep on eating, baby. You can listen and eat at the same time. Don’t just stare at me like that.”

“I… I’m concentrating on your story.” The boy replied honestly, but he went back to eating as he was told.

“I have to kindly remind you that I almost finished mine but you have just had less than half of your serve. And we will have to leave soon or I’ll be late.” The alpha said with a grin, letting the hybrid know that he was urging but not mad at all.

Joshua nodded. “I’ll eat.”

The boy’s obedience earned a satisfactory smile on Mingyu’s face. He spent a few seconds watching his omega eat and then returned to the story.

“Jun and Wonwoo grew up together. They are the same age, and their parents were close, too. Therefore, they went to same classes for years and I only started to join them after I entered university. At that time I felt like I had just invaded their private space, but Jun was just too kind. They accepted me to share a room in the dorm. And we were together until now.”

From this point, Joshua began to count the times Mingyu sighed.

“I tell you about our past so that you can understand how shocked Jun was when he found out that Wonwoo was going to marry a stranger regardless of his feelings. People think that he’s weak, but no, he’s not weak at all. Since I was by his side on that day, I know how broken he was then. But do you see how he acts? You couldn’t realize anything when you first came here, right? And even later you still didn’t know that he rejects Wonwoo because Wonwoo hurt him too badly.”

Mingyu was totally right. Apart from the day Joshua saw Jun coming back from Wonwoo’s room with red and swollen eyes, he had never thought that the reason for their strange attitudes was that his beloved alpha was hurt.

“After that day, Jun started to act cold to Wonwoo. It’s not too cold. They still talked to each other, but Jun treated him as nothing more than his cousin only. He stopped going to Wonwoo’s room, and they did not go out together anymore, except for going to work.”

Nothing could stop Mingyu from sighing audibly every time he made a brief stop between parts of the story.

“I began to have the nerve to think that I may have a chance. I tried to wait. I tried to cheer him up. And then I confessed to him. I believed that I had never been subtle in expressing my feelings. I thought he knew too well that I love him but he had never pushed me away, and with a broken heart, maybe he would need someone to comfort him and cherish him to make him feel warm again. So, I thought it was the right time to do that.”

He smiled, somehow bitterly.

“But… things were different from what I expected. I knew he was not surprised at all, but it seemed like… he panicked. I think… he was scared. What Wonwoo had done created a trauma in his mind. He was afraid that I would be like Wonwoo. He told me that it was impossible for two alphas to become a couple. He said that it would come to nothing, that an alpha should end up with an omega only. I tried to persuade him that I knew it is possible for alphas to become a couple, but he didn’t listen. He told me that I’m already a fully grown man, don’t play such childish games anymore.”

Shoving food into his own mouth in a quite furious way, Mingyu continued after nearly half a minute spent in chewing and swallowing.

“After that, he avoided me for the rest of the day. And then, the next day, he was back to normal. That was really painful, much more painful than getting a cold shoulder from him. He acted as if nothing had happened. He treated me and Wonwoo the same, and stopped going to our rooms. In the past, sometimes Jun had nightmare in his sleep, or some horror movies would make it hard for him to sleep alone. At those times, he would come to my or Wonwoo’s room and timidly asked us if he could joined for a night. But after that, he endured everything alone. He avoided any kind of intimate contact with us.”

One more time, Mingyu sighed, but he eventually smiled.

“I don’t know how to describe my happiness now. All of those things were gone. I won’t say that I am making him happy, but at least he is giving the chance to try. At least he trusts me, and he told me that he loves me, too.”

Reaching his arm towards Joshua, the alpha held the boy’s left hand firmly while a gentle smile was still decorating his shining face.

“With you and Jun, I can feel like my life is fulfilled. The one last thing that I need is to make you two happy. I can’t wait till the day three of us live together in a cozy house as a happy family. We will take care of you, kitten. Are you eager for that, baby?”

Joshua should have nodded or given Mingyu an enthusiastic answer, but instead he just froze. Wonwoo’s threat was repeating over and over again in his mind, reminding him of what would happen when the lead alpha came home. He knew the man was not joking. Wonwoo would do what he said. Knowing that Joshua was hurt and disappointed, perhaps the lead alpha was able to tell what his cousins and _his pet _were planning to do behind his back. Therefore, he wanted to take action first.

Joshua knew the only way to prevent the worst scenario was to let Mingyu mark him first. Wonwoo would be still able to mark him after that, but the boy knew things would be a thousand times different when the order was changed. If Wonwoo came first, Joshua could not imagine how long he would have to wait till the day he could accept any alphas to do that again. In his mind, the imagination of Wonwoo knotting him was not different from the most horrible nightmare. The man would rape him, thrusting into him with no mercy, using violence to restrain him if he squirmed and kicked in terror. Because Joshua was just a hybrid, a pet, Wonwoo would not care how he was feeling. Joshua would cry for the whole night but no one cared. Wonwoo would not comfort him, or maybe he would just leave the boy crying, sobbing and bleeding alone in his room. Joshua’s life would end up in the same way as Jeonghan’s, or even worse.

If Mingyu marked Joshua first, the boy would have the chance to escape the apartment before Wonwoo returned. Mingyu would have the rights to protect him from any other alphas including his cousin. The only serious trouble was that, Joshua was too scared.

Since his owners had never urge him to let them do that, he spent almost no time thinking about it. He had never prepared himself for getting claimed for real by his alphas. Now facing the fact that he would have to let Mingyu do that soon in only one or two more days, Joshua was terrified. Although he had sex with Jeonghan a few times just last week, it turned out to be a whole different thing when it came to having sex with _the alphas_. Jeonghan was an exception not only because he was Joshua’s best friend, the one who trusted most, but also because he is an omega hybrid. The boy did not have a bad impression of the omegas like what he had with the alphas. Joshua loves Mingyu, for sure, but he was too scared.

He should have done this a few hours ago, when Jun was still here. If Joshua really had to do this, he wanted his first alpha to be Jun, the gentle alpha that he loves most in this world. Life was just too cruel, leaving with no more than only two options, Wonwoo or Mingyu.

“Hey, baby, look at me. Look at me, Joshua, please.” Holding the hybrid’s cold hand by both hands, Mingyu started to plead, concerns filling his eyes. “Do you hear me, baby? Joshua, look at me.”

It was not difficult for Mingyu there was something bothering the silent boy in his mind when his scent suddenly turned sour and he seemed spaced out again. The man tried calling his name, but he did not reply in a whole minute straight. It was not until Mingyu touched his hand that Joshua began to notice that the alpha was being extremely nervous of his attitudes.

“Please, Joshua, if there’s anything wrong, you have to tell me.” Leaning closer to the omega, Mingyu cupped one of his cheeks. “We’ll deal with it together. You can’t handle everything alone. Please, Joshua.”

Looking at the man in front of him deeply in the eyes, Joshua could see the purest sincerity, which made him almost burst into tears right on the spot. Luckily, the boy managed to hold back his emotions, and he nodded with watery eyes. He would have to tell Mingyu about this soon. He desperately wished that his alpha would come up with some brilliant ideas to help him cope with his fear and get over this without much pain. Knowing that it would be definitely impossible to tell Mingyu that nothing was wrong, Joshua tried to force his mouth open and say a promise.

“I… I will. Just… please give me some time.” Rubbing his eyes by one free hand left, he wanted the tears to stop threatening to fall. “I promise… I will tell you when I’m ready… Just a little more.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll wait.” Patting the hybrid’s hair, Mingyu felt like sitting on fire but that was all he could do. He had been with Joshua long enough to know that pushing would just bring worse result. Trying to handle the broken boy with care, Mingyu moved to sit next to him and encouraged the hybrid to finish his breakfast by taking the knife and folk from his hands to feed him. Joshua was embarrassed when Mingyu wanted to do this in a public restaurant, but he did not protest and once again, the boy finally smiled shyly.

In Mingyu’s office, there was a small corner covered by a wall and a curtain. A long couch was placed inside and it was also where Joshua had spent many afternoons taking naps whenever he came to the office with his giant owner. Today, the man let his omega sleep there while he worked right from the beginning of the day, since he saw the boy yawning so many times in their short way coming to his company. Mingyu only needed to pull the curtain properly and then no one coming to his office would be able to see what was happening inside that small corner. Joshua kept reminding himself that he had that important thing to tell Mingyu, but he seriously needed to sleep first. He wished to sleep in Mingyu’s arms, but that would only be possible when the night came.

He told himself to wait.

He told himself that this was all the best that he could get for now.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there anyone hating Wonwoo more than before? :">  
We are getting closer and closer to MinShua smut~~~ I think there will be at least 2 more chapters for this couple, a sweet break after so much angst ^^ And then... angst again :">
> 
> \---
> 
> You can skip this part because it's not related to the story.
> 
> Sometimes, I am really afraid of the days this fic ended and I have no more to post. Posting new chapters and checking new comments have become what makes me so happy these days. I usually post a new chapter before going to bed, and then in the next morning, I'm extremely excited to check if there are any new comments. It has become a habit and I am enjoying it so much. Then... what will happen when it all stop? No more new comments, views, bookmarks, subscription, or anything... I guess I will feel so empty, so lost.
> 
> That's so horrible. Will I be able to come up with a new story quickly and begin posting a new fic? I'm feeling better these days, but I can't tell it's because of the medicine, or just thanks to the happiness brought by my fanfic here. Will I collapse again when I have to go back to my "normal days"?
> 
> I can't never fully express fully how happy I am during all the days I work on my fic here. I haven't received compliments in my life, and the beautiful days really started after I posted the first chapter of "Fate is unfair, but that's fine." You guys help me feel much more confident in myself, and I never want this to stop ;_; but I know it will T_T The worse thing is, I am the kind of person who always live with the past. I can't get out of the past, and all of the good memories will keep haunting my mind, gradually becoming toturous.
> 
> Really unfair T_T I'm so scared T_T


	37. The guardian angel coming from heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu had a day with Joshua.  
And "things" happened.  
Mingyu was the one Joshua needed most at this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MinShua  
MinShua  
MINSHUA!!!

There was nothing Joshua could do except for sobbing continuously as the knot inflated at once and stretched him out crazily. He could not stop whimpering pathetically in pain and fear. Nobody could be killed by a knot, but death had never been high on Joshua’s list of his most dreadful things in his life. The feeling was too painful for him to handle. Frantically, he writhed in agony and tried to pull himself out of the knot, desperately and hopelessly wishing to end this pain as soon as possible.

However, Wonwoo had no mercy for the hybrid. His rough hands held the boy tightly, nails digging deeply into Joshua’s already bruised skin. The alpha growled in anger and frustration, his eyes fiercely staring at the sniffling boy. Joshua could feel Wonwoo’s cum spilled inside him just a few seconds later, which made him even more uncomfortable and shiver so badly. Joshua kept crying and whimpered louder as he felt like the knot had just grown bigger. Wonwoo was not trying to hold back anything, totally ignoring the hybrid’s clearly miserable appearance.

Joshua cried even louder when his alpha leaned forward and bit on his neck. The pain coming from two different places on his body was destroying the hybrid’s mind completely. His head fell on Wonwoo’s shoulder while the sobs kept on getting heavier and heavier. He knew his master had finally marked him, and this claiming mark will be on his neck forever. Joshua was a claimed omega, but he did not feel loved. He just felt taken and broken. His body, his mind, and his heart were all broken into pieces.

Wonwoo did not love him. He had never been loved like he had expected and thought to be.

Joshua should have known that it was useless for him to say anything to Wonwoo at this moment, but he was not able to control himself anymore. His arms unconsciously wrapped around the alpha’s shoulders when he was crying in pain. Joshua did not have enough energy to move anymore. He had given up his all hopes, just staying there with Wonwoo’s huge knot deep in his tight hole. Joshua had not been prepared enough, and an omega’s body is not supposed to be ready to take the alpha’s knot easily like while he is in heat. Therefore, he begged, face buried in his alpha’s chest. His own chest was heaving too much, making it difficult for him to speak, but he still tried to.

“Master… help… help me…” Joshua did not really know what he was saying. His words just automatically came out while he panicked, completely lost in terror. “Please… master… please… it… it hurts… it hurts… I’m scared… master…”

However, Wonwoo had no intention of helping Joshua. There was no signal of sympathy from the alpha. Joshua was terrified by his owner’s angry pheromones. He could not understand it. He did not do anything wrong. The scenario made the boy’s scent turn incredibly more sour. Tonight, Wonwoo was cruel inside out like a demon in Joshua’s mind. He was a monster eating up the hybrid’s soul, brutally breaking his heart by not only his violent actions but also his harsh words.

“Can’t you open yourself for your master, Joshua? Weren’t you born to take alphas’ knot?” Wonwoo grumbled, almost sounding like threatening. “Why are you crying like that when knotted by your alpha? That’s why you were said to be disobedient, right?”

Right after finishing his own sentence, Wonwoo spanked really hard on the boy’s ass, making him shout out loud in great pain. Joshua mentally collapsed at his love’s saying. Today, his alpha scolded him for being disobedient because he was raped, forced to take a knot that physically could not fit him properly and because he was sobbing due to getting overwhelmingly hurt.

Joshua could not hold onto his owner anymore, but he could not stop crying like Wonwoo wanted either. He just slowly dragged his own arms away from the alpha, using both hands to hold his face and continued crying his eyes out. Joshua vaguely heard Wonwoo saying something in an enraged voice, but he could not obey. He could not know how many more spanks he had got; he only knew that his chest, his heart and his lungs hurt because Wonwoo’s hands had been adding more pain to his body, causing him to cry uncontrollably. Even if his alpha punished him, or threatened to kill him, Joshua would not be able to hold back his sob and whimpers. He did not dare to look at the man he loved to see the alpha looking at him like a fuck doll, not a person that he also loved back.

All of a sudden, Joshua heard a familiar voice calling his name. He still heard Wonwoo calling his name, but the other voice was so much more loving and caring that his heart even ached more. He blinked his watery eyes, and then when he opened his eyes, there was only one Mingyu in front of him, kneeling by the couch and looking at him with so much worry in his sad eyes, which had always been so bright and shining like the sun. Joshua felt a gentle hand on his head, and another hand wiping the tears on his own face. He could not hear exactly what Mingyu was saying to him since his own breath was so loud that he almost went deaf, but he did not need more to finally realize that he had just gone through the most dreadful dream of his life.

Joshua flung himself to Mingyu immediately without a care of anything else in this world. He hugged his alpha more tightly than ever without saying a word, unconsciously breaking his owner’s heart into pieces. Mingyu had been with the boy in various nights, witnessing his lover struggle in the haunting memories that kept torturing him over and over again, but today the man knew things were so much worse. He heard the boy in his arms begging him something incoherently, but after a lot of effort, he managed to hear _“Wonwoo”_.

Joshua did not know that his alpha’s clients were actually sitting in Mingyu’s office when the man suddenly interrupted their talk since he found his lover scent too sour and his instincts instantly told him that there must be something wrong with the hybrid. After checking on the boy, Mingyu could not go back to his work anymore. Pulling Joshua’s legs to wrap around his waist, not leaving the crying boy for even a second, Mingyu simply walked out like that to face his clients and gave a brief apology, saying that he had to go home right away. Those people were almost shocked, but Mingyu could not wait longer. Regardless of what this incident may cause to his career, he walked out and headed straight to the car park, determined to bring Joshua home and make this heartbroken scene stop. _It had to stop by all means._

The boy clung desperately to Mingyu during the whole way, even when the man drove him home. His sobs did not take too much time to subside until there were only sniffles left, but the scary dream seemed to have opened Joshua’s floodgate and he could not stop shedding tears anymore. On the way home, Mingyu still heard the hybrid murmuring something about _“Wonwoo”, “knot”_, and _“hurt”_, which caused him to combust like a flame. Trying to collect small pieces of information through Joshua’s chaotic words, the giant man finally figured out what had happened previously and also what the boy saw in his dream.

If Wonwoo were at home that day, Mingyu would definitely break his jaw right at the moment he got back to the apartment.

At home, Joshua was brought to Mingyu’s room. When sitting down on the edge of the bed, the alpha intended to soothe his lover a little more and then coax him to having a rest in his bed, but he certainly did not expect that the hybrid would suddenly rise up and kiss him. Caught off guard, Mingyu froze in a few seconds before he decided to kiss the boy back, but there were still hundreds of questions in his mind. This was not the first time for Joshua to initiate a kiss, but never in this way. Whenever the hybrid kissed him first, he was always shy and slow but intimate. At this time, there was no hint of shyness in his action. Mingyu was not sure about the motivation, but there must be something that had triggered the cat to do this.

“Kitten, come on. Slow down.” Trying to stop the kisses that he also enjoyed crazily, the giant man demanded an explanation. Much as he wanted to devour the boy’s lips, he could not ignore the drastic change in Joshua’s attitude. “What do you want to tell me? Let me know, Joshua.”

Mingyu did not need to wait until Joshua actually spoke to understand what was wrong. The boy hands was trembling when he frantically reached to the buttons on the alpha’s shirt, determined to open all of them in an obvious attempt of undressing the man.

“Please, master… just…” His speech was almost out of breath, due to complicated reasons, but Mingyu knew none of them was positive. “Please… _knot me… make me yours_… claim me…”

“What… Wait, baby! Wait!” Startled, Mingyu held the boy’s wrist to stop him, but his touch was so light that Joshua could break away easily and kept on trying to remove his owner’s shirt.

“Please, master. Make me yours. So that… so that…” Joshua was even unable to finish what he was going to say, tears still streaming down his cheeks as he was kissing Mingyu and whispering in broken voice. “Don’t wait anymore… Please…”

The boy could not complete the part after _“so that”_ but Mingyu eventually understood that Joshua wanted him to knot him and mark him first before Wonwoo may have the chance to do it. Nonetheless, the boy failed to get what he was miserably trying to get, since his owner did not agree with him at all. Grabbing both of the shaking wrists, Mingyu sternly said, stopping the hybrid’s actions and words all at once.

“Stop. You have to stop this, Joshua. I can’t do it now. I really can’t.”

The commanding tone in the man’s voice scared Joshua and made him freeze right on the spot, but Mingyu quickly regretted what he had just said and crazily wished that he had used a softer way to control the situation instead of scolding the boy. Pain started to fill the hybrid’s red eyes when he looked at Mingyu, feeling betrayed and cruelly hurt.

“Why?” His question turned into a loud sob. The boy’s body became limp on his alpha’s lap, just shivering out of his control. The longer he stared into Mingyu’s eyes, the more tears he shed, and the more painful he felt deep in his heart. “You… you don’t want me?”

Panicked, instantly letting go of Joshua’s wrists, Mingyu hurriedly crushed his lover in an extremely tight hug, continuously stroking the brown hair of his omega.

“Don’t say that, Joshua. You know that’s not what I mean. Please, listen to me first, baby. You have to listen to me. Please, kitten.”

However, Joshua was still crying in agony, unable to calm down.

“If you do… wh-why can’t you claim me?” Burying his face in Mingyu’s shoulder and gripping his collar at the same time, the boy begged despairingly. “Please… Or… Wonwoo… Wonwoo… He will…”

Once again, Joshua did not have the ability to finish his sentence, since mentioning Wonwoo was already too painful and scary for him to handle.

“Screw him!” Knowing that Joshua needed nothing more than someone taking his sides and protecting him, Mingyu expressed his anger and hatred towards Wonwoo through both his voice and pheromones. “I won’t care about paper or cops or anything. I will just take you and run away and wait until you’re ready for us to do it. Jun will go with us too. I will take you to the countries where it is illegal to sell or buy hybrids and nobody will help him find you there…”

“Why can’t we do it now?” No matter what Mingyu said, Joshua was still undeniably in distress and cared about nothing apart from having his giant alpha claim him permanently.

“You’re not calm now, Joshua. If you force yourself to do this now, I will just hurt you not less than Wonwoo. There are also many other important reasons. Please, listen to me, baby. Please, _I beg you_.”

The last sentence hit Joshua so hard that he said nothing more.

Fifteen minutes later, or even more, Mingyu was not sure, but surely after a long while, he felt his heart a little bit lighter to have Joshua lying on top of him in the cozy bed while his arms draped over the slender body. Because the wetness on his chest, the scent, and the small sounds of sniffles from the hybrid, the alpha knew that his lover was still crying, but at least he had somehow regained much of a control over his emotion and action. Having known that the boy enjoyed the warmth coming from the bare skin, like what he had always done before, Mingyu unbuttoned his whole shirt by himself so that Joshua could lie with a side of his face placed on the middle of the wide chest, taking in all of the tender warmth he liked. Everything, including Mingyu’s sandalwood scent, steady breath, and steady movement of his chest when he inhaled and exhaled calmed the boy’s mind down.

Nevertheless, the question _“why”_ had never stopped wandering in his mind. Fortunately, Mingyu soon gave more explanation once considering that his omega was good enough to listen.

“It’s really our fault. We should have provided you with more knowledge about these things.” The man sighed before coming to the main problem. “If I want to claim you as mine, I have to knot you, bite you, and one more thing. That is to pump my seeds into you. That’s the whole process of making you become mine forever. With such a process, if I wear a condom while having sex with you, we will get nothing. Do you understand, Joshua?”

Watching Joshua buried his whole face in his chest and lightly shook his head, Mingyu guessed that the hybrid understood. He was just refusing to accept that unexpected truth.

“If we have sex without protection and I even knot you, you will certainly get pregnant. One hundred percent. I’m sure you aren’t ready for that yet. Even the emergency contraception won’t work in our case, because I’m a noble alpha. It’ll only work if your partner is Jun. I can only do that after you start taking the pills a few days.”

At this point, Joshua raised his head up to look at his owner, bearing so much hope in his eyes that Mingyu felt his heart clenching brutally. Cupping the boy’s face by one hand and moving his thumb to wipe the tears, the alpha forced himself to smile, knowing how much his smile always affected his omega’s mood.

“I will go to the drugstore and get the pills for you. You will start taking them from today. I’m not sure how many days it will need to take effect, but I guess it won’t be too long. No matter how many days it will be, I will try my best to protect you. Nobody can do anything to you without my approval. Agree, kitten?”

Luckily, Mingyu believed that the idea of pregnancy was scary enough to make Joshua change his mind quickly, and the boy soon nodded even though his eyes were still so sad and disappointed. One more time, Joshua placed his head back down on Mingyu chest and hid his face in the man’s warm skin. Mingyu did not rush; he patiently stayed there, letting his kitten cry until when he felt enough and could not cry anymore. The alpha gently used his hands to rub Joshua’s back, or stroke and comb his soft hair with his long fingers. At first, the man was surprised to see the hybrid let his cat ears pop up, but then working every single nerve in his brain to figure out the purpose of Joshua for doing this.

In the end, Mingyu realized Joshua still wanted nothing but comfort from him, and he remembered that the boy had always enjoyed lying on the sofa with him while they watched TV in the evening, his head placed on the man’s lap. In the first few times, Mingyu was the one to ask if Joshua could let his cat ears appear for him, but from the fourth time onwards, the hybrid willingly did that before he was told. Mingyu enjoyed the purring sounds coming from his kitten, and also the adorably sweet candy-liked scent that Joshua produced at such moments. On those evenings, the alpha had his heart melted for the cutest cat that he luckily owns for himself, but now he felt like someone was using a hammer to destroy his ribcage, threatening to take away his life by attacking his heart.

Joshua never dared to ask for anything from his owner, especially when he had got back his mind after the previous crisis, but now he was really silently pleading to be petted and loved. Still keeping one hand on the boy’s back, Mingyu moved the other one to those ears immediately, carefully and lovingly giving them all the kinds of touch that he knew Joshua liked. After just a minute, the alpha felt the body on top of him got relaxed. In this position, it was difficult for Joshua to hug his owner, but he still tried to since he wholeheartedly wanted to do that. The heat from the man warmed his heart, while the touch on his ears made him melt, finally letting out a purr.

It was not easy for Joshua to go back to sleep in this mental condition, so he just lied there and enjoyed every movements of Mingyu’s fingers in his hair and on his ears. Sometimes, the man intentionally rubbed the mark he had created on the hybrid’s neck, and this kind of action brought similar reaction. When the tears stopped falling, the boy had enough both mental and physical strength to raise his head again, resting his chin on Mingyu’s chest and staring into the alpha’s eyes in silence. Almost mesmerized by those beautifully melancholy eyes, the man forgot to continue stroking Joshua’s ears until he heard a needy whine from the little hybrid. Chuckling and unintentionally making the omega blush, Mingyu went back to what he had been doing, and also reached up to deliver a kiss on his lover’s forehead.

“I have an idea, kitten. Do you want to hear?” He smiled, acting mysterious to draw Joshua’s attention.

The boy nodded without thinking. All he was focusing on now was Mingyu and Mingyu only.

“I can’t go back to work today. I really can’t concentrate. And it doesn’t seem nice for us to stay here the whole day long.” The man’s smile got brighter and brighter while he spoke, making Joshua curious about his intention. “How about a short escape for two of us only?”

The hybrid’s eyes instantly got a little bit wider in amazement, and Mingyu explained right away before he could ask, feeling his own voice getting excited with the brilliant idea.

“Let’s go to a beach, book a room by beach, a very private one, for only two of us. What do you think?”

Only a few seconds later, both of them got up from the bed and Mingyu quickly took out a quite big black backpack from his closet. Fifteen minutes later, they were both in the alpha’s car and started the trip to the beach that Joshua did not know where. He just sat there and let his man took him to wherever he wanted. In the middle of the way, they stopped at a drugstore. Mingyu confidently and proudly took Joshua’s hand, leading the boy out of the car and entering the store together with him. The man was not embarrassed or fazed even a bit when announcing to the female pharmacist that he wanted to buy some contraceptive pills for his omega but Joshua’s face turned seriously red. Mingyu found that extremely cute and he could not help cupping the boy’s face, cooing and telling him not to feel ashamed.

In fact, Joshua wanted to ask if they needed to buy condoms (perhaps they would have sex a few times before knotting) and lube too, but he was too shy to ask such questions. However, it seemed like what he was wondering was already written on his face, and Mingyu said frankly, even not afraid of letting other people hear it.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ve already had the lube and condoms. How can I forget them?”

Mingyu knew for sure that he was making his lover embarrassed, but he wanted to make it this way. The giant man never liked to hide his feelings or his relationship with his lover(s). Since Joshua had agreed to become his mate, he just wanted to let the whole world know that they belong to each other, because it meant he was being the happiest man in this world. It would be hard for the boy to act like he did, but Mingyu would be determined to make the hybrid feel proud and happy about it one day as well.

The friendly pharmacist only smiled at them, having no complaints about Mingyu’s too-direct talk. She carefully explained how to use the pills properly, and also reminded the alpha to take notice of this problem too so that everything would go well and pressure would not be put on the omega only. She said that there was one kind of pills that would be fully effective - with any kinds of noble alphas - after just six days but it would cause quite a lot of considerably uncomfortable side effects, and it would be more advisable to use the normal ones - ten days. However, they did not have much time, so the hybrid agreed to face all of those effects and chose the powerful and expensive pills. Joshua still had his face heated during the whole talk, but he managed to remember all and read the paper inside the box of the pills one more time after they got back in the car. This was a new experience, and once he was not being embarrassed anymore, he started to feel himself excited about it.

This is _a serious relationship_, no fooling around, with full consent, between him and an alpha.

Joshua did not know why but he fell asleep on the way, but no bad dreams came, and when he woke up, they had already reached the destination.

Mingyu never spent his money carelessly, but when it came to Joshua, he willingly threw thousands of dollars away in the blink of an eye, but he knew he made the right decision. Joshua had never been to a hotel or a beach before, so this was definitely a whole new experience for him. In the past, he had not been allowed to follow his family on their trips; he was always left out. He had to stay at home and watched the house while everyone enjoyed holidays together. He only had a little imagination of how it would feel like to stay in a hotel, and Mingyu generously gave him the best first time ever.

However, the boy was amazed to realize that the place his alpha took him to was not actually a hotel. Spending most of the time looking around, Joshua did not really know how to address this kind of place. It was decorated in a tropical style, from the outside to the inside where Joshua was standing with his owner - the reception desk. The strange place certainly still made the hybrid nervous and he was holding Mingyu’s hand extremely tightly, but his eyes kept wandering around due to intense curiosity.

Checking if Joshua would want to explore the hall a little, Mingyu let go of his hand when he gave the ID cards to the receptionist and did not soon return to previous position. Nonetheless, the result made him quite sad, since Joshua just simply gripped the back of his shirt instead, not leaving his spot even the slightest. The hybrid was stiff and all tensed up, as if he was afraid of getting killed if he did not stay closely to his owner. Whenever an alpha passed by and glanced at Joshua, even in just a second, the boy would turn away immediately and strengthened his grip on Mingyu’s shirt or arm. There was once in which the distance between the boy and a male alpha walking by was less than one meter, and the sweet candy scent vanished right away.

Startled, Mingyu snapped his head back, looking around, on full alert, but nothing actually happened. Unable to bear this situation any longer, the alpha pulled Joshua into his embrace and kept the boy firmly in front of his chest, doing all of the other things just by one hand. At first, he thought that perhaps this intimate position in public might make his omega embarrassed, but the boy had no protest, even closing his arms around the man’s waist while his scent gradually got better. From that onwards, it was utterly difficult to concentrate on the simple things that he had to go through at the reception, because his heart was overwhelmed with distress.

It was clearer than ever to realize than Joshua had never successfully got back to a normal state. Mingyu and his cousins had been trying so hard to take the boy to here and there, bringing him to their office, or even some of their friends’ house together with them in an attempt to make him less scared of the strangers, especially human alphas. Nonetheless, until now, nothing changed. Mingyu did not know if it was the effect of the lost in Joshua’s faith in Wonwoo, but he knew all of the wounds in the hybrid’s heart had not had enough time to heal yet, and his oldest cousin had effortlessly created a new one, which was even more severe and painful than any other things.

On the way to their room, Joshua curiously but also cautiously looked around, trying to think which kind of room or which floor they would stay for tonight, but he was so surprised to see the bellhop (he learned this word from a drama he had just watched recently) leading them through a huge garden. Almost mesmerized by the beautiful scene of the trees, flowers and the sea, the hybrid temporarily took less notice of the people around him, and when they finally reached their rent private “room”, Joshua nearly exploded.

What Mingyu got for their “short escape” was in fact a small villa by the beach, which was the most private villa he could drive to from their home within three hours. Their villa was surrounded with so many trees; the distance between their place and other villas was so far that Joshua believed he could drown in the water here without anyone knowing. The main door of the villa straightly faced the blue sea that Joshua could not see anything out there except for the beautiful colors of nature mixing together in a picturesque scene. The villa was so close to the beach but there was still a small pool made out of black stone, which made Joshua suddenly came up with the idea of jumping into that pool filled with hot water at night and enjoyed the starry night sky together with Mingyu.

Seeing excitement tinting the hybrid’s eyes, Mingyu knew he should not wait any longer.

Carelessly throwing the backpack into the bedroom, along with anything else in his pocket, the alpha asked Joshua to do the same. Having no clue about what was going to happen, Joshua still obeyed and then looked at his owner innocently with his dove-like eyes. Mingyu’s grin was brighter than ever, sending a wave of anticipation down to the boy’s spine.

That was also the moment Joshua realized, he finally trusted Mingyu to the point that he even did not need to worry about the man’s intention at all. No matter what the man does, he will still be safe and happy.

Consequently, Joshua was not scared at all when Mingyu suddenly lifted him up on his strong arms and started running towards the sea without warning. The boy yelped in shock at first, but it did not take much time for him to begin smiling and giggling. Mingyu was so noisy when he laughed and was truly excited, but that was also what lightened Joshua’s mood right away. The boy had never went to the sea, but since Mingyu decided to stop running and put him down at the spot where the water only started to reach his thighs and the waves were also gentle, Joshua was not scared even a bit. When he sat down, it was still comfortable for him to play with Mingyu without a fear of drowning.

Joshua had nothing to worry about when Mingyu was by his side.

Sea, sand, and sunlight are all the necessary things to wash away someone’s sadness. The combination with the presence of Mingyu, those heavenly things made Joshua smile. For an hour playing in the sea with his giant alpha, the boy no longer remembered anything except for the man grinning brightly in his eyes. Joshua was not really the type of a playful person, but whatever Mingyu suggested playing, he quickly complied and genuinely enjoyed with all of his heart. When the hybrid was tired, Mingyu let him straddle his waist and then carried the boy on himself while walking further into the sea. The level of the water was getting higher and higher, but Joshua still felt safe in Mingyu’s arms, and he was allowed to explore how it would feel to get deeper in the water with zero possibility of dying.

Just playing at such area in a few short minutes, Mingyu soon went back to the place where he could sit down with Joshua sitting comfortably on his lap and whenever the waves gently hit them, the water was still lower than the hybrid’s shoulder. Mingyu initiated the kisses, and Joshua replied to him with no hesitation. It was such a peaceful moment in which the boy felt like floating in heaven. They kissed each other deeply but slowly, since there was no need to rush. There was nobody around, only two of them and a burning love inside the two hearts.

At the beginning of the day, Joshua was feeling bad for having not spent much time for Mingyu, but now, he was happy to have this chance to make up for his giant lover, and he desperately wished that he had done this earlier to know that Mingyu was also the precious gift fate gave to him. His first impression about the man was terribly wrong, because Mingyu had never been and would never be a monster. Furthermore, no matter how the man is, Joshua simply loves him.

Neither of them knew for sure how long they stayed there, exchanging countless sweet kisses to each other. They only decided to get inside at the moment Joshua broke the kiss and giggled when he heard Mingyu’s stomach growl. The man smiled in embarrassment, but then quickly promised to bring his omega to the best place he knew around here so that they could have the best sea food party ever. Joshua beamed, and the smile was still on his face during all the time they walked back to the villa, hand in hand.

After playing in the sea, they both certainly needed to take a shower. Joshua did not have any special thought in his mind when he and Mingyu took their dry clothes out from the bag, but at the moment the man gently held his hand and looked at him expectantly, the hybrid slightly got the hint in his owner’s eyes.

“Hey Joshua, do you want to…” Mingyu’s voice was extremely soft when speaking out the suggestion, and Joshua could sense reluctance in his saying.

The man was afraid that he would scare his kitten by such a thing, and the hybrid immediately felt bad for making Mingyu think that way. Until now, the giant alpha still had no idea about what his cousins had done to Joshua while he was on his business trip to France. Moreover, it also means that Mingyu did not know Joshua was totally fine with sexual activities, as long as he would not get a dick in his hole. Almost instantly, the boy blushed at his own thought about what may happen between him and Mingyu after he agreed with the man’s request, but the alpha was not sure what the meaning of that reaction was. He was even worried that Joshua had misunderstood him.

“I mean…” Mingyu continued, still very hesitant and unsure. “I wish to take the shower with you. Do you want to, kitten?”

Because of the nervous look the giant man was giving him, Joshua felt his heart so much warmer. Mingyu was so careful and cautious that the hybrid could not help loving him more than before, and he nodded with a shy smile, letting the man hold his hand and take him to the bathroom. Neither of them cared about the clothes any longer. If they were going to share the shower, then what was the problem with walking out of the bathroom while still naked?

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there anyone shocked by the beginning? Hehe~ But it's really painful to write that part. Wonderfully painful - exactly what I like to write most T_T
> 
> I think you know what is going to happen in the next chapter~ This is the special moment for Mingyu that you guys have been waiting for >< The best thing is, he doesn't just get an hour or two. He has Joshua for himself A WHOLE DAY~ Yay!!!
> 
> I'm sorry if it takes me longer to post the next chapter, because I'm still working on MinShua smut. Writing smut is so difficult for me these days, maybe because of the medicine >< I have no feelings for that ;_; I can only use my brain to guess what might be hot ;_;
> 
> I am happy to make some more friends through my Instagram account. You can follow me at @luna.moon96 ^^
> 
> \---
> 
> You can skip this part because it isn't related to the story.
> 
> I feel so much worse these days. Why? I don't know... It's like... I have never taken any medicine, and the feelings are just the same as what I felt in the past. Awful.


	38. Warm up in the bathroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua and Mingyu went to the bathroom together.  
The boy was wet even before they turned on the shower.
> 
> In short: MinShua Smut!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry but after I finished MinShua smut it turned out to be more than 10k words long >< I couldn't believe it >< Therefore, I can't put all in one chapter. Maybe it's long because I let them talk a bit. You know, it isn't natural for Mingyu (in my fic) to just do things like that without saying a word. 
> 
> I really hope you will like this ;_; I spent days writing this smut, yet I'm still not sure if it's good enough for you guys ;_;

Once both of them had got into the bathroom, everything suddenly became too hot, and Joshua felt his mind foggy. While they were playing with each other under the sun, they barely paid any attention towards how the other’s body was being shown under the wet layer of thin fabric, but now Joshua’s eyes were literally glued on Mingyu’s attractive body. The boy could not remember how many times he had wondered how the giant man’s muscles look like whenever seeing him come back from the gym or touching his abs in their intimate moments. Since all of the alphas were careful so as not to make Joshua freak out, none of them went shirtless at home. Certainly, the hybrid had seen a bit, because Mingyu usually unbuttoned his shirt to let Joshua feel the warmth on his skin, but that was not enough for the curious boy.

He desired to see Mingyu thoroughly, to explore his giant alpha.

In a very natural way, they kissed each other again before starting any other thing. Mingyu’s stomach stopped growling and it temporarily did not want the food anymore. He wanted to eat something else rather than food; something that was more tempting, _more delicious_.

Under the maddening desire to touch and explore, Mingyu still asked his omega, voice hoarse and dark, making the boy involuntarily heat up and blush. The self-restraint in the alpha’s intense gaze was so strong that it even made the man more attractive in the hybrid’s eyes. He could see how much Mingyu wanted him, but that was certainly not just the way an alpha wanted an omega. That was the way his Mingyu wanted the person he adored. Joshua felt loved, and that feeling made him horny even before his owner began touching him.

“Can I take off your clothes, Joshua?”

The boy’s chest was already heaving heavily when he stuttered, voice weak and breathless.

“Y-you’re my alpha… you don’t need to ask.”

“But I have to, baby.” Cupping the boy’s face while kissing his lips once again, Mingyu frowned deeply, contorted between mix feelings. “I don’t want to scare you.”

“I trust you.” The boy whispered on his alpha’s lips, hands unconsciously wandering from the man’s shoulders to his wide chest, touching the firm muscles still hidden behind the fabric. The action made himself blush, but Joshua could not help it. “Please don’t ask anything… Jun didn’t ask either…”

All of a sudden, Mingyu’s eyes got wide, but a second later, the knit between his eyebrows went deeper.

“Jun did _this_ to you? Already?”

“Y-yes…” Joshua regretted his own words but it was too late. He was burning red right now just because of recalling the night he spent with his beloved alpha in the bathtub, and Mingyu was just making it worse by his powerful gaze.

“Tell me what he did to you, kitten.”

This time, the boy felt a strong direct command from his alpha, and his instincts forced him to obey immediately. It was embarrassing as hell, yet he had no choice. Mingyu never stopped staring at him in such a close distance, and Joshua felt like he could die soon if this “staring session” did not stop.

“He… he… he…” The boy stammered for a pretty long while before he really said it. “He… he ate me out… sucked me… He played with… with…”

“With what, Joshua?” Mingyu asked, voice stern. Joshua knew that was _stern_, but his mind just felt it sexy and hot right now. His knees began to shake, and the alpha was really helping him stand still by two firm hands holding his hips tightly. However, the hybrid soon felt himself being pushed back until he leaned against the large sink. It was better anyway, because he felt so weak under Mingyu’s gaze. He might fall at any times if his mind could not focus at all on standing on his own feet.

“He played with…with…” Joshua stammered again, too embarrassed to say it. He was not aware of the alpha’s hands leaving his hips.

Once he was, he yelped in shock and a moan followed to come out of his mouth instantly.

“Junnie played with your nipples. Am I right?” The man said while gently squeezing the boy’s nipples through his shirt by his rough fingers. Joshua moaned and squirmed, unconsciously rubbing his lower body against Mingyu’s, and it was not until then did he realize that they were being pressed so close to each other. His movement caused friction when their crotches brushed, and his moans only got louder and longer. His alpha was hard. He could feel it, and his mind was spinning just because of that realization.

“You’re so sensitive.” Mingyu chuckled lightly, really amazed at the boy’s reaction, fingers not letting go of the boy’s nipples. “I guess Junnie knew how to take care of you well, right?”

Should Joshua consider this as dirty talk? He was not sure. Mingyu did not exactly say anything dirty, but those words were _so bad_ to him, and he really wanted the man to stop speaking so that his mind would not go crazy.

Whining and hiding his red face in the man’s chest, Joshua tried to find a way out of this.

“Please… please don’t tease me… master… I’m… I’m…”

Grinning to himself, Mingyu knew that his baby wanted to say “I’m embarrassed” but he was still too shy to say that out. The alpha found his lover utterly cute like this, horny but still shy and innocent, yet he also knew it would be not good to keep teasing him for so long. Mingyu had a terribly soft heart for Joshua. He would not do that to his kitten.

“Don’t be shy, Joshua.” Retreating his hands, Mingyu lovingly hugged the boy and put a kiss on the tip of his head. “I will take care of you now. I guess the only thing I am not allowed to do is putting my dick inside you, right?”

The boy nodded, relieved to see how much Mingyu understood him and agreed to sympathize for his trauma. However, in less than a second later, the boy yelped in shock again when he was lifted up from the ground. The next thing Joshua knew was that he was put on the sink with his back pressing against the mirror. Surprisingly, he saw another huge mirror on the wall behind Mingyu as well.

Was this the reason why Mingyu decided to put him here?

Gosh, Mingyu still wanted to mess up his mind and tease him more.

Joshua would have to look at himself in that mirror. He could close his eyes, for sure, but the boy doubted his own ability to do that, because he was getting excited by that idea as well. His cock twitched in his pants in excitement, and he was relieved that Mingyu had not taken off his clothes yet, so he could not see it.

“No teasing anymore. Okay, baby.” Even though Joshua was sitting on the sink, Mingyu was still tall enough to have his head at the same level with the boy’s, easy for him to kiss the hybrid’s lips again. “I just want to make sure you’re ready for this and really know what we’re going to do.”

“I know.” Joshua nodded, heart warm and fluttering thanks to his considerate alpha. He smiled, whispering softly back to his owner. “Thank you.”

“Should we warm up a little before shower?” Mingyu asked ambiguously on the boy’s lips, making him flush seriously red.

“Warm… warm up?” He stuttered, already gasping for air. “What do you mean?”

Still kissing and nibbling the hybrid’s lips gently, the alpha slowly placed his hands on Joshua’s hips, lightly chuckled at the boy’s innocence and shyness.

“Something that makes you feel _really hot_.”

“Aren’t you… hungry anymore?” The boy asked all of a sudden, causing his alpha to laugh.

“Of course I am not, baby.” The giant man refused to stop kissing, as if he was addicted to his kitten’s plump and soft lips. “Not when your lips are so delicious like this.”

“You… you… master…” Joshua was not able to finish his sentence, but Mingyu could see his boy was looking at him in disbelief and there was a weak whine in his words.

“I am what? Tell me, kitten.” Tenderly but also sensually rubbing the boy’s sides, the alpha encouraged him to speak, but he only made the rosy scent become heavier in the air, which meant that the boy was getting more and more horny. “This is the best time to speak out whatever you think, Joshua. If you can’t say it now, then when is it better to tell me?”

It was so embarrassing, but Joshua found his owner reasonable for saying that. However, the boy was really caught off guard when Mingyu’s right hand passed through his waistband and directly sneaked under his boxer. Too fixated on his alpha’s words and kisses, Joshua had failed to notice that his owner had been slowly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Right after the first touch, the hybrid squirmed in shock, yet the giant man could realize that action was not a sign of rejection, so he just went bolder and had no hesitation when taking the boy’s hardening cock in his large hand.

It was heavenly satisfying for Mingyu to hear the uncontrollable breathless moans coming out of Joshua’s mouth. Instantly, the boy’s hands on his alpha’s shoulders gripped him tightly, giving the man no pain but the knowledge of how his omega was enjoying this. Joshua was not scared at all, and that was what Mingyu needed to gain more confidence.

Without warning, he started to stroke his lover’s cock slowly but the force was enough to bring a lot of pleasure and the boy’s eyes quickly became hazy due to the stimulation. He did not try to stop Mingyu, but he surprisingly got enough braveness to speak out what he intended to say previously, as if he already lost his mind.

“You… master… I didn’t know… you’re like this…” The boy’s sentence was interrupted by seducing moans, and Mingyu felt proud to see his baby so worked up like this.

He knew Joshua was talking about the _compliment_.

“I’m just telling the truth, baby.” The man kept on kissing his omega while his hand was still working enthusiastically in the boy’s pants. “Of course I didn’t say so in the past, because I was afraid you would think that I’m a pervert. But in this condition…” The man emphasized what he meant by an intense brush of his thumb on the tip of Joshua’s cock, eliciting a much louder moan from him. “I can’t hold them back anymore. And you deserve to be complimented.”

Joshua remembered one of Mingyu’s most special characteristics: the man could never lie. He literally could never contain his feelings. No matter what he felt, it would be shown clearly through his face, his eyes, his words and his actions. Therefore, the boy’s heart combusted in happiness, suddenly feeling so cherished and appreciated. Why did Mingyu think that his lips were delicious? Was there really any flavor on them? Or it was just because the man loved him so much?

Right at the moment that thought crossed the hybrid’s mind, Mingyu whispered endearingly to him, sending hot breath into the boy’s open mouth.

“I love you, love you, love you a lot, Joshua.” The confession was so sincere, so pure, so contrast to what the man’s hand was doing that Joshua wanted to cry. Not finishing yet, Mingyu continued his sweet words, revealing all of his heart to his kitten. “I have never known that it’s possible for a person to be as cute as you. I’ve always desired to touch you, to feel you, and _taste you_.”

The hybrid’s breath hitched, and he moaned louder, even more lewdly. It was obvious, that there was mutual physical attraction between him and Mingyu. They both desired each other’s body, and although it was sinful to think of that, Joshua felt it natural and easy for them to come to each other like this. He wanted Mingyu, too. He wanted to see, to touch, and to feel his strong, muscular, and attractive Mingyu.

“Me too.” The boy shyly admitted, but determined, wishing to let his man know his true feelings, and the reaction was worth it. The grin on Mingyu’s face meant everything to Joshua, and it was like a key to unlock the door into the boy’s lustful side, washing away most of his shyness.

Wrapping his arms around Mingyu’s shoulders, the hybrid began to roam his shaky hands over his lover’s wide back, then coming to his wet hair, tangling his fingers into the man’s black locks, caressing his scalp lovingly. He welcomed the alpha’s tongue inside his mouth with all of his eagerness, loving the way his alpha was gradually losing patience. His movements were getting faster and hastier, but the pace was still okay for Joshua, since he also felt hotter and hotter by seconds. It would be torturous if they kept doing it too slowly. The boy was already ready to get a little rougher.

Mingyu had not known it yet, but Jun could tell that there was a huge difference in the ways Joshua and Jeonghan enjoyed sex. The rabbit hybrid could not bear even the slightest hint of roughness. He could only accept being handled gently and sweetly. However, Joshua needed to be treated tenderly as well, but he would also enjoy it rough when he was worked up enough.

Mingyu had no idea about that yet, but he would find out soon.

Joshua had no protest when the alpha pulled his jeans down. The boy even willingly lifted his own hips up to make it easier for the man to take his pants and underwear off. Nonetheless, the boy’s face still burned he was exposed to his alpha’s eyes with nothing covering his most vulnerable parts. Breaking away from the kisses, he looked down to watch, involuntarily choking out a broken moan when his eyes caught the sight of Mingyu’s large hand wrapping around his hard cock.

Not only the boy, but also the alpha was enjoying that scene. It was wonderful for him to be able to see Joshua’s bare thighs and his cute dick. Mingyu could not resist touching the smooth skin being exposed in front of him, causing the hybrid to shudder when his hand caressed inner thighs. The giant man smacked his omega’s thigh before leaning over to whisper in his ear.

“I don’t think I can do it as well as Junnie, but I will try my best to make you feel _good_.”

Joshua was not conscious enough to understand why Mingyu thought he was not as good as Jun, but the boy knew, as long as it was Mingyu, everything would be _great_.

Joshua only needed to feel loved and treasured by his alphas. He never needed them to be excellent in sex. He only needed them to understand him, to sympathize for him, to feel for him, and love him.

Without warning, Mingyu kneeled down, yet the man was still tall enough to have his head much higher than the sink. It was extremely easy for him to drape the boy’s legs over his shoulders, making Joshua straddle his head. And then, he smoothly engulfed the whole length in his mouth in just one move, as if there was no patience left. Joshua immediately gasped in shock. His first reaction was to bring a hand to cover his mouth, but he rapidly put it down. The omega did not know why, but his both hands soon came to find Mingyu’s hair and grab it tightly while his head threw back in ecstasy.

The alpha hummed in satisfaction, staring at his lover through lustful eyes, and Joshua moaned uncontrollable just because of that look. He was so embarrassed, yet it was too tempting to take his eyes away from Mingyu. He loved to indulge in the way his alpha was staring at him, and to watch how sinfully his man’s lips were wrapping around his cock. Mingyu kept swallowing until there was no more left for him to take in. Just like the boy, he adored the scene in front of his eyes, utterly enjoying watching his baby squirmed and mewled.

Joshua did not know exactly what his alpha was doing, but there was once Mingyu suddenly did something that made the boy throw his head back and moan loudly. That was also the time the hybrid stopped looking at his owner and began to realize what he could see in the mirror behind the alpha.

He skipped a few heartbeats.

The mirror only showed the reflection of Mingyu’s back, but it was showing very clearly Joshua’s position at this moment - having only a soaked white shirt on, bare legs on two sides of Mingyu’s shoulders while the alpha’s head was bobbing up and down between his thighs. Through the mirror, Joshua could see how Mingyu was groping his butt cheeks, and how wrecked he looked right now. The boy blushed seriously in extreme embarrassment, and he whined. Quickly noticing what the boy was watching, Mingyu found that reaction so cute and was determined to suck even harder.

It was perfect that Joshua was _shy and sensitive and curious_. The reflection in the mirror would drive him crazy. _Mingyu loved that_.

It was true. Much as the hybrid was embarrassed, he could not stop watching the erotic scene. The pleasure was like doubled after he began staring at the mirror. It was somehow similar to watching porn, but this kind of porn was too lively, and he was the main character in it, was the one who got all of the attention. Joshua could not believe it.

Last time, he did these kinds of things with _two alphas_ _at the same time_. He let them watch him in this condition. How embarrassing it was!

Yet, the memory brought another powerful wave of pleasure to wreck through the hybrid’s whole body. He was sure he could not last long. This was too much, too intense, and Mingyu was even eager to get his boy off quickly. He loved his kitten’s sensitivity, and he would make sure to help his baby feel good not only once but several times. It would be much easier if he could fuck Joshua for real, but anyway Mingyu would be still able to do that without putting his dick inside the hybrid’s hole.

Joshua was not wrong at all about himself. He reached his limit in just five minutes later. From the experience he got from Jun and Wonwoo, this time he did not warn Mingyu about his upcoming orgasm, and the man was proving that he was totally right. Just by staring at the way his alpha eagerly sucked him to the last drop, the boy blushed violently again. He knew his owner enjoyed the taste, but he did not expect the giant man to give a compliment after leaving his cock.

“You taste like candy, baby.”

The boy was almost knocked down by a brutal pain in his chest.

That was what Wonwoo told him in the past, in one sweet and hot night they had been together. That night, Joshua thought he was watching his alpha trying his best to control his inner beast because the man did not want to hurt him. Nonetheless, this morning, it was also Wonwoo to threaten to knot Joshua _“no matter what you want it or not.”_ The promises the alpha had made suddenly became nothing, leaving Joshua lost and desperate. He wanted that day to come back, so that he could feel loved and cherished by his greatest alpha again, yet what he had in his mind was just a dream out of his reach.

However, a strange thought crossed the hybrid’s mind. He wondered what he had done wrong to make Wonwoo change his attitude like that. If the alpha did not love him, then why did he have to act like that in the past? What was the benefit of lying to Joshua? He could only think of one possibility.

If Joshua followed whatever Wonwoo wanted, being obedient and submissive to him like how he had always done from the first day, not running away, not interfering in his private life, having no opinion about his other relationships, then perhaps Wonwoo would _“love” _him again and give him everything?

Right. Things had always worked in that way. Joshua had already figured it out by himself a long time ago, yet he was just too shocked to realize that Wonwoo was still the same. When Joshua got sulky due to the short story he heard about Wonwoo and Jun, he got the first punishment as the man told him that he deadly wanted to knot and bite him. The second time was when Joshua disobeyed Wonwoo’s command to sleep with him. It was obviously his fault that time. Joshua should never have done that to his owner. The third time was last night.

Oh God, Joshua had done so many things wrong last night. He ran away from Wonwoo even though the man had not allowed him to go yet and even shouted at him to come back. Then, when Wonwoo insisted on getting him back and talking to him in Mingyu’s room, Joshua hid himself away from the lead alpha. This morning, when Jun was about to leave, the hybrid begged him not to go, while Wonwoo had already announced that Jun was obligated to follow him in this trip.

Joshua messed up everything by himself, right? Wonwoo did not treat him badly for no reason. The boy was bad to his owner. He was disobedient. He deserved punishment. Wonwoo did nothing wrong. What the hell Joshua thought he was? How could he tell his master to marry or not to marry someone? Wonwoo was a noble human alpha, powerful, and rich. Joshua? Just _a dirty omega hybrid with low cost._

While those thoughts flooded his mind, Joshua certainly did not notice that Mingyu was pulling his legs up, placing both of his feet on the sink, making the boy even more exposed than before. At this moment, the alpha was having a perfect view of his omega’s lower part. He just needed to pull the shirt up a little, and then the man unconsciously licked his own lips in a sudden hunger. Both of them were still wet, for sure, yet the hybrid’s little puckered hole and a pretty large area of skin around it were being specially wet, shining and covered by a layer of slick. Mingyu had been able to smell it while he sucked Joshua’s cock, but the scent was even one hundred times more tempting now, inviting him to taste, and to take.

Of course, Mingyu could see that his baby was spacing out, not paying all of his attention to his owner. The giant man definitely disliked that. Nonetheless, instead of voicing out his opinion, he decided to get the boy’s attention back by drawing a circle around his clenching hole by an index finger while the free hand slowly caressed the hybrid’s bare thighs.

Joshua immediately gasped. In shock, he looked down at his alpha instantly only to find himself in such a vulnerable position. It was somehow similar to the position he was in at the time he had some _“fun”_ with Jun and Wonwoo, but the huge difference was the large mirror reflecting everything happening here.

“What are you thinking of, baby?” Mingyu asked, slightly pouted, voice quite innocent, totally contrast to his dirty action down there. He did not stop his finger, still drawing circle around the hole, making his kitten squirm.

“I… I… I…” The boy stuttered. The previous thoughts had already flown out of his mind, and now all he could focus on was just Mingyu’s finger. “I… you… master…”

“I don’t like it when you think about someone else while I’m here with you.” The man acted sulky, but his finger did not say the same thing. Right now, it was gently proding the boy’s hole, moving around to collect the slick, and even drew more out. Joshua squirmed and moaned, making the alpha grip his thigh more tightly to keep him in place.

“I… I won’t do that again… I’m sorry…” Joshua quickly apologized, gasping and staring at where the alpha was touching him. It was embarrassing, certainly, but he could not stop looking.

“You don’t need to say sorry.” Mingyu’s voice was soft, and a smirk appeared on his face. “I will make you feel so good that you can only think of me.”

Joshua already considered Mingyu as a great kisser when they kissed, but it was not until then did he figure out that the alpha also knew how to use his mouth in another _wonderful_ way. The boy was speedily sent to cloud nine again by his alpha eating him out, licking and pushing his tongue inside.

One more time, the mirror got his attention. Joshua really wanted to curse at it. He could not believe that there could be something so _cruel_ like this in the world. The bathroom felt too hot for him now, and Joshua desperately wanted to take off his soaked shirt. Nonetheless, the most perfect thing about the bathroom was that sounds easily echoed loudly, and Mingyu was creating so many utterly lewd sounds by his mouth and tongue. The hybrid’s face burned and was as red as a tomato. The hornier he was, the more slick he produced, and the _worse _those sounds became.

Both of Joshua’s hands tangled in Mingyu’s hair. He was not sure what he wanted to do, but the urge to hold onto his alpha was strong and the boy could not help it. However, Mingyu took that as a very positive signal, since the hybrid did not try to push him away at all. Joshua might not be aware of his own action, but he was really lightly pushing the alpha towards himself, unconsciously begging to be devoured and asking for more. That meant, the boy _loved it_.

Of course he loved it. All his alluring scent and his moans said the same thing.

A finger entered Joshua unexpectedly, but it was quickly welcomed. The boy let out a yelp of shock, but it turned into a moan rapidly as the alpha pushed in extremely slowly. The pain was so light that Joshua had no care about it and his mind was washed away by pleasure immediately. A tongue and a finger? The combination was brilliant. Mingyu’s fingers were certainly bigger and longer than both Jun’s and Wonwoo’s ones, even rougher on the surface, but the way they moved was just as gentle as those which had entered Joshua before. With such tenderness, it was impossible for the boy to feel hurt, and the alpha could start thrusting his finger in and out soon.

When the second finger joined, Mingyu’s mouth left the boy’s hole, but Joshua was not disappointed. The man passionately scattered numerous kisses and nibbles on his lover’s thighs while his fingers were doing magic to the shivering boy. There was no need for the boy to look at the mirror anymore. He only needed to bend down a little bit, and then his eyes could capture the whole erotic scene of his hole stretching to swallow his master’s fingers.

“Do I make you feel good, Joshua?” Mingyu asked after creating a nice hickey on the hybrid’s right thigh, very close to his crotch.

“Y-yes… yes… master…” The boy answered honestly, throwing his head back, eyes almost closed due to the incredible pleasure. “Too… too good…”

“You’re so wet, and take my fingers so well.” Mingyu teased his omega a little bit, earning a loud whine from Joshua, but the man had mercy for his kitten. Kissing those tempting thighs again, he asked. “You’re so good for me, baby. What do you want me to do for you? Just tell me.”

The hybrid totally forgot that he should never ask for something from his owner. Mingyu was giving him a choice, a reward, and Joshua failed to resist the temptation.

“Please… Can you… bring me… to orgasm twice… just by your fingers? Without any stop.”

The alpha had to admit that he was amazed.

“Are you sure, Joshua?” He stopped kissing to look at his omega with concern in his both eyes and voice. “Overstimulation can be very uncomfortable. And…”

The boy frantically shook his head and whined more loudly. He was too lost to think properly.

“No… please… I like that… Please… master…” He begged and moaned simultaneously, unaware of his watery eyes.

Seeing Joshua so desperate like that, Mingyu knew he had no choice but to comply.

The man decided to stand up and watch his lover’s reaction during the whole process.

It was easy for him to push the third finger in not long after that, and the fourth one joined just a minute later. At this point, Joshua was already a moaning mess. There was no need for words. The alpha sped up his own movement to fuck his kitten to oblivion.

Now, Mingyu discovered Joshua’s interest in a little roughness when he was already worked up.

At first, the man just experimentally thrust his fingers in a pace that was neither slow nor fast, but the way Joshua whined and wriggled his hips told him that the boy still wanted more. Therefore, Mingyu added more not only speed but also force in his hand.

Joshua moaned uncontrollably and shamelessly, driving his man crazier and crazier. How could Mingyu not be crazy when his omega was moaning so lewdly just by having his fingers in his ass like this? The man was more than willing to please his baby, determined to destroy the little hole as he wished. The hybrid was no longer able to look at his owner. His eyes closed, and strings of the giant alpha’s name continuously escaped his mouth, even though Joshua had never get used to calling the man by his name.

Mingyu knew he hit the boy’s prostate when Joshua cried out loudly and cum. Trembling and convulsing, the boy obviously went through a very intense orgasm, and for a second, the alpha was hesitant, unsure if it was okay for him to continue. However, Mingyu quickly got his mind back, understanding that a person like Joshua would not dare to beg for something he was not sure if he liked or not. The only reason for him to do so was that he loved it.

If Joshua wanted so, Mingyu would make it perfect for him.

It was true that the boy whined in frustration when his alpha took the fingers away, but then he was lifted up by the man’s strong arms. With hazy mind, Joshua could not register what Mingyu was planning to do until the giant man sat on the sink, facing the mirror and putting Joshua on his lap.

Mingyu placed his thighs under the boy’s bent knees, so that when the alpha opened his legs wide, the omega’s legs would also be forced to open, exposing everything to the mirror. Mingyu knew perhaps Joshua would not try to cover anything yet he still caught both of the hybrid’s wrists and locked them behind his back by just one hand.

Joshua was helpless, completely locked in his alpha’s arms.

Mingyu thought he had gone insane, but he was pretty sure that his kitten had just _smiled, _according to what his lustful eyes could see in the reflection the mirror showed him.

Not wasting any precious second, Mingyu’s other hand went back to the boy’s hole and pushed four fingers in all at once. He set a brutal pace right from the beginning.

“This is what you like, right?” The man used his rough and hoarse voice to whisper right next to his lover’s ear. “Do you see how wrecked you are, kitten?”

The boy nodded vehemently.

“I see… I see…” His voice was breathless, unable to speak much, because he was just busy moaning.

“Don’t close your eyes, Joshua.” Mingyu nibbled his ear, biting lightly. “Look how your ass is taking my fingers. Look how my fingers fuck you. Look how cute you are right now.”

And when Mingyu thought Joshua’s climax was coming near again, he knew exactly what to say to push the boy over his limit.

“Next time we do this, the thing inside you won’t be my fingers anymore. I will let you see yourself bouncing on my dick and I slam into you from behind at the same time. You will desperately want to touch your cock but you can’t because your hands are being locked behind your back. You will come untouched, just like right now.”

Mingyu was right. Joshua came right after that, untouched, and thoroughly wrecked. The alpha enthusiastically adored the beautiful sight, and enjoyed all of the sounds from his beloved omega. Among all of the things, what he loved most was how sweet his own name sounded when they came out of Joshua’s mouth.

The cat’s body spent minutes convulsing, yet he was still kept in place thanks to his alpha, and the man only stopped the movement of his hand inside the boy for good after the tremble subsided considerably. Lifting the boy up and closing his legs at the same time, Mingyu put his lover on his lap, hugging him into his chest and lovingly brushing the boy’s sweaty bang out of his forehead.

Joshua did not actually pass out, but he seemed somehow lose his consciousness. The hybrid only opened his eyes fully to look at his alpha after three more minutes, and the weak smile on his lips meant everything to Mingyu. Almost beaming, the man eagerly kissed his lover, and Joshua just instantly basked in the affection. The orgasm was undoubtedly intense and wonderfully satisfying, but right now the boy felt so comfortable and peaceful. There was no negative feeling for the whole time.

And, Joshua thought it would not be too difficult for him to accept Mingyu after a few more days. Why should it be hard, especially when the man loved and adored him this much?

Mingyu was trustworthy.

Mingyu was gentle, just like Jun.

Mingyu was considerate.

_“He will be my perfect alpha,”_ Joshua thought to himself, softly smiling between the kisses.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is highly appreciated ;_; I'm really nervous about this chapter. It's the best I can do. I had been stuck for so long before I finally wrote this. Please forgive me if it doesn't meet your expectations T_T
> 
> Anyway, beside the smut, you can also see how much Joshua's mind was messed up in this chapter...
> 
> More smut in the next chapter, and also more about the chaos in Joshua's mind. I will consider adding Jun's part in it too, if the chapter is not too long. ^^
> 
> \---
> 
> You can skip this part because it isn't related to the story.
> 
> Sometimes I felt like I am one person when I write things above that line, and then when I write things below that line, I am like another different person. Does anyone feel that way? 
> 
> I am the kind of person that when I says I am suffering from depression, people won't believe me. But anyway, it's still the truth, and I am hiding it from almost everyone in my real life, except for my family and my best friend. Perhaps I have the courage to share about it here because you don't really know who I am, and I don't feel very much scared of being judged. 
> 
> Why I am writing these things? I'm not sure. I guess, the purpose is just to let you know that, I am not a two-faced person. I always put the warning "You can skip this part because it isn't related to the story" because I know some people come just to know things about the fic, and it won't be good at all if I act miserable to everyone. 
> 
> I'm really sorry that my ability to concentrate is quite bad and when I write this line I already forget my first intention of sharing. So... I just hope that you will have a nice day, and hope that you will look forward to the next chapter!!! Love you, who ever reads till this line ^^


	39. Is the best alpha the best?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua felt like having a honeymoon with Mingyu.  
However, the day was still not perfect, because the hybrid just felt missing something, someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously wish that you will enjoy the smut T_T

When they were together under the shower and the water started to run, Joshua knew he would never regret this decision, and this memory would remain in his mind forever. The hot moment was extraordinarily sweet as Mingyu gently pulled the boy into his embrace, giving him the best sensation of two wet naked bodies pressed against each other, with no distance in between. They kissed each other, not hurriedly at all, just slowly but eagerly, enough to feel, to taste, and to love each other. Joshua loved how Mingyu’s hands were moving on his back to explore him, sending a lot of stimulation to his partner. The boy was not able to keep his hands to himself either, since they were both moving on their own, touching the alpha’s perfect muscles on his shoulders and arms.

Joshua was not dumb. He knew clearly why many omegas stared at him by intensely jealous eyes. He knew they envied his luck of owning this wonderful noble alpha. In terms of appearance, Mingyu was the perfect alpha that any omega could ever dream to have in their lives. He was tall, handsome, super masculine, muscular, having tanned skin and a perfect figure. Well, Joshua could be the only one who was frightened by the man’s body, but at this moment, he was feeling happy and also proud to get the best alpha of this world to himself.

The wonderful part was that, apart from appearance, Joshua could tell other people so many good things about Mingyu. Nothing about the man was bad. The boy was even having the faith to believe that Mingyu would be able to control himself well if he had been also at home on the day Joshua’s heat came. The hybrid regretted his own silliness of the first day. Mingyu was perfect.

Really perfect.

The boy found no more word to describe him. Just _perfect_.

Joshua was so much into the kisses that he whined loudly when Mingyu gently pulled him away, breaking the contact between their lips. However, the alpha just gave him a loving smile and a pinch on his cheek before turning to grab the bottle of shower gel. Then, he turned to hold one of Joshua’s hands, opening his palm and squirting the gel onto it. The boy stared at him curiously, carefully watching his alpha putting the bottle back to its place and then turning to him again.

His voice was deep and a little rough, but still so sweet in Joshua’s ears when he whispered, looking at the hybrid in the eyes with not only lust but also love at the same time.

“Can you help me put it on my body, baby?”

Mingyu knew, if he did this for Joshua first, the boy would become too worked up to return the action. Therefore, it would be the best to let the omega do it first, even though he might be very clumsy and shy.

However, the boy’s eyes flickered, and there was obvious interest shining in them, despite the blush on his cheeks. Joshua did look embarrassed and blush, but he said nothing, and soon started to rub his two hands together, preparing his work.

Mingyu held his breath in anticipation.

This was literally heaven. He believed so.

Because Joshua was shy, his gentle and soft hands were even more tender than usual when they applied the gel on Mingyu’s wet skin. The hybrid started it from the alpha’s shoulders, and his movements were much slower than what the man had thought. Joshua was spending time feeling Mingyu’s body by his hands, enjoying his moment of exploring the body he had been attracted to for a quite long time. A month was long, especially for Joshua, an omega who had very bad impression on human alpha.

The embarrassment was still making the boy feel his face much hotter than usual, but he could not take his eyes off Mingyu even in a second, and the man let him be. Holding back a hiss, he tried to keep calm while Joshua kept on touching him slowly, sensually and carefully. Carefully, because the boy did not want to miss an inch of his alpha. The curious look in his eyes almost made him so naive that Mingyu wanted to let out a chuckle, yet the innocence even made him get more aroused.

It was natural for an alpha to desire to own and destroy this little innocent omega. This was a blessing, but also a torture. Mingyu had to hold himself back for his lover’s happiness.

If Joshua spent a second looking up at Mingyu’s face, he would be even more embarrassed to see that the man was evidently _eye-fucking_ him.

Mingyu could control himself, but he could not lie. The thirst was overwhelming, but Joshua did not feel threatened. He had a trauma, but he was too naïve to doubt his alpha, which made them compatible for each other. He really did not have to, because Mingyu knew he would never hurt his lover. He knew he was not an asshole like Seungcheol. He knew he would be the best alpha for Joshua.

He would do anything to make that come true.

When Joshua’s hands came to Mingyu’s abdomen, the boy seriously failed to keep himself subtle any longer. He just stared at the irresistible large hard cock in front of his eyes, unconsciously licking his lips. The alpha let out a deep growl, a groan, feeling like he would combust if the hybrid did not touch his dick soon.

Fortunately, the boy was so horny that the embarrassment and shyness had no more control over his actions. Following his own wish, he used both hands to touch that cock, stroking it easily thanks to the foam in his hands. He heard Mingyu’s groans, so he decided to look up to check his alpha’s reaction. The lustful gaze the man gave him made the boy almost faint, yet it was too intense for Joshua to tear his eyes away. He remained eye contact with Mingyu while his hands were still moving.

If they could speak through eyes, the alpha would receive a message that said _“I will definitely suck you off later.”_

Joshua had no problems in doing that for the men he loved. _He really wanted to_.

Stroking his alpha’s cock by just one hand, the boy used the other hand to move down to Mingyu’s thick and firm thighs. One more time, Joshua swallowed his saliva with so much difficulty, licking his lips while staring at those thighs. It was not hard at all for him to realize that Mingyu’s thighs were so nice and sexy like this even when the man was fully dressed. They were even thicker than Jun’s ones. All of a sudden, they made the boy drown in an imagination of himself riding his giant alpha.

Joshua could not explain why yet he failed to stop his wild imagination. He certainly did not dare to let that happen now, but thinking about it would not hurt anyone, and perhaps made him less scared even. So, he let his brain visualized the scene, let his body feel the pleasure he would probably feel if he bounced up and down on Mingyu’s lap, letting this tempting cock slide in and out of his hole.

“What are you thinking about, kitten?”

The question came at the same time with Joshua’s feelings of a pair of hand squeezing his butt cheeks tightly. The boy yelped and jolted in surprise, but the sound came after that was a mewl, and Mingyu smiled in satisfaction. Waiting for the answer, he kept playing with the soft flesh, teasing his lover.

“Not-nothing.” Joshua stuttered, too embarrassed to say it out.

“I don’t believe you.” Mingyu clicked his tongue. “You’re enjoying something without me? Even your ears are red, honey.”

“Please… tr-trust me.” The boy begged, but all of his attitude and facial reaction was betraying his saying. “It’s… nothing. Not anything we can do…”

“We?” The alpha raised an eyebrow, grinning up to his ears while hand reaching for the bottle of shower gel the second time. “So I’m also involved in it, right?”

“I… I’m not lying.” Joshua blushed so hard. He thought his face must look like a tomato. “It isn’t something we can do.”

“Tell me, Joshua.”

The hybrid instantly shivered under the command. Mingyu was giving him a command, voice low, deep and dominant. The boy suddenly felt tiny and weak under his alpha’s power, but nothing was scary at this moment. Mingyu had never claimed his authority, yet once he did it, Joshua was rapidly beaten.

The giant man was sexy as hell when he was authoritative.

There was no way out for Joshua. Of course, Mingyu knew his cat was thinking of something dirty. Therefore, he poured the shower gel onto his own palm, and started to rub them on the hybrid’s shoulders while waiting for his response. The boy thought that his owner would apply the shower gel on his chest first, but the man had different intentions. Those large and calloused hands reached to his back, gently rubbing around Joshua’s bare back, not missing any centimeters. The touch instantly sent shivers through the cat’s whole body, making it more difficult for him to speak. Furthermore, Mingyu was whispering to his ear so seductively.

“What are you thinking of? Let me imagine with you.” Intentionally, the alpha quickly slid his hands down to reach Joshua’s cheeks, and paid all of his attention to them, successfully eliciting another moan from the boy. “We can’t do it right now. But maybe… discuss about it for later use… Hmm?”

The hybrid was still stroking his master’s hardness, yet it was not easy at all to focus on anything when the naughty hands were doing so _many things_ to his butt down there. The foam created by the gel made every single movement of those hands extraordinarily smooth and sensual, driving Joshua’s mind crazy. Mingyu altered from gentle ministration to squeezes with more force, not bringing any pain but certainly leaving marks on the boy’s skin later. Meanwhile, the man’s eyes were staring at Joshua directly in the eyes intently, urging the hybrid to answer his question and burning his face.

After being given a kiss as an encouragement, Joshua finally spoke out.

“I… I am thinking of… riding you.” He muttered under his breath, but maintaining eye contact with his alpha, shyly wanting to check his reaction.

There were sparkles in Mingyu’s eyes.

“Do you think you have enough strength for that until you finish?” He asked, digging further into the interesting imagination.

“No.” Joshua shook his head without thinking, moaning again as the man brushed a finger over his hole. “I… I guess I can’t… but I want to try.”

“Yes, baby.” Holding the boy’s buttocks in his hands, Mingyu leaned over the kiss his lover deep and lovingly. “We may do that in our first time together, if it can make you feel more comfortable.”

“You will let me choose?” Receiving the kiss, the boy returned the affection with the same amount of affection, intentionally brushing the pad of his thumb over the slit on the alpha’s cock to make him let out a rough hiss and groan.

“Anything you like.” Biting the boy’s lips playfully, Mingyu enjoyed how that action made his boy moan. “You can even tie me, so that you can control everything.”

Joshua felt his heart extraordinarily warm for Mingyu, all of a sudden thoroughly aware of how much the giant man adored him. Mingyu literally had no cares about his own needs or feelings. All he thought of was what his lover wanted and needed. Alphas generally had the instincts to control and dominate in every situation, yet Mingyu voluntarily decided to be an exception. He allowed the hybrid to tie him and ride him, as if the boy would just use him as a tool to become a mated omega.

As a result, the boy easily and quickly shook his head, bravely biting his alpha back before speaking on his lips.

“I won’t.” When he spoke, Mingyu could see a smile on the hybrid’s face. “I only want to be under your control.”

“You really should consider this, Joshua.” The alpha might be doing dirty things, but what he said was utterly serious. “It will make you feel safe, because I can’t hurt you when I’m tied.”

Wholeheartedly kissing Mingyu deeply, Joshua tilted his head to a side, showing the mark on his neck to his alpha. The bite Mingyu gave him was still there, while Wonwoo’s one was on the other side, but the giant man could not care about it right now. He growled at the sight of his kitten showing submission, and it was too much when the boy nibbled his jaw lightly before murmuring sweetly.

“I don’t need to. I trust you.” There was still a little bit of shyness and embarrassment in the boy, but he was too weak for Mingyu to care about them. He just wanted to make the man know how much he was appreciated. “You are my alpha. _I’m yours._”

Growling, the man could not wait anymore. Without hesitation, he leaned over to bit on the mark, and strings of moans flew out of Joshua’s mouth. At the same time, the boy felt Mingyu’s long and rough finger entering him again, slowly, but bringing incredibly a lot of sensation. It was easy for the man to add more fingers inside the hole, since he had already opened the boy previously, and Joshua knew he was in ecstasy one more time. Already losing his mind, the hybrid frantically used both hands to grab his own cock and Mingyu’s one, stroking them at once together. The stimulation made the alpha groan, which sounded incredibly satisfying to the boy’s ears, urging him to work his hands faster and faster.

However, Joshua definitely did not expect his owner to talk. The content was not less surprising.

“Baby, do you know one special place where we can have sex but there’s no chance for me to hurt you?” He asked while nibbling the boy’s earlobe.

‘Wh-Where? I-I don’t know.” Joshua could not help stuttering, voice unstable. Once he stopped talking, he moaned again, because there were three fingers inside him now.

“My office.” The answer caused the hybrid’s breath to hitch, but Mingyu did not stop. “I will sit on my chair, and only you have to take your pants and underwear off. Then, I will let you sit on my lap and you can bounce on my dick until we both cum together.”

The boy moaned and also whimpered, too embarrassed by the imagination in his own mind. It was hot, too hot. He did not dare to sink further into the lustful dream. _Joshua bouncing on Mingyu’s hard dick while the man was being fucking hot in his formal suit at the office?_ No, no, no, Joshua did not dare to think more about that.

“But… but people can come in…” The boy weakly protested, feeling his orgasm coming. His moans got considerably louder and more dirty when Mingyu hit his prostate. The hybrid’s knees shook so violently that he almost fell, but the fingers in his hole and the alpha’s other hand held him still.

“Of course we have to lock the door.” Mingyu smirked before kissing his lover’s shaking lips. “But you know… people come to my office quite often. You have to make sure to do it quick, and not let anyone wait too long if they knock on the door.”

Joshua whined again, and the alpha absolutely loved that reaction. He watched his kitten with amusement, satisfied to see how much his baby liked the idea of having sex in the office. If Joshua did not like it, he would not keep the topic go on by asking further.

“How… how can I do it fast?”

“You’re very tight, baby.” Mingyu came to sucked various spots on Joshua’s neck, leaving numerous hickeys around there. “And you sound so cute. You will milk my dick dry quickly.”

The boy really doubted that chance, since previously they both agreed that he would be too weak to keep riding Mingyu until they hit climax, yet what the alpha had just said burned the hybrid’s face. It felt too good to be true. Joshua loved everything, from Mingyu’s fingers, Mingyu’s words, Mingyu’s dick, Mingyu’s mouth, and even Mingyu’s scent on his sexually attractive body.

“If you need more help…” The alpha came back to the mark, ready to bite it again. “Then I will stroke your cock and suck your nipples while you ride me. I will suck and bite your little cute nubs until they turn purple and you’re filled with my cum.”

Ending his saying, Mingyu bit on the mark, and added the forth finger into the tight entrance, hitting the omega’s sweet spot relentlessly.

Joshua could not handle this anymore. He came with a loud moan that sounded more beautiful than anything Mingyu had ever heard in his life. The boy was too lost to keep stroking their cocks, yet the alpha had no problems with that. He let the hybrid fall limply into his chest, holding him securely by one arm while the other one still kept thrusting steadily into the clenching hole. Mingyu certainly had not known that Joshua disliked being empty right after an orgasm yet, but the boy seemed so blissed out even when the man went on torturing his hold that Mingyu knew he should not stop early.

Trying to get back his normal breath, Joshua leaned his whole weight against the giant man, happy and contented to have the four fingers still in his hole. The feeling was good, so good that he let out a loud whine when his alpha finally pulled out. Chuckling, Mingyu put a kiss on the boy’s whimper, shushing him.

“You seem to enjoy having something inside your ass so much, baby.”

His saying only caused the boy to whine more loudly in embarrassment. Nonetheless, Mingyu was wise enough not to keep this joke going on too long since it may go wrong. Therefore, he gently pulled the hybrid to stand up straight and smiled lovingly.

“I haven’t put the shower gel on your front yet.” Mingyu’s hand gestured to the nearest wall. “Can you hold onto that, Joshua?”

“Hold… onto it? The wall?” The boy looked at the wall with wide eyes, and looked at his owner again. “But you said… on my front?”

“Just do it, sweetie.” His voice sounded demanding, but his hands were gentle when he held the omega’s hips to guide him to stand close to the wall. At this position, they were both right under the shower. Mingyu deemed that perfect.

Folding the boy’s arms on the wet wall, Mingyu instructed. “You can place your forehead here if it makes you comfortable.”

At the same time, the man held Joshua’s hips again, pulling them backwards a little, and the boy knew _this was going to be so bad_. Standing behind the hybrid, Mingyu had the chance to watch his lover in this perfect position; his back beautifully arched elegantly, ass exposed fully to the hungry eyes. The boy’s butt was nicely round and plump enough to make it so soft and desirable. Mingyu could not tear his eyes away, and his hands naturally came to stroke Joshua’s back from his shoulders to his ass. Playfully, the alpha swatted his baby’s buttocks, making the omega whine and wriggle his hips.

Not waiting longer, Mingyu got the shower gel on his hands, getting ready for his job. He had been painfully hard for so long. He could not stand this longer.

Lowering himself, the alpha started with Joshua’s thighs first. The boy jolted in surprise, and bit his lips to hold back the moans. He had just cum only a minute ago, but he was already horny again just by Mingyu’s touching his thighs. Those hands were moving everywhere around his both thighs, so close to his groin but never touching it, and avoiding his ass as well. Nevertheless, Joshua was aware of the fact that Mingyu was having a perfect view of rear, and perhaps what caught most of his attention was the omega’s hole. It was red and swollen after all of the delicious abuse, looking even more tempting.

There was no need to rush, so Mingyu spent time watching his baby and teasing him until he whined again in frustration.

Slowly, the man moved up to stand right behind Joshua, pressing his own chest to the boy’s back. His rock hard cock was placed between the hybrid’s cheeks, and Joshua moaned. The feelings were already too much, yet Mingyu even made it worse by rubbing his large palms on the boy’s chest, gently brushing over the pink nipples. The giant man only started to apply shower gel on the front of Joshua’s torso, not focusing thoroughly on his nubs yet, but the boy soon missed the touch there and just wanted those rough fingers to come back. Mingyu’s hands dancing on his belly and abdomen brought sensation too, but Joshua still wanted them most on his most sensitive spots.

Then, Joshua was distracted completely by the movement of the dick between his ass cheeks. It was moving, and driving him insane.

“M-master… master…” The boy stuttered and moaned, head spinning uncontrollably. He could feel it. He could feel Mingyu using the tip of his cock to tease his entrance. He could feel the dick sliding between the cheeks easily thanks to both the soap and the slick down there.

“Do you like this, kitten?” Mingyu whispered to his ear, voice hoarse and rough while a hand plucked one of Joshua’s nipples, eliciting a high-pitched moan.

“Yes… yes…” The hybrid answered breathlessly. “I like it… master…”

“I love it too, my baby.” Smirking, Mingyu nibbled his lover’s ear, deciding to use both hands to please the boy’s nipples. “Where do you want me to touch you?”

Joshua shook his head, trying to crane his neck to so as to look at Mingyu in the eyes. The look they shared was lustful, yet endearing.

“I like this… Please, kiss me… mas…”

“Call me Mingyu.” The man firmly stated, pinching one nipple hard, and Joshua quickly complied.

“Mingyu… please… kiss me…”

Satisfied, contented, the alpha devoured his omega’s lips with all of his eagerness and enthusiasm. It was not really easy for Mingyu to multitask like this, but Joshua did not need too much either. This was already heavenly for him, with his alpha so close to him, his alpha’s dick teasing his ass, his alpha’s hands playing with his nipples, his alpha’s lips kissing him hungrily and his alpha’s tongue tasting all of the corners in his mouth. Joshua loved every single second of this, even wishing the erotic moment to last forever.

When Mingyu turned the shower on, he broke the kiss and moved his hips faster, giving Joshua the hint to know that they would rough it up to reach an end.

Joshua could not believe that it was possible for his own moans to sound this dirty, but he had no ability to control them. The feelings were everywhere. One of Mingyu’s hands left the hybrid’s nipple and reached down to stroke his lover’s already hard cock in a torturously fast pace. The water was running above them, washing away the foam, but nothing could detach them away from each other. The alpha’s name kept getting out of the boy’s mouth like music, and to force back the urge to claim, to own this omega, Mingyu bit harshly on Joshua’s shoulders, leaving marks and hickeys everywhere he could reach. He only wished to shove his dick into that little hole, yet he could not. He knew he could not, and he would not.

So, he would just move faster, faster and faster, feeling his orgasm coming so close, and then eventually stopped biting to murmur roughly into Joshua’s ear.

“I love you, Joshua.”

The boy instantly lost it.

If it had not been for Mingyu holding the hybrid in his arms, Joshua would have definitely fallen even though he was leaning against the wall. While the man milked his cock dry, he could heard a deep grunt from behind. Although the water possibly washed away anything spilled on Joshua’s skin immediately, he still knew that his master had just reached his climax as well, painting the omega’s ass with white cum for a split second before the water erased them all. At this moment, they were both panting heavily under the shower, yet both satisfied to the utmost.

When Mingyu’s hand stopped moving, Joshua squirmed, and the man loosened his arms to let him turn. Facing his alpha, the boy wrapped his shaky arms around his giant man’s shoulders to pull him down, to make Mingyu’s face closer to his own. Joshua did not expect to see his man so wrecked and also blissed out like this, but it was a memorable sight and he loved to acknowledge that the man was feeling good because of him only. Joshua opened his mouth slightly, and Mingyu immediately lowered his own head to meet his lover’s lips and indulged in sensual kisses with his omega again.

The shower was running, while the couple made out under the hot water.

“I love you, Joshua.” Mingyu confessed to his kitten one more time, feeling like he would not be able to make the boy trust his words if he did not say enough.

Refusing to break the contact between their lips, Joshua replied, and his alpha felt like the cat’s voice had never been this cute to him.

“Mingyu… I love you.”

The man beamed like a happy puppy, making Joshua’s heart terrible weak and soft for his alpha.

Mingyu’s size might look scary, but he is absolutely harmless, and even pure.

Joshua wanted to stay in the shower much longer, but Mingyu kindly reminded that they could catch a cold if they do that for too long, so the boy had to agree to leave with his owner. They helped each other dry themselves with the towels, and Joshua smiled shyly to be doted on this way. Since they were both taking care of each other, he was allowed to feel Mingyu and he was a real couple in love. The relationship they shared was no longer something between a human and his pet. Of course, Joshua’s instincts (and his dreadful past) still made him act like he was the alpha’s pet, but the feelings were more precious than anything. He felt loved, and respected.

Joshua’s smile was not very bright. The sadness was still clear in his eyes, yet Mingyu felt his heart much lighter, temporarily filled with relief and happiness. For the first time, he saw his own chance of becoming the alpha to claim Joshua first. This idea had never seemed possible to the giant man before, although he sincerely wanted to be, as he loved Joshua so much. Mingyu had never really fallen in love with any omega in his whole life. Joshua was the first one, and perhaps he could be the only one. Mingyu wished to be the special man of his lover.

He started to buzz in excitement to realize Joshua fully trusted him now.

The couple got dressed up and prepared to get out of the villa to have their dinner. It was quite early for the upcoming meal to be called a “dinner”. Nonetheless, it was still better than calling it “lunch”. Moreover, neither of them could wait until the proper time for dinner. Both of their stomachs growled angrily, yelling for food, which caused them to lightly laugh at each other.

Mingyu took Joshua to a restaurant by the beach, and the boy guessed this was the best meal he had ever had in his life. The alpha managed to wash away the negative thoughts from his lover’s mind by spoiling him with so much fresh and delicious seafood. The boy ate well, and smiled more when Mingyu tried to keep his mood light by telling numerous interesting stories. Joshua could see the effort clearly, and it just made him love Mingyu more. Mingyu loved him, cared about him, did everything for him. The hybrid would never forget all of these things, and it would be so stupid for him to ever doubt the giant man’s love.

After the meal, the couple walked hand in hand on the beach, talking and together watching a spectacular sunset. Joshua saw a few couples sitting on the sand or walking around like them, and all of a sudden, he knew this was happiness. Looking at other people, he longer had to envy anyone. He did not have to wish to have their lives anymore. He was doing what normal people do. He was enjoying what a normal person was allowed to have.

Joshua only got alarmed when he saw some beautiful girls in bikini and some male omegas in only swimsuits. Some of them really looked good, and the boy was jealous for a short while, but after checking on his alpha, he felt his hart warm and safe again. Mingyu was only having the male named Joshua in his eyes. All of his attention was given to his lover, and when the boy stood on tip-toe, facing the man and silently asking for a kiss, the alpha grinned brightly and happily kissed his baby.

Just to spoil Joshua, Mingyu carried the boy on his back during their way back to the villa. The hybrid could not help smiling to himself. Unable to contain his feelings, Joshua placed his lips on the alpha’s neck, trying to leave his own hickey on his lover’s skin. He heard Mingyu chuckle, but that was not a sign to stop, so he just kept going on, and then enjoyed watching the beautiful hickey on Mingyu’s tanned skin.

Craning his neck to look at Joshua in the eyes, the man whispered to him lovingly.

“I’m yours, Joshua.”

Kissing Mingyu, Joshua happily closed his arms around the alpha’s neck, hugging him tightly while murmuring shyly. He was shy, certainly, but the urge to claim his ownership was utterly strong.

“I only agree to share you with Jun. You’re my alpha. _You’re mine_.”

“Jun and I are both yours, you little brat.”

Joshua’s giggles were so cute that Mingyu almost passed out in bliss.

When they were back at the villa, it was already dark outside, and they make Joshua’s dream come true. Taking off all the clothes, they together went into the private pool of their own under the beautiful starry sky and the gentle light from the moon.

The hybrid felt like all barriers between him and his giant alpha had vanished. At this moment, they were not afraid of anything, from adoring their partner’s body, to touching every single part on the body they loved. Joshua was still shy, yet something magical in Mingyu’s love and personalities urged the boy to overcome them so as to be closer and more intimate to his alpha. Perhaps, Mingyu was so precious, so perfect, and Joshua simply felt the need to make the man know how much he was loved and appreciated. Mingyu was perfect because he always gave without asking for a return. In this case, the boy was even more than willing to give his heart to his flawless man.

Joshua was not sure how many hours they had spent cuddling and kissing each other in the pool. It was summer and it was pretty hot, so it was wonderfully enjoyable to soak themselves in the water for long. Moreover, they just could not feel cold when the two naked bodies were constantly pressed close to each other, sharing the heat, and seeking for more touch, more love, more friction. Mingyu was still cautious when he touched Joshua in the boy’s private parts, but the boy did not have even the slightest objection, which brought the giant man the audacity to go further and further.

At first, they just kissed, hugged, and caressed each other, but things went more sensual soon in a very natural way. Joshua once thought that they may make the water in the pool dirty, but anyway, why he should care? It was their pool for today. They were not doing this in the public swimming pool. Besides, the hybrid was too sensitive and he got worked up before his mind could process much more. He loved it when Mingyu stroked his cock in the water, toying with his wet nipples, or abusing his hole again with those large and rough fingers.

It would be so embarrassing to look at himself in the mirror after all of this, Joshua thought to himself. Mingyu was not rough, never, yet with the amount of time they spent doing these things and the giant man’s hands glued on his body, the boy was sure that his alpha would leave various marks. Well, that was what he thought when he had not remembered that Mingyu had kissed him so much as well. The alpha was addicted to Joshua’s slender and elegant neck, delivering so many kisses and nibbles everywhere. It was so satisfying to see his only one mark on the boy now, and the man just could not help it. He kept devouring Joshua’s neck, shoulders, collarbones, chest, back.

He left kisses everywhere.

The hybrid sometimes giggled as it felt tickling whenever Mingyu kissed him on some sensitive parts. Apart from that, he had no other problem, contented and happy to feel the man’s lips on his skin. There was no pain at all. Mingyu’s pheromones showed obvious and intense arousal, but there was nothing aggressive or scary in it, and Joshua was only attracted to the man more. He loved his Mingyu, and loved how Mingyu loved him.

The only time Mingyu was impatient was when he put Joshua on the edge of the pool, unable to wait any longer. The boy only had three seconds to giggle and then all his mouth could let out was just moan and moan. Putting the hybrid’s legs over his shoulders, the alpha enthusiastically sucked his lover’s cock like eating a lollipop. It was true somehow, because Joshua literally tasted like candy, just like his scent.

Stopping in the middle, Mingyu gently caressed the boy’s bare thigh while the other hand slowly stroked his baby’s cock. The man looked up, and saw his kitten frowned cutely. The boy was whining, wanting nothing but his alpha’s mouth back to his cock. The boy’s hands were in Mingyu’s hair, holding not too tightly, yet the man loved it.

“I’m sorry for talking about this, but do you know what the most special thing about hybrids is?” Mingyu asked, voice unexpectedly hoarse, flipping Joshua’s heart a few times in his chest.

The boy did not know why his owner said sorry. He just shook his head as a response, having no idea why Mingyu was asking this. Right after that, the boy opened his mouth to speak, all of a sudden remembering something Wonwoo once told him.

“Hy-hybrids can have multiple orgasms easily?” He stuttered a little bit, face red just by the saying.

“That’s true, but not what I want to tell you.” Mingyu smiled lovingly, sticking out his tongue to lick the tip of Joshua’s cock, displaying a good show to demonstrate what he was going to say. “Your liquids literally have taste. Your slick, your cum, your precum, and even the saliva in your mouth, they all taste like candy.” The alpha swirled his tongue around the sensitive tip to make his baby moan even louder, sounding much more lewd. “The most delicious candy in this world.”

“Are… are you serious?” Joshua asked, face like a tomato. “I… I thought that was just a kind of compliment…”

“You know I can’t lie, baby.” Mingyu answered after sucking for a few short seconds. “I will never forget this taste. And you know, your blood has the taste, too.”

“H-How do you know that?” Joshua struggled with another question after an erotic moan.

“I bite you every day. Of course I know.” Grazing his teeth along the hard cock, Mingyu smirked to see how much he was driving his lover crazy. “Everything of you is sweet, innocently sweet, and cute.”

The boy whined loudly one more time in utter embarrassment, but the alpha did not tease him more. Chuckling, Mingyu engulfed the whole length back in his mouth and never let go again until his kitten cum with a series of wanton moans.

Actually, during the hours they spent in the pool, Mingyu did that a few more times. The man happily stated that he loved the taste so much that he wanted to enjoy it over and over again. Furthermore, he wanted to see Joshua’s blissed out face and make him feel good. The boy did not have any reason to protest; he did not want to anyway.

They only left the pool when Joshua started to feel sleepy, but after getting dried, the boy did not let his alpha get dressed. He simply took the man’s hands to the middle of the bedroom, where it was spacious enough for him to kneel down in front of the man, and there was a comfortable carpet on the floor to support his knees, help him feel comfortable to serve his alpha as long as he wanted. Mingyu’s eyes went wide right at the moment Joshua dropped his knees, but the boy reached out his hands and took the hard dick, staring at it with endearing eyes. He felt extremely bad since it was mostly just Mingyu bringing pleasure to him, and he could not do much to please his master.

Anyway, that was just one of the reasons. Joshua licked his lips in anticipation.

He really wanted this dick. Not in his ass yet, but at least in his mouth.

_“Has Jun ever sucked this cock?”_ The hybrid wondered, but he would not ask. Not necessary.

_“Jun and I share one dick? That sounds strange somehow.”_ The boy thought, amused and interested. Mingyu loved Jun first. Joshua was just added later, so he had no problem with it. He could only be happy for how big Mingyu’s heart was.

Like a real kitten, Joshua licked his alpha’s thick cock slowly and seductively, making the man groan deeply in his throat. The boy was not trying to put on a show. He did that just because he liked to. Fortunately, Mingyu seemed to enjoy both the feelings and the sight in front of him. He attentively watched his omega, sighing deeply, eyes dark and lustful. One of his hands came to caress Joshua’s cheeks extraordinarily tenderly, tracing his thumb along the boy’s jawline.

“Will you open your mouth for me, Joshua?” Mingyu asked, still sounding slightly unsure and nervous. He was still afraid that his lover was only ready to lick, not to suck it.

Instead of answering, the hybrid nodded his head eagerly, and did it before he was told to. It was pretty hard to take the huge thing in, but Joshua willingly decided to torture his mouth a little, as long as he would be able to please Mingyu.

The grunt from the alpha made the boy had goosebump all over his body. That sounded so sexy, and he loved the fact that he was the cause of it.

From above, Mingyu was mesmerized by the scene of his omega’s swollen lips wrapping around his hard dick. The boy seemed to be slightly uncomfortable, but he was so eager at the same time that the man could not tell him to stop. However, Mingyu thought this may be a chance for Joshua to get used to his alpha’s dick. Perhaps, the boy would get used to its size, able to estimate how much he would be stretched if they had sexual intercourse in the future. It would not be too strange and horrible anymore.

The hybrid placed his both hands on Mingyu’s thighs to find support, and he found that a perfect position. Those thighs, _so sinful_. He loved to touch them, and again, the idea of riding Mingyu danced around in his mind crazily.

Magically, the alpha was just thinking about the same thing.

“We should try this in my office later.” The man spoke while still caressing Joshua’s cheeks lovingly. His voice was deep, not as deep as Wonwoo’s, but much deeper than his usual one. “I will let you kneel under my desk. You will suck me, and I won’t let you stop even when someone comes in.”

Staring at the alpha with shocked eyes, the hybrid intended to pull away to speak, but Mingyu’s hand behind his head quickly kept him in place. The action was not rough, but still enough to keep the boy from moving, and he did not want to disobey his master.

“Nobody can see you or know what is happening under the desk, _except for me_.” The alpha’s eyes were sparkling when he talked about his wild and steamy imagination. “I will keep talking to them while you keep sucking me so good like this.”

Nonetheless, Mingyu could realize that Joshua really wanted to say something, and his eyes did not seem like he was going to object to the idea, so the man let go off his head. Joshua slipped off the cock, using one hand to stroke it while asking, seeming embarrassed and also confused.

“But… what if someone finds out?”

“They won’t.” Mingyu chuckled, thumb gently touching his lover’s lips. “I will kick them out in less than ten minutes.”

Joshua did not know why, but he was distracted by that thumb. Unable to contain his desire, the boy let the tip of his tongue touch the alpha’s finger. Staring at Mingyu intensely in the eyes, the hybrid knew for sure his master knew exactly what he had just done, and it was intentional.

As a result, the boy was not surprised at all when the thumb was pushed further into his mouth. Eagerly and submissively, Joshua sucked Mingyu’s finger, swirling his tongue around it, making sure to create some dirty sounds while still remaining eye contact with the man. Sucking it was much easier than sucking his cock, but Joshua found both of them enjoyable. Mingyu in lust did not seem scary at all, but for sure he was still dominant, and his pheromones would certainly demanding submission from the omega. Under that power, Joshua just felt weak and highly aware of his own submission.

He could do this. It was easy, and even comfortable to be submissive to the alpha who loved him.

“But then…” The hybrid kept on asking, but did not let the finger go out of his mouth completely. “Will I have my reward? I… I risk my own dignity for you.”

It was true. If they really did that, they were putting themselves at the risk of being found out by anyone. Joshua was pretty sure that the story would be spread around the whole company like wild fire.

“Do you remember the big glass window in my office?” Mingyu asked, gently guiding Joshua mouth to get back to his cock. Obediently, the boy continued to suck it, and his alpha groaned instantly.

The hybrid nodded. Like Wonwoo’s office, Mingyu’s one also had the giant glass window, showing him a beautiful sight of the modern city.

“If that day you’ve accepted me, then…” The man bit his lips harshly. The imagination seemed to affect him a lot. “…I will push your chest to the glass and fuck you into the window from behind.”

This time it was the boy’s turn to moan.

“But… but people can see…” He could not help asking, only to be guided back to the dick.

“Nobody can see us from outside through that glass, baby. But I bet you will see your own reflection on it, blissed out and messy.” Knowing what the boy may be wondering, Mingyu kept on speaking by himself, subtly pushing the boy’s head from behind to make his cock slide in further. “If someone knocks the door, they will have to wait. And I will make sure to fuck your ass and make you cum as fast as possible.”

Gosh, Joshua really believed that Mingyu had a fetish for office sex, but he found it great too. The man unbelievably had so many incredible imaginations in his mind. Maybe he would try all of those wild things with his alpha in that office for real. They were all too hot, too tempting, romantic and dirty at the same time.

Seeing the light in his lover’s eyes and feeling the boy sucking harder, Mingyu did not need more words to know his omega would agree to try that with him in the future. The alpha was so happy, thoroughly convinced that Joshua trusted him and loved him so much. Everything they did for each other was consensual, and both of them were happy, making this day a true heaven that Mingyu would never be able to forget.

They did not talk anymore later, and Joshua only focused on sucking his master’s cock to bring him to orgasm. Like his cousins, Mingyu did not dare to go rough with the hybrid, so he did not fuck the boy’s mouth although he genuinely wanted to. He also warned the boy when he felt his own climax coming, but Joshua lightly shook his head and kept on sucking. They did not broke eye contact for even a second until Mingyu spilled his cum in the boy’s mouth and let out the sexiest groan the hybrid had ever heard from his giant alpha.

Joshua nearly combusted because of the loving look Mingyu gave him while he tried to greedily suck his man to the last drop. Right after that, the alpha did not mind tasting a little of himself in the boy’s mouth even a bit. He just pulled the omega into his arms and kissed him with all of his heart.

“Thank you, my kitten.” Mingyu grinned, whispering on his lover’s lips.

Hugging the man tightly, the boy shyly smiled back, voice extremely quiet.

“I can do it for you a few more times tonight.”

The grin on the alpha’s face only got brighter and wider, since he could see sincerity in all of Joshua’s facial expression. The boy was definitely not pushing himself at all.

“That’s wonderful.”

Nonetheless, that promise was not carried out soon, because decided that it would be a waste if they just simply went to bed early tonight. Consequently, hand in hand again, they got out of the resort and walked along the street to find something to eat. The walk under the night sky made Joshua’s heart ache terribly in his chest right after he saw the first store by the road, but Mingyu’s happy voice luckily got his attention back and distracted him from his own thoughts by countless sweet words and perfect suggestions.

Yet, it still burned, and all of a sudden, Joshua wanted to have Wonwoo right here, right now.

He missed Wonwoo. He did not say goodbye properly to the man when he left. Wonwoo did text Joshua when the plane landed, and the boy intended to ask some more questions, yet at that time he was about to leave for meal with Mingyu and having not much time. Therefore, he just sent brief answers to not only him but also Jun.

The boy hated himself.

Fortunately, Mingyu took Joshua out for food and they had no intention of buying something or stopping at anywhere except for restaurants, so the boy felt better after sitting down and choosing the dishes with his alpha. Mingyu did not know about the memories his lover shared with Wonwoo, but he did notice the shift in his kitten’s mood. The anxiety inside him rose again, piling up gradually. He knew Joshua missed Wonwoo.

The boy would say it out if he was missing Jun, because they were sharing the love for the same person. In fact, he did not, even trying to hide that emotion. So, he was certainly missing the lead alpha.

Mingyu could only bury the worry deeply inside his heart, desperately hoping that he was wrong, that the worst thing would not happen.

Trying hard to push the thoughts out of his mind, Mingyu put more efforts into keeping his special day with Joshua happy and peaceful. He thought that he succeeded, because the boy smiled during the supper, not spacing out, scent not sour. That was enough, perhaps.

After the meal, they slowly walked together back to their own villa, quietly talking and giving light kisses on the way. Changing into more comfortable clothes, they lied together on the sand to watch the starry sky and enjoy the cool atmosphere of the night by the beach. Joshua had his head on Mingyu’s bicep, but the boy still felt that not enough and kept snuggling closer to his alpha. He was not cold; he just loved Mingyu’s warmth, and loved being close to him.

Neither of them could count how many times they had kissed each other today, and the number just went higher during the night. The special thing was that, Joshua did not forget his promise. He did not ask for permission, only pulling the waistband of his master down and took the man’s dick out. Would anyone see them? Joshua did not think so.

Mingyu gladly returned the same thing to his lover.

Lying with his back on the sand, Joshua literally saw more stars than the actual number of stars in the sky when Mingyu sucked him hard and played with his nipples again. The boy’s moans in combination with the sounds of the wave was like beautiful music in the alpha’s ears. At that moment, the world seemed to be only for the two of them.

The act of doing something sexual out of the house brought the climax to the hybrid much more quickly than usual, and the boy was extremely embarrassed, yet Mingyu only chuckled and watched his lover’s flushed face lovingly. Not minding putting the pants back on the boy, the alpha wrapped his omega’s legs and arms around him, gently lifting him up and bring him back into their villa.

They used their own hands and mouths to bring heavenly pleasure each other several more times inside the villa, at everywhere they liked in the small place, but having no care about closing any doors or windows. Joshua felt like having a honeymoon with his giant alpha, and sometimes he thought it would be perfect if they could cross _the last limit_ together right here. Nonetheless, the boy did not want to ruin the beautiful day and sweet atmosphere by his own trauma, so he let it just like this. The more they did, the more Joshua felt loved and cherished.

When they decided to stop, it was already three o’ clock, and Mingyu knew for sure he would take tomorrow off as well. They would leave this place around the afternoon, so he would be able to sleep through the morning comfortably with his kitten in his embrace without worrying about anything else. Joshua would not have to think about anything either, because Mingyu would always be by his sides. They cuddled under the blanket with no clothes on, no barrier between the two bodies. The hybrid’s heart bloomed in happiness to hear the man’s whisper in his ears.

“I love you, Joshua.”

That was the one thousandth time Mingyu said this today? The boy was not sure, but he would never get tired of it. He would never stop being exceedingly happy to hear it. Never.

“I love you, Mingyu.” Joshua replied back to his alpha in the sweetest and most sincere voice.

The boy did not say that a lot, but Mingyu knew his baby could only say so when the feelings were real and considerable enough for him to get over his shyness.

They both fell asleep in peace, temporarily deciding not to worry what disaster may come in the very near future. Joshua knew perhaps he would not be able to escape from fate, but at least, this short runaway was the best he could get before the darkest days of his life.

He would use all his heart to treasure this special day with Mingyu, his guardian angel.

He just hated the fact that his mind was being brought back to the peaceful nights he spent in Wonwoo’s embrace, lungs filled with the aroma of peppermint, and a heart filled with feelings of being loved and protected.

Sandalwood is warm. Peppermint is bitter. Yet, Joshua was already convinced that the perfect match for him smelled strong, bitter, and powerful. His stomach churned.

He had always thought that he just craved for tenderness.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sooooo looooong, so there will definitely be no more MinShua smut in the next one :"> I intended to split this chapter into two small ones but I thought that then you guys saw the third chapter of MinShua smut you would get sick of it. Therefore, I decided to post a long one only ;_;
> 
> And well, this chapter is very long, so the next one will be pretty short :"> But I hope it will be satisfying enough for you, because there will be a lot of progress in it ^^
> 
> I am going to see my doctors in two more days and there is a possibility that they will ask me to take more powerful medicine, which means the side effects will be more horrible ;_; I hope they won't be too bad so that I can still come here to post a new chapter TvT I always want to post aaaaaahhhhh ;_; 
> 
> \---
> 
> It's really bad these days and I don't even know how to say about it.  
Sometimes I wonder if I will make it till the day I finish posting this fic.


	40. The first of everything, from the beginning till now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turned out that Jun did not have to work much during his trip with Wonwoo to England.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is much shorter than the previous one and I hope it will make you quite frustrated at the end hehe ^^

It was really hard for Jun to catch up with what was happening around him.

When they got off the plane, it was still early in the afternoon, so he and Wonwoo had lunch first, but right after that, it was time to work. He was not allowed to rest in the hotel yet. He had to follow Wonwoo to a long important meeting that he had not prepared for. A few days off made him feel like he was a person coming from another world, having no idea about the purpose of this meeting. Luckily, he had nothing to do except for sitting there, listening and maybe noting down something sometimes in case Wonwoo would need that in the future, but it was still extremely tiring.

Jun was almost buzzing in excitement when they finally reached the hotel. It was just five o’ clock but all he could think of was a nice shower and then a long sleep. He slept a lot on the plane, but that was not enough. However, he was terrified to see Wonwoo getting only one card from the reception desk.

“Why is there only one?” He could not help asking with wide eyes.

“What are you expecting?” Wonwoo replied nonchalantly. “Just the same as always.”

“But…”

“I see no need to make it different from what we have always done before.”

Jun’s heart sank to the bottom of his stomach, heavy and aching, but he could not do anything else. Having no time to prepare for this trip, he had no way to get another room for himself. He hated this, but he guessed a little bit of trying would help him survive. This pain could only torture him, not take away his life. Sleeping in the same bed with Wonwoo may make him want to die, but he would be still alive after all.

In their room, Jun jumped to bathroom first without a care of Wonwoo. In fact, the lead alpha had no intention of bickering with his cousin. He let Jun do what he wanted, since he knew that the younger male was already too tired anyway. When Jun got out of there, freshly cleaned and warm in his pyjamas, he saw Wonwoo boiling some water, and the man was taking some water from the bottles placed on the table at the corner of the room. Jun had a slight need for water too, but the bed was too tempting for his heart to resist. Once crossing the attractive object, he failed to make his feet work any longer.

Literally throwing himself onto the fluffy bed, he told Wonwoo, voice a little muffled by the pillow.

“Don’t call me for dinner. I don’t need it. Just have it yourself.”

“Are you sure?” Turning to look at Jun, Wonwoo asked slowly. “You might get hungry at midnight.”

“I may call the room service then.” His saying was interrupted by a yawn. “I only need to sleep now.”

“Okay.” Picking up a glass full of water from the table, the lead alpha moved towards the bed. “But you should drink some water before sleeping. You didn’t drink enough today.”

Groaning to the pillow, Jun hated himself for feeling warm to know that Wonwoo had watched him carefully enough to notice he had not drunk much water. He did not need to look up to know that the man had already come to stand next to the bed and was waiting for him to get up. Both the need to sleep and the need to drink successfully made Jun sit up to face his older cousin. Wonwoo was just standing there, holding out the glass with an emotionless look on his face. Obediently, Jun took the glass and quickly finished it before returning the object back to Wonwoo.

While Jun lied down comfortably on the bed one more time, the older alpha was walking back to the table and giving a kind notice.

“I have just boiled some water. You can drink it when you wake up if you don’t like to drink cold water in the fridge.”

“Thanks.” Sleepy, Jun tried to reply politely. “Please remember, don’t wake me up for dinner.”

“I won’t.”

Again, Wonwoo walked back to the bed, but Jun’s eyes were already too hazy to really register what his cousin was about to do. However, he was still able to feel that the blanket was pulled to cover his shoulders and his foot properly, protecting him thoroughly from the cold air that might attack his health while he was soundly asleep. He was grateful for that, but having no strength left to look at Wonwoo or murmur a simple _“thank you”_ to him.

Nonetheless, he did not expect Wonwoo to continue speaking.

“Because you’ve been good today, I will give you a reward.”

All of a sudden, Jun did not feel so sleepy anymore. He frowned, utterly hating being called “good”. It was true that he _had been good_ today, but it did not mean that he would feel happy to be _complimented_ this way.

Jun was just _good_ to Wonwoo because there was nothing else he could do.

“What do you want?” Not changing his position even a bit, Jun asked, sounding like groaning. Although Wonwoo said he was going to give him a reward, Jun just felt like his cousin was going to ask him to do something.

He had lost the faith in Wonwoo to believe that this man was going to do something nice to him.

“Do you want to know how Jeonghan is right now?”

Immediately, Jun abruptly sat up, facing his cousin, as if he had never been tired or sleepy. Eyes wide, he asked, almost jumped out of the bed, but the lead alpha pushed him back down.

“You know? How is he? You asked Seungcheol, right? What did he do to Jeonghan? Is he still in the hospital? Is Seungcheol still angry at him?”

Jun would ask another hundreds of questions if Wonwoo did not place a finger on his lips to shush him. The man’s face was calm and almost emotionless when he replied slowly by another question.

“You’re really that eager to know about him?”

“Why not?” Jun retorted angrily, swatting Wonwoo’s hand away quite aggressively. “You dragged me away while he’s in the most dangerous situation. He’s weak and vulnerable, and I doubt if Seungcheol will ever care how miserable Jeonghan is.”

“Junnie.” Wonwoo suddenly growled, eyes narrow. “Did I say that you had been good today? Should I take that back?”

Jun really hated this.

Nonetheless, he knew he had to give in, if he wanted to know about Jeonghan’s condition.

“Okay. I’m sorry.” He answered quickly, trying his best to soften his voice, and promising to himself that he would not stop Wonwoo from touching him again. “My fault. You speak, and I will shut my mouth.”

“That’s much better.” Wonwoo patted his cousin’s hair, voice quite softer.

However, Jun was surprised when the man patted his back lightly and scooted to sit with his back against the headboard.

“Come on, lie down, Junnie. You need to rest.”

“What…” The younger alpha stared at his cousin, confused. “You said you were going to tell me…”

“Lie down first, and I will say it.”

Following Wonwoo’s guidance, Jun lied down with his back on the mattress, and his head on the lead alpha’s lap. The older male gently pulled the blanket to cover his lover, hearing him sigh. Jun had to admit that this position was incredibly comfortable. It was so easy for him to take in Wonwoo’s scent, and the man’s strong pheromones were making his tired body feel safe. With this feeling, Jun knew he would have a very nice sleep.

“I will say it quickly so that you can sleep.” Wonwoo said while running his fingers through the younger alpha’s hair. Damn it. Jun loved this feeling. He missed it so bad. He could not have any protest about it. The way Wonwoo massaged his scalp, or caressed it, was so soothing and loving. Jun wanted nothing but to bask in the affection.

He nodded, looking at his cousin expectantly. He felt his eyelids heavy, but he guessed he would not doze off before Wonwoo finished.

“Jeonghan is still in the hospital because the doctors want him to be taken care of more thoroughly.” The man talked slowly and calmly, eyes never leaving his cousin. His other free hand was placed lightly on Jun’s chest.

The younger alpha failed to resist the urge to hold that hand. He just naturally let his hand came to it, and Wonwoo instantly held it securely in his own, sending warm sensation to his lover’s heart.

“Seungcheol said he didn’t really know what to say to Jeonghan, so he just mostly stayed silent, and Jeonghan slept almost all the time. Seungcheol decided to have an investigation. He tracked for information of his mate in the pet shop to know what had actually happened to Jeonghan in the past.”

“So now he knows thoroughly about what Jeonghan has been through, right?” Jun’s eyes got brighter instantly.

Wonwoo nodded.

“He did not say clearly how he thought about it, but he sounded very miserable. During the whole time he talked about Jeonghan, he’s sad, not angry. You know him. He doesn’t share his feelings.”

Jun also nodded, but still asked more.

“But did he say something else? Like… promise to help Jeonghan, or not ever hurt him again?”

“He just said that he wanted to find a way to fix everything, and make the bad guys pay for what they had done.”

“Pay for what they had done?” Jun was quite shocked. “How? It’s legal for people to abuse their own hybrids. What’s he going to do?”

“I don’t know, but it’s a good thing anyway. He hates all of Jeonghan’s owners in the past, so that means he sympathizes for his omega right now. He won’t hurt Jeonghan again, and perhaps his mate will enjoy seeing those bastards suffer.”

Jun was not sure if that was what Jeonghan liked to see, but he agreed with Wonwoo that maybe Seungcheol was good now. He did not ask how the man felt about him now. He just needed to know how he was treating Jeonghan well currently. That was enough.

“So… Jeonghan’s good now?” Still nervous, Jun asked again, seeking for a confirmation from his cousin, hand holding the man’s one more tightly.

“I believe he is.” Wonwoo was firm in his statement, and whenever he spoke that way, the listener could only be convinced.

“Thank you.” Jun sincerely said, extremely grateful. Finally, he was able to put down the heavy concern in his heart. He was still worried, still deadly wishing to see Jeonghan to be by his sides, but at least now he knew the omega was in good hands. As long as Seungcheol understood his mate and sympathized for him, everything would be fine. Jeonghan would be fine.

“Now just sleep. Don’t worry about Jeonghan anymore.” Wonwoo gently brushed Jun’s hair, lovingly luring his love into sleep. “Just remember not to ever text or call Jeonghan, if you don’t want to ruin things. Seungcheol will go crazy.”

“I know.” Jun weakly nodded, eyes sad. “I won’t do that.”

However, his eyes were even sadder when he asked.

“Do you… need to shower and change your clothes now?”

“I will do it after you sleep.” Wonwoo replied, voice suddenly so sweet, low, and loving, making Jun’s heart flip many times in his ribcage. “I will be here with you.”

A very weak and faint smile appeared on the younger male’s face before he quietly whispered.

“Thank you, Wonwoo.”

Even when Jun closed his eyes, he did not let go of Wonwoo’s hand on his chest. At this moment, it was not only one of his hands holding the lead alpha’s one anymore. Jun’s both hands had already kept his cousin’s hand closely to his chest, as if it could bring him some kind of comfort and safety. On his hair, Wonwoo was still stroking and caressing tenderly, helping it easier and easier for his lover to fall asleep.

Before Jun fell deeply into sleep, the thoughts about Jeonghan still haunted his mind, but he tried his best to remember what Wonwoo had told him.

_“Haven’t I told you that he had agreed to let Jeonghan meet a psychiatrist? It means he wanted to help his omega. The person he holds grudge against is you.”_

He had to trust Wonwoo. The man had just said that Seungcheol was not being mad at Jeonghan anymore, and he wanted to take revenge on _“the bad guys”_, who possibly were the hybrid’s previous owners in the past. Seungcheol could only do that for one reason: he still loved Jeonghan.

Seungcheol had already known clearly everything about his mate now, even more clearly than Jun, because he conducted a real investigation on the rabbit’s past. That was the best. Jun tried to cheer him up, yet it still burned that even though Jeonghan was safe now, he could never know when they would be able to reunite.

_Would that day ever come?_

Jun vaguely guessed, maybe Wonwoo was right. It would be the best if Seungcheol did not see him for a while. Until the man calmed down, they would meet and talk, trying to find a solution for everything. Jeonghan would be safe, and happy, and they would be back together. Jun was determined to deal with all kinds of negotiation with Seungcheol in order just get the chance of being with Jeonghan.

For a split second, the alpha wondered what if the hybrid no longer needed him because things between and his mate were perfect now.

What if that was true? Was Jun already abandoned? Was he still in Jeonghan’s heart?

Those thoughts were deadly torturous, but Jun was unable to keep himself awake long. He just lied there, eyes closed, breathing steadily and not feeling Wonwoo’s gentle hand on his hair anymore.

…

When Jun woke up, he expected to see himself in Wonwoo’s embrace, or at least he would see the first love of his life right next to him, with their legs touched or even tangled under the warm blanket. He could not count he had gone through how many days like that in the past, but now it felt like everything was just a long gone dream which he was desperately trying to hold onto. He knew he should cherish this trip, since it could be the last time for only the two of them together, as the wedding would be coming soon. Jun wanted his past to come back, but nothing changed.

And today, when he opened his eyes, he saw no one. Outside the windows, the sun was shining brightly. In a split second, he suddenly doubted if Wonwoo had abandoned him in this hotel in a foreign country. Frantically, he sat up and quickly looked around.

However, right after that sudden action, he let out a yelp and even hissed in pain. It was difficult to tell exactly where the pain came from, but he was feeling extraordinarily uncomfortable with everything. Sitting was not what his body enjoyed at this moment, because this position hurt him, which only caused him to panic because he understood nothing. His lower body hurt, and his neck hurt as well.

At the moment everything came into realization, Jun literally freaked out. He was alone in bed, having nothing on his body except for Wonwoo’s shirt with feelings of wetness on two positions. The first one was on the left of his neck, and the other one was somewhere down there _between his legs_. Automatically, his hand reached to touch the wet spot on his neck immediately, which caused him to yelp in pain one more time. There was a bandage covering that spot, perhaps because he was wounded, but the bandage did not seem to work well since it was already soaked. It hurt as hell when his fingertips touched. What he saw when he lowered his hand matched his guess; there was blood oozing from a horribly painful wound on his neck.

Jun could not stay calm any longer. He jumped out of the bed although the action made his body suffer a lot of pain and it was screaming to lie back down on a soft surface. His body was too sore to stand normally when he finally reached the large mirror placed next to the wardrobe and he had to lean against the sides of the mirror, using his arms to support his weight. Nonetheless, once Jun saw himself in the mirror after ripping off the bandage, the physical pain meant nothing in comparison with what he was looking at in his own reflection.

The wound that was bleeding on his neck had the shape of _a mating bite_.

It was new, and real, as well. Jun had no chance to doubt whether it would last for only ten hours or it would stay there forever. The uncomfortable wetness between his thighs and the pain covering his whole body explained everything. Wonwoo’s saying in the past echoed in his head.

_“Do you know that I can just tie you up then knot you and bite you to claim you as mine forever? And you will have no choice but to accept it?”_

_“If you agree to do whatever I ask you to after this, I will let you bring Jeonghan to the hospital, keep him safe, and I will stay here to calm Seungcheol down and explain everything to him. Deal?”_

Collapsing on the floor, Jun stared at nothing in front of his eyes, his head spinning and aching. He tried to use all of the little strength left in his body and his broken mind to think how this could probably happen. When he realized how stupid he was, the tears started to fall right away. He was so stupid to trust Wonwoo. He was so naive when easily taking the glass of water the man gave him last night. He knew Wonwoo cared about him, but the lead alpha had never been that kind of a considerate person. Wonwoo did not drag him along in this trip for business purpose. It was just an excuse to take Jun out of the apartment so that Mingyu would not be nearby to protect him anymore.

He understood that, he was drugged and bitten without his consent. At this moment, the mark had not stopped bleeding, because he had not accepted and could not accept the fact that he was then _a mated alpha_, _claimed by another alpha_. This was the end of freedom. He would be manipulated by Wonwoo till the end of his life.

Jun desperately wished that he was just going through a very bad dream, but no matter how long he sat there, nothing happened. His body was still aching and blood was still slowly coming out of the mark. It was not very serious currently, but it would be if this problem could not be stopped soon. Jun would have to learn to accept his fate. In fact, he was fully aware of the fact that he could report this to the police since this was literally a rape. It was extremely easy to prove that he was bitten without consent, but Jun shivered at the thought of turning Wonwoo into a criminal.

Jun would never do that, and he thought the lead alpha knew that fact even better than himself. Besides, he had already made the deal about _following whatever Wonwoo made him do_. Breaking the promise would hurt not only his older cousin but also Jeonghan. He could not imagine in what way Wonwoo could possibly do harm to Jeonghan, but Jun could not put anything of the blond omega in danger just because of his own benefit.

No, Wonwoo was no longer his cousin. That man now was his mate. If Jun decided not to do anything about this, he had to accept it.

Even though Jun had told himself to accept this fate, when he finally stood up from the floor, an hour had already passed. He almost fell onto the ground after getting up, his body unbelievably weak and exhausted. Jun felt dizzy and tired, and he struggled to move back to the bed. He did know what he was going to do, but the bed was just his first option since it was so difficult to move around in this state. At least, when he sat on the fluffy bed, his lower body felt much better than sitting on the hard floor and he had some time to look around the room. It was nine in the morning.

Jun expected the bed to be messy, but it was not; he guessed Wonwoo had cleaned up everything. His clothes were hung properly on the hooks, and the mattress was only a little dirty at the place where Jun had been lying previously. He looked away immediately, avoiding looking at it, and thinking that the first thing he should do now would possibly be going to the bathroom. Wonwoo cleaned everything except for Jun. He felt so uncomfortable to think of what _the wet thing_ he was feeling in his ass was.

On the nightstand, Jun found a small note left by Wonwoo under a glass of water and some painkillers were put beside.

_“I will be back at 5pm. Just stay in the hotel if you don’t feel well. You don’t have to go with me today. Take the painkillers if it hurts too much. There’s some food in the fridge. You should change the bandage frequently to avoid infection._

_Love you._

_Wonwoo”_

Spending not much time thinking, Jun put the note down and took the painkillers, hoping to feel better. With a lot of effort, he dragged himself to where his clothes were being placed, intending to bring them with him to the bathroom. However, his instincts brought him to the wardrobe instead. Jun grimaced to himself, but he seriously did not want to change his mind. He was feeling so unwell, so uncomfortable that he wholeheartedly wanted nothing but getting some of Wonwoo’s scent to calm himself down. He was so helpless, realizing that his body had started to change. The bite was showing its powerful impact on him. It was still hurting since he had not managed to fully accept it, but it made him yearn for Wonwoo even more than before.

The tears soon fell again and a broken sob escaped his mouth in utter desperation.

He just wanted Wonwoo now.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's okay if you hate Wonwoo more now...  
If not yet, then you will still hate him later ^^  
And now we have already got sme information about Jeonghan's condition~ I hope you will look forward to the next chapter to see how Jun would deal with Wonwoo ^^
> 
> \---
> 
> I was right. The doctor gave me a different prescription. Instead of taking the medicine once every day in the past, now I have to take it twice. And more pills, also. The side effects of the new pills are uncomfortable again but I think I have to choice but to endure them :( Hope that things will get better later, as I'm still feeling terrible right now. 
> 
> I once saw a saying somewhere. It said that, to some people, "being normal" is enough to be happy, but to people dealing with depression, they don't even wish to be normal. The only thing they want is to make the constant miserable feelings disappear. I feel it. I always wish them to disappear, but sometimes I feels like it's just impossible. Of course, I know there is one way to end everything, and the thought has been haunting me every day. What will happen if I am unable to recover as fast as my family expect? What will happen if I am forced to deal with things I am scared of again when I am not ready yet? There's one way to prevent all of those things from happening. I think it is the way.
> 
> I am really sorry if you feel that I am saying too much about these things. Really sorry. 
> 
> I'm still happy to post a new chapter here ^^


	41. The docile mate that the demon had always desired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bite harmed Jun more than what Wonwoo had expected. Fortunately, there was a way to fix the problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha I am somehow happy to see how angry you all were because of Wonwoo ^^ However I guess that there are many people who don't like the way I progress the story since the number of bookmarks dropped ;_; This is not the first time for that to happen, but it's really sad and stressful ;_; But anyway, I will just write this as I like it to be~

Wonwoo was really irritated during the whole day, because of Jun.

Through the whole morning and afternoon, he had sent perhaps hundreds of messages but the other alpha had not bothered to reply. Even when Wonwoo ran out of patience and decided to make a phone call so as to check on his mate’s health condition, Jun did not answer. The lead alpha only got a response when he was really ready to ignore whatever he was doing to leave and find Jun to see what the hell he was doing after sending the last warning. In fact, he had started to feel worried then, afraid that something wrong might have happened and prevented Jun from sending a message or taking a call.

_“I’ll return to the hotel right now if you don’t text me back immediately.”_

Fortunately, Wonwoo got what he wanted. When his cousin’s name appeared on the screen, he let out a sigh of relief, but the content of the message made him frown instantly.

_“Tired. Can’t sleep. Still bleeding.”_

Wonwoo could not help texting back right away.

_“Do you need to go to the doctor?”_

_“No. I’m fine. Just tired. Please stop texting me.”_

The man temporarily believed that Jun was right, but he was still annoyed with his cousin’s stubbornness. The last sentence really got on his nerves. Taking a glance at the phone or typing a few words would not require too much energy but the way Jun reacted made Wonwoo felt like he was disturbing him. Certainly, Wonwoo knew that what he had done would have bad effects on Jun’s health; therefore, he kept texting to check whether the younger male was fine, but it seemed like his consideration was not appreciated.

_“Try to sleep. You’ll gradually feel better.”_

Wonwoo thought that would be the end of their little “conversation”, but surprisingly, he got another message.

_“Told you I can’t.”_

However, Wonwoo’s mood cooled down right after the moment he was back at the hotel. Seeing Jun in the hotel room, the man finally thoroughly understood why his cousin insisted that he could not sleep although Wonwoo had tried to persuade him to take a rest. Jun was sitting with both legs on the couch, curling up and leaning his right side to the back of the couch. He was wearing Wonwoo’s shirt and pants, which was obvious to his older cousin, but that was not what the man cared about at the moment.

Wonwoo felt his heart aching to see Jun in this condition, visibly tired and exhausted, eyes red and hazy, but he was not sleeping. The poor alpha was already turning his head towards the direction of the door when Wonwoo stepped in, and the man could see him anxiously bit his lips with complicated feelings in his eyes. When Wonwoo slowly moved closer, Jun lifted up his head, giving the other one the chance to see the red bandage on his neck. It was easy to recognize that the bandage was new, but it was slightly tinted with blood. Freezing in a minute, Wonwoo just stood there and stared at Jun without saying a word, while his lover also stared back at him. Nonetheless, in the end, Jun still effortlessly broke Wonwoo’s heart by simply resting his chin back on his knees, covering half of his face behind his arms, not lifting it up any longer although eye contact was remained.

When Wonwoo sat next to Jun on couch, so close that their bodies touched, the younger alpha did not try to stay away. His eyes never left the man’s face while the lead alpha placed a palm on his forehead to check the temperature. He was not feverish, but Wonwoo knew for sure that this was not good at all. The way the bite affected Jun was much worse than what the man expected, yet he was still annoyed to know that Jun was partly to blame for this trouble. If he truly accepted the fact that now he belonged to Wonwoo and would be his mate forever, this condition could not keep going on that long.

Nevertheless, Wonwoo one more time got calmer when he saw Jun closing his eyes under his touch. Once anger had all vanished, the lead alpha gently ran his hand through Jun’s hair, asking in a low and tender voice.

“You didn’t sleep the whole day?”

Lazily opened his eyes, Jun shook his head slowly.

Still using his hand to caress the other alpha’s scalp, Wonwoo asked another questions.

“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?”

This time, Jun nodded, a little bit hesitantly. However, he suddenly spoke.

“I want to go home.”

Almost shocked, Wonwoo grimaced at the saying, not because of the content, but because of his lover’s unexpected thin and weak voice. Jun did not have any sign of stubbornness any longer; right now, he was just tired and hopeless. In Wonwoo’s ears, what Jun had just said sounded much like begging, and he truly was. He wanted to go home. At least home would be better than this. He would have Mingyu and Joshua, not alone in such a cold room with hardly any scent of Wonwoo in it. Jun saw no choice but to beg _his mate_ for it. He could not buy a plane ticket by himself. He could ask Mingyu to help him do that, but there was a huge conflict destroying his heart right then.

Much as he wanted to see Mingyu, he was scared of seeing his younger’s cousin reaction when realizing that he was already bitten. The beautiful dream that Mingyu told him and Joshua yesterday would never come true, because Jun would not leave Wonwoo. If Mingyu still wanted Jun, he would be forced to accept the fate of sharing his mates with Wonwoo. Jun did not dare to imagine how disappointed the giant man would be. He could not conceptualize going home and getting rejected by Mingyu right after the moment the man saw the bite on his neck.

Luckily, Wonwoo genuinely thought that it would be better to let Jun go home, too. He still had to work, and he could not spend the whole day in the hotel taking care of his cousin. Jun needed someone to watch him, or even bring him to the hospital if necessary. Nonetheless, Wonwoo still had questions before agreeing with what his love wanted. Still slowly and carefully, the man moved his hand to Jun’s face, gently lifting it up until it was possible for him to take the other alpha’s chin in his fingers. The action was tender, but Jun knew it was much more like a threat, a warning even before the question came.

“If I let you go home, will you promise not to run away?” 

Jun did not know why, but Wonwoo’s question somehow hurt him so badly that tears escaped his eyes when he answered.

“I won’t go anywhere.”

Satisfied with the response, Wonwoo used his thumb to wipe the tears on Jun’s face while making a promise.

“I will get a ticket for you to go home tomorrow morning. You still have to stay here tonight. Can you lie down to rest a bit while waiting for me before we have dinner?”

Jun nodded. There was no other thing he could do anyway. What Wonwoo wants, Wonwoo gets.

Getting up from the couch, the lead alpha leaned over, intending to pick Jun up from the couch although much of him did not expect his cousin to comply. Surprisingly, Jun seemed to quickly realize what the other man was planning to do. Wonwoo only needed to touch his back and the younger alpha slowly straightened his legs a bit, so that the lead alpha would have enough space to slide an arm under his knees. Consequently, it was easy for Wonwoo to carry Jun out of the couch and receive no objection. He did not hope for much more, but his lover hesitantly and slowly reached up his arms, eventually wrapping around Wonwoo’s shoulder, closing their distance and resting his head on the man’s shoulder.

Torn between mixed feelings, Wonwoo was not sure if he should feel happy or painful with what was happening. He understood Jun enough to know that when his cousin was acting this way, he was really not fine at all and needing a lot of comfort. He could feel the weakness of those arms on his shoulder, feeling them even slightly shaking. Jun certainly reeked of Wonwoo since he was wearing his clothes, but when the man tried to sniff his lover by kissing the tip of his head, he still could not find much of the pine scent anymore. Jun’s health was so bad now that his scent faded away.

Wonwoo saw Jun obviously sniffing him and trying to inhale deeply on the way to the bed, but he was still surprised when the younger man gripped his vest tightly after being placed on the mattress.

“Can I… Can you give me this?”

Jun’s eyes at the moment were so desperate that Wonwoo thought he could give him the whole world, regardless of just this vest. Nevertheless, he was a little concerned.

“Junnie, I’ve already worn this all day long. It’s…”

“Please. Give it to me.” Jun was unaware of him begging his cousin, just knowing that he unbelievably wanted to have this thing.

At this point, Wonwoo gave up completely, his heart unable to handle more. He gave Jun what he wanted, then pulling the blanket to cover the ill person thoroughly. Jun closed his eyes again when Wonwoo kissed his forehead with a hand caressing his hair, murmuring softly.

“I will take a shower and then call delivery for our dinner. Do you want anything?”

Shaking his head, Jun looked at his mate through hazy eyes.

“You choose.” His voice nearly went unheard, but Wonwoo managed to hear.

Before Wonwoo closed the door at the bathroom, he was still not sure what his cousin was going to do with his vest, because Jun was still lying on the bed with the vest in front of him but did nothing. He simply stared at it, and then averted his glance towards Wonwoo, as if urging to the man to quickly finish his stuff.

Getting out of the bathroom, Wonwoo suddenly realized how powerfully the bite was affecting Jun at the moment. It not only did harm to his health but also made Jun unconsciously long for his mate and need him more than ever. It was not anything strange that Wonwoo’s scent always helped him feel comfortable and safe, but Wonwoo did not think that his cousin would be able to sleep after a whole day being unable to do so just because right now he was having Wonwoo’s vest with him. Jun was soundly asleep in bed, hugging the clothes tightly in his arms, half of his face buried in the thick black fabric. Wonwoo’s clothes in the wardrobe had his scent as well, but they were all washed, nothing in comparison with something Wonwoo had really worn in a day long.

Jun was so deep in his slumber that he did not know anything even when his cousin sat on the bed and moved his head. Wonwoo carefully place Jun’s head on his lap, hoping that closing the distance between them would help him feel better. Instantly, the younger alpha sensed the aroma of peppermint in his sleep. He shifted position until his face was pressed to the lead alpha’s hip, hands still keeping the vest tightly and closely to his chest. Wonwoo could not stop the pain in his heart while watching Jun, but he smiled to himself, knowing that he was getting back the old Jun that he desired. He had Jun all for himself, as his own mate, no more objection or protest.

Wonwoo used one hand to scroll through his phone to order the food for their dinner while the other hand was stroking Jun’s hair in the most tender way. The pine scent was getting better and better, bringing considerable relief to Wonwoo. At least for now, he could believe that it was possible to Jun’s condition to rapidly get better. Perhaps a night for them to stay with each other would do him good. According to what Wonwoo concluded from the whole scenario, what led to Jun’s inability to sleep in the morning and the afternoon was his absence.

To make sure, while waiting for the food to arrive, Wonwoo spent time searching on the Internet for a way to make a person’s body accept his mate’s bite more quickly. At first, he was afraid he would not be able to find out the answer since this situation was much more like a rape and usually other people would decide to try to get rid of the mark, not to bear it. However, it turned out that there were still answers for his question on some reliable websites. During the whole time, Jun slept peacefully on his lap, from time to time nuzzling into the lead alpha’s torso.

As soon as Wonwoo finished the research, his delivery arrived. He was sure that Jun was still asleep when he left the bed, but when the man went back after paying money and getting the food, he saw his cousin sitting at the table in the corner of the room, silently waiting and rubbing his eyes tiredly. Anyway, Wonwoo was relieved to see that Jun was fine enough to walk. Since Jun did not protest at the time the older alpha carried him to the bed, the man was afraid his cousin was too weak to use his own feet. Moreover, although Jun seemed obviously upset, he was acting pretty obedient, which means he was not trying to reject Wonwoo anymore. The only he needed to do was just to work with his own mind to sort things out.

While Wonwoo placed the food on the table in front of Jun, he could see his cousin’s eyes glued on only one thing in his hand. No matter what happened, nothing would always be able to lighten Jun’s mood other than his most favorite drink. Slightly smiling, the man put the cup of bubble tea down for his lover.

“I don’t know if you’re in the mood for this or not, but I hope it may make you feel better.”

Immediately taking the straw from Wonwoo’s hand, Jun put it into the cup. His eyes were literally shining when he spoke to the other alpha.

“Thank you.”

After one sip of the sweet drink, Jun started to notice what his cousin had bought for his dinner and got a little happier to see a large hamburger. It was not anything special but it was definitely what Jun liked and Wonwoo surely remembered his lover’s favorite food. With a nice drink and a delicious hamburger, Jun went through his dinner without difficulty. Wonwoo watched him eat carefully, relaxed to see the younger alpha having normal appetite. He was truly better with Wonwoo by his side, so the noble guessed what he had read on the Internet actually made sense. The only problem was how to persuade Jun to do it. Wonwoo did not want to drug him one more time.

He could not drug Jun from now till the end of his life whenever he wanted to do something but his mate did not. He wanted to _teach Jun to obey his words_.

Jun did not say a single word while eating, and also after that. Having done brushing his teeth and washing his face, he was ready to sleep, flinging himself onto the bed. Wonwoo did not fail to notice his cousin grabbing the vest left there immediately and bringing it closer to his face. Jun was temporarily too lazy and tired to move to a proper position, aware of the fact that he was taking more than half of the bed. Wonwoo did not mind, silently doing his things in the bathroom and going back later.

At this time, Jun was already lying in a better position, leaving the other half of the bed empty for his cousin. He was turning his back to the space which he knew Wonwoo would take, providing a perfect angle for the other alpha to see the bandage on his neck. Despite the intention of waking Jun up, Wonwoo was gentle when sitting on the bed and scooting under the blanket, shifting until the two bodies were pressed to each other. The lead alpha heard his lover letting out a soft sigh, receiving the hint of him being awake and fully aware of what was happening.

“You should change this before sleeping. It’s already soaked.” Saying, Wonwoo carefully took the bandage away from Jun’s skin, throwing it to somewhere he did not care.

The action caused Jun’s body to tense up and a whimper in pain was heard, yet the lead alpha soon alleviated the pain by putting a kiss on the newly-formed mark. One of Wonwoo’s arms sneaked under the space between Jun’s neck and the pillow, moving until it was draped over his chest with the hand resting on Jun’s bicep while the other arm hugged the younger alpha’s waist tightly. Jun was completely trapped in his lover’s embrace, but he did not feel really uncomfortable. Anyway, this was not the first time for them do be close and intimate, but there was still something that made him let out another sigh. He closed his eyes when feeling Wonwoo’s tongue licking on his mark, perhaps collecting the blood oozing from the wound and tasting it. It was pretty creepy, but he actually felt more relieved, since it helped ease out the pain considerably.

Jun knew, he needed _more contact_ with Wonwoo to feel better.

“Does the bite hurt much?” The lead alpha whispered to his ear, sincerely and considerately.

The younger male nodded lightly, unconsciously inhaling deeply to take in as much as possible the peppermint scent that he needed most at this moment. Wonwoo did not miss that, and he generously pushed out his pheromones, covering his lover thoroughly in a controlled atmosphere. Kissing the mark one more time, he asked, lowering his voice, nuzzling his nose into the soft hair.

“Did you search for a way to make you feel better?”

Wonwoo felt the body in his arms stiffened again.

“I did.” Jun answered, reluctantly, having no idea of the dark eyes that were boring holes on his head. “But I found nothing. Just have to wait”

Pretending to hum in acknowledgement, Wonwoo asked one more question.

“Do you want to stop those feelings? Tired, exhausted and uncomfortable?”

Without much thinking, Jun nodded. He did not know the reasons, but he had suffered from numerous feelings of insecurities when Wonwoo was not here. Maybe the bad health condition in combination with the impact of the bonding mark made him emotional and somehow more vulnerable than usually. Jun hated that, only wishing it would end soon so that he could go back to a normal life. He is an alpha; he is not supposed to be weak just because his mate is not nearby.

Nonetheless, no matter how hard Jun tried to deny what his heart was trying to say, he desperately wanted to bask in the affection his lover was giving him. He felt like being about to lose his mind soon. He wanted to be weak in Wonwoo’s embrace, worrying about nothing just like what he had always done in the beautiful past that they shared together. Jun had had Wonwoo in his life from early days, getting taken care of by his older cousin, protected and loved before he even understood what love was.

Part of Jun’s brain told him that the mark was not something which could last forever; it would disappear if he stayed far away enough from his mate in about a year. However, the thought was overshadowed by a stronger wave of emotion deep inside Jun’s heart.

He did not want to leave Wonwoo. His heart was too weak to handle a year without seeing the person he had loved for years.

Placing a kiss on Jun’s ear, the lead alpha made his voice a level deeper than previously, murmuring quietly, messing up his cousin’s heartbeat.

“I did a research, too.”

Jun went speechless, totally unable to come up with a way to reply. If Wonwoo had searched for the solution, then _he must know it, too_.

Secretly sliding his hand from Jun’s stomach to his back, the lead alpha continued to whisper in his deep voice, distracting the younger man from what his hand was intending to do.

“I found a way to help you, but do you want to do it?”

Fixated on Wonwoo’s voice and the hot breath ghosting on his ear, Jun did not notice the moving hand, biting his lips before stuttering.

“I… I didn’t see any practical solution.”

“Everything is practical.” Wonwoo slowly dug his teeth in the mark, earning a soft moan from his cousin. Satisfied, he stopped to speak again, letting his lips touch the sensitive skin. His hand had just gone through the waistband of Jun’s pants, and would soon go down under his boxer. “I will take care of you.”

One more time, Wonwoo bit the mark, purposefully making Jun moan again while his hand finally reached its destination and squeezed one of the younger alpha’s ass cheeks. The action startled Jun enough to make him jolt, but Wonwoo’s strong arms kept him from moving away. Jun was already weaker than his cousin, and this health condition just made it worse. There was literally no way out for him if Wonwoo did not want to let him go. Out of his control, he let out a small sound - a moan, a yelp, or a whimper, he was not sure - when feeling the older alpha’s rough finger touch his hole.

Jun squirmed in an attempt to get out of Wonwoo’s embrace but to no avail. The said man placed a kiss on his lover’s nape to calm him down, sending a sweet reassurance to his ear.

“It’s just a little different from what we usually do.” Wonwoo moved his lips to kiss Jun’s ear, finger drawing circle around the little hole. “Junnie, you can’t get better if you keep rejecting me like that. It won’t stop bleeding and you’ll be weak.”

Despite sounding not really sincere, Jun whined feebly.

“I… I am not rejecting you.”

“You’re squirming.” Wonwoo said, quite sternly, since he started to get irritated by his lover who continuously tried to break free. “I know if I loosen my arm, you will run away immediately.”

More easily affected by his mate than ever before, Jun was scared by that slightly angry commanding voice, which caused him to stop moving completely, but his voice got broken when he said.

“It… it will hurt. I-I don’t want to…”

It was not until hearing Jun’s confession did Wonwoo realize that his lover was scared. The notion of getting penetrated by a dick was still something too strange, too new, and even horrible for an alpha. Wonwoo had tried to coax him into sexual intercourse for years but never succeeded. At this moment, Jun was possibly more pliant than usually, not fiercely fighting against his older cousin, but he was genuinely scared. Jun had no idea how it happened last night, but he did feel hurt in the morning. It was not serious, but his mind refused to think of that scenario in a peaceful way. Moreover, he knew Wonwoo was not a gentle alpha.

Knowing that Jun was desperately to avoid this just because he was scared of pain, Wonwoo’s heart instantly got softened. His voice was not stern any longer, only low, deep and sweet in his lover’s ears.

“Don’t worry, Junnie. It won’t hurt much if I prepare you enough.” Moving his finger away from the hole, Wonwoo decided to make Jun calm down first, just tenderly caressing his butt. “I will take care of you. Everything. Hear me, baby?”

Jun’s face rapidly heated up by feeling Wonwoo’s hand down there. His hands were still clutching to the man’s arm, but his voice was getting weaker and weaker.

“But… I…”

“I will be slow.” Retreating his hand, Wonwoo flipped Jun to lie on his back, so that they could look directly into each other’s eyes.

Caging the younger alpha between his arms, hovering above him with half of his weight pinning Jun on the bed, Wonwoo kissed the lips in front of him, nibbling and licking.

“I will be gentle, if you want me to.”

However, Jun still shook his head, although his body was not moving anymore. He was being honest, not trying to make any excuse.

“But I’m very tired. I’m… I’m extremely tired, Wonwoo.” His voice got weaker and weaker. “I’m feeling very uncomfortable.”

“I’ll do everything for you.” The lead alpha stroke his lover’s hair lovingly, satisfied to see Jun being docile although a little bit fretful. Smiling, he pecked the younger male’s cheek. “Do you know you’re very cute now? Just like how you used to be. Whiny and childish. ”

Annoyed, frowning deeply, Jun punched Wonwoo’s chest instantly - violently enough to make him grimace - and glared at him.

“I’m not whiny or childish. You’re at fault for everything!”

Wonwoo could not help chuckling at the accusation, admitting that his cousin was right, but he would never regret anything he had done. When he lowered himself to kiss Jun again, the younger alpha still did not kiss back, but Wonwoo only focused on soothing his mate and easing out his worries. Slowly biting and nibbling Jun’s earlobe seductively, he whispered, causing the alpha beneath him to let out a soft sound of surprise and clutch on his bicep.

“Think of what you have done with Jeonghan. What I’m gonna do to you will be similar.”

At the mention of the blond omega, Jun felt his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach, hands tightening his grips on Wonwoo’s arms. Gritting his teeth, he growled in frustration.

“Why the hell do you have to mention Jeonghan now? You want to torture me or…”

“When we go back, let’s try talking to Seungcheol again, and Joshua, too.” Having no care about the nails that were digging deeply into his biceps, Wonwoo kept on licking Jun’s left ear, subtly moving his lower body to create some friction. He could feel Jun tensed up again, due to both the action and the saying. “I will let you have Jeonghan if you want him. I won’t mind.”

Although Wonwoo just wanted to continue what he was doing, Jun tried his best to push him away so as to look at his face directly.

“Really?” He asked with wide eyes, voice trembling in great anticipation. “Please… Don’t joke with me… Are you serious?”

“Do you ever see me joke with you?” Wonwoo asked back firmly, causing Jun to go speechless. Leaning closer to his mate, the man intentionally bit Jun’s jaw hard enough to make him whimper softy in slight pain. “I’m just angry with you two because you did that so as to annoy me. And also because you guys may hurt Joshua. But now, _you’re already mine_…”

To emphasize his sentence, Wonwoo moved to the mark, licking over it, then biting again.

“I will help you talk to Seungcheol and Joshua about that.”

“Stop… stop biting the mark!” Jun started to squirm and stutter, trying to push his cousin away again, but Wonwoo could tell that he was blushing. “It-It’s very sensitive.”

“Uhm hmm” Saying nothing, Wonwoo just hummed lowly before nibbling the mark one more time, making Jun bite his own lips hard.

“You have to promise me…” Jun still tried to keep his mind straight, determined to confirm the important problem. “Don’t lie to me…”

“I don’t.” Wonwoo kissed him, slowly and tenderly. “Will you trust me?”

Under the kisses, Jun was not sure what aspect his cousin was talking about, but he truly wished to trust Wonwoo with all his heart. He knew that trusting Wonwoo once brought him so much pain and sorrow, but his heart was just stupid enough to wish to do that again. The lead alpha had never been exactly gentle to Jun, but now he was, trying his best to soothe the nervous alpha by sweet words and tender actions. Jun stared at him unblinkingly, consumed by not only thousands of doubtful questions but also Wonwoo’s eyes at the same time. Drowned in the loving but intense gaze that his cousin was giving him, Jun was unaware of his hands being collected by his partner. The older alpha slowly brought Jun’s wrists together above his head, keeping them and pinning them on the bed by one hand only, locking his lover in the position of being totally unable to break free.

When Jun realized what was happening to him, it was already too late, and he got scared immediately. It was abnormal for him to feel this way, especially when his partner was someone who had done various sexual activities with him in the past, but the notion of _being stretched _was still haunting his mind, not allowing him to relax his body. Quickly sensing the change in Jun’s scent, Wonwoo scattered kisses on his mate’s face, from his forehead, to his nose, his cheeks, and the moles near his lips.

“Don’t be scared.” He whispered, remaining eye contact with his lover. “Trust me, Junnie.”

Almost breathless, unsure of the reasons, Jun murmured back to his cousin.

“I’m… I’m really tired… and uncomfortable.”

Only after kissing Jun deeply and creating enough sensual sounds to make the other alpha blush, did Wonwoo reply in a hoarse voice.

“You will feel better _after I knot you_.” Seductively, he traced his thumb along Jun’s lower lip, stroking, enjoying how soft it was, adoring how gorgeous his lover looked when he was mortified. “Since you’re tired today, I will be gentle with you. If you’re good enough, I will make sure to _make you pass out in pleasure_.”

Not leaving a single second for Jun to say anything more, Wonwoo locked his lips in a chain of kisses. Having his breath stolen, Jun could do nothing but to groan in frustration. Nonetheless, a moan soon escaped his mouth, making him even more embarrassed to acknowledge how much he loved a gentle Wonwoo. Jun did not know what to do anymore, because his mind was about to lose the battle. The mark was like a poison destroying his mind, forcing him to accept the fact that now he belonged to Wonwoo, and there would be no use rejecting him any longer. What had he been waiting for in all those years? How long had he wished to become Wonwoo’s mate one day? Had he ever stopped loving the man?

If fate had already led him to this point, making him be fooled, drugged, and claimed by the man he loves, but he did not really have the intention to fight back, to change his fate, then perhaps he should let himself take a rest and trust Wonwoo once more.

Maybe he should just give himself to Wonwoo, let the man take care of him like what he had said, so that this uncomfortable feeling could disappear, and he could also be loved, be intimate with his lover…

However, it was Wonwoo’s turn to feel like fate was joking with him when his phone suddenly went off, ruining the atmosphere, too loud for anyone to endure. He groaned and growled in anger, but having no choice other than to stop kissing and get up from the bed to answer his phone. Too occupied with the irritation brought by the call, Wonwoo did not see or hear Jun’s chuckle. The younger alpha just smiled and whispered to himself, feeling a wave of nostalgia wrecking through his body, leaving him happy but sadly and painfully buried under the weight of beautiful memories of a long gone past.

_“You’re always like that. Always forget to turn off your phone.”_

Wonwoo wanted to keep his eyes on Jun during the whole time he spoke on the phone, but his cousin soon hid himself under the blanket. The lead alpha could see him moving under the thick fabric, but have no idea what he was doing, and he had to turn away once the person talking to him asked him to check something in the documents he had in his bag. The conversation was quite long, so Wonwoo decided to move away further, hoping that his speech would not disturb Jun’s peace. He did not want his lover to worry anything about their work right then, since it was already difficult as hell to make him relax.

When the call ended, Wonwoo made sure to turn his phone to silent mode before returning to the bed. No one would be allowed to interrupt them before he fucked Jun to oblivion.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you all know that the next chapter is WONHUI SMUT!!! Yeah~
> 
> Well, I know it's quite upsetting to see Jun giving in and agreeing to have sex with Wonwoo but it's easy for Wonwoo to malnipulate his mate because Jun still loves him ;_; I think you should brace yourself a bit for the upcoming smut because it's kind of dub-con and it might make you a little uncomfortable.
> 
> Hope that you will look forward to the next chapter~
> 
> \---
> 
> I don't know what to do and it seems like nothing can ever make me feel better.


	42. Giving in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First time for Junnie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WONHUI SMUT HEHEHE!!!  
Don't worry about anything. This chapter is comfortable. You should just brace yourself for the next one ^^
> 
> Really sorry that the smut in my fic always lasts for two chapters ;_;

The scene Wonwoo faced with at this moment made his heart stop for a second. Under the dim light, he saw Jun lying on his side, with the blanket covering up to his shoulders, leaving only a little bit of himself exposed, but that was enough to make the lead alpha feel his eyes burning. Jun was turning his back to him, showing his tanned but smooth skin and the perfect curve on his shoulder. Somewhere on the floor near the bed, there were Jun’s clothes, including his underwear. The scent of pine forest was still pretty much faded, but it was sweeter, telling Wonwoo that perhaps his mate was blushing and utterly embarrassed. He did not know how to tell Wonwoo that he finally agreed to give in; therefore, he chose to do it this way, knowing that there could be no way to misunderstand this situation.

Wonwoo felt like a delicious meal was being laid out there for him only. It was wrong to think about Jun in that way; he tried to tell himself, and held his inner beast back from jumping to the bed and ravishing his lover. The only thing he could not hide was a growl, which made Jun shiver and bite his lips anxiously.

The lead alpha’s talk on the phone was so long that Jun almost fell asleep while waiting, because he was too tired, but the man’s footsteps made him awake again. Nervous, he closed his eyes, almost burying his face in the pillow, deciding to let Wonwoo do whatever he wanted. Half of his heart wanted to look, but embarrassment still took over anything. It felt like they were going to do this for the first time, although that could never be the truth. Nonetheless, it was still a new experience for Jun, a first of his whole life, to be taken by the alpha he loves.

Jun could sense Wonwoo settling on the bed, crawling under the blanket, and moving closer, closer and closer to him, but he still got a little startled when the man’s cold and rough hands touched his hips. Jun was even more embarrassed to feel his face burning at that simple touch, but he obediently followed the movement of Wonwoo’s hands, letting the man flip him until he was lying with his back on the mattress. His breath hitched right at the moment his eyes captured the image of the bulge on the blanket, knowing that it was _his mate_. He was right there, so close to his groin, so close that Jun could feel his hot breath ghosting over his cock. The man’s hands were gentle when he caress his lover’s hips, but when they moved to a lower position, Jun felt them rubbing his inner thighs and slowly pushing them further apart. It was not the beginning yet, but he felt that his mind had already stopped working.

Once Wonwoo started, Jun also knew that there would be no other way out until his mate felt enough.

Without hesitation, Wonwoo engulfed Jun’s whole length in his mouth, eagerly sucking it to full hardness. The stimulation shocked Jun, causing him to jolt upwards and yelp, but the lead alpha held his lower body in place tightly, gripping his thighs to keep him still. It had been only about four months since the last time Wonwoo did this for him, but Jun’s head soon spun uncontrollably, urging his mouth to let out a moan, but he did not want to lose himself that early. Biting his lips, gripping the blanket so hard that his knuckles turned white, Jun used all his strength to hold back the moans, but Wonwoo’s mouth was just incredible. Jun could not understand why, but his body was welcoming his mate with all of its eagerness and anticipation. Every single touch of the lead alpha sent electricity to him. It was completely different from what he used to feel in the past, when they still could call each other “cousin”.

At this moment, Jun could only think of Wonwoo as his mate, _his alpha_.

“Wonwoo… Wonwoo…” He started to call his name while the lead alpha began to bob his head up and down, bringing another new wave of pleasure to his lover. “Wonwoo…”

The older alpha had never stopped rubbing Jun’s thighs, but then he stopped one hand so as to play with his balls instead, causing the younger male to squirm and writhe on the bed. Wonwoo had to use more force to keep him still, perhaps creating some bruises on his lover’s thigh, but Jun was too occupied with the sinful pleasure to care. He loved the way Wonwoo swirled his tongue on the tip of his cock, grazing his teeth along the shaft and sometimes using his finger to tease - or to torture - the sensitive slit. To make thing worse, when playing enough with the balls, Wonwoo’s hand came to one of Jun’s nipples, tweaking and pinching.

“Wonwoo…” Jun gasped, feeling his throat stuck. His hand frantically reached down under the blanket to find the man’s other hand. He attempted to keep himself still so that Wonwoo would not have to hold him anymore. Getting the hint easily, Wonwoo hummed, sending a heavenly wave of vibration from his throat to Jun’s dick while his hand followed his lover’s guidance and came to the other lonely neglected nipple. With the cock still deep in his mouth, Wonwoo chuckled at his lover being needy, but he was willing to give Jun whatever he wanted. He would keep playing with those nipples until they got swollen.

He found it interesting that Joshua and Jun shared the same sensitive spots. It would be so erotic to watch them making out what rubbing their chests together, making their nipples brush over each other and making them both moan shamelessly.

When Wonwoo suddenly stopped sucking and took not only his mouth but also his hands away from Jun, the younger alpha whined loudly in protest, but the lead alpha just got out of the blanket, climbing on top of him to look at him directly. The smirk on his face made Jun shut his mouth immediately, and he was forced to taste his own precum in a passionate kiss with his mate.

“Be patient, baby.” Wonwoo murmured on his lips seductively, making him shiver and feel everything too hot to make his mind process even an answer. “I can’t let you cum so early like that.”

Jun’s face contorted between numerous feelings when Wonwoo slowly moved his lower body to make their dicks touch and brush against each other. Jun could only felt it lucky that Wonwoo’s kisses swallowed all of his moans, saving a little of his pride, but he could not control his arms anymore. They willingly came to wrap around Wonwoo’s shoulder to hug the man closer. His hand roamed over the firm muscles on the man’s back, sliding down to his strong biceps. Jun’s action all of a sudden made the atmosphere considerably more intimate and even hotter. Satisfied and contented, Wonwoo gradually got crazier and crazier, kissing his lover like a hungry monster trying to eat him alive.

With a swimming head and a tired body, Jun was not able to catch up with Wonwoo, and he whined loudly when there was a strong urge to find some air for his lungs. Realizing that Jun could not take it longer, the lead alpha pulled away, but the scene in front of him just earned him an arrogant smirk. Wonwoo loved looking at Jun in this state - gasping for air, eyes hazy, pupils dilated, and hair messy. Leaning over to leave kisses along the younger alpha’s neck, Wonwoo whispered quietly.

“Breathe, Junnie. Breathe.”

Jun hated Wonwoo for doing this, asking him to breathe but kept stirring him more by kissing and nibbling his neck like that, even grazing the teeth on his Adam apple. He felt so helpless, and could not help asking in a whiny voice.

“Why can’t I cum when you suck me? Didn’t we always do…aaaaah!”

Wonwoo successfully elicited a sweet moan from Jun by biting his claiming mark without warning, and his face got red immediately. The reaction only made the older man find his lover cuter and attack him with more kisses on his face, his neck, shoulders and ears. Basking in the affection, Jun sighed - he did not know why he sighed - but utterly enjoyed being kissed this way, knowing that Wonwoo loved every inch of his body. That was what the man had told him a long time ago, and Jun still remembered.

“You want me to… suck you off?” Hesitantly, he asked, trying to figure out what the other alpha’s intention was.

“No. Tonight is about you only.” Kissing his lips one last time, Wonwoo gently patted his hair before commanding. “Get up, Junnie. On all fours.”

Instantly, Jun blushed harder at the command, since they had never done this before, and he knew _what Wonwoo was going to take care of_ with that position. It was embarrassing, but Jun had already stripped his own clothes and chosen this, he had no other choice but to obey. The lead alpha moved away and threw the blanket to aside, leaving space for Jun to kneel on the bed with his hands supporting his upper body. Placing a pillow right below Jun’s head, Wonwoo stroked his hair tenderly one more time.

“You can rest your head here if you want. It will be less tiring for you.”

Hearing _“less tiring”_, Jun decided to lower his shoulders and let his face land on the fluffy pillow right away, relieved to feel more comfortable than just a few seconds ago. However, he was pretty much aware of the fact that he was exposing his ass fully while Wonwoo was moving to that direction in order to get a better view. Getting naked in front of Wonwoo was nothing new or strange, but showing and giving his ass like that had never had a precedent. Jun shivered under his mate’s hand stroking along his bare back, from his shoulders to the lowest position before reaching his butt. His mind just wanted to scream at the fact that Wonwoo was certainly staring at his hole, and of course, he would touch it soon.

“Has Mingyu ever done this to you, Junnie?” Wonwoo asked, and at the same time, stroked one of his lover’s ass cheeks.

The action made Jun bite his lips but the sudden question caused him to frown. He asked back, checking if he had misheard his cousin or not, startled to see his voice so husky and weak.

“What?”

“I saw you slept in Mingyu’s room. Did he do this with you?” Wonwoo’s voice was still calm, but Jun knew his heart was not being like that. Thankfully, the answer would not disappoint him at all.

“No.” Jun shook his head honestly, mortified to admit. “You… you’re my first.”

“Good.” Wonwoo hummed and smiled to himself, keeping on stroking Jun’s butt and also his thighs, noticing how much his lover was shuddering under his touch. The little hole was quite red after being abused yesterday, but Wonwoo was sure than the sound he heard when drawing circles around that hole was not a sign of pain. Jun really had the habit of moving his body so much under the pleasure, and once again the older alpha had to hold his hips tightly to keep him in place. The deep growl coming from the man made Jun freeze instantly, and he tried his best to stop squirming or wriggling his body, just taking whatever Wonwoo was giving him. He hated the sensitivity down there, hated himself for wanting more.

“You want my mouth or my fingers first, Junnie?” Taking some saliva from his own mouth, Wonwoo placed a finger right on the closed hole, slowly pushing less than half a centimeter in.

Jun had to bite the pillow extremely hard to stop his mouth from letting out a yelp and also a moan. It hurt, but there was another feeling that made his thighs tremble, and no matter how hard he tried to persuade himself, he could not force his mouth to speak out the answer. Wonwoo asked him to think of what he had done to Jeonghan? Well, he did, and he remembered what he had done for the blond omega first, and he wanted his mate to do the same for him too. Nonetheless, the idea alone was enough to make his face burn. Why the hell did Wonwoo have to ask? Why didn’t he think and decide by himself?

However, in the end, Jun had to muffle his moans by burying his face completely in the pillow right at the moment his hole was ravished by the feelings of something wet and flexible touching it sensually. _That thing_ touched it, and did not leave soon. It was not difficult for Jun to realize that he was being eaten out, and the sensation it brought was far better than whatever he had been able to imagine. No matter what Wonwoo’s tongue was doing there, Jun just simply enjoyed it, even regretting not letting the man do this to him sooner in the past. He got embarrassed at his own thought, but there was no time to think so much. Wonwoo was slowly destroying his mind, and Jun was unconsciously pushing himself back to get the older alpha’s tongue deeper inside his hole.

Feeling the muscles around the hole lax enough for a soft thing like a tongue to slide through, Wonwoo knew that his mate must be drowning in pleasure. Moreover, his scent was getting sweeter and sweeter, telling the older man that Jun would turn more pliant and submissive soon. Getting sexual pleasure in the ass was something typical of the omegas only, and since Jun was going through the thing that was not supposed to be for him, his own physical reaction also changed along with the situation. Some tales even said that an alpha who was claimed by another alpha would produce slick when having sex with his mate, but that was still just something of the fairy tales. Wonwoo found no slick from his lover’s hole, but he got no problem with that.

To Wonwoo, Jun just needed to be Jun as always.

Anyway, Wonwoo also knew that Jun was the kind of person who will willingly give anything to his partner, as long as it does not hurt him. He did not know how the younger male would be like when he was with an omega, but in his own experience, he understood that Jun would not be able to resist anything. When being with someone he truly loves and trusts, he is somehow easy to control and eager to please the other. Wonwoo would definitely make use of all those things for tonight, making his lover writhe and moan uncontrollably beneath him but utterly unable to ever say _“no more”_.

Wonwoo pulled away but also smacked Jun’s ass loudly at the same time, making him whine in frustration. However, the lead alpha soon regretted his own action due to the red color on the cheek he had just slapped, realizing that he had used more force than what he was supposed to, and perhaps his mate was whining in pain as well.

“I’m sorry, Junnie.” Rubbing gently on Jun’s ass cheek, Wonwoo placed a soft kiss there to soothe the pain. “Did I hurt you?”

“I’m… I’m fine.” The younger alpha stuttered, voice still muffled in the pillow, unconsciously swaying his hips a little. “But… don’t do that again. I’m very tired.”

“Okay. I won’t.” Leaning over, Wonwoo put a tender kiss on Jun’s nape, giving him a promise. “It’s my fault. You’ve been so good for me. I won’t do things you don’t like.”

Wonwoo did not know for sure why Jun whined again after hearing that, but he guessed the reason was probably his praise. Picking up the bottle of lube he had already prepared and placed at the corner of the bed, Wonwoo coated his fingers carefully, but still scattered kisses on Jun’s shivering back. They used to give blowjobs to each other so many times, but this was also the lead alpha’s first time to have all of Jun’s body to himself like that. Jun had never totally given himself completely, and now Wonwoo was loving every second of this moment to the utmost, spending his time marking this body as his own. Judging by the way Wonwoo kept on kissing and nibbling his skin, his flesh, Jun knew that it would be extremely embarrassing to look at his body in the mirror tomorrow morning.

Kissing his mate’s nape again, Wonwoo murmured closely to his ear, voice going a few times deeper, enough to make his lover have goosebump everywhere.

“It will hurt a bit, but don’t be scared, Junnie. Everything is fine. You’ll like it soon.”

In that position, Jun nodded and understood, still remembering how much time it took him to prepare Jeonghan for the intrusion even though the omega was in heat then. The image of the beautiful and delicate hybrid suddenly came back to his mind, reminding him of how vulnerable Jeonghan looked like at that moment. After so much stimulation, the omega still looked at him with wet eyes, begging him to be gentle, and Jun could never be anything apart from being gentle to the fragile rabbit. Once the alpha pushed his finger in, Jeonghan moaned breathlessly, face contorted between pain and pleasure, but he immediately melted under his kisses…

Nonetheless, Jun’s thought got interrupted brutally by a sharp pain coming from his ass straight to his brain, causing his legs to almost give up. He whimpered loudly in extreme pain, never able to think that it would hurt this much when Wonwoo pushed his coated finger inside. The lead alpha did not push more than one digit, and he was startled by Jun’s reaction as well. Not pushing any further, Wonwoo leaned over to kiss his lover’s nape and shoulder one more time, giving sweet words to calm him down.

“Shhh, it’s okay, Junnie. It’s just too new for you. You’ll feel better soon.”

“You liar!” Jun groaned, turning his head to glare at Wonwoo, but he just looked like a petulant kid. “You said it would hurt _just a little_!”

The older male almost laughed at how cute his mate was but held himself back on time. Wonwoo knew he should not look, but it was impossible for him not to look, and the scene of Jun’s hole closing tightly around his finger made him let out an angry hiss. Frantically trying to find something to distract not only himself but also Jun, he used the other free hand to grab his lover’s cock and stroke it slowly while his mouth came to bite on one of the slightly plump cheeks.

That was enough of a distraction for the younger alpha. The pain was still there, but Wonwoo was making it better by giving him pleasure on his cock and through the sensation of feeling his ass bitten. What Wonwoo could hear was just some unclear muffled sounds from Jun, but when he carefully and slowly pushed his finger in further, the sound got louder and louder. The lead alpha stopped moving once his whole finger was buried up to the knuckle, and he decided to come near his lover’s head again. In the mixture of pain and indescribable pleasure, Jun felt Wonwoo’s kisses on his nape, and on his ear one more time. The gentle kisses made him whine feebly. Whereas, the whisper from his mate brought him some relief and comfort.

“You’re so good, Junnie. Taking my whole finger.” Wonwoo tried pulling his finger out a little while asking. “Can I start moving now?”

Once again, Jun turned his face to look at his cousin, which made the lead alpha croon. Jun did not seem to be in serious pain, but there was definitely uncomfortable feelings being displayed on his face, yet his expression also proved that he was starting to get something _good _from it. Wonwoo took his hand away from Jun’s cock to brush his sweaty bang to a side and placed a kiss on his mate’s forehead.

“Good boy. I will make my Junnie feel good. You don’t have to worry”

Of course, Wonwoo had always known that Jun _loved to be praised in this way_ and he had always done that for years, but today his lover seemed to be much more sensitive than usual, and every single praise made him whine. However, he also blushed, even slapping Wonwoo’s arm although his action was weak like a tease.

“Don’t… don’t talk to me like… like I’m your little baby. I’m just the same age as you!”

Chuckling, Wonwoo began to move his finger, causing his mate to gasp but produce no sound. Getting that as a good hint, the older alpha kept on teasing him.

“I’m just doing what I know you like.” Wonwoo’s voice was so fucking deep in a deadly alluring way. That sexy voice in combination with his sinful finger made Jun felt his head start to spin again. Jun was too embarrassed to continue talking, which made Wonwoo smirk in satisfaction. Nevertheless, the man also knew that it would not be good to tease Jun for too long, so he just kept moving his finger slowly while pressing another kiss on his mate’s shaking lips, reassuring him.

“I will be slow and gentle. I promise.”

Breaking the kiss, Wonwoo moved back to the position behind Jun to watch his work down there, having to admit that he really loved to observe the way that tight hole was swallowing his finger. At this moment, it was already quite messy due to the generous amount of lube that Wonwoo had applied on his hand, and that just made everything more enticing, more inviting and more difficult for the man to control himself. Biting his lips harshly, the lead alpha tried his best to keep a slow pace, still cautiously checking Jun’s reaction towards this small intrusion. His free hand kept rubbing his mate’s thighs, ears highly concentrating on all the sounds.

Knowing that Jun would not hide any sound of pain, meanwhile it was so quiet here, Wonwoo decided that it was time for the second finger. Smirking to himself, he wanted to see how long his stubborn lover would be able to hide his true feelings. If Jun still tried to keep some kind of silly pride for himself about this, Wonwoo cruelly desired to destroy it all.

Jun was not really shocked when the second finger came in, but the pain still made him jolt forward and yelp. Holding the younger male’s hips tightly, Wonwoo pulled him back, unintentionally sliding his two fingers all inside in just one go. Nonetheless, the reaction was not as bad as the first time, since Jun was not very loud this time. His hole even started to clench.

Wonwoo could not help licking his lips hungrily, and he inhaled deeply to test the air. Jun’s scent was much sweeter at this time. No matter how much rejection he was trying to show, his body was telling the opposite and begging to be pleased. Wonwoo acknowledged that but did not point it out, only kissing Jun’s nape again as he knew his mate liked that. He murmured another praise and then asked if he could move yet. Receiving a pretty eager nod in response, Wonwoo did not wait any longer, slowly fucking his cousin by two fingers in a slow but steady pace. Jun accidentally let out a moan, but he quickly buried his face in the pillow again to stop any other sounds from coming to Wonwoo’s ears.

Anyway, it was already too late. The lead alpha had no words to describe how much he loved that beautiful and lewd sound. He was eager and enthusiastic to hear more, to know how broken Jun could sound when being fucked senselessly.

Jun is an alpha, so the muscles at his hole can never be as flexible and adaptable as an omega’s. Therefore, Wonwoo spent a lot of time using his fingers to stretch him open, getting him prepared for a bigger intrusion. As Jun is already his, Wonwoo has all the time on this world to be patient with his love. The lead alpha made use of this time to leave kisses and nibbles on Jun’s shoulders and back, creating countless hickeys on the younger’s body. His possessive side just wanted to mark every inch of Jun’s skin as his, and also to taste how delicious his lover is. However, Jun suddenly spoke up, voice extremely hoarse. He was craning his neck to look at the lead alpha while the man was biting and nibbling his left shoulder.

“Can I… change the position?”

“You’re not comfortable with this?” Wonwoo asked, slowing down the speed of his hand a bit.

“I…” Jun struggled with his words in embarrassment. Gosh, he really needed to say that? “I… want to see you.”

Wonwoo let out a small chuckle, noticing the cute red ears of his cousin. Replying with a gentle _“okay”_, he temporarily took away his fingers, earning a soft whine from the younger. Much as Jun was trying to act uninterested, he obviously failed. A hole that rejected Wonwoo’s fingers would not clench so hard to keep him there when he wanted to get out. Nonetheless, Wonwoo kept his mouth shut, carefully helped Jun flip his tired body on the bed.

“Can I sit up?” Jun stuttered a question again, voice getting thinner and thinner.

Wonwoo hummed a _“yes”_, then put a pillow at the headboard before pulling Jun up to lean his back against there. Thanks to the fluffy pillow, Jun could sit comfortably without using too much energy. Adoring the sight of his love breathing heavily and sweating in front of him, the man smirked in satisfaction when Jun obediently opened his legs on his own, giving him space to get closer and come back to his work. Wasting no time, Wonwoo located himself between Jun’s thighs, using one hand to push his right thigh further and then pushing two fingers inside again. The younger alpha sighed in relief to be filled again, also letting out a quiet sound that Wonwoo was not sure if that was a whine or a moan.

At that moment, Jun was watching how Wonwoo’s rough fingers entering his hole, and did not tear his eyes away when the man started moving. The hole was still incredibly tight, making Wonwoo’s eyes get even darker. Such a tight and hot hole would be a heaven for him, but he forced himself to worry about Jun. If he just pushed his cock in right now, he would surely hurt his love a lot. There was enough rejection in Jun’s attitude for the whole time; he did not want to get more of it. This could be considered as their first intercourse; if Wonwoo hurt him too much tonight, it would be extremely difficult for him to persuade his lover to do this with full consent in the future.

However, Wonwoo believed that Jun had already given in, since he was throwing his head back into the pillow behind, biting on his lips so hard. No sounds came out of his mouth, but Wonwoo got the hint that his cousin was starting to enjoy having those fingers moving in and out of his hole. He added one more finger and then stopped moving temporarily, the other hand slowly rubbing Jun’s thigh to give him more comfort, which made him shudder. His body was really sensitive to Wonwoo’s touch now.

Observing the younger alpha’s facial expression thoroughly, Wonwoo saw him frown, and he immediately got that as a positive reaction to continue thrusting his fingers. Jun instantly shut his eyes close, letting out a hiss, but he soon opened his eyes again to stare at where Wonwoo’s fingers were being buried deep inside him. If Jun liked to watch so much like that, Wonwoo was totally ready to put on a good show for him.

Seeing clearly that three fingers no longer hurt his mate at all, Wonwoo sped up. Jun nearly got shocked at the sudden change, gasping in awe, quickly using his hand to cover his mouth but Wonwoo swatted his hand away. Not allowed to do that, Jun bit his lips again, trying to hold back all the lewd sounds that were just about to slip out of his mouth. Wonwoo still wandered his other hand seductively on his cousin’s thigh, leaning closer to whisper in his ear.

“Good boy. Relax and open yourself for me. You’re doing well.”

Jun nodded, and he was too shy to admit that he was glad to hear what his cousin had just said. When Wonwoo added the fourth finger, Jun felt as if air were knocked out of his lungs. The man stopped moving completely, patiently waiting for Jun to get used to a new level of being stretched. This was still nothing in comparison with what would happen when Wonwoo really penetrated him, but at least he was trying to alleviate the upcoming pain.

“Hurt?” He murmured on the younger alpha’s swollen lips after kissing them slowly.

Hesitantly, Jun nodded. Wonwoo concluded that it meant, it hurt but not too much. Consequently, he decided to stay still longer, while his lips continued to kiss his cousin, whispering quietly from time to time.

“Breathe, baby. You’ll be fine. Just open up a little more.”

At that time, Jun still refused to kiss Wonwoo back, but the lead alpha did not care. His tongue invaded the other alpha’s mouth, doing anything he wanted. Jun did not protest, just moaned feebly when Wonwoo sucked his tongue, playing with it and even biting it. The great distraction of that skillful tongue quickly made his mind forget the slight pain down there. When Wonwoo pushed deeper into the hole, Jun skipped a heartbeat, his hole clenching tightly out of his control, yearning for more.

Wonwoo stopped kissing and put all of his concentration on opening Jun. He used all four long fingers to fuck him, other hand continuously rubbing the sensitive inner thigh near his crotch, giving the younger more pleasure. Jun could no longer watch Wonwoo’s hand, just throwing his head back and biting his lips harder. He tried looking at Wonwoo once, but then regretted that so much. It did not help at all, even made things worse, made the heat in his stomach burn like crazy. They had done sexual activities with each other many times in the past, but he had never seen the man’s eyes full of lust and possession like that. Wonwoo’s eyes were too dark for Jun’s heart to handle, piercing into his soul and, again, demanding submission. Jun was too stubborn to submit, but the more he fought back, the more aroused he was. The speed of Wonwoo’s hand was increasing.

That was also the time Jun’s hand suddenly came to the older’s wrist, desperately holding tightly. He tried to look at the man in the eyes, half begging half warning.

“I… I will come if you keep doing that.”

Wonwoo just swatted his hand away one more time, smirking and whispering.

“Then go on.”

Instantly, the sinful hand picked up its pace to destroy Jun’s little hole. He could not look at his older cousin - that embodiment of sin - anymore. He bit his lips again, but this time, Wonwoo fingers left his thigh to come to his mouth, gently parting his lips to detach the teeth away. Holding Jun’s face in his large hand with a thumb on the younger’s lips, Wonwoo commanded.

“Moan for me, Junnie. Let me hear you.”

Jun did not know why he obeyed immediately then, stopping biting his lips and let the moans get out of his mouth shamelessly. There was no point in holding back, because his mind was no longer capable of controlling itself. The younger alpha looked so wrecked and blissed out at the moment that Wonwoo’s brain flew away and his hand reached up to a maddening pace. Nevertheless, right after that change of speed, Jun could not handle that much force and he started to whimper, hands trying to stop his cousin’s hand again. Wonwoo almost ignored that and swatted his hand away one more time, but fortunately, he got his mind back on time and noticed the deep frown on Jun’s face. He was looking at him with pleading eyes.

“You… you said you would be gentle to me…” Jun whispered in his breath, sounding much like begging, and there was a very clear sign of hurt in his watery eyes.

“I’m sorry, baby.” The lead alpha slowed down instantly, hurriedly kissing his lover in deep guilt. “It hurts?”

Jun nodded, but really relieved to feel Wonwoo’s fingers moving much more slowly now, still enough to bring him comfortable stimulation and forget the pain. The older alpha sounded profoundly sincere in his apology, which made Jun feel his heart getting warmer, and he understood that his cousin had not hurt him on purpose. Nuzzling into the man’s neck while he was leaving kisses on his shivering shoulders and neck to make the bad feelings fade away, Jun murmured weakly on his mate’s heated skin.

“Please… Don’t be too fast…”

“As you want.” Wonwoo easily agreed while staring at him directly in the eyes, sending his cousin more faith and security. Cupping his face in one hand, the lead alpha kissed him again, over and over again, giving apologies through his tender kisses. Jun understood and received them, feeling his climax coming back and being about to wash through him.

“Call my name when you cum like what you did in the past. Can you, Junnie?” Stroking his swollen lips, Wonwoo asked, voice dark like hell. “I miss that _so bad_.”

The younger alpha nodded, simply because he wanted to do that as well, and he doubted that even if he did not want to do that in order to keep his pride, he would just fail miserably. The name of the man he loved was already on the tip of his tongue, and that was what his mouth always wanted to speak out the most, regardless of any situations. Speeding up gradually, Wonwoo kissed his lover hungrily and greedily one more time before growling deeply.

“I love you, Junnie.”

Giving in completely, Jun was so worked up by not only Wonwoo’s hand but also his confession that he squeezed his eyes closed in a few seconds, and it was a real struggle to open them again. He wanted to see the man he loved, and told him what he had always kept in his heart.

“I… I love you too… Wonwoo.”

Smiling, the older male put a kiss on his lover’s cheek again then began to scatter kisses from Jun’s neck to his chest and even his belly. Realizing what the other was planning to do, the younger alpha felt his heart beating in a faster speed, and he knew the orgasm would just come in less than a minute. Air was violently knocked out of his lungs right at the moment Wonwoo engulfed the whole length in his mouth and sucked without mercy. When the tip of Jun’s cock hit the back of his cousin’s throat, he moaned loudly, one hand tangling in Wonwoo’s hair seductively while the other one reaching for something that he was not sure.

Luckily, Wonwoo knew too well what his lover wanted. As a result, he reached out his own hand to hold his mate’s shaking hand tightly, making the hot moment sensual but intimate at the same time. Jun always wants to hold his hand at those times. The lead alpha had never asked the reason, but he guessed that in the end, Jun still somehow had some kind of insecure feelings in his heart while doing such things with his cousin, and at that specially vulnerable moment, he needed to feel Wonwoo’s support and protection for him, so that he knew they were still going on the right track, and that he would always have Wonwoo no matter what happened.

On the other hand, Wonwoo suddenly recalled of the time he gave Jun a handjob in his bedroom on the night Joshua’s heat came. At that time, the younger alpha did not seek for his hand, did not request a hold, and it was not until now did Wonwoo’s heart break. That day, Jun had no faith in him anymore, not thinking that he could get the comfort he wanted from Wonwoo, because the scary man hurt him and made him feel like he was not loved or cherished at all. The worse thing was that, Jun never talked about bad memories in the past, never really let his cousin know how much he was hurt. He just kept silent, keeping all for himself only and ultimately forgiving the bastard who lied to him and raped him unconditionally.

Wonwoo had to make up for that, letting Jun knew how much he was adored and loved.

“Wonwoo… Wonwoo…” Jun moaned while staring at Wonwoo, or at least trying to do that, since the pleasure was driving him crazy. He did not even know what was slipping out of his mouth anymore. Wonwoo’s name just came out naturally, like it was always supposed to be like that. “Wonwoo… I… Wonwoo…”

Wonwoo utterly loved to watch his Junnie when he came, although he had watched that scene many times over the past few years. He let his lover cum in his mouth while his eyes passionately watched the younger alpha trembled violently, almost to the point of convulsing, his hand clutching tightly onto his partner’s, the other one tightening a fist on his hair. Jun did moan erotically just a few seconds previously, but when the climax hit him, he just went breathless and let out no sound, his mouth hung open in a gasp, head thrown back and eyes closed. It was such a beautiful sight that Wonwoo kept watching while still sucking him to the last drop.

Jun was the one who had to push his partner away and whined feebly.

“Wonwoo… that’s… that’s enough…” He started to squirm uncomfortably, but Wonwoo was not sure if Jun wanted to keep him inside or push him out while hole was clenching around his fingers in a deadly tempting way.

Sitting up to face his lover, Wonwoo chuckled softly while observe his mate’s appearance at the moment. Jun sighed when his body no longer got any more stimulation, lying limply against the pillow behind his back, still trying to fix his breath. The chuckle made him blush, but he had no protest when Wonwoo’s hand tenderly caressed his hair and wiped away his sweaty bang on his forehead. That was just the first time but Jun’s orgasm was already this intense. Wonwoo was pretty sure that he would pass out later.

“You’re so sensitive tonight, baby.” The man whispered on his mate’s flushed cheek, hands maneuvering Jun to make him sit on his lap. “I haven’t even hit your prostate yet.”

Embarrassed and blushing in a bright shade of red, Jun hit his cousin’s shoulder, frowning sulkily.

“Shut up!”

Chuckling, Wonwoo said nothing and just moved his hands along Jun’s torso down to his hips and thighs in an attempt to make the younger alpha straddle his waist, but the action cause Jun to shudder. The lead alpha spent some time rubbing his lover’s back to help him calm down after the orgasm, watching Jun slowly taking back his normal breath. Although the tired alpha had just hit Wonwoo, he actually did not hold any grudge towards that, and the said man was able to see the desire to be pampered and comforted in his mate’s eyes. 

“You know this is not the end yet, right?” Wonwoo asked, one hand sliding towards Jun’s ass and using one finger to touch the hole lightly.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy what you have just read... I am always really unsure whether it was good enough whenever I write smut ;_; 
> 
> I also spent a lot of time writing this smut because it was really difficult. Jun's emotions were complicated and they made me crazy. I hope I was able to let you see how his mind was being in a mess then.
> 
> Hope that you will look forward to the next chapter ^^ Lunar New Year Holiday is coming in my country but I will still keep updating as usual, simply because I like that hehe ^^


	43. Beaten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun realized that he was stupid again to trust Wonwoo.  
Nonetheless, he no longer could choose whether to trust Wonwoo or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter may trigger you...

“You know this is not the end yet, right?” Wonwoo asked, one hand sliding towards Jun’s ass and using one finger to touch the hole lightly.

The action was not sudden but still startled the younger alpha and caused him to jolt forward a little. It was extremely sensitive right now, and the teasing touch right there made Jun whine feebly. Nonetheless, he himself was not sure if he wanted his cousin to stop or keep on doing that longer. Jun ducked his head in embarrassment, but that turned out to be a wrong decision. Once he looked down, he could see Wonwoo’s neglected considerably hard cock very close to his own one. The scene made him almost drool; he was never good at controlling his own thirst in front of that dick, especially when it was being fully hard and appealing like that, all because of nobody or nothing but Jun, and he had not even touched it yet.

This time was certainly not an exception. Jun’s body acted on its own, not controlled by his brain anymore, and it shifted on the lead alpha’s thighs, moving closer to Wonwoo to seek for more friction between the two cocks. Wonwoo hummed lowly in intense interest to see his lover being needy even though his climax had just gone a minute ago. Smiling, he pecked Jun’s cheek and then moved his free hand to wrap their dicks together and started to stroke slowly, letting them rub against each other. Jun’s breath hitched right away at the touch. Meanwhile, his teeth bit harshly on his own lips to prevent a lewd sound coming out, but he did not protest, allowing Wonwoo to do what he wanted.

Unable to sit up properly because of tiredness, and also embarrassed by getting horny again just by watching and enjoying the rough hand on his cock, the younger male leaned against Wonwoo thoroughly, blocking the scene from his hazy eyes. His voice sounded shy while he was literally nuzzling into his cousin’s shoulder.

“I know.”

No more words needed to be exchanged, since both of them were already determined to cross every line and reach the limit tonight. The both alphas knew that they would not stop until Jun was knotted by his lover, and the younger male did not have any other sign of rejection. Moving the hand away from Jun’s ass, Wonwoo rubbed soothing circles on his mate’s back to encourage him to lift his head up a bit, and when he did, the lead alpha locked their lips in a long chain of deep and sensual kisses. Whereas, his hand kept stroking their dicks languidly, giving Jun some comfortable stimulation but enough to keep the atmosphere hot and steamy.

Jun had never really had problem with Wonwoo being passionate or a bit rough, but a gentle Wonwoo was always the death of him, the irresistible power that never failed to get him pliant and submissive. The older alpha loved how relaxed Jun was in his arms at this moment, loving the way his younger cousin tangled shaky fingers in his hair and roamed the other hand over his back and bicep. Knowing exactly what Jun wanted to hear in such a moment, Wonwoo whispered on his lips, sending hot breath into the other’s mouth.

“I love you, Junnie. You are my first mate, and _my only alpha of my whole life_.”

Jun looked as if he was shocked by that saying, although Wonwoo thought that it was something he was supposed to know even before being told about. However, that shock was absolutely a positive reaction, and he could smell the younger alpha’s scent getting even more soothing and sweeter than usual. Wonwoo could never express how much he loved that scent, how much peaceful he felt whenever breathing in the air filled with the aroma of the pine forest. He felt his heart warm and calm, and when he looked at Jun deeply in the eyes right now, his heart melted in the widest ocean of love in those beautiful eyes, but there is something that made Jun seem hesitant.

“You love me too, Junnie?” Wonwoo asked, gently caressing his cheek, cupping his face.

Without thinking, Jun nodded, but worries still filled his eyes, which raised questions in the older alpha’s mind. He tried to give his cousin an encouraging look, hoping that he would speak out what was bothering him. His body even got tensed up, obviously nervous, but fortunately he also felt the need to let the other man know about his problem.

“Is it okay if I…” His voice suddenly became much quieter. “…if I… have someone other than you?”

The question did not surprise Wonwoo at all. In fact, it made him smile in relief. The man could not help kissing Jun’s cheek lovingly before replying calmly.

“If it’s Mingyu then it’s okay. You deserve to be loved. I know you love him.”

“You… you promise?” Jun asked anxiously, staring at Wonwoo unblinkingly.

“Don’t doubt my words, baby.” The lead alpha picked up the pace in his hand a little, making his mate yelp softly. “I do whatever I say.”

Nonetheless, Jun felt his heart sting when mentioning the issue that had broken his heart just a few months ago.

“But you lied to me before…” His voice got weaker and weaker, head ducking.

Wonwoo’s hand was going back to rub his lover’s back, but after the saying, he all of a sudden groped one of Jun’s butt cheeks, causing him to jolt. Although Jun had already given in, his heart still ached under the dominant pheromones Wonwoo was giving out. The lead alpha never admitted his mistake, still using his commanding tone with his mate, forcing Jun to strictly follow whatever he wanted.

“I didn’t lie to you. I just _didn’t tell you about it_.” His voice was stern, as if he was warning the younger alpha to not ever dare to judge him or accuse him of anything again.

Everything suddenly became too much for Jun, and he struggled to swallow his own tears, knowing that Wonwoo would not try to comfort him or sympathize with him if he cried because of what the older alpha had done to him. Jun really did not dare to trust Wonwoo again, because he knew he was stupid for doing that over and over again in the past. What he got today was the result of his stupidity.

_“You always lie. You drugged me, raped me, and bit me without asking me…”_

At this moment, Jun even doubted if the safe word would be useful. If Jun was too scared or it hurt him too much to endure and he wanted to stop, would Wonwoo care enough to stop for him? Maybe, the man would just go on, ignoring how Jun was feeling just like what he had done previously, leaving his mate hurt and crying without hesitation, as long as his own desire was fulfilled.

Jun could not help thinking that the love Wonwoo had for Joshua was much greater than his feelings for him. The lead alpha hurt Joshua and apologized to him many times. Although Wonwoo kept repeating his mistakes, at least he bothered to say sorry. Everybody knows that Wonwoo loves and desires Joshua, but the man still controlled himself since the hybrid was scared of sex. The fact was too painful, making Jun suffocated and unable to endure any longer.

If Jun knew that Wonwoo had the plan of claiming Joshua after coming back from this business trip, he would feel less dreadful, but he had no idea about what was going to happen to their omega. He just wondered what made Wonwoo feel that he should be patient with their kitten, but not with him.

“What’s wrong, Junnie?” The lead alpha asked when seeing the tears on his lover’s face. His hand quickly came back to cup Jun’s face, using the thumb to wipe the tears away.

The younger alpha shook his head, instantly regretting letting his tears fall down. He knew it was so pathetic for an alpha to cry, but nothing in this world could hurt him as much as Wonwoo did. The man’s hand on his cock was still bringing pleasure, but in that feeling, Jun still felt his heart breaking, wondering if Wonwoo truly loved him or just wanted to own him. His words were so sweet, but were they said only with the intention of luring Jun into a beautiful illusion?

“Tell me, Junnie.” Wonwoo’s voice quickly became stern, strictly demanding an answer. “Why are you crying?”

Unable to look at Wonwoo in the eyes, Jun let out a sniffle before speaking.

“Can you please… please stop commanding?” Wiping the tears, he begged, having no more care about his own pride or something like that. “I… I’m already here… I can’t go anywhere… You can do whatever you want… Just please stop that.”

“What’s wrong with me commanding you?” Wonwoo coldly asked back. His hand left Jun’s face and reached down to his ass. When the man’s rough fingers touched his hole and slowly entered, Jun was really scared, afraid that his cousin was about to hurt him again. It did not happen that way, but his heartbeat still went crazy. “Isn’t it because you are the one who kept going against what I wanted at first?”

“I… I didn’t do anything wrong…” Jun was literally sniffling, and he whimpered when the pain came. If finally came. He did not know what Wonwoo was actually doing down there, but it hurt.

“I’m already lenient to you, Junnie.” The man’s eyes kept staring at Jun, piercing through his soul, and his voice was just as cold as ice. “I let you have Mingyu and Jeonghan. You can’t ask more.”

Realizing that there would be no use begging Wonwoo, Jun decided to keep his mouth shut. At least, obedience and submission would help everything much less painful for him. He did not want to be broken, especially when he was at Wonwoo’s mercy. The younger alpha had to put all of his efforts into stopping the tears, and during the time he was doing that, Wonwoo no longer hurt him. The man started to thrust his three fingers in and out slowly, enough to bring the erotic feelings back to his cousin. The mood affected Jun a lot, but his body still naturally reacted to his mate’s sensual touch, and sexual pleasure was still burning his skin.

Sensing Jun’s submission, Wonwoo was pretty much satisfied, and he decided to give his lover a small reward. As the man wanted Jun to really want a second release, he comfortably leaned over and stuck out his tongue to lick one of the erected nipples. Jun arched his back in a strong reaction to the wet and hot tongue on his sensitive spot, unconsciously pushing himself towards his cousin and his mouth failed to hold back a tempting mewl. Knowing exactly what was the right thing to do, Wonwoo swirled his tongue around the pink nub and eventually sucked it eagerly by his mouth. The lead alpha did not say a single word in a few minutes, only wholeheartedly concentrating on taking care of both nipples on his mate’s chest, driving him crazier bit by bit.

Jun thought that he might cum even if Wonwoo just kept on playing with his nipples and stroking his cock like that in some more minutes, but that certainly was not the man’s plan for tonight. Wonwoo could tell that Jun had started to get impatient by the way the younger alpha was grinding on his fingers. Therefore, he detached his lips from the swollen nipples, earning some frustrating whines from Jun, but Wonwoo shushed him by a short kiss and a question.

“What position do you want?” He asked, locking their eyes together. The lead alpha took his fingers away from the wet hole, earning a small whimper from the other man. “I let you chose this time, if you want to.”

Jun did not have to think much before replying, voice thin and weak.

“This… Like this…”

“This is not a good position, Junnie.” Wonwoo warned while Jun was lifting himself up. The younger alpha was having his body supported by his knees and legs on the bed.

“It… It’s okay.” Jun stuttered, and then hissed sharply at the moment the tip of Wonwoo’s cock touched his hole. The lead alpha felt his lover wriggling his hips, unsure that the purpose of such movement was to avoid contact or to get more. Holding his mate’s hips tightly, Wonwoo stopped him from moving not only by his hands but also his fierce eyes. Intimidated by that look, Jun tried to stay still, but everything was getting more and more difficult by every second.

“Tell me. Why do you want to do it this way?” Wonwoo could not understand why Jun wanted to go through his first time in this position while he was evidently tired and even placing both his hands on the older man’s shoulders, leaning pretty much of his weight against him. “Explain, Junnie.”

Shuddering under the stern command, Jun knew he would not be able to get anything without giving Wonwoo the explanation he was demanding. As a result, he fought with the burning embarrassment to speak out, trying to look away but not allowed to, since his mate was forcing an eye contact.

“I want to… control the speed… I can adjust if it hurts too much.”

Clicking his tongue, a little amazed by the reason, Wonwoo asked another question, still holding Jun’s hips tightly to prevent him from moving in any direction.

“Where did you learn that experience from, huh? Jeonghan?”

“Yes…” Jun hated to let Wonwoo know about this but he had no other choice. “He… he was scared… He was afraid that I would hurt him… so he wanted to do it like this…”

From that saying, Wonwoo quickly concluded that Jun was being scared as well. The realization made his heart clench and soften. Much as the younger was so worked up and horny, he was still frightened by the idea of being ripped open. Moving one hand to hold his cousin’s chin, Wonwoo pulled his face lower so as to put a tender kiss on his shaking lips and whispered slowly.

“Are you ready now?”

“…Yes… I guess.” Jun answered reluctantly, but he knew that there was no point delaying this for long. He would have to do it anyway; Wonwoo would never let him go before knotting him for tonight, and Jun doubted his own ability to get away from this without getting satisfied, especially when Wonwoo was generously stroking his cock to make his body yearn for more pleasure.

“Did you do this for Jeonghan to distract him from the pain?” Wonwoo asked, locking his eyes with his mate’s.

“Can you please stop mentioning Jeonghan?” Jun whined loudly in frustration. “That… that’s enough.”

“Okay, okay.” The man chuckled again, kissing his lover to shush him. “What do you want me to do, Junnie?”

Jun murmured on Wonwoo’s lips, feeling his mate’s hand lining the monstrous cock at his entrance.

“Just… hold me…”

Nodding in understanding, Wonwoo slowly and gently placed one of his hands on Jun’s back, the other one on his hip, rubbing to give the nervous alpha more loving comfort. However, a few seconds later, the lead alpha moved one hand up to lightly grab his mate’s neck, pulling him lower so that their lips meet. In the middle of his extreme worries, Jun melted in the intimate kisses, hesitantly and slowly kissing his lover back. Consequently, Wonwoo soon released his neck, and moved down to his hips instead, holding tightly by both hands. Subtly and carefully, he pushed Jun’s body downwards while sending a whisper through his lips.

“I love you, Junnie.”

Jun could realize what Wonwoo was doing, and he was thankful for that, since he was too nervous to really start it. Right after the older man’s saying ended, he began to feel the pain, but also forced himself to reply by the confession coming from deep inside his heart, something that he had wished to tell Wonwoo a very long time ago.

“I love you, Wonwoo.”

Jun knew, this was the moment that he had always longed for, to become someone belonging to Wonwoo, to be his mate forever. The intrusion hurt, but his soul welcomed Wonwoo into his body, inch by inch getting the man into the hot and tight private place of his body, a place that he had always hoped that Wonwoo would be the first one to enter. He whimpered and moaned into the lead alpha’s mouth, but Wonwoo still kept kissing him slowly and sensually while his hands never stopped pushing him down lower and lower. Deep groans and growls escaped the man’s throat at the feeling of his hard cock embraced by his lover’s clenching muscles, but his voice was still sweet and endearing when he whispered again.

“I love you, Junnie.”

Gasping and panting and whimpering in pain, Jun still stuttered back, trying to look at Wonwoo in the eyes, searching for some feelings of reassurance, safety and protection from his mate.

“I… I love you… Wonwoo… Wonwoo…”

Wonwoo knew he was quite cruel to force Jun to sit completely on his whole cock, totally bottomed out, having no more to go further, but the feelings were utterly heavenly. At this point, Jun could no longer keep the kiss, and he just fell limply against the older alpha, hands desperately clutching onto his shoulders and biceps, hugging him tightly.

“You’re so good, Junnie. Taking me so well.” Wonwoo gave him a compliment after putting a kiss on his shivering shoulder, hands rubbing circles on his sweaty back. “Not too bad, right?”

Jun did not answer, just tightened his arms around his mate a little more, and happy to feel the man doing the same thing for him. Temporarily, the pain was so uncomfortable that a few seconds ago he almost pushed Wonwoo away, but he could not help feeling this connection somehow so meaningful, so perfect. It hurt, but nothing seemed wrong at all. Jun felt like he was in the place he belonged to, having Wonwoo inside him, two bodies pressing to the closest to each other with no distance in between, just flesh and skin. Jun wanted nothing but more affection, more warmth and love from the man he had adored for his whole life.

Burying his face in the crook of Wonwoo’s neck so as to breathe in the scent of peppermint, trying to soothe his own mind, Jun shyly asked, voice muffled by that position.

“Can you… kiss me?”

The question caught the lead alpha off guard for a brief moment, but he quickly complied and gently pushed Jun to sit up. The younger male was still trying to adjust, waiting for the pain to subside, but he willingly placed his arms on Wonwoo’s chest to support himself, and drowned in his mate’s kisses. Despite the almost unendurable hot atmosphere, the lead alpha’s kisses were so loving and gentle that Jun felt his heart slowly melting bit by bit. Everything suddenly became perfect, and the pain seemed to be nothing in comparison with what he was having right now. Jun did not say any other confession, but Wonwoo was able to feel his love by the way he kissed him back, giving all he had without regret.

In that daze, Jun was not aware of when Wonwoo laid him back on the mattress, letting him lie on his back while the man was above him. Nonetheless, at the moment he realized it, he had no protest, since his health did not approve of using too much energy anymore, and for now, he felt safe to let his lover take control of everything. Wonwoo would not hurt him, he guessed. Perhaps, he should just blindly let himself drift away with his heart this time, trusting the lead alpha as it wanted to.

Breaking the kisses, Wonwoo leaned his forehead against Jun’s, gazing intensely directly into his mate’s eyes. Jun immediately got lost in those dark eyes, which were displaying the most inhumane thirst that he had never seen before. However, there was an undeniable love in those eyes, and Jun knew exactly that was the last thing that held back the beast inside Wonwoo, making his hips start to move in just a slow pace right before he spoke, voice husky and rough.

_“Be mine, Junnie.”_

The first thrust hurt, causing Jun to wince, but the other sensation it brought him gave him enough courage to stutter back to his lover.

“I-_I’m yours_…”

Smirking and licking his lips hungrily in satisfaction, Wonwoo dragged his cock out torturously slowly, but then all of a sudden thrust back in hard enough to jolt the younger alpha’s body. The slight pain had not disappeared completely yet, but Jun could not imagine how lewd and sinful the sound he had just let out was. Holding his partner tightly in his arms to keep him still, Wonwoo repeated the same pattern a few more times, and Jun eventually became a mess at his mercy. Once he no longer felt hurt and the lead alpha began to set a steady but not very slow pace, Jun had no ability to pretend that he were not in ecstasy. Finally, Wonwoo got all the submission that he had always desired from his cousin, and it drove him crazy, only wanting to destroy his mate, to make him scream his name until he got breathless and exhausted.

The older man groaned at the scene of his moaning lover and at the feelings of his cock rubbing the wet and hot inner walls of the incredibly tight hole. Jun did not even know that it would be possible to feel this good. Everything in his life was just washed away from his mind in a second. The only existence that he knew right now was Wonwoo and Wonwoo only. He was aware of how much he was being stretched since it was just his second time doing this and his body could not open up as much as an omega could do, yet _it was perfect_. For the first time, Jun had the feelings of having Wonwoo to himself thoroughly, and he never wanted to let go.

No matter what, Jun still wanted more Wonwoo, as if it would never be enough. He tried to look at his mate, trying to capture this scene and memorize it forever, but it was getting more and more difficult. Blissed out, he was not capable of focusing his eyes on anything or process any kind of thought in his brain. Jun was even unaware of how he was moaning Wonwoo’s name over and over again, as if begging the man to take and take him. Seeing that Jun was able to handle more, the older alpha considered that it was time to stop torturing himself and speed up.

When Wonwoo release his hold around Jun’s torso, he sat up and held his lover’s hips tightly in his hands so as to start a faster rhythm with harder thrust. At this point, the younger male’s hips were already bruised, but he could not feel the pain currently, completely wrecked by sexual pleasure. While Jun preferred making sex sensually intimate and a sweet, Wonwoo was far from gentle, undoubtedly rough and intense. The younger alpha soon realized that his cousin had lied to him; the man was obviously going to destroy him for sure.

From the moment Wonwoo precisely hit Jun’s prostate, the lead alpha did not leave that spot alone for any single second, attacking it mercilessly. Hurriedly moving his hands to hold onto Wonwoo’s wrists, Jun quickly became incoherent in his words, and Wonwoo’s name became unrecognizable in endless moans, especially when the lead alpha gripped the base of his cock to prevent him from reaching his climax.

Wonwoo did not want to end soon, and he did not stop that, determined to force Jun to lengthen this moment together with him, despite how wrecked the younger alpha had already been.

Being pent up for too long, Jun soon lost his own ability to beg. Once he was drowned in such a state, Wonwoo should have been considerate and handled his lover with more care, but in fact he did not. When Jun was allowed to cum, the orgasm hit him extremely hard, and Wonwoo even cruelly milked his cock dry by his hand wrapping tightly around it and stroking with no mercy. With a growl that sounded utterly scary and aggressive in Jun’s ears, the lead alpha came a minute after that, making his lover whimper at the feeling of being filled by the semen. Jun was still heavily panting, hazy eyes almost closed, but that scene was a poison that fed the monster inside Wonwoo.

In his tired mind, Jun was scared and overwhelmed by the stare of his mate’s eyes. He saw no choice but to submit and let the stronger alpha - _his alpha_ \- do whatever he wanted, because he had no strength to protest, and in this state, he did not dare to. There was nothing Jun could do except for whimpering when Wonwoo began pounding into him again. His body had no time to calm down after the climax, and what the lead alpha was doing to him definitely brought overstimulation. Sounds of discomfort kept escaping Jun’s mouth while his grip on Wonwoo’s arms tightened, but the said man did not care.

Swatting Jun’s hands away, Wonwoo forcefully pushed both of the younger alpha’s legs up until his knees touch his chest and continued to fuck him senselessly in that position. Jun was utterly bound and helpless, feeling his alpha entering him in an even deeper level with more strength and a faster speed. Jun could hardly tell that he was enjoying this, and he was still incoherent, unable to talk even if Wonwoo forced him to, but his cock still luckily got hard again after a pretty long while. However, something in Jun’s mind started to wish this to end soon. The little piece of consciousness left in his mind knew that he would not be capable of handling one more time.

The younger alpha writhing in vain beneath Wonwoo was unable to cum properly at his third orgasm of the night, and it drained all of his energy. Jun had never been able to imagine that it would be possible for a person to feel this exhausted. If he were left alone, perhaps he would fall asleep in less than a second, but Wonwoo did not allow that to happen. The man had not finished yet, and he was bored of this position. Without asking, regardless of the fact that Jun had just come, Wonwoo violently flipped his mate on the bed, forcing him to lie with his belly on the mattress. Once again, he slammed his cock in the red abused hole leaking white cum, destroying his lover to oblivion.

The second time of overstimulation in just a night was too much for Jun, and everything became overbearing. His brain was slowly dragged out of the sexual daze as the feelings he was experiencing had already got different. There was nothing to enjoy any longer, and the pain was creeping into his body. However, before Jun began to move his limbs as his mind intended to, Wonwoo was faster, as if able to predict what his _victim_ was going to do. By just one hand, he strongly collected both of Jun’s wrists and held them down tightly at the end of his back. Meanwhile, his other hand came to place behind Jun’s head so as to push him down.

That was actually not necessary, since Jun could never break free with just his neck or his head, but Wonwoo wanted _submission_.

No matter how hard he tried to break free from Wonwoo, he failed, because the grip of his mate on his wrists were stronger than anything and the other hand of the lead alpha had no intention of stopping pushing his head down on the mattress. Jun whimpered continuously at the utterly uncomfortable feelings all over his body. He no longer felt good in his ass; it was starting to hurt. Wonwoo did remember to use more lube, but things could never be fine when Jun himself did not want this anymore. Once his body began to tense up, everything was just painful and unendurable.

“No… Wonwoo, stop… please…” Jun tried to beg between heavy sobs, but his voice was too weak and Wonwoo had no sign of mercy. “Please Wonwoo… I can’t take more… Please…”

_“Didn’t you promise to be gentle to me?”_

_“Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t do things I don’t like?”_

The bitter thought brought more tears to Jun’s eyes. Somehow, he luckily got conscious enough to remember the only way left to get out of this. He had never thought that he would have to use it, but finally the day came. When he spoke it out, his voice was unbelievably broken, and so was his heart.

“Wonwoo… _Bubble… Bubble_… Wonwoo…”

It had always been their safe word from the first time they had a sexual encounter with each other till this day. _Bubble_.

Nonetheless, nothing changed. Jun was not sure if Wonwoo did not hear it or he just simply ignored it on purpose. Crying and sobbing, Jun tried to say that again many times, but he was hopeless and helpless. The only parts which were still able to move were his legs, and he desperately tried, but he failed to see how much his attempt was enraging the beast torturing him.

Anger burned in Wonwoo’s eyes. Jun was unable to see what was coming, and he was shocked more than he had ever been in his life.

He could not help screaming at the moment the lead alpha bit the mark on his neck with surprisingly more force than what he was supposed to use with his lover. Nonetheless, the pain Jun felt was not only physical, but mental as well, since Wonwoo’s teeth intentionally sent him a chain of the scariest feelings through his whole body. The younger alpha’s body trembled in shock and fright uncontrollably, but after that, he just lied limply on the bed, not daring to move an inch anymore. Nothing could stop the older alpha from pounding into his exhausted body. Hope was destroyed and washed away completely from Jun.

Eventually, he was forced to give up, crying his eyes out to the mattress, closing his eyes and wishing that he would pass out soon so that he would not have to go through this miserable hell till the end. Jun did not want to get any further punishment from Wonwoo, or any more similar bite. His body never stopped shaking while the tears kept falling crazily, and the darkness in Jun’s mind spread like a wild fire.

“Wonwoo…” He whimpered weakly and hopelessly in tears, not having a single hope for his lover to hear it, just saying it to himself. “Wonwoo… please… why… please…”

Jun regretted not letting Wonwoo drug him again and knot him while he was sleeping like a log. If he had done that, all of this would not have happened. He was so stupid to trust the man again, and he was really paying for it. This was really the end of his life. Wonwoo would never have any mercy for him, and that Jun would break down was something which would just occur sooner or later.

Jun had always believed that Wonwoo would never hurt him. When some bastards thought that hitting Jun would make him weak and submissive, Wonwoo was always there to save him out of danger and keep him in peace. Nevertheless, at the moment, it was the lead alpha who was determined to break his cousin so as to make him give in, to make him submit and give up every wish of fighting back forever. Jun knew he had lost everything. Freedom was nothing in his reach, and his life simply had no promise for the future. Whatever Wonwoo did not see fit, he would not be able to get no matter how much he desired it. The last mercy the man had for him was letting him have Mingyu and Jeonghan, but Jun knew Wonwoo would have _his own ways_ to make them leave him first.

Even when Wonwoo let go of Jun’s wrists and head, the younger alpha did not do anything, just lying there, sobbing and waiting for whatever to come next. At the moment the lead alpha switched to the position of spooning him from behind on the bed, Jun was frightened to know that the worst part of this night was coming. Holding _the prey_ tightly by both arms, Wonwoo continued to thrust into Jun’s body, making him whimper loudly in pain and desperation. His wish did not come true. He did not pass out, still one hundred percent conscious when the knot began to inflate.

The process for the knot to form completely was quick, and the sound coming from Jun was no longer a whimper; it was a scream. In that terrifying pain, Jun unconsciously clutched onto Wonwoo’s arms, wishing for the man to comfort him, or at least do something or say something nice to him to alleviate the pain, to make this less like a nightmare. Nonetheless, none of them happened. To make it even worse, when the lead alpha came, at the same time, he bit the mark again, harshly and forcefully, enough to make it bleed, as if he were giving Jun a real mating bite again, renewing the wound that had already torturing him the whole day long.

Jun wanted to scream, to beg Wonwoo to pity him just even a bit, but his throat was unable to let out any sound, because the lead alpha’s hand cruelly went to his neck and choke him. The action was not enough to make Jun stop breathing, but it brought a real intense pain and was a real threat, a real demand for submission. Crying in vain, the poor alpha could not understand why Wonwoo had to treat him like this. He just wanted to tell the man that _“I’m yours. I won’t go anywhere. Please don’t do this to me.”_

Jun was not allowed to say anything. If he were, would Wonwoo even listen to him?

The younger alpha bitterly thought in his mind, that his mate perhaps had forgotten his original intention of doing this. Wonwoo had intended to make him feel better, hadn’t he? Or, it was also Jun’s mistake to really trust the man’s words and think that it was his true intention?

_“Do you really love me, Wonwoo?”_ Jun could not voice out his question, only letting it haunt his mind and stabbing knives into his heart. No words were spoken out to soothe the younger alpha while the knot kept torturing his hole, the place that had never been born to take a knot like the omegas’ ones. In that panic, Jun failed to imagine how he could survive after an hour or even more of having that knot buried deep inside of him. If the person who was being with him was his lover, then things maybe would not be too bad, but Jun just felt like being trapped in the arms of a monster.

_“Or he just wants to own me?” _He thought bitterly to himself, biting his lips so hard that the skin started to break, allowing him to taste his own blood on the tip of his tongue.

Freedom was all gone. Finally, Jun officially became _a slave_ of Wonwoo.

The only light of hope shining into Jun’s life at this moment was the vague thought of Mingyu. In desperation, Jun wished nothing but for a magic to bring Mingyu here and save him, so that he would be protected and loved in the giant man’s loving embrace again. All of a sudden, Jun missed Mingyu so much, too much to endure, too much to prevent his tears from falling more and to stop his sobs from getting heavier. Naturally, his weak and broken voice called out for the person he desired to have most right now.

_“Mingyu… help me…”_

Jun was not aware of his own saying, crying, crying and crying, but freezing completely in Wonwoo’s arms, losing all hope of an escape. However, nothing was enough to satisfy the greedy, selfish and over-possessive alpha, and a single plea for help from another alpha was more than enough to make him angry. Jun screamed when he was bitten again right on his mark, knowing more clearly than ever that he was being punished for calling another alpha’s name in this situation.

Having no chance to apologize or beg for forgiveness, Jun soon passed out, since everything had crossed his limit. His mind, his heart, his body could endure no more.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I know I hurt our Junnie too much ;_; I do feel the pain in my heart when I read this chapter again after writing it ;_;  
Wonwoo is just...  
Well, I am extremely eager to know how you feel and think after reading this chapter~ 
> 
> \---
> 
> In one more hour it will be New Year here in my country ^^ Happy New Year!!! I wish all the best things will come to all of you ^^ And I really hope that this year after finishing posting this fic I will be able to post a new one soon~~  
The holiday this year is difficult for me because I am always tired and dizzy due to the medicine and I don't really want to go anywhere TvT I just want to lock myself in my house forever ;_; But anyway, I will still try to enjoy the holiday, because who knows, maybe I won't be able to enjoy it next year.  
Thank you everyone!!!!


	44. Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun was about to go home.  
However, what was waiting for him at home was definitely not peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will continue to break your hearts with this chapter.  
You should check the negative tags before reading. This can be considered as a warning, I guess.

When Jun woke up, he just wished to continue sleeping forever.

His body was terribly sore, and everything hurt. The feelings were so horrible that he whimpered instantly after consciousness came back to his mind. Jun could feel Wonwoo’s hand on his head, feeling the long fingers running through his hair in a very gentle manner, completely opposite to how the man had been last night. However, once Jun looked at Wonwoo, his floodgate was opened again. No sniffles or sobs were heard, but his tears kept cascading down his cheeks when the lead alpha helped him sit up. The younger alpha almost used no energy, because he was too exhausted, even worse than how he was before Wonwoo _“helped”_ him get _“better”_.

Jun had clothes on his body. He was still in the same hotel room with his mate only. Nonetheless, he did not feel safe in any second. His heart was heavy yet empty at the same time, feeling as if it were dead. Avoiding Wonwoo’s eyes, he did not want to see what kind of attitude was being displayed on the man’s face now, since he knew his heart would just ache more badly. Staring at his own hands on his own lap, he heard the man telling him in a pretty soft voice.

“You need to take some pills, Junnie. You’re having a fever.”

_“Who’s at fault for this?”_ Jun could not help thinking bitterly to himself. It was unnecessary to check how his mark was. With this condition, he knew for sure that it must be still bleeding. He was able to feel the pain on his neck, or literally everywhere on his body. Among the pills that Wonwoo put into his palm, Jun saw the painkillers. He took them in his mouth, swallowing them along with some water that was also brought by the lead alpha without saying anything. Is there any point talking to Wonwoo now?

_“Of course not. He never cares what I want.”_ Jun told himself, shedding more tears at the painful thought torturing his mind, his heart, and his body.

Jun no longer thought that Wonwoo actually wanted to make him feel better yesterday. It was true that taking the knot again could help the person who was bitten get better with the state of being claimed by his mate, but consent was certainly critical in this case. Once that factor was unavailable, things could only get worse for the victim. He believed that was a punishment, _a lesson to teach him_ how to be a good mate to the lead alpha. From now on, if Jun dared to disobey Wonwoo, perhaps the same thing would happen over and over again. The man would not tolerate any kind of objection. The younger alpha eventually understood that Wonwoo would not stop until the day he finally broke Jun.

Taking a quick glance at the glass window, Jun only saw darkness, which brought him a huge relief to know that it was totally possible for him to sleep more. There was no reason to wake up when the sun had not risen yet. He had the need to go to the bathroom, but Jun soon realized that he was unable to do that. No matter how hard he tried, he was utterly tired and worn out just by moving his legs and standing up on his own feet. Wonwoo was quick enough to catch his mate in his arms before the younger male fell onto the floor.

“You want to go to the restroom?” The man asked him, voice quiet and gentle.

Without looking at the lead alpha, Jun nodded, hopeless and desperate. He had no choice but to let Wonwoo brought him to the room. The man did not stop at the door; he even stepped inside and only put Jun down after deciding that it was possible for his lover to lean against the wall to seek for a support. After the door was closed, Jun let out a sigh of relief, thankful for Wonwoo not insisting on helping him with this kind of stuff. He knew he was weak, but he never wanted to live that pathetically.

Jun quickly finished things in the bathroom, having no wish to check any part of his own body, spending no second looking at himself in the mirror. He just wanted to get back to the bed as soon as possible. Outside, Wonwoo was waiting for him, and the man immediately lifted his cousin up in his strong arms, bringing him back to the bed. He could feel Jun flinch, but not really sure what caused that reaction.

Jun did not try even a bit to hold back the tears, since he knew too well that he could not. When he was cuddled in Wonwoo’s arms on the bed, the pain was doubled in his heart. Closing his eyes, the tired alpha no longer wanted to see his mate, simply wishing that exhaustion would soon take away his consciousness one more time. Wonwoo tenderly put his palm on Jun’s cheek to check his temperature, then gently caressing his cheek. The younger alpha could feel a kiss was placed on his forehead before his cousin spoke. His voice was still soft, somehow sweet.

“Don’t worry, Junnie. The medicine will make you sleep soon.”

_“Oh, I was drugged again…”_

Jun did not answer. Maybe, he should keep his mouth shut for the rest of his life if fate had already forced him to get stuck to Wonwoo forever. His words never matter. The lead alpha never asked for his opinions anyway.

Mingyu is never like that. Mingyu treasures Jun as if he were really the most precious existence in his life.

Joshua is never like that. Joshua adores Jun with all his heart, always treating him with all of the sweetest that the boy has.

Jeonghan is never like that. Jeonghan looks at Jun as if the man were the savior, the guardian angel of his life, completely relaxed and vulnerable in his arms, putting all his faith in the alpha.

_Wonwoo is the worst. _

“I love you, Junnie.” The lead alpha murmured to his lover, kissing him one more time on one of his cheeks.

_“I don’t believe you.”_ The thought stabbed through Jun’s heart, destroying his soul, making him feel like he would not be able to make through this night.

Perhaps death was better than living with the fact that Wonwoo did not love him. Jun desperately wished to be woken up from this devastating nightmare, but he just fell asleep again, and the pain was there forever.

…

When Jun woke up the second time, he knew that it was time to go.

Wonwoo had already packed his stuff while he was sleeping, and all Jun had to do know was just getting dressed and heading to the airport. Maybe thanks to the pills, he felt a little better, but the lead alpha still brought him to the door of the bathroom and gently told him that the clothes were already prepared inside. Still not wanting to look at Wonwoo in the eyes, Jun just ducked his head and silently locked the door. His action was slow, yet at least it was not much necessary to find some support from the wall or other objects anymore. Placing his own palm on his forehead, he realized that he was still feverish. Nonetheless, the feeling of exhaustion was not as serious as how it had been when he woke up the first time. Jun sighed softly in light relief, hoping that he would make through the long flight back home.

“Do you want me to call Mingyu to pick you up at the airport?” Wonwoo asked after Jun got out of the bathroom.

Jun shook his head instantly. He did not want to get broken right at the airport. If something happened, at least it should only be at home. He could not imagine what Mingyu’s reactions would be once he saw the mating bite on his neck.

At the moment Wonwoo put a tender kiss on Jun’s forehead while a hand came to caress his hair, the younger alpha closed his eyes, slightly leaning to the touch. He hated Wonwoo, but hated himself the most. No matter what happened, he was just pathetic. He was at fault for everything. His weakness gave the lead alpha all the chances to do what he wanted.

“Don’t worry. You won’t have to go alone. A friend will come to bring you home.”

Jun did not ask, just staying silent when Wonwoo grabbed his small suitcase and took his hand to lead him out of the hotel.

Outside, it was not dark anymore. Wonwoo came to the airport with his cousin in a taxi, and Jun was quiet during the whole way. Knowing that the younger male was definitely still tired, the lead alpha pulled his cousin’s head to rest on his shoulder, receiving no protest. No words were exchanged; even Wonwoo did not force his cousin to speak, just using a hand to stroke his lover’s hair or rub his shoulder.

Being led to the airport after getting out of the taxi, Jun kept his head low. He noticed Wonwoo talking to someone one the phone but did not pay attention to whatever the man was saying. He was just quite startled to see someone’s feet coming to stand in front of him and his partner. It was not until then that Jun decided to look up in order to check who was facing them. Shocked, his eyes widened to see Minghao, who was frowning and throwing a harsh scowl towards Wonwoo. His friend was dressed simply in jeans and a t-shirt, having nothing but a small backpack. Jun was even more caught off guard when Minghao took his hand away from the lead alpha while the other hand went to grab the suitcase.

“I will take care of him from here. You can go back to your shit.” The omega coldly said, glaring at Wonwoo.

It was not difficult for Jun to realize that Minghao had already known what was happening here, and he definitely did not like what Wonwoo had done even a bit. Having no care about Minghao’s attitude, the lead alpha insisted on leaning closer to his mate to place another kiss on his forehead and murmur to him.

“I’ll see you later, Junnie. Just stay at home to rest until I come back. You don’t have to go to the company.”

The younger alpha nodded, stubbornly refusing to lift his head up to look at his mate. Instead, his hand tightened the grip on Minghao’s hand, as if his heart truly believed that his omega friend could protect him. Somehow, that was true at this moment, especially when Wonwoo slowly started to get irritated by Jun’s stubbornness and Jun saw his hand raised. Immediately, he knew that his cousin was going to grab his chin - or whatever on his face - to force him to look up. Consequently, Jun instantly stepped to the position behind Minghao to avoid the demon’s hand.

In fact, it was unnecessary to do that, since Minghao also stepped up to confront Wonwoo and cover his friend. The omega warned, voice stern and cold, sounding like he was a real alpha, having no fear for the noble alpha in front of him.

“That’s enough Wonwoo. Don’t make me repeat this again. I’ll take care of him from here.”

Certainly, Minghao could never be a vulnerable omega while he was a friend of three alphas, and Jun had never been more grateful for his friend’s boldness than this moment. In such a public place, Wonwoo could do no more towards his mate, having no choice but to give up and soon leave the airport. With his head low, Jun was able to see Wonwoo step away, and he only let out a sigh of relief when his eyes could no longer capture the image of his mate’s feet.

Then, he felt Minghao shake his hand lightly, so he turned to look at his friend in the face. Everything was so different. For two days straight, Jun saw nothing but the man who broke his heart, and now, it was like living in another world to see a friendly face, the face of a person who cared about him but having no wish of hurting him or breaking him. That friend was worried but also trying to comfort him and make him feel safe.

“Hey, Jun. Let’s go check in now, okay?”

Jun nodded, willingly following his friend without a care of anything.

Nonetheless, he suddenly realized that he had never known how the process of check-in in the airport was like, because Wonwoo had always done everything for him, even though Jun was his secretary, who was supposed to do these things for his boss.

He could do nothing but watch Minghao go through the whole process in utter embarrassment. So many people stared at him shamelessly, but he could not do anything about that.

Jun felt thoroughly relieved when he was allowed to have a good seat in the waiting section until the time to get on the plane. Minghao sat down next to him, watching his friend carefully from head to toe with concerns filled in his eyes during the short minutes Jun did not pay attention him. Once the alpha looked back at him, Minghao quickly averted his look into a friendlier and less worried thing.

“If you feel something wrong, you have to tell me immediately, okay? I really don’t know how bad _that thing_ can do to you.” The omega could not help staring at the bandage on Jun’s neck while saying, and anger rose up in his chest since the sight reminded him of nothing but Wonwoo.

“I will.” Jun nodded lightly, and he forced himself to give his good friend a smile. “Thank you for coming here. Does Wonwoo pay you for this?”

Minghao could no longer hide his anger. He snorted, enraged just by thinking of the fucking CEO of his company.

“I won’t get _this kind of money_ from that jerk.” Minghao gritted his teeth. “He called me and said that you needed to be escorted back to Korea because you were bitten without your consent and he wanted to make sure that you would be fine during the whole way. I was so shocked. I thought that he failed to protect you and a bastard managed to get you, but everything turned out to be a whole different thing.”

Jun smiled weakly, staring back at the floor when he ducked his head again, muttering.

“I’m sorry.”

Minghao nudged him and lowered his voice immediately.

“Don’t say sorry, Jun! You aren’t at fault for anything. The one who has to say that is Wonwoo.”

However, that was still not enough to drag a stubborn Jun out of his way of thinking. It had already become something typical of him to always blame himself for everything. Jun avoided looking at Minghao, because he knew if he did, he could only look at the omega with apologetic eyes. Because of him, Minghao had to get rid of whatever he was doing in Korea to get on a terribly long and boring flight to come here just to bring a useless alpha back home in another freaking long flight.

“I’m sorry for being a burden and…”

“You really have to stop that, Jun.” Minghao could stand no more of this. His voice was stern and his face was deadly serious. The voice made Jun look at him and then shut his mouth for real.

Sighing, Minghao could never understand how a selfish alpha like Wonwoo could possibly deserve such a kind person like Jun, and even Joshua, as if those innocent people were destined for that man. If they were not Jun and Joshua, who the hell in this world could stand that over-possessive alpha’s problems?

“Do you want to report this to the police, Jun?” Minghao could not help asking, extremely irritated whenever his eyes caught the image of the bandage on his friend’s neck, and it was easy for anyone who had eyes to know that the mark was still bleeding. “You have enough evidence. Wonwoo will have to pay for all of this!”

Jun shook his head, lightly and slowly, as if his worn out energy did not allow him to do anything with even just a bit more force.

“I don’t want to.” His voice was soft and quiet, but leaving no room for argument.

“If you keep letting him do things like that, he will never stop.” Minghao sighed again. “You know Wonwoo. He will never back off. He will do whatever he wants to you if you don’t fight back. You will become _his slave_ just sooner or later.”

_“I’m already is.”_ Jun tried to keep that as a thought in his mind to himself only. Therefore, he said nothing back to Minghao, putting his attention back on the floor one more time.

Minghao failed to hold back another sigh when he realized that it would be impossible for him to persuade Jun to do something bad to Wonwoo. He had no choice but to give up, and all he could do was just trying to look after his friend for now, so that Jun could get back home safely. Placing his hand on Jun’s shoulder, Minghao squeezed it gently, trying to let his friend know that he was here to help and bring him some comfort. No matter what, Minghao would take his sides, not Wonwoo’s. Glancing towards the omega sheepishly, Jun tried to smile again, but after that, they both just stayed silent. The bad health condition made Jun soon fell asleep again. Minghao had to wake him up when it was time to go.

On the plane, Jun succumbed to his tiredness even before the plane took off. Minghao checked his friend’s temperature one more time by placing a hand on his forehead before convincing himself to think that Jun would be fine at least for eleven hours of the flight. He desperately hoped that this plane would not have to land due to the emergency of a passenger in danger.

\--------------------

After a one-day trip to the beach, Mingyu and Joshua went back home, going back to their normal life. Actually, it was not really “normal” yet, since Wonwoo and Jun had not returned and both of the ones at home were utterly worried of Jun.

For the past two days, they tried to call him many times, but Jun never accepted any. He only replied through messages, saying that he unfortunately caught a cold and felt uncomfortable to speak so he preferred communicating through texts only. Mingyu and Joshua were not sure if they should trust those excuses or not, since Jun was being with Wonwoo, and it was easy for them to think that the lead alpha had done something bad to Jun again, making his mood become so bad that he did not even want to talk anymore. Besides, they also doubted if the messages were really sent by Jun.

Anyway, there was nothing that Mingyu or Joshua could do. Therefore, they had no choice but to wish that Jun was still find and try to get some relief to know that Wonwoo let him rest at the hotel instead of forcing him to work in that health condition. Mingyu suggested - in a quite aggressive way - that the lead alpha should let Jun go home first since it would be useless to keep him there without doing anything. Surprisingly, Wonwoo easily agreed, saying that he would ask Jun to check when he would feel good enough to get out of bed and endure a long flight to go back home.

Joshua felt much better to know that Jun was going home soon, because it means that he would have the chance to be claimed by his beloved alpha before Wonwoo might rape him. However, he was afraid that Jun’s bad health would not allow him to have some sexual activities. The hybrid was not sure; he is not an alpha and he had never used his strength and energy to fuck someone. Joshua thought, if the alpha was too tired, maybe he would try to fight against his embarrassment to ride the man. The boy might be not strong enough to do that from the beginning to the end, but he might ask Mingyu to help.

Joshua would do anything to make Jun knot him first, not Wonwoo.

When the boy had free time, he did a research of the side effects brought by his pills, so he was prepared when they came. In fact the pharmacist had told him about them, but he still wanted to know about them more clearly. Joshua was slightly dizzy and nauseous all the time, but nothing came out. Those feelings made him lose his appetite but Mingyu tried his best to coax the boy into eating, making him thoroughly understand that these effects would be even worse if he was not well-fed. Thankfully, with Mingyu’s constant love and support, Joshua did not feel very bad, and he still accompanied the man to his office. He spent most of the time sleeping there, yet both of them were contented to be close to each other. Mingyu was happy to keep Joshua by his sides and protect the little hybrid.

Nonetheless, the giant man was able to see his kitten spacing out from time to time but never telling him the true reason. His heart was on fire to acknowledge that Joshua was missing Wonwoo.

Mingyu easily understood when Joshua wore Jun’s clothes as everyone had already known how much the boy loved the scent of pine forest and he always adored Jun more than his other two alphas. However, the huge alpha definitely did not expect the hybrid to wear Wonwoo’s clothes as well. To be more exact, Joshua did not wear them, but he brought them along with him. Of course it would be not nice at all if the boy went to the office with Mingyu but smelled like another alpha, and the cat certainly knew that his giant owner would not like it if he wore something reeked of Wonwoo when they got in bed together.

Therefore, when Joshua followed Mingyu to his office, he brought a small bag with the reason of bringing some books to read in his spare time. Mingyu knew too well that the boy was too tired to spend time reading. He would just sleep. And at the moment the man checked his kitten at the private corner of his office, he found the cat sleeping with Wonwoo’s jacket being held closely to his chest. Half of the boy’s face was buried in it and it was obvious that Joshua needed the aroma of peppermint because he missed Wonwoo.

Mingyu was angry, but also frightened.

He had heard or read somewhere that some abuse victim refused to leave their abusive relationship or even idealized the person who carried out the abuse when things were calm. Now, Mingyu started to believe that Joshua was seriously being in that condition. The boy did not have this kind of attitude towards his previous owner, because he had never liked that man and it was also a shock for him to be sold by his parents at that time. Nevertheless, in the second time, Joshua was aware of the whole situation, and then they - including Wonwoo - gave him a whole new life, giving him new hope of love, safety and protection.

The worst thing was that Joshua loved Wonwoo. That fact had never changed after the lead alpha hurt him so many times. Was the boy hoping that Wonwoo would go back to “normal” again like how he had done in the past? Mingyu was furious to think of that, and he was even devastated. He knew Wonwoo would never change. Joshua would just get hurt more if he tried to hold on his faith and his love for Wonwoo.

Yet, Mingyu did not know how to talk to Joshua about this. The boy always avoided it when the man mentioned something about Wonwoo and whenever Mingyu saw him spacing out and asked what the reason was, Joshua _always lied_. The cat was terrible at telling lies, but he still did. He was scared of letting the giant alpha know the truth, afraid that he would get mad and scold him for being _stupid_.

It was so painful for Mingyu to witness all of this.

Still, he did not point out the jacket. He just let Joshua have it as he wanted. At least, the boy did not cry anymore, except for when he had a bad dream in his slumber at night. Mingyu deemed that a temporarily peaceful life for the two of them.

However, that night, their peace at home was destroyed when someone rang the bell at the apartment. After the door was opened, Seungcheol appeared with a backpack on his shoulders, and Joshua immediately hid himself behind Mingyu’s huge body.

Seungcheol had never done anything bad to Joshua, but what he had done to Jeonghan was enough to make the boy feel scared of him and _hate him_.

Nonetheless, nobody could judge the hybrid’s behavior this time, since Mingyu also reeled back at the appearance of his friend. The pheromones coming from the man was incredibly strong, making Mingyu feel like Seungcheol was being furious and enraged about something very serious although his face did not say so. The guest did not make any movement, just remaining stable posture and expression while saying.

“Do you have a minute, Mingyu? I want to talk to you for a while.”

Instead of answering, both Mingyu and Joshua were more concentrating on the bruises and bandage on Seungcheol’s face. It was obvious that the man must have had a physical fight with someone, and Mingyu quickly asked in a voice filled with concern.

“Are you okay, Seungcheol? Who hit you? Why is your face like that?” Mingyu felt really nervous. It was abnormal for Seungcheol to come without texting in advanced, and he was not the kind of person that could get involved in a fight without a proper reason.

“It’s quite urgent, and I can’t talk through the phone, so I come here. I will explain about it while we talk.” The guest explained, but Mingyu did not miss the way his eyes flickered towards the hybrid peeking out from behind him. “Just a few minutes.”

Mingyu was quite concerned with the anger expressed through Seungcheol’s pheromones and scent, but the guest was still speaking in a calm manner, so Mingyu hoped that his feelings were about something else, and that was also what he was going to talk about. Therefore, after a few seconds of reluctance, Mingyu let Seungcheol in.

Joshua almost bowed to him. Before coming to this house, the boy was kept as a pet in just a few months, but that period of time was long enough for him to get used to the habit of bowing to any human coming to his place. His current owners had reminded him so many times not to bow to Seungcheol, and Joshua tried hard to keep that in his mind. Instead, he greeted Seungcheol by just a light nod, and the man responded similarly. However, this time, Joshua got intimidated by the way that man looked at him. He came out of the position behind Mingyu to greet Seungcheol properly and politely, but immediately got the feelings of having holes bored on his face by the fierce gaze from the unexpected guest.

Seungcheol’s look was never friendly or gentle, but it was on a whole new level of hostility to Joshua this time. He did not know if Mingyu could feel that or not, but the boy flinched and literally hopped back to behind the giant man instantly. His alphas kept on insisting that Seungcheol loves Jeonghan, yet the man still did so many horrible things to his mate. Then, Joshua could not imagine what the hell he would not dare to do to other people, especially when Joshua is just a hybrid, exactly the creature that Seungcheol dislikes.

Unaware of the discomfort in the hybrid, Mingyu simply turned to his boy and patted his hair gently.

“Can you go to my room, kitten? I will be back soon. If you’re sleepy, then just sleep. Don’t wait for me.”

Even if Mingyu did not say that, Joshua would still do the same. Consequently, he nodded and walked to the giant man’s bedroom as fast as possible. Staying in the same room with Seungcheol made him feel extraordinarily uncomfortable tonight, but he hoped that he was just being too sensitive. Joshua deadly wanted to ask about Jeonghan so as to check if his friend was still okay. On the other hand, his brain also told him that today was not a good time to do that. Obediently, the boy went inside Mingyu’s room, locking the door carefully. On the bed, he kept tossing and turning, head filled with hundreds of complicated thoughts about everything.

Joshua expected the alphas’ conversation to last in just about five minutes, but in the end it took up to fifteen minutes long. He was confused when there was a knocking sound on the door, but he still came to open it, wondering why Mingyu had to knock before coming in his own room. Nonetheless, the boy was startled to see Seungcheol standing in front of the door. The man had no sign of an intention of intrusion, but the hybrid was still highly cautious and just opened the door enough to peek his head out, gripping it tightly. Joshua’s owners had told him so many times that he had to be brave and bold in his own house, had to know that he is the host here, and anybody else coming here is just a guest. However, the intense pheromones from Seungcheol easily caused him to lose his composure quickly.

Joshua’s heartbeat picked up its pace under the pressure of facing a human alpha in anger. The hybrid was used to this kind of situation, and he was already frightened. Why was Seungcheol here? He was not supposed to come here without Mingyu. Joshua could no longer feel safe in his own house, having a very strong feeling of something very bad being about to happen.

Staring at the trembling cat hybrid, Seungcheol suddenly smirked, and spoke.

“I’m about to leave, but I can’t say goodbye to Mingyu right now. So, I think I should tell you.” The man coldly stated.

Joshua was utterly surprised and perplexed. In a second, the boy wanted nothing but run to the living room to check his owner, but he could not, because Seungcheol did not move even a bit, leaving him no room to step through. Joshua did not want to touch the man even the slightest, so he had no choice but to stand still and ask with wide eyes and a burning stomach.

“Wh-Why can’t you tell Mingyu? What’s wrong?” His voice started to shake since he was terribly worried that the guest had done something horrible to his alpha.

Seungcheol’s face was emotionless when he replied in a low voice. The saying bore no threat but Joshua could sense danger in it.

“He’s drunk. He’s sleeping in the kitchen. I think you will have to take care of him tonight.”

“He drank??? When???” The boy’s eyes widened. His feet could not stay still anymore, and he almost ran through to small space between Seungcheol and the edge of the door to find Mingyu.

Nevertheless, the man intentionally stepped right to that space to block the way, preventing Joshua from moving away. Shocked and scared, the hybrid immediately stepped back inside. Unfortunately, the boy was frightened to see Seungcheol get in the room as well. His movement was slow, but the smirk on that face was scarier than anything. On the other hand, the scariest thing was that Seungcheol’s face was unbelievably calm and satisfied while his pheromones were telling exactly the opposite. If Joshua closed his eyes, he would feel like he was standing in front of a wild animal which was wishing to eat him alive right on the spot.

“Don’t be scared, Joshua. I’m not going to do anything to you.” Seungcheol stopped moving once Joshua’s back hit the wall, and the distance between them was about two meters. His voice was still slow and calm, but somehow sarcastic. “I guess you want to know something about Jeonghan, _your best friend_, right?”

The boy’s breath hitched at the mention of Jeonghan, yet he terribly hated the way Seungcheol emphasized on the phrase _“your best friend”_. Frowning and still trembling in fear, he stuttered, unconsciously pressing his back harder to the wall behind him, as if wishing to move backwards further.

“Wh-what did you do to him? Is-is Jeonghan okay?”

“He’s still fine. He’s extremely fine…” At this point, the alpha’s voice was no longer normal. Joshua could see him grit his teeth, and the flash of anger was clearer than ever in those fierce eyes. “…because _your alpha_ took care of him so well.”

Joshua was dumbfounded, staring at the man unblinkingly, trying to process his brain to find out how his alpha could be possibly related to Jeonghan in any case. In a split second, he thought Seungcheol might have implied that one of his alphas had done harm to Jeonghan, yet it was difficult to convince himself to believe such a thing. The longer he stared at Seungcheol, the more frightened he felt, as the man had stopped gritting his teeth, and he started to smile. The smile made Joshua shiver, because Seungcheol looked just like a psychopath at the moment.

“I guess they didn’t tell you right?” From the second Seungcheol began to speak, the hybrid almost stopped breathing, focusing all his mind on every single word, feeling as if his heartbeat was about to halt. The horrified look on the omega’s face earned a madly satisfied expression on the alpha’s face, which made him just seem crazier. “You don’t know that your alpha fucked your best friend, right? Did Jeonghan ever tell you how he went through his heats? Or did Jun tell you how he dealt with his rut a few days ago?”

Joshua did not know where he got the courage from, but he snapped, voice loud.

“How dare you say things like that about…”

Nonetheless, the boy regretted his words instantly, hating himself for forgetting who he was dealing with just because that man had just humiliated his best friend and his beloved alpha. As fast as lightning, Seungcheol’s hand was then on Joshua’s neck and choked the poor boy. With no mercy, the alpha dragged Joshua away from the wall and then threw him back there violently, causing his head to slam against the wall. The boy let out a noise of pain, and his scent turned completely sour. In the attempt to breath, he was forced to keep eye contact with the scary man in front of him, seeing him gritting and baring his teeth again like an enraged monster.

“Why the hell do I have to lie to you, little hybrid? The one you have to doubt is your alpha, not me.” Clicking his tongue, Seungcheol shook his head, voice sounding like mocking. “Poor you. I heard that you’re scared of sex? Oh, so that’s why Jun came to find my Jeonghan when he was in rut? Do you know what I saw in the hotel? I saw your best friend sleeping in Jun’s arms and he was wearing your alpha’s clothes. You have no idea about this, Joshua?”

Joshua did not want to trust a single word coming from Seungcheol, but the man was right. He had no reason to lie to him. There was no benefit for the alpha to make the cat hybrid misunderstand Jeonghan and Jun. The story that had just been told not only explained the anger burning in Seungcheol’s pheromones but also explained Jeonghan’s and Jun’s strange behaviors recently. If what Seungcheol said was true, then Joshua finally understood why his best friend did not come to see him for days, only texting to say that he was _busy_.

_He was busy having sex with Jun._

Jun left without saying anything, only leaving a small note saying that his rut came and he had to leave the apartment. He came back with bruises on his face, like Seungcheol at this moment. Joshua saw no choice but to believe that the two alphas had punched each other’s face after Seungcheol found out the truth. _The couple was caught red handed_.

Seungcheol chuckled, amused at the hybrid’s painful expression.

“This was even not their first time. Can you believe it? My poor Hannie was so scared of letting me know he is a hybrid, so when his heat came, he asked Jun to help. Okay, your alpha was so kind, so caring, huh? Wonwoo found out the truth about their first time before they got you. But then, again, your Junnie still decided to fuck his best friend’s mate, and, _oh_, _his omega’s best friend_. Hannie was scared, but him? Using my omega? Or anything else? Did that jerk tell you that he loves you? Did he let you know that he fucked your best friend behind your back? So, _who does he love in fact_? You or Jeonghan?”

They had always acted as if they had never talked to each other in front of Joshua. The boy had never paid attention to how much Jeonghan praised Jun as an extraordinarily kind and gentle alpha. Joshua once noticed the fact that his best friend seemed to be considerably comfortable with Jun’s presence, but had never taken that seriously. Furthermore, the cat hybrid even witnessed Jun stepping up to defend Jeonghan right in front of Seungcheol, but he could not realize any problem. Now, everything made sense. He finally understood all, too late already.

Joshua was unaware of the tears falling from his eyes, wetting the hand that was still grabbing his neck tightly. The smile on Seungcheol’s face turned insanely wild and sick when he saw the omega mentally broke down, and saw the world clearly falling apart in the boy’s red eyes. In just one move, the man threw Joshua from the wall to the floor without a care of how the boy would land on the hard surface. The hybrid luckily did not get injured, but it hurt, and his vision became so blurred because of the tears and the pain in his whole body.

Before Joshua could gain back any consciousness to know that he had better run away from Seungcheol, the alpha had made a move first. Mercilessly, he violently crushed the hybrid’s right ankle by his own foot, using enough force to break the boy’s bone and make him scream in utter pain. Joshua tried his best to fight back, to escape in agony, but Seungcheol was undoubtedly stronger. When the man eventually moved his foot away, the boy’s ankle was completely broken and he could no longer walk normally. The tears on his face were doubled, and he tried in vain to crawl, but Seungcheol was not satisfied with his revenge yet.

Grabbing Joshua’s hair, making him scream again, the alpha dragged the poor hybrid out of the bedroom, walking along the small hall and coming to the kitchen. The boy shouted, squirmed, kicked, and scratched Seungcheol’s hands, hoping that he would be able to detach those fingers away from his hair but to no avail. His protest brought him nothing but more pain and hopelessness. The more Joshua tried to break free, the more painful his broken ankle became. The closer to the kitchen he was, the louder his whimper became.

The air was then filled with not only Seungcheol’s mad and angry pheromones but also something that was extremely familiar to Joshua. Once it hit the boy, he started to shake uncontrollably and went breathless. His heart was threatening to jump out of his chest once he was able to detect the insane arousal of an alpha in the air. If that thing was not from Seungcheol, then it definitely originated from Mingyu, the giant man that the hybrid was already scared of since the first day he came here.

When Joshua was thrown to the floor one more time, the boy tried to clear his vision through the thick layer of tears, trying to find his owner while his ears heard Seungcheol calling Mingyu’s name in an incredibly annoying way. Joshua was hurt so much that he was unable to stop the whimpers from coming out of his mouth, but he still could finally see his alpha sitting at the table. Everything was so blurred, yet he saw the bottle of wine there, and Mingyu was palming his own face. Joshua tried to call out for help, wishing that his owner would help him, but the reaction he got was totally the opposite of what he had expected.

Joshua did not know when Seungcheol left the apartment, because Mingyu got all of his attention and stole his breath in just a second. From the moment the giant alpha snapped his head towards the hybrid on the floor, the boy was violently drowned in a shock of his own haunting memories. All of a sudden, he felt like being thrown back to a few months ago, when he was locked in that hell with the scariest monster in this world. Everything collapsed in front of Joshua, and he felt his heart, his future, his life and his faith falling apart in the blink of an eye.

There was no sign of humanity in Mingyu’s eyes anymore. He smelled exactly like an alpha in rut, and the alpha primal instincts had already taken control over everything. Mingyu was no longer a human with any consciousness or any mercy.

_He was just an animalistic alpha in front of an omega._

Joshua wanted to run, but that was just a dream in his mind. His body was soon pinned on the floor by Mingyu’s weight, and the alpha violently ripped of his shirt regardless of the tears and plea from the poor hybrid crying in vain.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess Seungcheol's revenge is quite unexpected, right? Now you hate Wonwoo or Seungcheol more? :"> Let's guess what will happen when Jun gets home ;_;
> 
> Again, I'm eager to know how you think and feel after this chapter :"> Hope that you will look forward to the next one~ 
> 
> And also, take care, everyone. I don't know how you are feeling but I am really much afraid of the disease right now and my country is very near China, and many people come from China to my country every day :( I hope all of us will be safe and healthy and there will be soon a solution to the troubles.


	45. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun finally got home.  
And found another monster there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I'm so glad that I was able to surprise you by Seungcheol's revenge :"> But I'm so sad to see the number of bookmarks and subscriptions dropped a lot ;_; I guess some people don't like it when the story gets rough like this ;_; Maybe this fic is not suitable for very-young readers. 
> 
> You know, with this kind of illness, I have the tendency to make the characters suffer like I do ;_; So sorry TvT
> 
> Anyway, for this chapter, you should check the negative tags above again. This is a warning.

Jun felt like his heartbeat stopped right at the moment he saw something looking like Seungcheol’s car passing through his taxi when he almost reached his apartment building. The angle did not allow him to see the number on the back of the car, but in a flash, he was pretty sure that the driver sitting inside was his and his cousins’ best friend. He began to fidget in his own seat, obviously nervous and tensed up. Minghao saw the quick change in his attitude, but he did not ask, assuming that Jun was just getting anxious because he was about to see Mingyu and Joshua again.

Jun did not want Minghao to follow him upstairs, since he was too afraid that Mingyu would kick him out of the door right away after seeing the mark on his neck and he certainly never wanted his friend to witness such a scene. However, the omega insisted on helping Jun bringing his suitcase to the door of his apartment and making sure that he went home safely. Minghao could not know whether Jun would pass out on the way to his apartment or not, so he would only go home once he saw the man opened the door into his place. Jun was forced to give up, having no more reasons to argue with his friend.

Jun wanted to handle his own suitcase, thinking that he was not too weak, but things turned out to be much different from what he thought. The dizziness had never stopped, and his hands shook seriously when they had to pull a big and heavy object like the suitcase. Jun quickly realized that the only thing he could do was just focusing on keeping balance on his own feet until he could lie down in his cozy bed. Minghao gave no comments when seeing his friend unable to pull the suitcase properly, since he could see how much exhausted the alpha was just by judging his appearance. Therefore, the omega did everything for Jun again, including pressing the number in the elevator, as the alpha’s vision was too blurred for him to see things normally.

Perhaps the long flight had taken away too much of his energy. Perhaps Jun should go to the hospital like what Wonwoo had suggested. Rubbing his own forehead, he could not stop his heartbeat from racing crazily, worrying if he could ever have a chance to rest peacefully at home.

_“What will Mingyu and Joshua see when they see the mark?”_

_“Did Seungcheol tell them anything?”_

_“Are they angry at me because of that?”_

_“Will they kick me out?”_

_“Will Joshua cry and say that he hates me?”_

_“Will Mingyu be disappointed at me?”_

_“Is Jeonghan still fine? Does he hate me because I can’t do anything for him?”_

And a hundred other questions kept torturing his mind in just a minute of riding the elevator.

Afraid that Jun was about to fall and had lost the sense of direction, Minghao gently held his elbow to guide him when they got out of the elevator. Jun did not protest, genuinely thankful for his friend’s consideration. His head was really spinning not only because of his health but also because of his fear. Stopping at the door of his apartment, Jun turned to give Minghao a grateful hug. Although Minghao is an omega, they simply had been good friends for so long that neither of them found any troubles in this anymore. No words could ever express his gratitude for the omega, and he thought that he would definitely have to do something to make up for this after he got better.

“Thank you, Minghao. I owe you a lot.” Jun said, voice getting weaker and thinner, making Minghao grimace.

The omega slapped his back lightly. “Don’t say that. I can’t leave you dying. But… do you want me to call your parents?”

Jun pulled away immediately, shaking his head vehemently.

“No! Please don’t!” Once again, he ducked his head, murmuring. “I… I will explain to them later, after everything was fine.”

“You’re afraid that they will be angry with Wonwoo?” Minghao glared at him, obviously displeased.

Jun did not answer and the omega just sighed audibly.

“Okay, okay. I will let you deal with this in the way you want. But please, remember, Jun. If things get too bad, please remember that you still have your parents. Just go back to them if you can’t stand this anymore.” Minghao tried to tell him, voice sincere and desperate, as if he was worrying that Jun would die under Wonwoo’s power instead looking for protection and comfort from his own family.

Jun nodded, but Minghao was not convinced at all.

“Do you want to go inside?”

“Thanks, but I have to go now. Sorry but I have some other things to deal with and they can’t wait.”

“Oh, right.” Jun scratched his head, feeling apologetic. He forgot that Minghao had had to leave everything behind to come to England and get him back here. The omega must be busy to catch up with things he had missed. “So… See you later.”

“Take care, Jun. I will come when I have time.”

Jun and Minghao still kept their eyes on the other one when the alpha used his card to unlock the door while the omega came to the elevator. Almost simultaneously, they disappeared out of the other sight a few seconds later.

The door was closed behind him and Jun was home.

However, he was not welcomed by any peace. The intense pheromones of arousal and the dreadful scent of fear and pain attacked him like a devastating wave, causing him to reel back instantly. His shaking hand dropped the suitcase while his ears were startled to hear the sounds of someone _crying_. Besides, there were some other sounds that could never be mistaken. They were Mingyu’s growls and grunts. Utterly shocked and severely trembling, Jun scrambled to use all of his left energy to run towards the kitchen.

Right after Jun managed to open the door, he froze in front of what his eyes were witnessing, dumbfounded and lost. Joshua was crying and sobbing on the floor, lying with his back flat on the ground. Nothing was tying his limbs or pinning him down, but the hybrid just stayed there without moving even a bit. On his neck, the position that Jun and his cousins usually put him the temporary marks was seriously bleeding while all of the clothes of the boy was ripped and thrown without a care. Above Joshua, Mingyu was like a fierce wild animal trying to eat the hybrid alive, using all of his claws to touch every inch on the fragile body of the cat, leaving countless bruises here and there.

Obviously, Joshua had fought back and what he got was a bite that made him bleed so much on the neck. The boy was too frightened to make any movement again, only crying and giving all his body to the alpha above him. In the very short period of time, Jun could not figure out the reasons of this, but he knew for sure that the man he was seeing was not Mingyu anymore. The shock was even strong enough to make his head stop spinning, but it seemed that nothing could ever distract the giant alpha from the beautiful omega in his hands. However, Joshua quickly realized the appearance of another person in the room just by a little of the faded pine scent that his lungs took in between his heavy sobs.

“Master… help!” The boy cried out, but his voice was broken and weak like a dying person.

Right at the moment Mingyu was pushing Joshua’s legs to the sides and aligning his cock with the omega’s hole, Jun successfully fought against his exhaustion to run towards them and shoved Mingyu away. Since he did not have much of his own energy left, his action was just able to make the giant man stop what he was doing. Enraged and furious right on the spot, Mingyu snapped his head towards the unexpected person while Jun struggled to pull Joshua out of the crazy man’s grip. The hybrid wanted to run, but he could not, and Jun soon realized that one of his omega’s legs had trouble. The boy could not walk on that leg, and it was terribly difficult for him to stay away from any kind of danger.

And Jun was not strong enough to carry Joshua to run.

“Jun…” Mingyu suddenly let go of the hybrid on his own, mumbling and growling, sending shivers straight down the two other people’s spines.

Jun did not dare to spend time talking or arguing with Mingyu now, because he really doubted if the man still had any consciousness left in his mind. If there was any left, then it was just the part that increased his thirst for the people he loves. The way his younger cousin was looking at him even made him tremble, although Jun was not an omega. Mingyu smelled like he was in rut, but the worse thing was that, when he was actually in rut in the past, his scent and pheromones had never been this sharp and strong. Everything about the man at this moment even easily scared an alpha like Jun, and the man quickly felt threatened. He was not any different from Joshua. This situation was dangerous as hell for him, too. Mingyu could not control his own action. The instincts had taken control, but his own feelings for Jun were making him crave for the alpha as well.

Jun tried his best to focus on taking Joshua out of Mingyu’s reach first, but no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to ignore the fact that his appearance had attracted a lot of the giant man’s attention. His eyes got darker when staring at both of them, pupil evidently dilated. The low and fierce sounds coming from his throat made Joshua whimper in fright. The boy desperately tried to drag himself on the floor, clinging to Jun, begging the man to help him, but Jun was too weak to handle himself, not to mention helping another person.

It was easy for Jun to realize that he would not be able to get both him and Joshua out of here. They could both move, but they both needed a lot of time. Whereas, Mingyu was still strong and having full capacity of handling them without any difficulty, and the man reached them before they could even move a meter away from him. When Jun’s wrist was grabbed by the giant alpha’s rough and merciless hand, he winced in pain, but also knew that it was time to decide.

Or it would be too late.

Fighting meant nothing. He knew that only submission would help him suffer from less pain and torture. As long as he gave Mingyu what he wanted, the giant man would not hurt him, right?

Rapidly taking his phone out of the pocket, Jun threw it towards Joshua, trying to command the panicked hybrid.

“Get out of here, Joshua! Call Minghao! Out of here, now!”

Joshua’s eyes widened, mouth agape when he saw Mingyu violently shoved Jun to the ground, dragging him to another spot with much better space for him to pin the smaller alpha completely down on the floor, exactly the same as what he had done to the omega a few minutes ago. The boy did not need to wait any more second to figure out what was going to happen, and he screamed, he cried, he shook his head, refusing to leave Jun here with the demon. He tried to crawl towards his beloved man, but the poor alpha shouted back a command to him, urging him to run away.

“Get out of here, Joshua! Call Minghao! Call…”

Neither of them was sure if Mingyu knew what Jun was trying to tell Joshua to do or not, but his talking seemed to annoyed the man, and the giant alpha had no hesitation when he slapped Jun in the face to shut his mouth. Joshua screamed in agony at the scene, seeing blood dripping from the corner of Jun’s mouth while Mingyu had already started to tear his clothes apart. Much as the sobbing and frightened boy wanted to help Jun, the sight and the pheromones of Mingyu scared him. All of the things happening in front of his eyes brought him back to the days in that house, with that man. There, he had to watch his previous owner raped and hit Jeonghan over and over again. The number of the times Jeonghan had to go through hell could have been fewer if he had not sacrificed himself for Joshua, also over and over again.

_“Master… please… please take me… not him. I… I can do better than him… I’m much better… I’ll do anything you tell me to… Please, please, master!”_

This time, it was Jun who voluntarily gave up his own chance of escaping to help Joshua run. Although Mingyu had already attacked Jun first, everything was just familiar to the boy and he understood this. He knew, Jun had no intention to protest, so that Mingyu would focus on him only. As a result, the boy would have the chance to save himself.

Frantically grabbing the phone that Jun had thrown to him, Joshua scrambled to crawl out of the kitchen. His broken ankle awfully hurt, and the tears destroyed his vision, but the utter desire to save Jun did not allow him to stop or move more slowly to alleviate the pain. Too scared of watching the scene of the person he loved most being raped again, Joshua did not dare to look back even once, just crying and whimpering uncontrollably on his desperate way to the door into the living room. The smell of blood in the air made the boy’s breathe hitch, but he tried hard to keep crawling and ignoring all.

However, the way the soothing scent of the pine forest turning sour because of fear and pain shattered Joshua’s heart into pieces. At the moment he closed the door behind him, the boy almost collapsed, unable to endure anything more. Everything was too much for him, drowning him in the most terrible hell he had been through in this life again. Joshua wanted to go back, but he could not.

The hybrid’s hands trembled too much when he tried to find Minghao’s name in the contact list. Nevertheless, his hand slipped and almost pressed the wrong name when his ears heard a shout from the other room. Joshua failed to hold back another whimper in horror, shedding even more tears on his wet and bruised face. No matter what, he still clung to the phone, desperately holding to the last hope of saving Jun. His alpha told him to call Minghao for help, so he would do it. He had to do it.

“Is there anything wrong, Jun? I haven’t gone far from your…” Minghao soon answered the phone, voice confused and also nervous.

Joshua cut him off, having no patience or time to wait.

“Help, please…” His voice was shaking and broken, even worse than a minute ago, shocking the other omega to the utmost. “Minghao, help, please…”

“Joshua? Joshua? Is that you?” Magically, Minghao managed to realize the hybrid’s voice, and he immediately got alarmed. His speech became a hundred times quicker. “What happen? Why are you using Jun’s phone? You two are at home, right?”

“Please come here… help Jun… he… he…”

Joshua was unable to explain the situation, but Minghao needed no more. It was obviously enough to understand that there was trouble in the place he had just left.

“I’m near. Wait for me, Joshua. I will be right there just a minute. Wait for me. Can you open the door, Joshua? Do I need anything to break it?” He quickly said to the boy while hurriedly running back to the elevator. Minghao was still in the building, and he just wished to get back as soon as possible.

Looking at the way from his spot to the door, Joshua knew it was painful, but he did not care, so he quickly replied to Minghao.

“Yes, I can… I can…”

“Okay. Hold the phone and wait for me. I will tell you when I get there. Don’t open the door for anyone else. Do you understand?”

The boy struggled to answer after a sob. He begged, as well. “Yes… please… be quick… Minghao.”

“I will. I will.”

Lucky for Minghao, the elevator was empty, and it brought him back to the right floor instantly. He had not understood fully what was happening in the apartment yet, but he had never run that fast in his whole life. It took the omega less than five second to run across the long hall from the elevator to his destination. He quickly announced his arrival to Joshua through the phone, but what he got back was just the sounds of the hybrid panting heavily and whimpering in pain. The boy had not reached the door yet. He was much slower than Minghao, which made the omega outside quickly figure out that the cat must have been injured.

Minghao was literally like standing on fire, anxiously looking around for something or someone that may help, but he could not do anything before finding out what was wrong inside.

Once the door was opened, Minghao was utterly shocked and frightened. In front of him, Joshua was on the floor with no clothes, only bruises and blood all over his body. On the position that he usually saw the alphas’ bites, there was a wound that was bleeding severely to the point of wetting the boy’s shoulder and slowly streaming down his back and chest. Joshua’s hair was a mess, which clearly proved someone had pulled it violently. His face looked like he was slapped a quite number of times, and there were countless bruises on other spots.

The boy cried out loudly for his savior.

“Minghao…”

Feeling his heart broken, Minghao rapidly kneeled down next to Joshua and took off his jacket so as to wrap it around the boy’s trembling body. He frantically looked for his handkerchief in his own pocket, quickly putting it on the bleeding wound in an attempt to stop the blood, but Joshua did not seem to worry much about himself. Clutching to the other omega’s arms tightly, the hybrid started to beg while still crying.

“Please… help Jun… Mingyu is… is…”

“Calm down, calm down, Joshua!” Minghao reached out his hand to caress the boy’s head, gently patting his hair, wishing to give the boy some comfort since he could see that Joshua was obviously frightened and lost in panic. “Breathe, Joshua! Breathe. Tell me. What’s going on here? I’m here for you. I can call anyone for help if we need to.”

“Mingyu is raping him…” Joshua cried. Every word coming from his mouth was broken. “Please save him… Mingyu is a monster… He will… He will kill Jun…”

“Mingyu???” Minghao gasped, unable to believe what he had just heard. However, right at that moment, he was forced to trust the hybrid’s words, since some awful sounds had just come to his ears from somewhere behind the door leading to the kitchen.

Trying to focus a little more, Minghao was finally able to smell and sense something other than just Joshua’s blood and the terribly bitter scent of the boy. Although the door to the other room was still closed, it was possible for him to feel the extraordinarily intense pheromones of an alpha in rut. Certainly, any alpha in rut would give off very strong pheromones and extremely attractive to the omegas in general, but in this case, it was totally different. The arousal pheromones were like hitting Minghao in the face and in fact, they scared the hell out of him. No part of him wanted to come near to the source of those, only wishing to run away instantly. His mind was on alert, all tensed up and shaking.

“I… I will find someone to help us…” Minghao said to Joshua and the boy immediately whimpered pathetically and desperately. Minghao felt extremely guilty by saying that to the hybrid, but he had no choice. Trying to shush Joshua, he also begged. “Please, calm down, Joshua. I can’t get in there. Mingyu will just _kill_ me, too. I need to find some betas or alphas to help us.”

Minghao was not sure if Joshua could understand anything he had just said, but the boy never stopped crying and clutching to him as if his life depended on him. It actually did. Minghao was his only hope at this moment, and the omega anxiously forced his mind to process quickly in order to find a solution.

“Joshua, do you have your collar here? Do you have any in the living room?” He asked, since it was impossible to reach any other room of the apartment without going through the kitchen.

Nonetheless, the boy did not answer, still crying and sobbing heavily. Holding the boy’s face and wiping his tears, Minghao hugged Joshua tightly into his chest to give him some more comfort and tried to persuade.

“Please, Joshua. Calm down and answer me. Do you have any collar here? I can’t leave you here alone or let anyone come here if you don’t have the collar. Your mark is bleeding and you have no clothes. You’re not protected. Please, answer me. Where is your collar?”

Minghao believed that a person like Wonwoo must have prepared for some kind of emergency in which Joshua could just run to the door and grab the collar then run away. There should be at least one collar in the living room. Joshua sobbed uncontrollably into the front of Minghao’s shirt and wetted it, but eventually, he managed to answer, hands still gripping the human omega’s shirt and arm crazily.

“On… the shoe rack…”

Even after Minghao had got the answer, it was very difficult for him to go get the thing, because Joshua refused to let him go. The poor boy was no longer in his right mind to know what he should do or not. Biting his lips, Minghao had to strongly pushed the hybrid away and then jumped to the shoe rack near the door to search for the collar. Luckily, among the shoes, there was only one strange pink box with an image of a cat on top of it. Consequently, it did not take him much time to take what he needed and put it on Joshua’s neck right away.

Trying his best to fight against the urge to run away from Mingyu’s frightening pheromones, Minghao went deeper into the living room to grab a small blanket that he saw on the couch to cover the hybrid. On the floor, Joshua was still crying uncontrollably, and he was frantically trying to grab any part of Minghao to keep the omega by his sides again. However, Minghao knew that he could not, so he had to ignore the boy’s desperation and ran out of the place. In his mind, he apologized to the boy a thousand times, hearing his cries and pleas echoing like an obsession, but he could not look back. Minghao had to call an ambulance, and asked for anyone he could find for help.

Minghao went back with three alphas, two betas and one omega. He needed an omega to help him take care of Joshua, and the real situation proved that he was right. The hybrid was lying unconscious on the floor when he ran inside the apartment. The scary pheromones in the place were still so strong and clear that the other people did not need to ask where they should go to interfere. Immediately, except for the omega, all of them ran towards the kitchen, kicking the door open as fast as possible. Minghao also followed, feeling the need to witness what was actually happening there.

It was much worse than what he had imagined. The omega gasped, using a hand to cover his mouth so as to prevent any sounds from coming out because of shock. Joshua was not wrong at all when saying that Mingyu would _kill _Jun.

There was so much blood on the floor that the scene could make anyone faint instantly. Between the puddle of the red liquid, Jun had already passed out, lying on the floor with no clothes left, only two bleeding bites on his neck. One of them looked obviously newer and it was bleeding much more severely than the other one. There were many other small wounds scattering on all over his face and his body. It was not difficult for anyone to realize that the monster hovering above the victim was knotting him, yet he did not stop. Just like an animal without conscience, Mingyu was still thrusting into Jun’s limp body with wild abandon, causing him to bleed more and more.

The people coming to help did not hesitate. They knew they had to act quickly. They all started to fight, using all of their strength to drag those two alphas away from each other. The alphas that followed Minghao to come here were all ready to physically fight with Mingyu to restrain this monster while the betas hurried to find a way to stop the blood on Jun’s neck. During the whole time, Mingyu growled and bared his teeth like a real wild animal, punching and kicking with all of his strength, bringing so much troubles and difficulties to the other alphas in the process of handling a giant noble alpha.

Minghao felt like his head was spinning due to all he was watching at this moment. He literally froze there, having no idea what to do, what to say, until the helpful omega strongly pulled his arm and told him to go to the hospital with his friends in the ambulance.

The alphas that Minghao called for help successfully knocked Mingyu down, making him unconscious, so that they could tie him up and brought him to another ambulance. They all could tell that the giant man must have been drugged, or else such abnormal behaviors could not have occurred. Therefore, it would be the best to bring him to the hospital as well and let the doctors get rid of whatever chemicals being running in his blood.

Minghao did not dare to look at Jun the whole way. Instead, he tried to keep calm and make an urgent phone call to Wonwoo. The lead alpha seriously needed to go back as fast as possible. Everyone needed him right away, especially Joshua. Minghao could call Jun’s parents to come and take care of him, but Joshua is a hybrid. He needed his owner more than anyone else.

If Minghao had had Jeonghan’s number, he would have called him, too.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for hurting Jun so much like this T_T 
> 
> Everything will be solved. I promise. I won't end the story in a way that things are left unsolved. 
> 
> Please feel free to express your opinions. I am always eager to know how you think about the fic.  
Also, please take care, everyone. The virus is spreading like crazy and my country is also in danger ;_; If one day this fic stops getting updated, then well, I guess you know what happens to me ;_;


	46. “Everyone will just be better without me”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua woke up after a long slumber, and the first one he met was Mingyu.  
However, he was the last one the boy expected to see.  
And Wonwoo also saw the last one he wanted to see at the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite short, but I think it will be satisfying enough.  
Another warning for you (again): please check the negative tags before reading ;_;

Joshua’s instincts woke him up from the darkness. His consciousness had just come back in less than a second, but the boy was immediately put in high alert. Abruptly sitting up, he opened his eyes and snapped his head towards the door just right at the moment it swung opened and a giant figure ran inside. Instantly realizing who was approaching him with an unbelievably rapid speed, Joshua panicked, hurriedly scrambling to find a way to escape, but as a person who had just got up after a very long slumber, the boy was too weak to walk or run. Consequently, he fell from the bed to the hard floor.

It was not until then did Joshua start to realize that his ankle terribly hurt and he could not stand properly, not to mention walking anywhere. However, _the giant man_ was still running towards him and the hybrid had no other way out. This scene was too familiar to Joshua, exactly like what he had seen at home, in the kitchen, where _the monster_ attacked him and wanted nothing but to tear him into pieces. The scent of sandalwood, the sight of a huge alpha, all frightened the boy to death, causing him to whimper loudly and the tears started to run again out of his control.

Joshua tried to drag himself on the floor towards the corner of the walls, but the further he moved, the faster the alpha became, and the boy was soon trapped. The trembling hybrid desperately looked around to seek for a way out, but he had none, and the monster had already kneeled down in front of him, staying just less than half a meter away from him. Curling up like a tiny ball, Joshua helplessly tried to press himself against the wall as if it could help lengthen the distance between him and the alpha. The hybrid’s arms were violently shaking, but still holding himself tightly.

The tears stole so much of Joshua’s vision, but he still could see clearly who was being in front of him, see the alpha reaching out his arm towards him. However, the boy just cried and even screamed, vigorously shaking his head. He wanted to beg the man to leave him alone, but he was too scared to voice out anything in his mind.

The alpha could not be anyone except for Mingyu, who had got back his mind after being taken care of by the doctors. Currently, he was fully conscious, and totally aware of what he had done to his omega more than ten hours ago.

Joshua was too frightened to realize that the alpha was actually begging for forgiveness, or to just realize that the alpha had no intention of hurting him. Mingyu wanted nothing but to hold the hybrid in his arms to protect him, to soothe him, stop the tears, tell him that he was sorry, that he would never hurt him again. Although Joshua was wearing long clothes, Mingyu was still able to see the bruises and scratches on his arms, wrists, and also all his face. The man knew he was the cause of all of them, and he was also the cause of the bitterly sour scent coming from the poor hybrid right at this moment. He was so relieved when people told him that his attempt to rape the omega hybrid was interrupted on time, but the consequence did not seem to be different.

Joshua was evidently scared of him to death.

“Please, kitten. I’m Mingyu. I’m Mingyu, now. Don’t be scared. Please, look at me, Joshua! I won’t do that again. I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry.”

Nonetheless, everything was just useless. The boy heard nothing, refusing to look at the alpha, and when the man moved closer, he began to scream in utter panic. The first person to appear in his mind was only Wonwoo, his most powerful owner, the person he had always believed to protect him from any danger. Joshua wanted Wonwoo, crying out to Wonwoo for help, even though he himself did not have any faith in getting any chance of peace in this situation.

Mingyu could have touched Joshua’s arm if another person had not stormed into the room just in time. No anger could be detected in the air, but the giant man was strongly pulled by a harsh grip on his shoulder. Immediately, Mingyu fell backwards, increasing the distance between him and the hybrid, enough for that third person to step in and become a shield for the shaking boy. Stroke by the scent of peppermint, Joshua hurriedly rubbed his eyes only to see his greatest alpha right in front of him, opening his arms widely towards him with the most heartbroken expression on his face.

Without thinking, the hybrid flung himself into Wonwoo’s arms, wrapping his arms tightly around the man’s neck and also his legs around his waist without being told. At the same time, the lead alpha also hugged the boy protectively, easily lifting him up in just one smooth movement and moving away from the giant alpha, who was sitting still on the ground, staring at them, aghast and almost broken.

Crying and sobbing, Joshua desperately clung to Wonwoo for his life, hiding his whole face in the man’s shoulder, as if he had never heard the man’s threat of knotting him after coming back. Despite being safe in Wonwoo’s embrace, the hybrid still whimpered pathetically due to extreme panic. The boy was shaking so much that he could hardly hold onto the alpha. However, it would be still fine if he passed out in Wonwoo’s arms, because the man was holding him considerably tightly, securely, effortlessly making the hybrid believe that his owner also desired to protect him at all cost.

“It’s okay, kitten. I’m already here.” Wonwoo whispered to his omega, voice a little shaking, but utterly gentle and soft, causing the boy to cry even harder. “You’re safe. Don’t cry, my kitten.”

Besides Mingyu, Minghao and Jihoon were both trying to pull the mentally broken man, persuading him to stand up. It was a devastating scene for Minghao to watch, since he had the chance to witness everything, and now Mingyu collapsed and drowned in guilt because of something he had not done intentionally. Obviously, the alpha was just a victim of this crime caused by a demon, but the consequence was too catastrophic. Nothing could change the fact that Mingyu almost raped Joshua. Even though he failed, he had already hit the boy and scared him to death, bringing the boy back to the days in the hell with his previous owner. The hybrid had never been completely healed after that outrageous abuse, yet Mingyu broke him one more time.

“Please, Mingyu. You have to get out of here, or Joshua will cry until he passes out.” Jihoon tried to lower his voice, nudging the alpha’s arm. “He’s too frightened. He can’t talk to you now.”

“Come on, Mingyu. Let’s go.” Minghao forced himself to focus on helping his friends, not be carried away by his pity for them. “Let’s just… wait outside Jun’s room.”

“Wait outside?” Jihoon was quite surprised. “He can’t go inside?”

“The doctors haven’t allowed us to see him yet.” Minghao could not hold back a sigh. “They said that he’s still very weak and we must not disturb. They’re still taking care of him there. Anyway, let’s talk later. We have to get Mingyu out of here first.”

With a lot of effort, the two omegas tried extremely hard to convince and pull the giant alpha out of the room, leaving only Wonwoo with Joshua in the peace that the boy had craved for.

Nonetheless, Mingyu literally collapsed right out of the door, sitting like a soulless person on the hard cold floor. Staring into nothing, he just sat there and stayed silent. He heard all the things the two omegas said to him, but he could not bring himself to get through them. These good friends tried their best to move Mingyu to sit on the bench instead, keeping on pouring thousands of soothing words to the man, but nothing seemed to work. Everyone understood the situation. No one was blaming Mingyu, but no one could fix the damage, either. Joshua was hurt again. Jun had been taken to the emergency room, and he was currently still in the ICU, weak and unconscious.

Not long after that, two people went to them and Minghao briefly explained to Jihoon that they were Jun’s parents. It was not only then did the two omegas know that it was fine for them to leave Mingyu. The respective parents thanked them for taking care of their nephew for a short while, and then persuading him to follow to somewhere the omegas did not know. While they promised to pay a visit to Joshua later, the omegas did not fail to notice a slim figure with blond hair peeking through the door into the cat’s room.

…

Joshua did not stop crying even after Mingyu left the room, and he did not want to loosen his hold around Wonwoo either. The boy needed his alpha to feel safe and protected, feeling as if he would die if he could not feel the man’s presence by his side. Five minutes were still not long enough to help the boy calm down, but Wonwoo’s mood changed all of a sudden because of something he saw at the door.

Jeonghan was right there, sneaking his head through the small space provided by the opened door to look into the room, his eyes glued on the hybrid in Wonwoo’s arms. The rabbit’s eyes were obviously seriously red, which proved that he must have cried a lot, and he looked terribly tired. However, nothing about the rabbit could cool down the fire in Wonwoo’s chest.

In fact, Jeonghan’s appearance made the lead alpha combust right on the spot. His angry pheromones exploded, scaring Joshua, making him shriek, but Wonwoo was too drawn in his own anger and grudge to care. Realizing that he was noticed by the alpha, Jeonghan got startled and frightened, and he ran.

Putting Joshua back on the bed, Wonwoo quickly shushed the hybrid, patting his head gently but hurriedly.

“Stay here, kitten. Minghao and Jihoon will be here with you. I will come back later. Wait for me, okay?”

Desperately shaking his head vehemently, Joshua tried to grip Wonwoo’s arms tightly, silently begging him to stay through his teary eyes, but literally no magic could hold the lead alpha back anymore. He fiercely forced the hybrid to obey, pulling his hands away and walking out just right at the moment the other two omegas stepped in. They were too surprised to see Jeonghan coming here but not getting inside to meet Joshua. They intended to asked, but not given the chance to do so, since Wonwoo abruptly cut them off while walking out of the door. His scary pheromones made them both reel back.

“Help me take care of Joshua. I will come back later.”

Staring at each other in confusion, both omegas shrugged and shook their heads, but soon persuading themselves to believe that perhaps Wonwoo was trying to get Jeonghan back here with Joshua. Maybe some reasons made Jeonghan feel scared and think that he was not welcomed here, and the lead alpha was going to fix that; then the cat hybrid would feel much better by having his best friend by his sides.

They did not know that they were terribly wrong.

Jeonghan was too weak to run fast, and Wonwoo could catch him easily in just a few seconds. Violently grabbing the omega on his shoulder, the man pinned him to the nearest wall, covering the hybrid’s mouth by one hand, snarling and growling.

“You shout and I will make the police put Seungcheol into jail? Want that?”

Frightened and hurt by the violent hand, Jeonghan’s tears soon started to run, but the hybrid had no choice but to obey. In fact, Wonwoo did not wait for his answer. The man just dragged him to the exit door, throwing the omega onto his shoulder and bringing him downstairs. Jeonghan could not scream or shout out loud for help, so he kicked and squirmed desperately, but to no avail. Wonwoo was too strong, and Jeonghan, wounded and sick, was just a rag doll in his hands.

At the moment the omega’s mind got out of his control, he began to scream, yet it was already too late. Wonwoo had crossed all the stairs, and now he was in the parking lot, walking without any difficulty. As a result, it was easy to change the position to restraining and dragging Jeonghan by just one hand while the other hand covered the hybrid’s mouth to stop any sounds from coming out. Before anyone could notice the abnormal couple, Wonwoo was quick enough to drag his victim to his own car, shoving the omega into the backseat and then climbing inside right after that.

The door was shut, and all of Jeonghan’s hope was gone.

In the blink of an eye, the omega was violently pushed down, lying with his back flat on the back bench while the alpha was almost sitting on his belly. Terrified to the utmost, Jeonghan screamed uncontrollably, but his mouth was immediately shut by a harsh slap on his face. His cheek instantly stung, and Jeonghan felt his head spinning not only because of the pain brought by the slap but also the angry and scary pheromones of the monster above him.

“Shut up, slut!” Baring his teeth, Wonwoo growled, using one hand to choke the hybrid’s neck, making him gasp for air in agony.

Everything about the alpha scared the hell out of Jeonghan, causing him to feel as if death or something even worse was coming. The omega was more than ready to do anything to submit to the alpha, to beg for some pity. Nonetheless, Wonwoo did not have the slightest intention of showing any mercy.

“You still dare to come to find Joshua? I guess you also know what happened to Jun, right?” Even Jeonghan did not do anything except for crying and trying to breath, Wonwoo slapped him again, on the other cheek this time. “Do you know who cause all of this? This is what _your fucking mate_ gave us. You know it, right?”

Jeonghan could not give any answer, or nod, or shake his head. From the moment Jihoon told him that Jun and Joshua were brought to the hospital because they were raped by Mingyu, who was evidently drugged by some bastard, he did not need to think much to believe that Seungcheol had committed this crime. Similar to him, Wonwoo also easily figured out that truth without an investigation. While the rabbit was drowned in guilt and grief for his best friend and the man he adored, the lead alpha was exceedingly more enraged than ever.

“Don’t you blame yourself for anything of this, Jeonghan?” All of a sudden, Wonwoo’s other hand pulled the hybrid’s hair roughly, purposely bringing more pain to the omega, making his tears run even more. “You’re really this shameless? Don’t you know that you had better get the hell out of my sight because I just want to kill you?”

As the last hopeless attempt to save his own life, Jeonghan tried to detach the alpha’s hand away from his neck by his own awfully trembling hands, but it was useless. A sick omega hybrid had no possibility of fighting against a human noble alpha, and his action just made the man angrier. Wonwoo did release Jeonghan’s neck, but only to slap his face once again. The omega whimpered loudly, feeling the pain extremely clear and more severe this time, feeling blood leaking out of his mouth, but he was too frightened to know exactly what part of his face or mouth had been broken or wounded.

At least, he had the chance to speak, to beg, yet he failed to notice that Wonwoo also let go of his hair, and his both hands was undoing his belt.

“I… I know… it’s my fault… I will…”

Before the poor rabbit could finish his incoherent sentence, the alpha leaned over. The strong scent suffocated Jeonghan, making it harder for him to speak or even breath. When the man was so close to his neck, the omega shrieked. His whole body jolted, but in the end, all of his efforts were just useless. Wonwoo had no difficulty in stifling his victim’s movement. The only thing Jeonghan could do was just screaming and sobbing while the alpha bit him on his neck, intentionally sucking his blood, forcing the hybrid to squirm desperately in agony.

“Please… I will… I will go…” Jeonghan stuttered breathlessly, begging in tears while Wonwoo kept on digging his teeth in deeper and harder. “Please… please don’t… I know it’s my fault…”

Abruptly sitting up, Wonwoo glared at the omega, catching his both wrists, crushing them in his strong and large hands.

“You know? You know everything is your fault? Then tell me, why do you dare to come to find Joshua? To say sorry? Did you ever think of this before asking Jun to fuck your ass the second time?”

“I’m sorry… Please… I’m sorry…” Shaking his head vigorously, Jeonghan only got more frightened to see the alpha tying his wrists together by his leather belt. The knot was so tight that he could feel the belt destroying his skin and veins, threatening to break his bones. Whereas, Wonwoo never stopped throwing out hurtful words right into the omega’s face.

“I don’t think you are already ashamed of what you have done. Look at you. Safe and happy under your alpha’s protection. Oh, I guess he doesn’t protect you very well today. Maybe he is busy checking on Jun to see how his revenge has been going.”

“Please… _Alpha_… I beg you…” Crying his eyes out, Jeonghan begged again, desperation covering his both eyes, or entirely his face. He knew he had no choice but to beg and beg, but very little hope was still alive in his heart. He knew, _human alphas were always the worst, with no heart, no mercy_. “I will leave… I… I will…”

Wonwoo gave Jeonghan another slap, shattering the hybrid’s last hope into pieces.

“Shut up. You think you can get away from this after what happened to Joshua and Jun? Don’t you think that I have to teach you a lesson, _slut_?”

The omega could not say any more words when the alpha violently pulled something like a curled handkerchief into his mouth. Jeonghan was finally thoroughly bound, his wrists tied, and mouth sealed by the fabric.

_“I should return something to your Seungcheol, to let him know how it feels to see someone he loves being raped and destroyed.”_

Everything after that was nightmare that perhaps would haunt his mind forever.

Jeonghan had never been sold to a noble, but in the end, fate pushed him into the hell of a human noble alpha, the most powerful one, the worst one, the cruelest one.

The omega’s clothes were ripped off in just a split second. His body was destroyed completely under Wonwoo’s strength and anger. Petrified, Jeonghan stopped all of his protest, only lying limply there, letting his tears fall continuously and strings of whimpers escape his throat. Knowing what was about to come, he closed his teary eyes, wishing everything to end quickly, so that he could get out of here, or even just die. Death would be much better, a lot better. Jeonghan knew that, since it already hurt as hell when the alpha opened his legs, digging his nails into the omega’s thighs, giving him bruises and perhaps blood on his skin later.

One more time, Wonwoo slapped the hybrid in the face, and bit the bleeding mark again right after that, causing the hybrid’s whole body to jolt in utter shock and pain.

“Open your eyes, _slut_! Or I will break your jaw.” He growled into the omega’s ear. “Hear me?”

Consequently, Jeonghan had to witness all of the most dreadful things Wonwoo did to him. His body was torn apart, and the alpha pounded into him relentlessly without a care of whether the fragile hybrid would be able to survive this or not. Jeonghan could smell blood and feel blood, knowing that the liquid oozing out from his whole was not slick but just blood. The omega was told to open his eyes, but it was hard to keep his mind, to remind himself to do that while the pain and fear were both getting unendurable. Therefore, punishment came.

Jeonghan could not know exactly what was happening anymore. He was only vaguely aware of the fact that the monstrous cock was still pounding into him with full force; his face was slapped over and over again; his hair was pulled so many times and the omega could feel the stream of blood on his head as well. The wound created from the day Seungcheol hit him had not healed yet, and Wonwoo broke it again. Even if the alpha had not tied Jeonghan or used anything to shut his mouth, the omega would not have done anything except for taking this revenge. The pheromones were scary enough to beat the hybrid to submission, taking away all of his wish to fight, or to live.

Jeonghan just wanted to die, as soon as possible.

Nevertheless, Wonwoo would never give him what he wanted.

Jeonghan convulsed and shook violently when Wonwoo’s knot suddenly inflated, stretching his bleeding hole over its limit, shooting the sharpest pain straight through his spine. He just wanted to die, die and die.

Yet, that was still not enough for Wonwoo. The man gave Jeonghan something much worse than death, much worse than a rape.

He bit the omega, right on the mark he had already created a while ago. The alpha forcefully sunk his teeth in deeper and harder, causing more blood to leak out, and the skin there would never heal back to its original state again.

Jeonghan’s mind was no longer able to know for sure what was going on, when his hell would end, or had ended. He was even not sure if he was still alive when he was thrown out of the door onto the hard ground, covered by nothing but blood. He never stopped trembling, and the cold breeze just made it worse.

Wind. There was wind here. He was not in the car park of the hospital.

Jeonghan’s clothes were thrown out together with him, but the omega was literally battered, too weak to even move his finger, having no thoughts about trying to cover himself. Then, he heard a voice talking. The voice of _that demon_.

_The demon_ was calling a name sounding familiar to Jeonghan.

_“Seungcheol…”_

All he could hear was _Seungcheol_, the only last thing in this world that could make his destroyed heart flip in his stricken chest.

Something small and hard was thrown and it landed right next to the hybrid’s face. It was his own phone. Coming from the phone was the voice that Jeonghan also knew, and _loves_.

_“Wonwoo! What the hell did you do? What did you do to Jeonghan? Bastard! Let me see Hannie! Let me see Hannie! What did you…”_

Jeonghan just wanted to hear more before he died, but he was not even allowed to do that. A foot crushed the phone, breaking it into pieces, cutting off Seungcheol’s voice. After that, then came the voice he hated again. _The voice of that demon._

_“You should never exist in this world, slutty hybrid. Everyone will just be better without you.”_

Jeonghan did not know how long he had been alone there before he passed out, or died.

But he thought _the demon_ was right.

_“Everyone will just be better without me.”_

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you all hate Wonwoo more now. Such a cruel revenge, right?  
I hope you will look forward to the next chapter to see more about how Joshua will face his alphas ^^ A lot of heavy angst is coming hehe~  
Of course you will see more about Mingyu collapsing. I hope that will break your heart.  
Let's pray for our Joshua from now because Wonwoo is not getting any better :">  
I am really eager to know what you think about this chapter ^^


	47. Sweet lies are better than a life without you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the hospital, Joshua had Minghao and Jihoon, but he just wanted Wonwoo, even though he knew his previous happy life would never go back again - if he chose to stay with the lead alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter can be considered as a break after the shocking events in the story. I hope you will like it ^^

Joshua wanted Wonwoo to stay, but the man insisted on going out, leaving him here alone. The boy thought that he would panic in just a split second, yet Minghao and Jihoon’s appearance saved his soul. Crying out loudly, the hybrid scrambled to move towards the two omegas. However, he forgot that his ankle was broken again, and he immediately fell back onto the bed while the other two hurriedly ran to him.

Minghao opened his arms widely to hug Joshua and the boy cried his eyes out on his friend’s shoulder instantly. At the same time, the boy could also feel Jihoon’s hand on his head. Sitting on the bed together with the hybrid, the two omegas intentionally pushed out their sweet scents to help Joshua feel more comfortable and murmured hundreds of soothing words to the cat. Both of them were utterly uncomfortable with what they had to witness at the moment, and Jihoon struggled a lot to shut his own mouth.

Just a few days ago, he had just had to take care of Jeonghan, who had been in a pretty similar condition. The rabbit hybrid also cried a lot, seriously reeking of Jun and Jihoon nearly had to pull the blond omega to the bathroom and force him to get washed. Nonetheless, Jihoon was not allowed to tell anyone about that story. He could only wonder whether Jeonghan would come here to visit Joshua or not.

Whereas, Minghao was confused to see the hybrid’s cat ears and tail. Thinking back about the time he saved Joshua at the apartment, the omega registered that perhaps he had seen those on the boy as well, but he was too shocked by his wounds and mentally broken state to care. Maybe Minghao still luckily remembered to put the collar on Joshua before he left thanks to the presence of the cat’s ears and long tail. The black leather collar that looked like a choker was still on the boy’s neck right now, a little below the bandage covering the bleeding bite Mingyu left, and the pants he wore also had a hole at the back to fit his body.

However, after a few more seconds, Minghao realized that collar was not the one he put on Joshua. This one was almost in the same shape as the previous one, but Wonwoo’s name could be seen on it pretty easily and it only reeked of peppermint, as if Joshua had only one master. His long brown tail was curling around himself, as if to protect its owner. While stroking Joshua’s hair, Minghao was considerably wary of those ears, unsure if it would be fine or not for him to touch them. Glancing at Jihoon and raising an eyebrow, he silently asked numerous questions, and the short omega smartly got the hint.

“Joshua once told me that he could not hide his cat ears and tail anymore when his health is bad and his emotion got out of control.” Jihoon explained in an extraordinarily soft and quiet voice, not wanting to disturb any little piece of peace that they might have brought to the hybrid. To make a demonstration, the omega gently rubbed Joshua’s ears. The boy instantly let out a small whine, pressing his face deeper into Minghao’s chest. Both of the omegas took that as a positive reaction, since they had already seen how violently he reacted when being frightened, or even when he was uncomfortable and insecure.

“I’m not sure about his tail but you can touch his ears.” Keeping stroking the furry ears, Jihoon continued to murmur to Minghao. “Just make sure to be gentle. He will like it.”

Following Jihoon’s instruction, Minghao slowly moved his fingers towards the cute pointy ears, starting to give them small and tender scratch. The hybrid’s ears flickered under the foreign touch of a hand that had never touched his ears before, startling Minghao, but the short omega nodded at him encouragingly, urging him to keep going. Consequently, the confused omega went a bit braver, stroking Joshua’s ears more, and soon realizing that the shivering body in his arms was beginning to get relaxed gradually.

Five minutes later, it was the short omega’s turn to hug Joshua in his arms while Minghao gently patted Joshua’s head to calm him down. His sobs subsided a little, earning some relief for the two human omegas, but they still knew for sure that Joshua could not be left here alone in any seconds. After drinking some water, the boy seemed to be quite more composed, only lightly sniffling, but the tears were still rolling down his cheek, and his scent was far from sweet. Gripping Minghao’s hand tightly, he whispered hoarsely, sounding desperate.

“I want Wonwoo.” He cried, drowning himself in the terrifying pain of being left alone in the hospital, wounded and freaking out without the presence of his owner by his sides. Joshua could only think of Wonwoo now, even though he temporarily had his friends here with him. “Where’s Wonwoo? Why doesn’t he come back?”

Minghao and Jihoon got alarmed when they both felt that Joshua was doubting whether Wonwoo had abandoned him and would never come back in spite of the fact that the boy did not speak out such a thing. His eyes revealed everything. Just by looking into those eyes, they knew the boy was just on the verge of literally breaking into pieces. Wonwoo seriously needed to get back here quickly, or else they would have no clue how to soothe the hybrid and convince him that his alpha was just going out for a while.

“He’ll be back soon. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” Holding Joshua’s cold hand by both hands, Minghao cooed at him. “Just wait a bit more. We will be here with you when he’s back.”

All of a sudden, someone knocked the door, so Minghao left for a while to check who it was. Joshua knew for sure that was not his master.

The three omegas were all surprised to see Wonwoo’s father - the man Joshua had met at his alpha’s company. Minghao quickly let the old man in, and the hybrid scrambled to get out of the bed, intending to bow to the man, once again forgetting about his broken ankle. However, the man was much quicker, and he pushed Joshua gently on his shoulders to keep him sitting still on the bed.

“You don’t need to do that, Joshua. Just sit down.” The man’s face remained cold, but there was no threat in his voice or action. The hybrid was still fidgety and anxious, but he did sit still, staring at the man unblinkingly.

“Wonwoo isn’t here?” The man asked after taking a quick glance around the room, directing the question mostly towards Minghao. “I thought he was here with Joshua?”

“He came but left a while ago.” The omega explained. “He said he would be back soon.”

“Where the hell does he go now?” The man seemed to be angry due to the absence of his son, and Jihoon could feel Joshua getting tensed up in his arms. The obvious anger burning in the old alpha’s pheromones were scaring the hybrid, but Wonwoo’s father was currently oblivious to the impact he was having on the poor boy. He gritted his teeth. “Doesn’t he know that hundreds of troubles are waiting for him?”

Thousands of questions flooded Joshua’s mind after the man’s saying, but he did not dare to ask, just sitting still and staring at Wonwoo’s father. Nonetheless, Jihoon was still feeling that his friend was recoiling, sinking more and more into his embrace, as if the boy was trying to stay away from the alpha. The short omega was able to sense the man’s anger too, but he deemed Joshua’s case horribly serious. There was no reason for the man to hurt the hybrid or even yell at him, yet the boy was frightened like something extremely bad was going to happen. Joshua soon lost track of the conversation between the man and Minghao, while Jihoon nervously stared at them, worrying that the boy would panic soon if the alpha could not contain his feelings.

Fortunately, it did not take much time for the man to realize he was scaring the hell out of Joshua. Rapidly adjusting his own facial expression and suppressing his own pheromones, the alpha turned to the hybrid on the bed and reached out his hand, not missing how the shaking boy flinched. Nevertheless, the man did no harm to the hybrid, just gently patting his head like how a father patted his son’s hair. His face and voice remained calm, but what he said really sounded trustworthy and assuring.

“Wonwoo will be back to you soon. I need to talk to him a lot but don’t worry. He will stay here with you.”

Joshua nodded, because there was no other thing he could do for now, and he was relieved that the man left his room in just a minute later, after saying that he would find Jun’s parents and talk to them.

Joshua trembled violently at the mention of Jun. Both of the omegas noticed that, but neither pointed out. Minghao sat back down next to the hybrid and squeezed his hand again. The boy’s tears were even doubled when he asked, obviously trying to push the thoughts about the gentle alpha out of his mind.

“Where… where’s Wonwoo’s other father… or mother?” He glanced at Jihoon once, then turned all of his attention to Minghao, who had more possibility of knowing these things. “He said master is in trouble. Right?”

Minghao decided to answer the first question, in case Joshua would not be calm enough to hear it after he explained the _trouble_.

“Wonwoo didn’t tell you?” The human omega was quite amazed, but a second later he nodded in acknowledgement. “Oh, right. Wonwoo never wants to talk about that, maybe even to you.”

“What’s that?” Jihoon asked, curious as well.

“His parents divorced when he was seven. His omega father left the family to marry another alpha.” Staring at Joshua while telling the story, Minghao was not sure if the boy was being sober enough to understand and memorize this, but he still tried, thinking that it would be better if the hybrid knew more about his owner, so that he could understand Wonwoo’s feelings more. Or, this story could help Joshua stop crying, and perhaps the boy would like that too. “Well, I can say Wonwoo changed from that day. It’s not easy to tell exactly how he changed in other ways, because I was young at that time too, but there was one clear thing. That is, he became much less friendly. Very cold and indifferent to everyone.”

“Including you?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow.

“Of course. That’s why I know it. I knew him through my parents and I was mostly close to Mingyu since we are the same age, but the distance between me and Wonwoo increased incredibly from that day. Oh, and that was also the year Jun’s parents adopted him.”

“Jun was already seven when his parents adopted him?” The short omega asked in bewilderment. He could feel Joshua trembled in his arms, but he could not help voicing out the question. He felt bad for making the hybrid feel uncomfortable, but curiosity was just awful, and his mouth was faster than his brain.

“You didn’t know he was adopted?” Minghao was even more surprised, yet he carefully watched Joshua reaction. He did not fail to notice the way the boy cocked an eyebrow while staring at Jihoon.

Was he wrong to think that Joshua was looking at Jihoon in _displease_? Why? Jihoon had not done anything yet. The way the hybrid stared at the short omega now instantly reminded Minghao of how Joshua looked at him around the days they had just met.

“No! I mean… I know he was, but I didn’t think that he was adopted that late.” Jihoon explained. “I mean… He seems nice. I didn’t think it took that much time for him to wait until someone adopted him. Perhaps… something happened to his original parents?”

Minghao seriously saw the need to make Jihoon stop asking more questions about the alphas. Joshua was beginning to scowl.

“I have never known. And maybe we should not know either. Only Joshua can ask them about that later.”

“How did you know?” Joshua finally spoke, voice still shaking, but somehow firmer, and he seemed to be frowning.

“Know what?” Jihoon was undoubtedly oblivious to the hybrid’s abnormal attitude.

This was the first time the boy answered that quickly in the past hour.

“You know he was adopted.”

_“I know that because Mingyu told me so when I kept staring at Jun’s hickeys. He told me about it so that I wouldn’t misunderstand them as incest. Who told Jihoon? Why did they tell him?”_

Hearing the stern voice in that statement, Minghao was startled to realize, that Joshua was _jealous_. Until now, it was possible for Minghao to conclude that the cat hybrid was possessive about his alphas. A single hint of an omega being close to his alphas would get on his nerves right away, and the boy was unable to hide his emotion. Minghao knew for sure that he used to be hated for being those alphas’ friend as well.

And now, the short omega was able to register something wrong with the hybrid too. He spent a few seconds staring at the boy in bewilderment, but he soon understood the reasons. Consequently, he hurriedly answered.

“You didn’t enter omega school so maybe you don’t know about these, but we do.” Jihoon explained again while Minghao considerately rubbed the hybrid’s arm to soothe him. “Almost everyone can tell that Jun can’t be Wonwoo and Mingyu’s cousin. The noble blood runs in the family. Wonwoo is a noble alpha, so of course his alpha father is a noble too, and his one of his grandparents is certainly a noble. Therefore, Wonwoo’s uncles and aunts must be noble alphas or noble omegas. It’s the same for his cousins. Jun isn’t, but they all say that they are cousins. So it’s obvious that he must be an adopted child, and he doesn’t have that noble gene.”

However, that was not satisfying for Joshua yet.

“Jun can be a nephew of Wonwoo’s omega father.”

“I was introduced to this job through my friend, remember? That friend works in Wonwoo’s company too. Believe me, the whole company knows about their divorce. Therefore, of course I know Wonwoo doesn’t have much relation with his omega father’s family. Then Jun must be a relative from his alpha father’s family.”

“That’s true, Joshua.” Minghao confirmed, nodding to give more assurance. “The whole company knows about that divorce, and it was really possible to tell who is a noble without being told. Even a beta can distinguish who is a noble. For anyone who didn’t learn about these things at school, they will feel that the nobles’ pheromones and scents are much stronger. Jihoon didn’t need anyone to tell him to know that.”

Emphasizing the last sentence, Minghao intentionally looked at Joshua deep in the eyes to convince the boy to believe that Jihoon was not worth suspecting. Somehow, the boy realized that he was wrong, just biting his lips and retorting no more, even though he was still slightly frowning. Stroking the boy’s ears to calm him down more, Minghao kept on with his explanation.

“Anyway, go back to Wonwoo’s parents. His alpha father did marry another omega, but of course, that man doesn’t care about Wonwoo, so he doesn’t appear here. I’m sure that Wonwoo dislikes him too.”

“That’s enough drama for a family.” Jihoon sighed, shaking his head, gently patting Joshua’s hair. “I guess you know how terrible it is when Wonwoo hates someone. I don’t think he hates me but he’s already scary.”

“And he’s freaking possessive. Possessive as hell.” Minghao also sighed and shook his head. “Mingyu told me that Jun couldn’t even attend a friend’s birthday party without Wonwoo when they were in high school.”

“Seriously?” The short omega exclaimed, utterly shocked. “Why? They weren’t even mated. Even brothers don’t need to do that.”

“I don’t know. He’s always like that. You may say that he was childish then, but anyway that was still possessiveness. And now he’s going to pay for how horrible he treated others.”

“What… What’s wrong with Wonwoo?” Asking the second question again, Joshua did not dare to imagine any more problems. Everything was bad enough. If fate took Wonwoo away from him, he would definitely have nothing left in his life. He deadly hoped his alpha was fine, but that did not seem to be the case. His voice was getting weaker and weaker while his heartbeat was increasing the speed. “What did his father talk about? What troubles?”

Minghao hated to be the one to tell Joshua about this, yet he had no other choice. The boy needed to know, and no one else could explain this to him. It would be even worse if Wonwoo became the one who admitted his own crime to the hybrid.

“The doctor said that Mingyu was drugged by a poison which triggered his instincts and made him lose his mind. Therefore, Jun’s parents did not blame him for raping and biting Jun, but the reason why his condition right now is so bad is that…”

There was a brief moment of hesitation, and then Minghao sighed, forcing himself to say it out.

“Before Jun went back, Wonwoo had already bitten him without his consent. So… Jun was marked by two alphas in just three days. And his body can’t take this. His parents are very angry.”

Joshua’s eyes got widened. Getting no respond yet, Minghao continued.

“I had to come there to take Jun home because he was already too weak. But he told me that he did not want to sue Wonwoo or anything. He agreed to accept this, but I’m afraid his parents have different intention. If Jun doesn’t wake up soon enough to stop them, maybe they will report this incidence to the police. Wonwoo will become a rapist.”

A second after that, Minghao and Jihoon was dumbfounded as the hybrid cried and sobbed pathetically again. It took them approximately half an hour to calm Joshua down again, yet Wonwoo was still nowhere to be seen.

Temporarily, the boy fell asleep with his head on Jihoon’s lap and one of his hand holding Minghao’s hand tightly, but that was not enough to ease out the concern in the two omegas’ chests. Jihoon informed Minghao that Joshua once said he usually had bad dreams while sleeping, so the taller omega felt the real urge to text Wonwoo and ask him to come back as soon as possible.

_“Please be back quickly. Joshua really needs you.”_

The alpha texted back pretty quickly.

_“I’m coming back.”_

Sighing quietly, Minghao put his phone on the nightstand, turning all of his attention back to the sleeping boy. He could not help reaching out his free hand towards the hybrid, gently caressing the brown locks.

“It’s so lucky that Mingyu had not really raped him yet.” He whispered, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb Joshua’s slumber. “I can’t imagine how he would be now if that had happened.”

“Definitely broken.” Jihoon also sighed, shaking his head. However, he soon tore his eyes away from the hybrid to look at Minghao with a slight hint of confusion. “But I wonder… He once told me that he loves Jun most among his owners. Why didn’t he ask anything about Jun? He only talked about Wonwoo. I thought he should be worrying about Jun most because he was there and he saw what happened to his alpha.”

“I have no idea.” Minghao shrugged, also confused. “Maybe he’s just not in his right mind now. He’ll possibly ask about Jun when he gets calmer.”

Another question was asked by Minghao after a short while of silence.

“Do you know Jeonghan?”

“Yes. I stayed at his house when he helped Joshua through his heat. You know him too?”

“Yeah. We have never talked yet, but I know he’s Seungcheol’s mate and he’s Joshua’s best friend. You also saw him, right? Why didn’t he come in?”

“I don’t know either.” Jihoon sighed audibly while telling the lie, staring at Joshua with a lot of fondness but also sadness in his eyes. “I hope there’s nothing wrong between them.”

Jihoon did not actually know what happened, but when he saw Jun walking out from Jeonghan’s room in this hospital, he knew that there must be _something_ between two of them. When he came in, the rabbit hybrid was crying so hard that Jihoon panicked and felt like the blonde omega was going to die just because of his tears and sobs. Moreover, Jeonghan reeked of Jun, or smelled exactly like Jun, as if they had gone through _everything_ with each other for days. It was a real struggle for Jihoon then, but he fortunately finished all before Seungcheol appeared. At that time, Jeonghan only gave off the aroma of lavender, still crying, but that was fine enough.

Jihoon doubted that Joshua had found out that abnormal relationship. If the one who drugged Mingyu was Seungcheol, then it was much likely that the alpha had also told the cat hybrid everything.

While waiting for Wonwoo, the two omegas had a discussion and eventually came to an agreement that they would take turn to come here to look after Joshua whenever his alpha could not be here, and they would keep on doing that till the day the boy was discharged.

\--------------------------

Joshua woke up when his bladder had a protest and urged him to go to the bathroom.

Unfortunately, consciousness went back to him right at the moment the sound of Wonwoo saying _“Soonyoung”_ came to his ears. Blinking his eyes open, the boy saw his owner stepping towards the door to the balcony, pushing it open and then closing it carefully. The alpha turned his back to Joshua while answering a call on the phone, oblivious to the hybrid staring at him with tears in his eyes.

A few hours ago, Joshua totally forgot about his alpha’s upcoming wedding. At this moment, all the memories went back to him. He remembered everything, including Wonwoo’s bite and his promise to knot him when he came back. His owner was finally back, now. Perhaps he would not do that in the hospital, but it would happen soon, and Joshua had no other way to escape this fate. He would not let Mingyu touch him; Jun was in the ICU, and the hybrid’s ankle was broken. He had no one to rely on, to ask for help, and the beautiful dream of him running away with his best friend had shattered into pieces.

Not wanting Wonwoo to notice him, even though still crying, the boy struggled to get up, using the crutch to move towards the bathroom, trying to create no sound on the whole way. Lucky for him, when he got back to the bed, the alpha was still talking outside. Joshua was not sure if Wonwoo turned back and saw him sitting back and lying down on the bed or not, but he could not bear looking at the man for now. He quickly pulled the blanket to cover his head and his whole body thoroughly, burying his face in the pillow to muffle his sniffles and sobs.

Wonwoo was here, but Joshua did not think that the alpha would love him, snuggle him and soothe him ever again. Wonwoo was getting married, and the hybrid would be nothing but a pet in the man’s house, serving not only him but also his omega husband. Joshua wanted to run to Wonwoo, to cry on his shoulders again like he used to, but he did not dare to do that any longer. Perhaps, the man would not even sympathize for his misery. A crying and sobbing Joshua would be just a burden - the cat hybrid believed so. To force him to stop crying and being clingy, Wonwoo might bite him again, not to send comfort to the boy, but to scare him and beat him to submission. If Joshua failed to do what the alpha wanted, he would be punished for his misbehavior.

Joshua wanted to stop the thoughts about Jun and Jeonghan from torturing his heart, and he knew nothing would be able to do that except for Wonwoo’s embrace. However, he was not allowed to get that, and that cruel fact hurt the hybrid even more awfully. He knew he should stop crying before Wonwoo went back inside, yet it was hard as hell to stop shedding tears. The blanket smelled like nothing, and the hospital room without his owner’s scent just smelled like hell to the boy. Trembling and crying, Joshua’s hands desperately clutched to the collar on his neck, holding to it as his last hope to soothe his mind with the feeling of being owned and protected by his alpha. The boy did not know why, but this collar was somehow strange to him. The reason could possibly be that it reeked of peppermint only.

Nonetheless, in the end, Joshua was not crying because of fear. His tears could not stop falling just because of his desire to have Wonwoo’s love, warmth and to be in the alpha’s arms again.

And, because he loves Wonwoo to death.

_“Soonyoung,”_ Joshua hated that name more than anything else in this world.

_“Wonwoo doesn’t love me. He doesn’t love me.”_

The painful and devastating thought made the kitten cry himself to sleep.

…

When Joshua woke up again, the reason was not the need to go to the bathroom anymore. Tears stained his face, and his chest was heaving heavily with hard breath. The hybrid had just had a nightmare, but there was almost no change in his scent, since the boy already smelled awful while he was sleeping. The blanket was no longer covering his head. Therefore, he could glance towards the clock on the wall and realize that only one hour had passed since the first time he woke up tonight. It was eleven, and the room smelled better than how it was when Joshua woke up the first time, perhaps thanks to the presence of _his greatest man_.

Shifting slowly on the bed to avoid hurting himself and creating sounds, the hybrid turned to the other side of the bed to see Wonwoo sleeping on the couch opposite to his bed, only two meters away from him. Joshua burst into tears almost immediately after his eyes captured the image of his alpha, but he quickly used his hand to cover his mouth, not allowing his sob to come out. The boy was just mentally broken, and Wonwoo was _his only home_ now. Joshua just wanted to run to his owner, yet still, he did not dare to after the realization of the man not loving him like what he had always told the hybrid.

_“Wonwoo’s a liar.”_

_“He doesn’t love me.”_

_“He will get angry if I misbehave.”_

_“He will punish me.”_

_“He may throw me back to the pet shop.”_

_“He doesn’t love me.”_

Thousands of negative thoughts flooded the hybrid’s mind, but he still got out of the bed, ignoring his crutch and slowly crawled towards the couch on his shaking knees. The closer he got to the alpha, the clearer the peppermint scent became, threatening to make Joshua’s heart jump out of his chest. He was drawn to the alpha and no magic could hold him back.

Nonetheless, when Joshua finally reached the couch, he just sat next to it, staring at Wonwoo and crying in silence. It was not until now did the hybrid start to realize that even though he had always thought he loved Jun most, he had always ran to Wonwoo to seek for protection, and the feelings of being safe and protected was only the clearest and strongest whenever he was with Wonwoo, not anyone else. With Jun, he had never had the extreme faith of trusting the man to protect him under any circumstances, but with the lead alpha, Joshua knew no one could harm him. He did not dare to think that it was still right to think that way now, but it was already too late for the boy to change his heart.

He could not live without Wonwoo. Joshua needs Wonwoo more than anyone in his life, in spite of the man’s cruelty to him. He could be violently bitten or knotted by the lead alpha over and over again, but Joshua would not choose living in peace instead of living together with Wonwoo for the rest of his life. From the moment Mingyu ran into this room until now, all his mind thought of and all his heart longed for was just Wonwoo.

Joshua wanted to sit on Wonwoo lap, lean against his wide chest, hug him tightly, and hold his hand like what he had always loved to do from the first day he arrived at his owner’s apartment. However, if the alpha did not allow him to do that any longer, the boy would just feel satisfied with sitting by his chair under the desk when the man worked in his room at night or in his office during the day time. Or, Joshua would listen to and trust any _sweet lies_ that the alpha gave him. _Masters do tell lies to their pets_. That was what Wonwoo had done to him till the day Joshua ran away from him after finding out the truth about his wedding.

If now Joshua submitted to Wonwoo, be an obedient omega, a good pet for him, would the man agree to give him such sweet and gentle treatment again?

Joshua just wanted to shake the alpha’s arm to wake him up, to climb onto the couch and snuggle into his owner’s body, to cry in his chest, yet he no longer had the nerves to do that. Torn between fear and desires, the trembling boy gradually broke down bit by bit, feeling as if he could not endure this life for more than an hour.

Much as the hybrid did not want his owner to notice him, Wonwoo was woken up by the tiny sounds of his kitten’s sobs and sniffles, and also the boy’s sad smell thick in the air. When he opened his eyes, he saw Joshua sitting and curling up on the cold floor, right next to the couch, crying and staring at him through those watery desperate eyes. The boy did not need to say a single word. His eyes were more than enough for Wonwoo to understand that the hybrid’s soul was almost dead, and he would be just dead completely if the alpha refused to give him love and comfort at this moment.

Sitting up in the blink of an eye, Wonwoo did not have even the slightest hesitation when he bent down to scoop Joshua up in his arms. The boy was already crying, but the moment his alpha picked him up from the ground, the hybrid nearly burst into tears again, his tears doubled, and a loud sob came out from his mouth. Right after being placed on Wonwoo’s lap, Joshua failed to contain his feelings in any more second. The boy frantically moved himself to straddle his alpha’s waist, pushing his own body as close as possible to the man, and hugging him more tightly than ever.

Wrapping protective arms around the hybrid, Wonwoo stood up, moving away from the couch with the boy clinging to him for dear life. The man held his omega securely in his hands, giving Joshua all of the feelings of safety to forget about anything else in his life. The boy was too weak to hold onto his alpha, but that was not a problem, because Wonwoo’s strength only was enough to keep the boy safe and still in his chest. Joshua buried his face in the crook of his owner’s neck, desperately trying his best to take in the man’s scent, and letting his tears dampen the collar of the black shirt.

Losing all his mind and just crying in agony, Joshua did not know what Wonwoo was saying to him, but it felt heavenly warm to hear the alpha’s voice, to feel the vibration through where the chests touch. Slowly and carefully, Wonwoo walked around the small room like what he had done on the first day the boy became his kitten. Joshua’s ears and tail were still there. The long brown tail came to wrap around Wonwoo’s right arm, as if trying to keep the man to him, not letting him move away in a split second. In fact, Joshua did not need to do that, because Wonwoo had no intention of leaving him. He would stay here and embrace the boy as much as he wanted to.

When Wonwoo touched Joshua’s ears, the hybrid just cried harder, but at the same time, his body was melting under the tender and soothing caress. And then, when the alpha bit Joshua, he was not much surprised, and had no protest. The physical pain brought by the bite was nothing in comparison with what the boy was suffering in his heart, and he was just thankful for his alpha’s action. Once again, Joshua felt owned and protected, especially when Wonwoo spent a lot of time gently biting and nibbling his temporary mark after that, sending more and more comfortable feelings to the hybrid. Joshua shivered in his arms, receiving all.

From time to time, he unconsciously whimpered and murmured his owner’s name into his neck or his shoulders. If Joshua was more sober, he would know that he was misbehaving, but for now, the boy was too lost in misery to care about that.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kind of angst is really painful for me to write, and to read as well T_T   
Poor our Joshua baby ;_;   
But I guess you even hate Wonwoo more now because he acts as if nothing happened.. :<   
I wish to know how you think or feel about this chapter ^^  
Also, please take care, everyone. I hope all of us will be healthy and safe.


	48. Falling apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua was given two options for his future life. Although he was given time to think, the boy soon thought that he had already figured out what would be his decision.  
Whereas, Mingyu was desperate to do anything that may make Jun fine and happy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a new chapter again ^^   
This one is quite long, but please don't worry. It isn't all about WonShua. They are only in the short first part of the chapter.

“Don’t cry, my kitten. I’m here.” Wonwoo whispered to the cat’s ear, leaving a kiss there and causing his baby to shudder.

Nonetheless, the boy still cried. His sobs were not too loud or heavy after ten minutes of being carried around the room, but he was still sniffling and shedding a lot of tears. With both hands rubbing the hybrid’s back, Wonwoo could feel him shaking violently. Joshua was crying so hard that he even coughed, which made the alpha frown harshly, obviously displeased at the sight. However, the boy was frightened to see the knit between his owner’s eyebrows, and it only made the situation worse. He kept on clinging to Wonwoo, but his scent revealed much more fear. Joshua desperately tried to speak through his eyes, showing all of his submission just through one look, silently begging the man to have some mercy for him, to not get mad at him.

Wonwoo honestly had no intention of scaring the boy, and he frowned not because of anger. His heart ached badly when he had to witness his omega in this state. Gently pushing the boy’s head to rest on his shoulder, the man shushed his feeble whimper by a soft kiss on his temple and murmured quietly.

“Don’t be scared, Joshua. You’re safe with me.” Feeling concerned by the boy’s continuous stream of tears and cough, Wonwoo asked. “Do you want something? Water?”

Joshua shook his head vigorously, hugging his alpha more tightly. His voice was muffled by Wonwoo’s shoulder, but it was not difficult for the man to catch his words.

“Just… you.”

“I’m here. I’m here. I won’t go anywhere.” Cooing to the boy, the alpha gently stroked his fluffy brown hair, trying to make Joshua feel loved and adored by kissing him again and again, on his ears, his temple, and his forehead. Moreover, the man intentionally pushed out his scent and pheromones so as to cover the hybrid completely and help him feel more comfortable.

In fact, it worked, since Joshua’s scent slowly got less awful to Wonwoo. Therefore, he suddenly remembered a way to help his baby feel even better.

“Do you want to wear my clothes, Joshua?”

Instantly, the boy nodded.

Moving towards the bed, Wonwoo carefully lowered himself to let Joshua sit on the edge of the bed. It was difficult to coax the boy into letting go of him, but eventually the boy had to, because he was somehow a little conscious enough to know that he should not disobey his owner. His alpha did not go anywhere too far. He just walked to the bag placed at the corner of the room and took out something that seemed to be his own clothes. When Wonwoo was back, he sat on the mattress together with Joshua, and did not ask any further question.

The hybrid was not comfortable at all to see his owner’s hands reaching out to take off his clothes, especially after what had happened to him. Nonetheless, he had no choice but to bite his lips and swallow his own tears, letting his alpha do whatever he wanted. Ducking his head, the boy kept on crying, his tears falling onto the man’s hands, body trembling more obviously than ever before.

Wonwoo could not help spending more than a minute staring at the bruises and scratches on all over Joshua’s torso. He could realize some marks that probably were left by Mingyu’s hands holding tightly onto the boy’s waist and shoulders. They looked seriously dark and painful, as if the boy was literally attacked by a monster. The bandage was still on his neck to cover the wound brought by the giant alpha’s bite. In the minutes of losing himself, Mingyu bit Joshua with more force he actually needed to create a temporary mark, which caused the hybrid to bleed severely. Anyway, it was still lucky that the mark would not stay there forever. When the skin and flesh healed back, Joshua would be just an unmated omega, still fresh and available for Wonwoo to be the first alpha to claim him as he had always planned to.

Joshua was extremely afraid that Wonwoo would take off his clothes thoroughly before starting to put something on, and he was scared that he might freak out at any time. Fortunately, the man put his white shirt on the hybrid first, and then moved his hands lower to tug at his waistband. Sniffling and feebly whimpering in his throat, the boy lifted his hips up so that Wonwoo could easily pull the pants out of his legs completely. It was just bad that the man also took away Joshua’s underwear. He did not expect that to happen. He thought that Wonwoo would just help him change his shirt and pants.

Joshua’s whimper instantly got louder, expressing more fear as he curled up, tail wrapping around his own body in a desperate attempt to protect himself. The hybrid did not dare to imagine how he would survive if Wonwoo wanted to _do something_ right now. Mingyu had not penetrated him yet, but he did touch the boy at his most vulnerable spots. Therefore, Joshua felt terribly frightened to get those positions be exposed to an alpha’s eyes again. The worse thing was that, he was given a promise to be knotted and marked forever by the lead alpha just a few days ago.

No matter what, he had to obey Wonwoo.

Consequently, Joshua had no protest when the alpha pulled his legs straight so that he could put new underwear on the hybrid. The boy had enough strength to do all of these things on his own, but since Wonwoo wanted to do it this way, Joshua had to let him. The boy’s heartbeat only went a little slower after his owner finished helping him wear his own clothes, and now Joshua truly felt much better. It was always nice for him to wear his alphas’ clothes, and now Wonwoo was the best over anything or anyone else in this world.

Joshua did not need to ask. Wonwoo put him back on his lap right after his work with the clothes, and the boy automatically straddle his waist, hugging him tightly again. With a lot of effort, the man tried to coax his baby into eating something, encouraging him to believe that he would only be able to get out of the hospital if he ate enough and the doctors saw that he was healthy. Finally, the boy agreed to have some porridge, but refused to go anywhere. As a result, Wonwoo had to call a delivery and sat there while waiting, embracing his omega again, hoping to make him stop crying and shaking.

When the food arrived, Joshua did stop crying, but he was still shaking a lot, and his scent did not smell sweet at all. Once again, Wonwoo asked no question, simply keeping the boy on his lap when he took a seat at the table in the corner of the room. With the spoon in his hand, the alpha slowly and gently fed his kitten. Much as Joshua was reluctant to choose the food previously, at this moment, he was eating pretty well, chewing some little meat in the porridge and swallowing them all without difficulty, and Wonwoo knew he made the right decision to let his baby eat in this way.

Joshua always loved to be taken care of, to be spoilt as if he were still a kid.

“The doctor said that your ankle will heal after a month.” Wonwoo talked while feeding the boy, voice low and calm. “It will be a little uncomfortable for you to move around with the crutch. I will call Jihoon to come and help you with whatever you need. Or you can just go with me to my office and you won’t have to do any of the housework.”

The hybrid nodded, obediently and submissively, but Wonwoo had no idea how much the omega’s heart was aching after hearing those. His owner was talking as if nothing had happened, as if he knew for sure Joshua would just be his omega, his pet, and live together with him like what they had done before. The boy did not want to leave Wonwoo, but the fact that the man took everything for granted like this was painful for Joshua to endure. He was not given any choice, which meant he was nothing more than a pet to Wonwoo.

_“He doesn’t love me. Wonwoo, you’re just a liar.”_

_“Everybody lies to me.”_

_“They don’t love me. Right?”_

_“Why didn’t they tell me the truth? They’re afraid that I will say “no” and they can’t keep on what they’re doing anymore?”_

_“Why did Wonwoo lie to me? Why did he have to say that he loved me?”_

“The doctors are still taking care of Jun. They will only allow us to visit him tomorrow.” Knowing that Joshua might want to know how Jun was but not dare to ask, Wonwoo gave him some information on his own. “Do you want to come and see him then?”

The boy shook his head without thinking.

Wonwoo’s guess was right. Seungcheol had already told the boy everything.

“But you’ll have to. We have many problems to solve. All of us, you, me, Mingyu and Jun, need to sit together and talk.” The alpha brought another spoon full of porridge to the hybrid’s mouth, and Joshua took it easily. “Can you do that for me?”

This time, the boy nodded. He understood it. They definitely had to talk to sort things out.

However, Wonwoo was caught off guard when Joshua suddenly asked.

“Will they sue you?”

The alpha really did not expect that to be the first thing he would hear from the boy tonight. Nonetheless, it was good to hear that, to know the boy cared about him. There were undeniable worries in his eyes. It was not difficult for Wonwoo to guess that Minghao had already told the hybrid about what happened between him and Jun.

“His parents want to, but his mark is getting better. It’s losing the sign of a forced bite. Till tomorrow they won’t have any evidence to do that anymore.”

Even Jun accepted this fate, Joshua thought bitterly to himself. If Jun, an alpha, could do that, then he, just an omega hybrid, should accept being claimed by his owner as well, right?

Anyway, it was a huge relief for Joshua to know that Wonwoo would not go to jail. After that, he did not say anything more, just sitting there and silently finishing his food.

And listening to Wonwoo.

“I met Mingyu. He wants to move.” Somehow, Wonwoo seemed reluctant when talking about this, and Joshua just waited for him to continue. “He wants to buy a new house and take Jun and you with him.”

The boy stayed silent, since he already knew about Mingyu’s intention. The giant man was doing exactly what he had told Joshua previously. After all that happened to Jun, he certainly felt it even more urgent to move out.

“Tomorrow, when Jun wakes up, we will have to talk about this. You will have to answer if you want to go with them or not. Can you?”

Joshua’s eyes instantly got wide as he stared at the lead alpha in shock. Wonwoo was really asking for his opinion? He was allowed to choose what he wanted to do?

“Jun’s parents have already interfered. I can’t keep him. And they want you to go with Jun too.”

The boy believed that those people had no idea about their son’s _love affair_. If they did, they could not have any intention of asking him to leave with Jun.

“I think you will want to spend time considering your options.”

One more time, Joshua just nodded, saying nothing.

After the hybrid finished eating, Wonwoo carried him to the bathroom’s door, and when the boy got out, his owner was there again to bring him back to the bed. The alpha only intended to put Joshua there, but the boy insisted on clinging to him, refusing to let go of the man. Once Wonwoo sat on the edge of the bed, Joshua straddled his waist again, sitting comfortably on the alpha’s lap and hugging him tightly again.

Stroking Joshua’s hair lovingly, Wonwoo whispered to his ears, which had come back to human shape.

“You need to sleep, baby. You aren’t healthy yet. The doctor said you need a lot of rest.”

Burying his face in the crook of the alpha’s neck, the cat asked in a weak and quiet voice.

“Can you please sleep with me, master?”

“This bed is very small. You may feel uncomfortable if I lie here with you.”

The boy shook his head vehemently, obviously not accepting the idea of letting Wonwoo go. Joshua knew he was putting his own peace at risk by asking his alpha to do something, but his heart could not endure staying alone for tonight. He needed Wonwoo. He wanted Wonwoo. If Wonwoo wanted to sleep on the couch, he would go to sleep on the couch together with his owner.

Finally, Wonwoo had no more rejection. He lied down with the kitten on his body, pulling the blanket to cover them both. Nuzzling into his chest, the hybrid contentedly closed his eyes, feeling comfortable enough to sleep again. He could feel Wonwoo’s chin on the tip of his head, hear the man’s heartbeat, and feel the warmth radiating from his alpha’s body. Joshua should have known this earlier, that Wonwoo was everything to him.

His sun. His God. His air. Wonwoo was everything. What the hybrid had for Mingyu and Jun was love, but he thought, perhaps he worshiped Wonwoo.

When Joshua closed his eyes, he still could feel his owner’s hands on his hair and his back stroking gently. He did not know he would love it so much when the man placed a kiss on his head and murmured softly.

“Good night, kitten. I’ll always be here.”

From that moment, Joshua knew that he could not live without Wonwoo.

\---------------------------

Jun’s parents told Mingyu to go home and take a rest many times but the giant man just ignored. No matter what other people said, he just sat by Jun’s bed, silently waiting and watching his love in a solemn silence. Unable to make the young alpha go, the parents sat there together with him, taking care of their son and sometimes reminding Mingyu to drink or eat something.

“You have to be healthy if you want to take care of Junnie.” The beta father gently told him. “You can’t do anything for him if you’re sick.”

“Will he even want to see my face?” Mingyu looked at the man with red swollen eyes, voice shaking. “I… I hurt him.”

“Junnie is very strong. He won’t hate you. I’m sure that he understands.” The beta smiled sadly, but his eyes were sincere. “You see, both of the marks are not bleeding anymore. He accepts you.”

Surprisingly, the two marks on Jun’s neck really did stop bleeding. They still looked quite painful and abnormal, but it was easy to predict that in just a few more hours they would look like any other claiming marks of other people. The marks could stop oozing out more blood thanks to the medicine that doctors gave Jun, but nothing else could help it look less horrible except for Jun himself.

Somehow, that made Mingyu even feel more guilty, knowing how much Jun loved him.

The three of them had just been sitting there for an hour, but it felt like decades had passed. The doctors only allowed them to get in Jun’s room once he did not need to be connected to any kinds of machine anymore. They said that he was not in danger now, and he would just have to rest a lot and stay away from heavy work for a long time. Certainly, the most important things were avoiding getting bitten without consent one more time and no sexual intercourse in at least a month. That was no problem to Mingyu. He would do anything - even die - to make Jun get better and live a happy life.

Five hours later, when Mingyu was in the restroom, he heard a loud noise from outside. It sounded like someone had just exclaimed in happiness. Waiting no more, he ran, and saw miracle.

On the bed, Jun was being squeezed in his fathers’ arms, tears streaming down his cheeks while the both older men continuously cooing loving words to their son. Mingyu could hear the sound of his heart breaking into pieces, although the scene in front of him was utterly heavenly. The giant man realized that he had not seen Jun’s face being that happy and peaceful for such a long time. He was crying, yet those were all tears of happiness and relief. After all, nothing could be as perfect as going back to the love and protection of parents. Jun had had to fight with Wonwoo, with all kinds of difficulties for so long, and now, he deserved to indulge in love and comfort.

Although being crushed between the two fathers, Jun was still able to acknowledge Mingyu’s presence in the room. Seeing the tired alpha’s eyes darting towards him, the giant man was suddenly hesitant, and in a split second, he stepped back, thinking that it would be better to leave. Jun could freak out right now because of him. Mingyu could not remember exactly what he had done to his love, but he knew it was awful, knew that he had acted like a wild animal.

Nonetheless, the weak smile on Jun’s face did not fade away even after a few seconds of him staring at Mingyu. Slowly reaching out his weak and shaking hand, he made a light gesture to call the man, to urge the giant to come to him. That somehow caught his fathers’ attention, and they both moved away a little bit to give him some space. That moment, Jun finally opened his mouth to croak, almost sounding like whispering.

“Mingyu…”

Mingyu could not stand still any longer.

Like a puppy, he ran as fast as a lightning towards his love, wrapping the alpha on the bed tightly in his arms. Jun heard Mingyu sobbing by his ear, and felt the man’s tears falling on his shoulder, and that made him cry as well. The memories of what the giant alpha had done to him in their apartment’s kitchen were still very clear in his mind, but right now, looking at the man and feeling his warmth, Jun could not force any part of his brain to believe that those two were the same person. He knew the guy that hurt him was not Mingyu he loves. In Mingyu’s arms at this moment, he felt safe and protected, just the same as what he had always felt before.

No matter what, Jun still trusted Mingyu wholeheartedly, knowing that his silly alpha would never hurt him on purpose. Mingyu was not like _someone_ who insisted on loving Jun but kept torturing him over and over again.

Unable to contain his feelings, Mingyu was not even aware of when he scooped Jun up in his arms and placed his lover on his lap so that he could snuggled his whole body. Jun was so embarrassed when his cousin did that in front of his parents, but the two men just smiled lovingly at them and patted his head gently.

“Mingyu’s always been here. He didn’t sleep at all.”

“But Mingyu-ah, you have to let Jun rest.” The alpha father tapped the giant man’s shoulder to remind him. “He’s still very weak.”

“Can I hold him while he sleeps?” Mingyu literally pleaded, looking at the parents through wet eyes. “I can’t… I just can’t…”

“Well…” The beta turned to look at Jun, smiling with fondness. “Junnie, what do you think? Do you want to let Mingyu do that? I’m pretty sure that he will stick to you from now till the end of his life.”

The giant alpha let out a short whine of embarrassment, but he had no intention of letting Jun go. Although Jun had just got his consciousness back for a few minutes, he still blushed and smiled shyly in Mingyu’s embrace.

“I’m fine, dad.” He looked at his father, then turned back to the huge man with fond eyes, hand tenderly wiping his tears. “Mingyu’s always gentle. Just let him be.”

The alpha father faked a disappointing sigh while turning to his husband.

“You see, that’s what happens when our kid grows up. He doesn’t need us anymore.”

“No, dadddd!” Jun immediately whined, reaching out his weak hands towards his father, and the man quickly moved closer so that his son could easily grip his arm. “Please! Stay here with me! I need all of you.”

“Our Junnie is being needy.” The old man chuckled, shaking his head.

“He’s always needy.” Jun’s beta father nudged the man’s arm, reminding him, and then asking his nephew. “Is he like this when he lives with you, Mingyu?”

Mingyu answered while wiping his own tears.

“Yes. He asked to sleep with me after he had nightmares.”

“Oh, wow.” The couple shared an amused look. “I thought he only did that with his parents.”

Embarrassed, Jun whined and hid his reddening face in Mingyu’s chest, which just made him seem to be even more childish and lovable in the other’s eyes. All of them were people who loves him the most in this world, and he just felt utterly comfortable and safe while being with them after so many things. Jun only wanted to live like this forever, in the arms and love from the people who adore him with all their hearts. Nonetheless, it was not time for him to enjoy peace completely yet, since an enormous concern was still torturing his mind.

“How is Joshua?” He asked, voice thin and suddenly hesitant.

“He’s fine, but I can’t talk to him.” Mingyu ducked his head, obviously heartbroken. Having not stopped crying yet, he shed more tears at the mention of their omega. “He was frightened to death when he saw me. I can only come and visit him while he’s sleeping.”

“Wonwoo’s taking care of Joshua now.” The beta added. “Don’t worry, Junnie. The boy is scared, and his ankle was broken but except for that he has no other problem.”

The three of them did not fail to notice how Jun shivered when he heard Wonwoo’s name. This reaction caused the anger to combust in the alpha father, but before he could say anything, Jun held his hand tightly and whispered.

“Dad, please just… don’t care about Wonwoo. Everything’s already done.”

“We can throw him into jail, Junnie ah. _He hurt you_.” The man growled, evidently enraged. The beta was also angry, but still calm enough to run a soothing hand on his husband’s back.

“But I don’t want to.” Saying this, Jun did not dare to look at his parents in the eyes anymore. He knew he was pathetic, but he would never be able to stand watching Wonwoo suffer. He never wants that. “He drugged me, and I actually got no hurt when he did it… Please, don’t do that to him.”

The alpha huffed, frowning deeply.

“I knew it. I knew you would say that. Gosh, why did I let you go to the same class with Wonwoo? If I hadn’t done that then now…”

“It’s okay. Don’t blame yourself, honey.” The beta tried to calm his mate down. He was a beta, but having a soft and gentle heart like an omega. However, he was also strong and firm when he needed to. “We can’t change anything now. If Junnie doesn’t want to sue Wonwoo, then just let it go. We will make our baby suffer more if we try to do that.”

The alpha was cooled down a little bit, but he still gritted his teeth fiercely.

“If it weren’t for Joshua, I would definitely break his jaw.”

Once again, the beta nudged his husband, urging him to pay a bit of his attention to Mingyu, who had been staying silent during the whole time they talked about Wonwoo. The giant alpha still kept his head low, resting his chin on the tip of Jun’s head, and his eyes were glued on some spot on the bed. The man did not think that he had the right to judge Wonwoo or to feel angry at his cousin. What he had done was not less horrible. In fact, Jun was still fine after Wonwoo marked him, but Mingyu was the one who forced his love to be hospitalized.

Sensing the dampened mood of the giant man, Jun gently tangled his own fingers in Mingyu’s bigger ones, nuzzling his head into the wide chest and asking quietly another question.

“Can anyone explain to me… what actually happened? I’m still lost now.”

“You really want to talk about that right now, Junnie?” The beta slowly ran his fingers through his son’s hair, asking carefully.

Jun nodded his head, his voice weak but determined.

“I need to know, dad. I just came home and found Joshua crying while Mingyu seemed to be drugged by something awful. I want to know all.”

The parents were pretty confused because it seemed like their son had already known everything and there was no need to explain anything more, but Mingyu understood. He could see the fear in his lover’s eyes, see the insecurity in the way he was fidgeting on his lap. Mingyu guessed that Jun saw Seungcheol leaving the apartment, and there was only one unsolved question left in his mind.

_“Did Seungcheol tell them everything?”_

Jun must have known that whatever information Seungcheol had given to Mingyu was not able to affect his love for him, so Mingyu supposed the worry burning in his cousin’s heart was about Joshua. It would be not very nice to talk about this sensitive problem in front of his parents. They surely had no idea about it.

“Can I have a moment to talk to Junnie?” Mingyu was literally pleading again when he looked at his uncles. His eyes were still watery, and even the older men felt their hearts clenching for the pure alpha. It was not difficult at all for them to realize how terrible their nephew was feeling after hurting Jun, and it was also utterly easy for them to register how much Mingyu loves his “cousin”. The young giant alpha could never lie; all of his feelings and thoughts were being shown through his facial expression and action, unlike Wonwoo, who was always cold and hard to understand.

For now, they felt it safe to let Mingyu take care of their son.

“Daddies, you two should go home and rest. Please eat something before coming back. I can hear your stomach growling” Jun still held his beta father’s hand tightly while he forced a sweet smile to his parents. “Mingyu will look after me. And I want to talk to him.”

“You’re right, Junnie.” Mingyu still tried to wipe his tears. “They kept urging me to eat more but they neglected their own food. I really don’t understand. All of you are exactly the same as each other.”

“Of course we’re the same, puppy.” The old alpha patted Mingyu’s head. “He’s our son. Like father like son. Right?”

Jun giggled while Mingyu whined and pouted in embarrassment.

“Why do you still call me _puppy_? I’m not that young anymore!”

“Check yourself in the mirror whenever you’re happy or sulky.” The beta pinched his nephew’s nose and chuckled. “You will see that you look exactly like a puppy.”

“You all like to bully me!” Mingyu really looked sulky right now, furiously wiping the tears and pouting. “Always teasing me!”

The alpha father laughed amusingly and ruffled Mingyu’s hair.

“Because we love you, Mingyu-ah. If you kneel down now and show a ring to Junnie, we will give him to you right away.”

The giant alpha’s eyes immediately widened in shock, but the alpha in his embrace whined feebly and hid his reddening face into his lover’s chest.

“Are you serious? You aren’t joking with me, right?”

“We don’t joke about such important problems, puppy.” The beta smiled lovingly to his happy nephew, confirming his husband’s statement. “We know you two love each other, and we know you’re the best man for our son.”

“I didn’t think that my son-in-law would be an alpha, but this’s actually nice.” The old alpha said. “We can feel relieved that there’s someone stronger to protect our son. You know, we just can’t stop worrying about him. Society forces us to have so much hope in an alpha son but we’re just happy for our Junnie to be loved and taken care of no matter what.”

A few seconds after that, the beta father could not hold his laughter when he saw Mingyu grinning brightly and swaying his huge body on the bed, looking much alike a happy puppy waving its tail excitedly for real. Jun was shy but he indulged in the affection instead of stopping his cousin, and that made the parents believe that these two young alphas would make a perfect couple.

The parents left with a promise of coming back after two hours, leaving the space for the two young males only. Until then, Mingyu still refused to let go of Jun, keeping him on his lap and hugging him tightly into his warm chest. Having no wish to protest, the older alpha contentedly curled up in his cousin’s arms, trying to soothe the pain in his heart by Mingyu’s love. Their fingers were still being intertwined, but the sweet moment was temporarily interrupted due to a loud growl coming from Jun’s stomach, which caused both of them to giggle.

“I guess someone is hungry, huh?” Mingyu lovingly looked at his lover and asked, his thumb gently stroking the back of Jun’s hand, using all of his possible efforts to make him believe that he was genuinely not mad at him for any reasons.

Every single word coming from Mingyu sounded so sweet and his eyes were so sincere that Jun could not help smiling, feeling the awful weight in his chest fading away. He could understand what _his mate_ was trying to do.

“Do the doctors allow me to eat?” Jun looked at his cousin with concern tinting in his eyes, and the younger alpha instantly chuckled, knowing that the concern this time was definitely about the food, not anything else.

“Of course they do. You’re allowed to eat, just not too much. They’ve already given us a long list of what you should and shouldn’t eat now. Do you want me to call a delivery right now?”

“It will be nice if we can get out of this room a little.” Jun said softly, as if he was afraid of being rejected. Why the hell would Mingyu do that? “I want to get some fresh air, and enjoy my freedom.”

“Freedom?” Confused, Mingyu had to ask to clear his mind.

Jun used his free hand to tenderly rub the mark on the right side of his neck. There was no pain from the touch, so he guessed it was thoroughly fine now, with no sign of a bite without consent. The other one, he did not want to - or dare to - check yet.

“This is my freedom.” He whispered, then buried his face in Mingyu’s neck to take in the aroma of sandalwood of _his alpha_. It was normal for him to feel comfortable when inhaling Mingyu’s scent, but the feeling was just heavenly now, as if his body was welcoming everything about the giant man wholeheartedly. The scent gave him an incredible sense of peace, safety and protection, something that Wonwoo could never give. The bond between him and Mingyu did not make him feel trapped, even though he was really bitten without consent. Wonwoo’s bite sent him to a dark jail, but Mingyu’s one brought a whole new sweet world to Jun’s life.

From now on, they were officially a mated couple. They could go outside hand in hand, and any other alphas would have to watch out for the mark on his neck. Jun did not have to feel afraid of Wonwoo anymore. The lead alpha would not be able to do anything bad to him when Mingyu was nearby and had all the rights to protect him. They are both _his mates_, but Mingyu had just got the official right to fight for Jun if Wonwoo hurt him.

_This was definitely his freedom._

Mingyu was not able to fully understand what his lover meant, but he loved that word, _“freedom”_. After nearly a minute of just grinning happily and hugging Jun tightly, the giant alpha went back to the topic of food.

“If you want so, we can go to the hospital cafeteria. But I’m afraid you’ll have to use the wheel chair.”

“I don’t want it!” Jun stubbornly shook his head, not giving the wheel chair next to his bed even a glance. “Why do I need a wheel chair when I have _my alpha_?”

Instantly, Mingyu laughed, but he was obviously happy with his cousin’s idea.

“Wow, you’re so needy now, Junnie. I didn’t know you’re this much.”

“So will you carry me or not?” Jun hit the younger man right in the center of his chest.

“It’s my pleasure.”

Jun knew it was not typical of him to act this way, but after all Wonwoo had done to him, now he just wanted to _feel loved_ and cherished. The thought burned, yet he only kept it for himself, trying his best not to think of that heartless man again, so that he could enjoy this sweet and loving moment with Mingyu, the man who loves him more than anyone else in this world.

Jun knew he could only be a prince in Mingyu’s world, not Wonwoo’s.

On the way to the cafeteria, Mingyu carried Jun on his back, and it was considerably easier than what he thought. Jun seemed to have lost pretty much of his weight, and he was causing no trouble to his cousin even though the way was quite long. The walk was peaceful and comfortable for them both, especially when Jun closed his arms around the giant man’s neck more intimately and nuzzled his face into the man’s shoulder. He did not have to pretend to be strong at this moment. Jun felt like he had all the rights in this world to be dependent on Mingyu, to let Mingyu spoil him and take care of him. Perhaps, that was the most special thing about Mingyu, the aspect that made Mingyu the perfect match for Jun.

That was so unfair, Jun thought to himself.

_“Why couldn’t it be Wonwoo?”_

Furthermore, Mingyu was the only one he could ask numerous questions haunting his mind. His voice all of a sudden got much weaker when he spoke, even breathless.

“Seungcheol told you all, right?”

“He did.” Mingyu nodded, and the angry pheromones suddenly combusted in just a split second. Jun was frightened as first, but the more he heard, the more he understood that his cousin was being enraged because of their friend, not him. “He told me after inviting me to drink some wine that he brought along. I didn’t doubt and drank it. Then he began to spill the beans. I can see that he expected me to get angry but I didn’t. He was confused, but then he started to insult you a lot, maybe to drive me crazy. I was about to hit him, but the drug in the wine began to take effect. From that moment, I didn’t know anything anymore.”

“You really weren’t mad at all?” Jun deadly wanted to observe his cousin’s face although it was hard, and his voice was filled with worries.

“You had already told me about it before Seungcheol did.”

“But I didn’t tell all. I didn’t say exactly what I had done.” His voice gradually got weaker and quieter than a whisper.

“That doesn’t make it different. You’re expecting me to get angry like Seungcheol?” Mingyu turned his head back to look at Jun in bewilderment. “Junnie, how can I get mad at you just because of that?”

The giant man pouted, sulky again when defending himself and accusing his cousin. “I am not a stupid selfish jerk. You’re underestimating me!”

Mingyu’s response helped Jun feel a little bit relieved, but it was still far from enough.

“What about Joshua?” He asked hastily, unintentionally hurting the giant man’s feelings. Mingyu was quite disappointed for his cousin having no reaction towards the fact that he did not feel angry at all. However, the alpha could understand well, and he sighed in sadness.

“I guess Seungcheol told him all too. He was the one who broke Joshua’s ankle, so I guess that wasn’t all what he did. And… Joshua didn’t come to visit you even once.”

Staring at Mingyu’s footsteps on the ground, Jun mumbled weakly to himself, feeling his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach, and it ached severely.

“Maybe… he’s still tired.” He tried to convince his own mind, to find an excuse for it, but Mingyu just sighed again.

“No, Junnie. Wonwoo said that he was fine and awake. He will be discharged tomorrow. Wonwoo asked if he wanted to see you, and he said no.”

From that moment, Jun did not say anything more, staying silent during the whole way to the cafeteria. With a heavy heart, Mingyu kept on walking, hearing no sound from the person behind, but he soon felt his shoulder dam with tears.

At least for now, Joshua did not forgive them.

Mingyu could not really understand. Why could Joshua tolerate Wonwoo - who lied to him from the beginning until now about his marriage and even threatened to knot him - but not do the same for Jun? Wonwoo had already hurt the boy so many times, but this was definitely Jun’s first one. His gentle cousin had always been so nice to the hybrid, and Mingyu thought it would be easier for him to forgive someone he loved that much.

Or… it was also that enormous love which made it too hard for him to accept what Jun had done behind his back?

Then what was the reason for Wonwoo’s case? Joshua loved him more? Or the boy saw some other benefits of taking the lead alpha’s sides?

Mingyu understood nothing.

Once again, Jun asked after a sniffle, voice extremely nervous and evidently broken, which shattered the huge man’s heart into pieces.

“Can you please… help me one thing?”

“You don’t have to ask, Junnie. Just tell me what you want.” Turning his head, Mingyu placed a soft kiss on his mate’s wet cheek, heartbroken to see the tears on his pale face. “I’ll try my best to help you.”

Staring back at Mingyu with teary eyes, Jun held back a sob to speak.

“I know I’m asking too much, but… can you please… help me find Jeonghan? This is the hospital I brought him to. I don’t think he’s healthy enough to be discharged yet.”

“Okay, I will find him.” Kissing the crying alpha again, Mingyu reassured with a lot of determination in his voice. “If you’re sure this is the correct hospital, then it will be quick. His full name is… Yoon Jeonghan, right?”

“Yes…” His voice still seemed anxious. “But I’m afraid the hospital won’t provide a patient’s information to a random stranger…”

“Don’t worry. I will do this in Wonwoo’s way. You know what he usually says. _Money can solve everything._”

Biting his lips harshly, Jun desperately tried to stop the pain in his heart at the mention of Wonwoo, of the way the lead alpha used his money. It was how Wonwoo found out his and Jeonghan’s hotel room, how he could break into the room without getting any troubles. Perhaps, the scary man would use money to manipulate Jun’s life forever. That was how money mattered to Wonwoo.

“Thank you, Mingyu.” Jun hid his face in the taller alpha’s neck, muffling his weak voice, making it even weaker, but his cousin was able to hear all.

“I’ll do anything you want, Junnie.” One more time, Mingyu lovingly kissed the tip of his lover’s head, just because he could not help it. “If one day Seungcheol gets rid of Jeonghan, or agrees to share him, we will take him to our new home. Then you two can be happy together forever.”

Jun had never known that Mingyu was definitely an angel heaven sent to his life.

Fortunately, at the cafeteria, Mingyu managed to lighten up Jun’s mood by telling him a detailed list of what he should eat. Jun was amazed at how his cousin could memorize such a long list of dishes, and since he was not picky with food, he let his alpha choose the food for him. Jun only asked for one thing.

“Can you call a delivery for me? I want to drink milk tea!!!”

“You’re really an addict, Junnie!”

“I want to drink it! Please, _my alpha_!”

Mingyu felt like he was ready to die when Jun called him _“my alpha”_. Finally, he gave up and took out his phone to get what his lover wanted. Jun was still sad, and the atmosphere was still not really fine, but at least they both could smile to each other and enjoy this moment. They silently agreed with the fact that neither of them could be fine now. Although both of them smiled, they could see the sadness and deep worries in their partner’s eyes, feeling a thick lump in their own throat. Nonetheless, they still gave each other the sweetest of themselves, so as to make them less miserable.

Mingyu tried to convince himself, that he was lucky, and he should be happy with this. Jun did not hate him at all. He would not be able to make Jun happy if he was unhappy. Therefore, the first goal for him was to become happy first, and then he would devote all of himself to do everything that might cheer up his lover. Jun had already given him the first hint: finding Jeonghan. Mingyu would use up to his last dollar to track for the rabbit hybrid. If Seungcheol refused to let Jeonghan have a romantic relationship with Jun, Mingyu would just take both Jun and Jeonghan to escape to another city where selling, buying or owning a hybrid like an object was illegal.

When they went back to Jun’s room, they saw Minghao standing outside the door. The omega waved to them, smiling in a friendly way while Jun blushed because of his friend catching him being carried on Mingyu’s back.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeaaahhhhh finally you know how Mingyu and Jun are now ^^ I hope you like their moment. It's painful to see Mingyu suffer like this but anyway they're still so sweet and cute ;_; Mingyu is seriously the best man here ;_; 
> 
> Please don't hate Joshua. Our boy is just broken T_T He can't think like a normal person ;_; And please be patient about Jeonghan. I promise that once he appears again, you will see him A LOT and there will be some fluff for him!!!!!!!
> 
> You can feel free to hate Wonwoo but please don't expect me to kill him in this fic or push him out of their lives T_T I seriously love Wonwoo a lot ;_;
> 
> Anyway, I still hope that you like this chapter ^^ Please let me know how you think ^^ 
> 
> Last but not least, please take care and be safe, everyone!!!


	49. Everyone can be possessive and selfish sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minghao decided to ask Joshua about Jun and Jeonghan.  
And the cat made his decision about his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, everyone please try to endure WonShua T_T Wonwoo was wrong but Joshua isn't ;_; He just has no one to rely on and perhaps if he is really wrong, then he's wrong when blindly loving Wonwoo too much ;_; 
> 
> If I can love Wonwoo then Joshua can, too ;_;

Minghao came to Joshua’s room at ten o’clock, and the two omegas persuaded Wonwoo to go home to wash and maybe have some rest while Minghao was here. It was pretty difficult to make the alpha leave, but they luckily succeeded. However, Minghao immediately felt bad to see the hybrid getting uncomfortable right after Wonwoo left the place; the only reason for Joshua to want his master to go home was just that the boy cared about his alpha’s health. Therefore, Minghao quickly put his bag on the bed to take out something he had specially prepared for the boy.

Joshua was a quite new friend, but also a friend that he truly liked. The boy was naïve, kind, and gentle, and he could not find any reason not to love him.

Minghao made Joshua happy - Minghao was proud to say so since he saw an ugly smile on the hybrid’s face, not tears - by bringing him a huge box of chocolate ice-cream. He had just bought it and the whole box was still in its best condition after being taken out of the freezer. Knowing that the hybrid never liked to do anything alone, Minghao brought another ice-cream box for him as well, so that he could put up the table on Joshua’s bed and enjoy the delicious dessert together with the boy. On one of the time Wonwoo asked the omega to take care of the cat, he had the chance to take the boy to a convenient store to find some food for lunch. That was also where Minghao saw the boy staring unblinkingly at all kinds of ice-cream displayed in the freezer.

Feeling that this was definitely a chance to bond with Joshua, Minghao decided to suggest having “a little feast” with numerous delicious dishes. After looking at the food that the omega suggested, Joshua seemed to be interested, but he glanced at his own card - or Wonwoo’s card, to be more exact - worriedly. Cocking an eyebrow, Minghao asked in bewilderment.

“Please don’t tell me that Wonwoo has a limit on how much money you’re allowed to use.”

“He doesn’t.” The boy shook his head, sadly staring at the food. “He never said anything about the way I use his money. But I think I shouldn’t pay too much for just a lunch. He… he may get mad at me.”

“Oh, Joshua, we’re having lunch at a convenient store, not a luxury restaurant.” Minghao sighed in relief and also whined. “Come on, I swear I will punch him in the face if he gets mad at you just because you use a little more for a meal.”

However, Joshua immediately frowned, which made Minghao regret his words instantly. He had not managed to make the boy trust him thoroughly yet then, but he messed up again.

“You… can do that to him?” The hybrid asked, extremely doubtfully.

Joshua only asked one question, but Minghao could see thousands of unpleasant questions swimming in the cat’s eyes. Minghao certainly did not want his new friend to misunderstand his relationship with Wonwoo but he could not help finding this situation interesting. Joshua was being jealous and possessive, for sure, and that was absolutely not something that _a pet_ should feel towards his owner. The boy was obviously having human feelings for his owner, yet he still considered Wonwoo as the man who owns him by the way he worried about whether the alpha would be upset or not if he used a little bit too much of his money.

Seriously, the amount of money they were going to spend was something that a normal human could never worry about. Only _a pet_ does. _“He seriously doesn’t know his owners are spoiling him rotten,”_ Minghao thought.

The omega still remembered he had spent a lot of time in that store explaining to Joshua about the relationship between him and Wonwoo, trying to persuade the boy to believe that they were nothing more than friends. It was hard as hell, and Minghao mentally slapped his own face to remind him to control his mouth better next time. Before Joshua trusted him, he needed to keep in mind the fact that this boy doubted any omega around his masters.

Until now, they no longer had those kinds of troubles with each other, but Minghao slowly realized another problem also in terms of jealousy.

“Joshua-ah, may I ask you something?” He softened and lowered his voice, which seemed to make the boy sense something abnormal instantly.

Glancing at the human omega in just half a second, Joshua quickly looked back down at his box of ice-cream, nodding reluctantly. He did not know what Minghao was intending to ask yet, but he knew it would be something unpleasant, something he did not want to talk about.

There were hundreds of things that Joshua did not want to talk about at this moment. He just wanted to go back home with Wonwoo, cooking some delicious meals for his greatest alpha, cleaning the house, waiting for him to come home and having dinner together. After that, he would go to sleep in the same bed with Wonwoo, resting peacefully in his owner’s embrace. Or else, he hoped he could follow Wonwoo to his office like what he had done so many times in the past, enjoying a day by his sides, having meals together with the alpha in some restaurants, and then closing the day in the cozy bed covered by a thick layer of the aroma of peppermint.

It did not take much time for Minghao to realize that Joshua was uneasy right before he started. Anyway, he thought it was necessary to get through this trouble with the boy. It would be hard for the hybrid to deal with it alone, and he knew Joshua was the kind of person who would not share his feelings with someone except for when being asked.

“Do you know Jeonghan was also a patient in this hospital? I saw him yesterday.”

The boy’s action suddenly halted, although he did not look at Minghao, still staring at the ice-cream. However, three seconds later, he continued eating while shaking his head slowly. His scent was getting worse, which caused Minghao to get alarmed, preparing himself to be ready to soothe or comfort the cat at any moment. Wonwoo would kill him if the alpha went back here and found Joshua crying or terribly upset.

Lowering his head, Minghao wanted to observe the boy’s facial expression.

“I’m not sure if he’s still here or not. But now you know it. Do you want to visit him after you leave here?”

Joshua shook his head again with no hesitation. Minghao was not surprised to get this answer, but he felt extremely bad deep in his heart. In the times they met in the past, Joshua had mentioned his best friend - the rabbit hybrid named Jeonghan - so many times that the omega even thought that they had been close friends for years, not just a few months. It burned awfully to see their beautiful friendship destroyed like that. Holding back a sigh, Minghao reached out his hand to gently held Joshua’s free hand, but did not miss the way the hybrid flinched at his action.

Joshua was obviously trying to avoid anything, refusing to confront anyone or any trouble. Nonetheless, Minghao deemed it crucial to face the problem and solve it. Maybe people could say that he should only mind his own business, but as a friend, he saw the need to talk to Joshua about this.

“I heard about it, Joshua. Mingyu told me.” Minghao intentionally made his voice softer, hoping to make his friend feel more comfortable. “I don’t really understand. You know Jun just helped Jeonghan through his heat because your friend was too scared of Seungcheol, right? And they just happened to love each other. They didn’t plan this to fool you. Why can’t you forgive them?”

All Minghao got was just a cold silence. Joshua just sat still, with his head low, and he stopped eating completely. Only his scent was speaking for him on its own. The scent was too sour and it made Minghao scrunch his nose in concern. A few seconds later, the hybrid’s shoulders started to tremble, which help the human omega know that Joshua was not speaking but there was a huge chaos in his mind right now. It was then obvious that Joshua was seriously bothered about his beloved alpha and his best friend’s _abnormal relationship_, and the boy did not agree to confront them or even the problem by himself.

“Jun cried when we talked about you. He’s just devastated.” Minghao said while watching the hybrid shrinking gradually. “He said that you don’t agree to let him or Mingyu come in here. You even asked Wonwoo to set up special security for your room so that no one could jump into here without your or Wonwoo’s permission. I can understand that you’re scared of Mingyu, but Jun… Why? Joshua? Why don’t you give him even a chance to apologize?”

Joshua remained silent, but the tears started to fall. When the streams of tears began, it was just like the floodgate was pushed open. Nothing could stop them. Startled and upset, Minghao switched his position, moving to sit beside the hybrid so as to easily reach out his arms to touch his wet face. The omega’s soft hands gently cupped Joshua’s face and wiped away the tears cascading down his cheeks.

“Don’t you want the best thing for your best friend? You two have been through so much together. You said he promised that if you are not happy with this life, he will run away with you to find a whole new life for two of you only. He’s ready to sacrifice everything for you. Don’t you think that he also deserve a good life with a good alpha, someone better than Seungcheol?”

Finally, a sob got out of the crying boy’s throat, and he croaked out.

“He didn’t.” Joshua shook his head furiously, still refusing to look at Minghao. “He didn’t stop. The first time is okay, but… the second… He still called _him_ even though he knows that’s _my alpha_!!!”

The boy was almost shouting when he said the two last words, and Minghao could feel not only disappointment but also anger in the hybrid’s pheromones. Joshua was angry. That was something the human omega did not think he would even have a chance to witness in his life. Dumbfounded, Minghao did not know what to do, only using one hand to rub the boy’s back in an attempt to soothe him and help him calm down, but it did not seem to work. The hybrid continued to speak in utterly shaking and broken voice.

“I used to wish that he could live together with me and my alphas would accept him too… because it’s too horrible for him to live with Seungcheol. At that time, I thought that I would feel fine to share my alphas with him.” His sobs suddenly got considerably heavier and louder. Whereas, his scent also got seriously worse. “But when it really happens… I didn’t know that _it would feel this terrible_…”

After that, Joshua collapsed on the table, which caused Minghao to quickly pull the boy into his arms and hug him tightly. Pushing the crying boy’s head to press against his chest, the human omega desperately rocked him back and forth slowly, but nothing seemed to be comfortable enough for him to forget the pain right now. His cat ears and tails appeared again, making Minghao understand how awful Joshua was feeling.

“Please, Joshua, don’t let your instincts fool you.” Minghao pleaded, resting his chin on the tip of his friend’s head. “You want your friend to be happy. You even thought of sharing your owners with him once. That’s who you are. You’re the kindhearted boy who loves your best friend a lot. Just think about it more carefully. You can share Jun with Mingyu and Wonwoo. Then why can’t you share him with your best friend? They’re all people you know, and they all love you. This brings no disadvantage to you.”

Unfortunately, Joshua shook his head again. It took him a lot of effort to talk again, because his sobs were getting out of control.

“But they… they lied to me. Whenever I think of that… I… I… I feel like… they betrayed me.” Even though it was hard to speak, the boy was talking in high pitched voice. It was impossible for him to contain his feelings. “They always act like they don’t even know each other. Why? Why did they lie to me? I thought that Jeonghan is my best friend, he will tell me everything. But he lies to me! _He said that he was busy but he was having sex with my alpha! He made me worry that he was in trouble but he was actually having sex with my alpha! I missed Jun so badly but he went out to fuck my best friend! They lied to me!_”

Minghao was not related to any part of this drama, but he still felt like the few last sentences of Joshua’s saying were stabbing knives into his heart. They were spoken out in a very heavy tone, which evidently proved Joshua’s anger and desperation. If Minghao even felt hurt that much, then what the hell the hybrid may be going through? He looked like drowning in utter pain just by talking about his best friend and his most beloved alpha.

Jun and Jeonghan had unintentionally broken the boy.

Minghao thought that great love could do wonders, but he forgot that _too much love_ could also ruin everything.

“I had never had anything for myself!” Joshua kept crying. It seemed like once he started to speak out what was in his mind, he could no longer stop it. His heart combusted, and he let out all. The boy had never really had the need to share his own feelings with anyone, because he knew no one would sympathize for him, but today he could not bother to care about that. “I only… started to have my things when my alphas gave me… and they all said that they were _my alphas_…”

Suddenly realizing how much force Joshua was putting into his both hands gripping Minghao’s shirt, the human omega quickly tried to detach the boy’s hands away, since he could feel that Joshua could hurt himself soon. When he managed to do that, he rapidly held the hybrid’s trembling hands, giving him more support, letting the boy know that he would stay here with him and listen to all.

“I… I thought that I could share my alphas with Hannie…” The boy repeated that again. Minghao was not sure about the reason, but the repetition proved how much the hybrid had actually thought of it. Therefore, the omega eagerly waited for Joshua to continue speaking.

“I can share what is mine… but I can’t stand anyone stealing mine… but Hannie… _he stole my alpha_…”

Minghao was speechless, frozen. Joshua did not say anything more, either.

So, that was the way the boy thought of the whole situation. In his point of view, his best friend stole his alpha. He truly considered this as a _betrayal_. Minghao’s heart sank to the bottom of his stomach, helpless and hopeless. Perhaps, he had already known that this was definitely a betrayal and nothing in this world could deny this fact, but deep down his heart, he wished that there could be a magic which just made Joshua feel a little disappointed and maybe call his friend and his alpha “liars”. _“Liar”_ was far better than _“betrayer”_. The worse thing was that, Joshua had just accused Jeonghan of _stealing_ his alpha.

It was extremely awful when someone stole his own best friend’s lover.

When Minghao got his mind back, he hurriedly hugged Joshua closer into his chest and rubbed the boy’s back anxiously. The hybrid whined desperately and just sobbed more, making the front of his friend’s shirt soaked by unstoppable tears.

“Please, Joshua, don’t think of it like that. You have to remember that he was in heat, and he was too scared of Seungcheol. He couldn’t think much. I’m sure that he didn’t plan to steal your alpha. He lies because he’s afraid of losing you, Joshua. Everyone has reasons to tell lies, and I’m sure they both are scared of hurting you.”

“_Liar_…” Joshua mumbled, even growling. “Everyone is _liar_!”

Minghao could not come up with anything to tell the boy.

He was just a not-so-close friend. He had no right to interfere, or ask the hybrid to do anything. It was even not much likely for the boy to listen to his words, especially when he was not calm at all like this.

Sighing, Minghao decided to take out his phone to send Wonwoo a text. He needed the man to come back quickly, or else Joshua would cry until he passed out.

Minghao felt grateful that he made the right decision. The hybrid was still crying when Wonwoo stormed into the room fifteen minutes later. While Minghao reeled back because of the angry pheromones coming from the alpha, Joshua snapped his head towards the door immediately, and when Wonwoo had just reached the bed, the boy whimpered loudly and flung himself into the man’s arm with no hesitation. Once again, Joshua straddled his owner’s waist and the man lifted him up from the bed easily, supporting the boy’s weight by his own hands, making it look like he was holding a crying baby.

Minghao was literally shocked, since he could see that Joshua was now making use of Wonwoo’s protective instincts to protect him from everyone. He registered that they boy actually knew very clearly who Wonwoo was being mad at right now, and all of a sudden, Minghao regretted talking about Jeonghan to Joshua. He was not sure if he was overthinking or not, but the way the hybrid clung to Wonwoo desperately while crying pathetically made he believe that the boy wanted his alpha to _punish_ the person who put him in pain. Joshua knew Wonwoo could protect him, and that the man would do everything so as to achieve his goal.

“What the fuck did you do, Minghao?” Wonwoo growled deeply and angrily, making Minghao tremble in fright, realizing a true threat of violence. Wonwoo never tolerates people who hurt Joshua.

“Not… not his fault…” Joshua croaked out but did not turn his face away from the alpha’s shoulder to look at the omega who was nervously staring at the couple.

“I just…I…” Minghao stuttered as he could not be calm under the angry pheromones of the scary alpha. “I asked him about Jeonghan and…”

“Don’t ever mention that in front of me or Joshua again.” Wonwoo threw the omega a deadly stare, and the question coming from him was obviously a serious command that Minghao had to obey at all cost. “Did you hear me, Minghao?”

The human omega really hated it when Wonwoo talked to him in that alpha commanding tone, but he still had no choice but to bite his lips and nod. Even afraid that it was not enough to satisfy the enraged alpha yet, he opened his mouth to promise.

“I won’t say that again. I will never.”

Wonwoo argued no more, just gave the last order.

_“Get out.”_

Minghao scowled, but he speedily stood up and left in less than three seconds. Then, Joshua was alone with his alpha again, and he kept crying while the man walked slowly around the small room and gave his back and his cat ears countless tender strokes. He did not expect the hybrid to say anything, since Joshua did not have the tendency to speak much while he cried, but this time, he suddenly talked. To be more exact, he was begging.

“Please, master, I don’t want to see _him_… I don’t want…” He did not call out that name, as if mentioning it was enough to break his heart and bring him too much pain to endure, yet Wonwoo understood.

“I know, kitten.” Wonwoo hated to say this, but he would be in serious trouble if he messed with Jun’s fathers. They were already mad at him for biting their son, and they did not allow him to keep Joshua all to himself. They wanted fairness for the shared omega of their son and nephews. “But his parents demanded that we discuss about your future…”

“I won’t go anywhere.” The boy cried out, shaking his head vigorously. Pushing himself away from the alpha’s shoulder to look at the man in the eyes, he continuously begged. “Please, master. Please… Can we just go _home_? I want to go home… Please, master…”

Sitting down on the couch so that he would not have to use the hands to hold Joshua, Wonwoo cupped the boy’s face and wiped his tears at the same time, asking gently even though he was utterly shocked. The man kept his voice the same, not surprised, but not emotionless either.

“You want to go home with me, Joshua?” He asked for a confirmation. Was the boy really aware of what he had just said? Wonwoo definitely wanted Joshua to choose him, but he did not think it would be much likely for that to happen.

The hybrid nodded one more time, his shaking hands clutching onto his alpha’s shirt. He talked through weak and breathless voice.

“I want to go home with you… Please, master…”

Nonetheless, Joshua did not expect that Wonwoo would speak out that cruel thing at this moment to check again if he truly wished to stay with him.

“You know _what’s going to happen_ if you stay with me, right?”

The boy choked out a sob at the saying, and he closed his eyes as the tears were doubled, and his heart almost stopped breathing in a few seconds. However, he nodded.

He knew Wonwoo was going to get married with the omega named Soonyoung.

He knew Wonwoo was going to knot him and claim him as his forever. That also meant, he was going to be raped and knotted by a noble alpha, which was probably the worst nightmare of this life.

Joshua knew everything. He had never expected Wonwoo to change his mind and he knew his own life was already arranged if he lived with the lead alpha. Whatever Wonwoo wanted, he had to follow.

Joshua just did not know if Wonwoo loved him or not. If he did, then that was the love of a person for another person, or just the love of a man for _his pet_? He desperately wished that Wonwoo did; he would accept all, even if the man considered him just as a lovely pet.

Joshua never wanted to go back to the past few days to experience again how much he missed Wonwoo, and how terrible he had felt when thinking of leaving the lead alpha forever and not living under the same roof with him anymore.

As if afraid that it was not enough to make the alpha trust him, Joshua nodded one more time. Since his eyes were closed, the boy did not see the smile on Wonwoo’s face. For this moment, he just could not bear looking at the man, while the topic of his marriage and his promise was being mentioned. However, he still had to, but thankfully, all he could see on the man’s face at this moment was just pure happiness and nothing else. When Wonwoo caressed the crying boy’s cheek, he immediately leaned to the touch, melting under the sweet and tender treatment like how he had always done in the past.

To Joshua, Wonwoo’s embrace is the safest place in this whole world. No one could protect him from Wonwoo there, but the alpha would protect him from anything and anyone else. 

“I will bring you home tomorrow. I promise. Only you and me.” Wonwoo maintained an endearing eye contact with his omega while stroking the shivering back by the other hand. “We will go home, and no one can hurt you again.”

The hybrid nodded, leaning over the find the warmth from his alpha’s chest again, but Wonwoo did not let him do that.

Instead, the man sealed his hybrid’s lips by an intimate kiss. Another kiss soon followed, then another one, and Joshua thought there would be no ending coming for this.

The kiss brought him back to the night Wonwoo brought him to downtown, buying him so many nice things, hugging him tightly in his arms and telling him by a voice that Joshua used to think that was the most sincere thing he had ever heard from his greatest alpha.

_“I love you, Joshua.”_

Joshua once thought that Wonwoo was the man who taught him what love really was, and the perfect match that fate generously rewarded to him. All of the memories stabbed thousands of sharp knives through his broken heart, forcing Joshua to acknowledge that everything was perhaps just his own dream, his own vision. Were these kisses also _love_? Why was Wonwoo doing this to him now? Joshua just wanted to know the reason, wanted something to make him believe in the man’s feelings for him again. Why did Wonwoo lie to him? The hybrid could never find any proper reason, but he was too scared to trust again.

Giving all his body, all his life to Wonwoo, Joshua could only beg by his heart, which was constantly dripping blood and screaming for a rescue, for someone to heal it back and stop the pain.

_“Please love me, Wonwoo.”_

\----------------------------

Early in the afternoon, Jihoon came to visit Joshua, bringing some fruits for the boy to enjoy. Wonwoo made use of this time to do something he did not tell his kitten about. The short omega kindly use a knife he brought along to peal the apples and put them in the plate for his friend. The hybrid did not smile and he only spoke a little, Jihoon still felt relieved to see him stop crying. His cat-like eyes looked so puffy, letting Jihoon know that the boy must have cried previously, and he would be careful so as not to make him cry again. Minghao had called him and warned him not to talk about Jun or Jeonghan to Joshua, or he would cry again and Wonwoo would get extremely angry. Therefore, Jihoon only talked about how he would help Joshua with his housework after he got out of the hospital.

“Oh, I heard that you are going to move. I think you will need a hand to pack your stuff. I will come to help you.”

“Move?” Joshua’s eyes got widened in shock. “Who… who told you so?”

Jihoon was surprised to see that reaction. “Your master, Wonwoo. He’s just told me so when I came in. He said you two will move soon.”

“I thought…” The boy opened his mouth, but then just trailed off. However, Jihoon still understood, since he had had quite a long talk with Minghao and was announced of what was happening here.

“Yeah, but I think your master wants to find a better place for you, too. I guess you won’t like living in the place where _that _happened to you, right?”

After a minute of thinking, Joshua slowly nodded. It would feel terrible to leave there but nothing was the same as how it had been in the past, when there were not two but four of them, cozy and happy. The two empty rooms would become the hell that Joshua would always be scared of passing by, and it would be awful to put away two extra chairs at the dining table. A new house for a fresh start would be a wise idea.

Nonetheless, Joshua’s heart ached badly as he knew they could not live in that apartment longer because Wonwoo was going to get married. _He was about to have a new family_.

“I will come to cook for you and clean the house as well. But if you want to cook by yourself, just let me know and I will buy the ingredients for you or drive you to the supermarket. But I don’t think Wonwoo will like it if I let you walk around with your broken ankle.”

“Thank you, Jihoon.” Joshua gratefully said, genuinely thankful for the human omega. “I will go out one day. I can’t just sit in one place until my ankle heals.”

“Just make sure to call me when you go. You can’t go anywhere alone.” Jihoon wriggled a finger in front of his face, stating firmly. “That’s a no no while you’re injured.”

Joshua tried to fake a smile, but his heart just felt horrible. Wonwoo asked Jihoon to take care of him or to _watch him_? He was not sure.

Jihoon intended to lengthen his stay, but his hope was destroyed when Wonwoo came back to the room with someone following behind him. The alpha quickly - but still politely - asked him to leave, and the short omega had no choice but to promise to see Joshua later soon. After Jihoon left, Joshua turned to stare at the person who came along with his owner in horror.

That was Seungkwan, the omega doctor he had met to get the prescription for his heat suppressant.

The doctor greeted Joshua awkwardly, as if he himself was feeling uncomfortable with this meeting. The boy looked at his alpha to seek for an explanation, and he could not help reaching out his arms towards the man, searching for assurance.

Holding Joshua’s hand and sitting on the edge of the bed, Wonwoo slowly explained, but his voice was colder than what the hybrid had expected.

“Seungkwan is going to check your health a little to make a prescription for your contraceptive pills.”

_“Contraceptive pills”_

Wonwoo really had never forgotten his intention. Once he said something, he would surely do it, and this could not be an exception. He said that he would knot Joshua, and now he was starting to carry out his plan. The boy’s heart stopped beating in a few seconds, and he did not dare to look at Wonwoo in the eye any longer.

However, the boy did not understand yet.

“Why… why don’t you buy it at the drugstore, master?” He worriedly asked. “Is there something wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong with you.” Wonwoo said, eyes never leaving the boy. “Just want to make sure the pills will take effect in the shortest amount of time.”

At this time, Joshua was not able to hold back his tears anymore. Wonwoo had no mercy for him, just wanting to mark him as soon as possible. The boy was not dumb at all. He knew how terrible it would be for him to take the pills that were strong enough to allow him to be knotted without getting pregnant in fewer than ten days.

“The normal pills at the drugstore usually take up to ten days to begin to be effective.” Seungkwan began to talk after sitting on the chair next to the bed. His voice was showing concern and his eyes were nervously glued on the hybrid, but he could only keep on his work. “Even the strongest ones out there take five days. But your master wants two or three days only. So I am here to check your health so as to make a _stronger_ prescription that is suitable for you. I mean _“suitable”_ is that it will just cause some side effects and do no harm to your health or your ability to conceive in the future.”

Joshua nodded in tears, while Wonwoo seemed to be satisfied at his omega’s obedience. Patting the hybrid’s head gently, he whispered to his ears a command.

“_Be good_ and let Seungkwan check your health. I will come back to you later. Okay?”

Shivering in fright due to the order, Joshua nodded vigorously, still ducking his head and unable to look at his alpha. When the door was closed and there were Joshua and the doctor left in the room, there were only the boy’s sniffles to be heard. Seungkwan spent minutes watching the crying hybrid in guilt, and then moved to sit on the bed so as to give him a soothing squeeze on his trembling shoulder.

“I’m really sorry Joshua…” The doctor’s voice was quiet, and he took the box of tissue on the nightstand to give the boy. “The side effects will be very bad. You will be dizzy and terribly nauseous. You will be tired all day and maybe you will even lose appetite.”

Joshua did not reply, just receiving the tissue to wipe his tears and not looking up. Feeling extremely bad, Seungkwan still tried to look for a solution.

“I know you’re scared… Do you want me to consult a psychiatrist and let him talk to your master? So that he won’t do this to you.”

The boy shook his head, finally opening his mouth to speak, yet his voice was shaking and revealing obvious hopelessness.

“No… He won’t listen to anyone.”

Sighing, Seungkwan knew Joshua was right. Before coming here, he had already tried to make Wonwoo understand how awful the side effects would be and how frightening this would be for the hybrid, but the man did not care even a bit. The doctor still remembered the first time he met Joshua; the boy was extraordinarily nervous even though they were both omegas, and he evidently did not like to talk about anything related to sex. Seungkwan remembered that those three alphas took the boy to his clinic in order to get the heat suppressant for their hybrid because they said that the boy was too scared of sex and they could not help him through his heat. Only nearly two months had passed by and everything changed drastically. Now Wonwoo came to find him again, but to get a prescription for the contraceptive pills while the boy had not got any better.

Seungkwan made Joshua do some tests and asked him a few questions. The boy did not cry anymore when he answered those questions, but he still kept his head down, which made the doctor feel his heart heavy. He did not dare to imagine how the boy would mentally survive being knotted by a powerful and possessive alpha like Wonwoo. Seungkwan was an outsider, but he could see how frightened Joshua was at the idea of having sex with his owner. The worse thing was, the alpha obviously had no care about the side effects that his omega would have to suffer even though Seungkwan had warned him so many times about them. He doubted if the man would be patient enough to calm Joshua down and soothe him when the boy was in too much pain.

Joshua would literally be raped, which meant there was a possibility that he would produce no slick. His body would not open up for anything, and it would be _hell_ for him to take a knot.

Seungkwan could do nothing but pray for the poor hybrid. The best thing he could do for Joshua was trying to make a good prescription that would not affect his health negatively in the long term.

The omega doctor was about to finish his job when he reminded Joshua to call him if the side effects became too serious and he could no longer endure them, but their talk was interrupted by the extremely loud voices coming from outside. The door was still closed, but both of them could hear a fierce argument going on between Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Jun. Joshua could recognize all of their voices, and also feel the angry pheromones spreading speedily from the hospital hall into the room. He could hear Wonwoo’s and Mingyu’s voices most clearly, and once the sound of the giant man’s angry growl came to him, the boy instantly covered his ears by both hands and started to tremble uncontrollably.

Alarmed, Seungkwan began to fidget, half wanting to go out to check what was going on, but also half wanting to stay here to watch Joshua and perhaps try to calm the boy down. Nonetheless, he did not have to hesitate for long, because the door was violently kicked open and a huge figure stormed into the room, bringing along a lot of overwhelming angry pheromones. Seungkwan was pushed out of the bed and Mingyu immediately took that place to sit in front of Joshua and gripped his shoulders tightly.

In fright, the boy was too slow to react, and he was caught in the giant alpha’s arms with no way out. Scared to death, he began to thrash and scream but to no avail. Mingyu did not retreat. He was angry, aggressive, and lost all of his patience. Words came out of his mouth like a storm, but Joshua did not want to hear anything from him or look at him in any seconds. The boy just cried, cried and cried.

“Joshua, I need to hear this from you. You really choose to live with Wonwoo? I don’t believe this. Wonwoo made this up by himself, right? You didn’t say that. You didn’t say that, right? Answer me, Joshua! What do you choose? We have already talked about this. I’ve told you my plan. You’ll go with me. Tell me you understand, Joshua! Tell me!”

The hybrid had never been that frightened in his whole life as so many commands were being thrown to him in just a very short amount of time, yet he was far from calm enough to respond to any of them. He could feel the threatening anger of an enraged alpha, feel the demand of an alpha who was directly asking for something from him but he could not give. Joshua was being bad. He was disobeying an alpha’s words, and this monster would torture him. He needed to get out of here. He needed his owner, his alpha. Only his God could save him now. He only wanted _him_, nothing else.

“Master… Wonwoo… Wonwoo…” The boy cried out, thrashing and kicking crazily. “Master… Help!... Wonwoo… Help!”

Joshua nearly lost his mind, which made him unable to see how Mingyu was detached from him. The only thing he knew was that there was a loud sound of someone throwing a fist to something. Something broke. There was also a deep and dominant growl of the worst anger coming from someone not Mingyu anymore. The only thing Joshua could see clearly was Wonwoo’s face when the man finally came to him and scooped him up in his arms. Choking out a sob, the boy reached up to wrap himself around his alpha instantly and desperately clung to him for his life. Hiding his whole face in Wonwoo’s shoulder, Joshua just cried there. He did not want to see anyone or hear anything more.

“Stay away, Mingyu!” Wonwoo gave out the last warning, voice stern and as cold as ice. “Don’t you dare touch Joshua again. Is this enough for you? He doesn’t want to go with you. He obviously doesn’t.”

“You must have forced him to say that.” The giant man pointed an accusing finger right at his cousin’s face. “I don’t believe you. I DON’T BELIEVE YOU!”

Joshua knew Wonwoo sounded terribly scary, and the man was angrier than a wild animal, but he just felt safe to cry in his alpha’s arms, because Wonwoo was protecting him. Wonwoo would not let anyone touch him or do something he disliked to him. He would not care if Wonwoo hit someone. He just needed his alpha.

“Force him to do that?” The lead alpha snarled at his younger cousin. “You see he’s scared of me or of you?”

“Don’t touch him and let him talk, Wonwoo.” Mingyu’s voice was still loud and revealing no self-control. “You manipulate him! You control him. I know it. Let him talk for himself, or I won’t believe anything coming from your mouth, you bastard!”

Right at this moment, Mingyu was too shocked to act quickly so as to stop Jun when the older alpha literally threw himself towards Wonwoo, gripping the man’s arm and pleading. He could barely stand normally, but he still tried his best, because this could be the last chance of his life to do something to Joshua. He wanted to fix everything. He wanted to have a chance to apologize to his omega, but fate did not even give him that, and not he was going to lose the boy forever. He knew once Wonwoo got what he wanted, he would never give it back to anyone. And now Joshua hated him; the boy would not want to return to him either.

Yet, he still could not believe it. Joshua agreed to live with an alpha who was going to rape him - not just once, but certainly many times, after he became _Wonwoo’s mate_ \- instead of someone who betrayed him once but still loved him a lot and would never hurt him? Mingyu was too scary for the hybrid now, but Joshua must understand that the giant man did not harm him intentionally, right?

Jun could not believe it. He always thought that he was the alpha Joshua loved most. Then why a combination of him and Mingyu could not be good enough to beat Wonwoo only?

“Please Wonwoo, please just… put Joshua down and let him talk. I want to hear it from him too.”

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter helped you understand more about why Joshua doesn't forgive Jun (at least not yet) and how he's thinking about the whole situation.   
And I guess you hate Wonwoo more now :"> (if it's still possible for you to hate him even more)  
There will be more of JunGyu in the next chapter~  
I hope that you will share how you think or feel about the chapter ^^ And please don't worry about being rude when you complain something. All of your comments so far aren't rude at all and I am always glad to know more about your opinions ^^


	50. When the alphas cried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun and Mingyu wanted Wonwoo to let Joshua speak for himself.  
Everything just became a bigger mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all can at least skim WonShua part, because if you skip it thoroughly, it will be hard for you to understand later ;_;   
We have pretty much JunGyu in this chapter. I hope that will help you feel better a little bit.

Right after the saying was voiced out, Joshua suddenly whimpered in Wonwoo’s chest, and his arms around the man just closed more tightly. The man did not know the reason for it was that the boy did not want to be detached from him or the person who had just begged him, but neither of them was good in any way. The hybrid sounded utterly painful, and he shook his head vigorously. He did not say anything, yet Wonwoo could understand that Joshua did not agree with anything the other two alphas were saying.

Glaring at Jun, Wonwoo’s heart got softened a little bit, but no part of him allowed him to back off. He did not want to yell at Jun or hit him like what he had done to stop Mingyu from touching Joshua a short while ago, but he could not prevent his anger from exploding once again because of his silly cousin. Much as he loves Jun, he hated his “cousin” for his stupid decision, for how he thought that him sleeping with Jeonghan could make Wonwoo hate him and never love him again. He hated Jun for hurting Joshua so terribly, and in a split second he just wanted to shout into Jun’s face about what he had done to punish Jeonghan for all of these consequences. If Jeonghan was the first one to be blame for this, then Jun was definitely the second.

Looking at the eyes Wonwoo was giving him, Jun felt his knees shaking, and he was just on the verge of falling onto the floor when the man coldly said.

“Don’t you see you two are making him suffer? Isn’t it enough for you to make him cry like this?”

Hurriedly holding Jun up, Mingyu continued to snap at his older cousin. His face was burning red due to extreme anger, but the way his teary eyes flickered from Wonwoo to the hybrid could never hide how anxious and frightened he was deep inside.

“Shut up, Wonwoo! Don’t talk as if we hurt him while you have never done anything like that! You don’t have that right. I know you told Joshua that you will knot him when you come back from England. He’s very scared. He can’t agree to stay with you.”

Mingyu could not understand it either.

He had already understood nothing from the moment he told Joshua about his own plan. He could see the boy’s hesitance right then, but he did not think that Joshua actually had never wanted to leave Wonwoo. That night, he simply thought that the boy was broken and it was impossible for him to think normally, so it was totally understandable to see him having some strange reaction towards different things. However, till this day, everything in front his eyes shocked him to death.

The scene was the opposite of what had happened in his bedroom three days ago. That night, Joshua ran away from Wonwoo and sought for not only protection but also comfort from both Mingyu and Jun.

Today, the boy thrashed and screamed crazily in a desperate attempt to run away from Mingyu and Jun, so that he could go back to Wonwoo’s arms, and it looked like he had got his whole world in the lead alpha’s embrace.

Mingyu still wanted to hear the answer directly from Joshua, but the sight was killing his heart, slowly and cruelly. He was forced to believe, that it was true. The hybrid was clinging to Wonwoo, showing no sign of fear towards the man. He heard the boy calling Wonwoo’s _“master”_, and even his name.

Spending a few more seconds to stare at the collar on Joshua’s neck, Mingyu soon realized that it only had Wonwoo’s name and information on. The only smell coming from the hybrid’s body was Wonwoo’s scent, nothing else. As a hybrid who cared so much about being owned and protected, Joshua must know what the collar he was wearing was proving to everyone else.

They had messed up everything.

“I can’t believe it! Joshua is your omega. He’s frightened and all of you are standing here fighting with each other like that. Do you guys think of his feelings, huh?” An angry Seungkwan scolded the three alphas by shaking voice when he finally got up properly after being pushed away so recklessly by Mingyu before. His face was also heating up as he ran towards Joshua and patted the boy’s back to soothe him. “Poor my boy. He’s too scared. Can you all stop this? You guys want him to answer? Then okay. Let’s put him back on the bed. I will sit with him, not you guys. And after that, you guys have to end this forever. Okay?”

Once again, Joshua shook his head, whimpering loudly and hugging Wonwoo’s much more tightly, nonverbally begging the man not to leave him. The last thing he wanted at this moment was to be away from Wonwoo. He could not understand or care why they wanted him to do this. He just wanted some peace, and they kept asking him to say something when he just did not want to open his mouth to speak to anyone or even look at any one except for _his alpha_. His alpha, the one who left the bite on his neck, put the collar on his neck with only one name and one aroma.

_His God._

No one protected him. Only Wonwoo did. Only Wonwoo would stop everyone else from touching him. Only Wonwoo could give him the best protection that he desired. Mingyu was cruel, and Jun was cruel, too. Joshua hated them. He did not want to see them, or talk to them ever again.

Unfortunately, this time it was Wonwoo who wanted to really end this as Seungkwan had said and clearly proved it to his cousins that he did not lie about Joshua’s decision. The man was brutal when he walked back to the bed and put the boy down, forcefully pulling the boy’s arms out of him. Only one second after that, the boy was left alone on the bed, and he immediately panicked.

Jun felt like his world collapsed.

Only magic could stop the streams of tears on Mingyu’s cheeks at this moment.

No matter how hard Seungkwan tried to calm the hybrid down and keep him still, Joshua tried extremely hard to kick and scream so as to break free. Once he succeeded, he just had no care about his broken ankle. The boy scrambled to get out of the bed and found his way back to Wonwoo, who was standing just two meters away from him. Unable to bear this anymore, the man stepped towards his omega just in time to catch Joshua before he fell flat on the hard floor. Nonetheless, the boy had already made a few steps on his own foot, and it hurt his broken ankle awfully. He choked out a broken scream and cried even more pathetically in Wonwoo’s embrace.

The man could not let his lover suffer more. He lifted his baby up again, moving him back to the original position, and Joshua buried his wet face in his alpha’s shoulder again. It was hard for Jun or Mingyu to hear what the boy was murmuring to Wonwoo in his shaking voice, but the lead alpha could. The words broke his heart, shattering it into thousands of pieces.

“Please… master… don’t… don’t leave me…”

“Never, Joshua. I will never.” Kissing the boy’s hair, Wonwoo made a promise that he knew he would die rather than breaking it. “I’m here. Don’t cry, my kitten.”

“Okay, that’s too obvious.” Seungkwan nodded his head, giving up but utterly upset at what he had to witness right now. Turning to the other two alphas, he felt really bad for them, knowing that they just wanted to take care of Joshua and bring happiness to the boy, but the hybrid no longer wanted them, and they were truly making him suffer by forcing him to talk to them. With a lot of guilt in his chest, the doctor tried to tug at the two men’s arms lightly, lowering his voice. “Please, you guys need to leave. Don’t scare him anymore. Joshua needs to rest. He can’t endure more stress. That’s enough for him. Please. You can only hope to confront him when he is really better.”

“I… I can’t understand…” Mingyu shook his head, eyes still staring at the trembling hybrid in Wonwoo’s arms as the tears cascading down his cheeks.

Involuntarily, he fell onto the floor, sitting there like a soulless person. He was like talking to himself rather than talking to the boy, voice shaking and even broken in bewilderment. He tried to recall how he actually hurt Joshua, because he knew he definitely had done that, but he could not remember anything. That fact burned more than anything else; he was rejected and hated, maybe just for now, or maybe forever, because of something he had never intended to do, or even would ever do in any near or far future.

“Joshua… you don’t forgive me?”

For the whole time having Joshua in his life, Mingyu had never been able to imagine this. He knew the hybrid was scared of him at first because of his body size and his strong pheromones, but he had always tried so hard to make the boy believe that he was just as gentle as Jun and he would only give him the best he had. In the end, fate was cruel to him, making him become the one who did the worst thing the boy was most frightened of to him, leaving an enormous wound in his heart and his mind. Perhaps, that wound was incurable, and Joshua would hate him till the end of his life.

Mingyu in his mind now would probably be the same as his previous owner. The more the giant alpha thought about that, the more his tears streamed down, and his heart was threatening to die of an unendurable pain. When people told him he had not penetrated Joshua yet, he was so happy and relieved, thinking that he still had the chance to apologize to the boy since he was not too much damaged. Nonetheless, life was not as beautiful as anyone expected it to be.

A few days ago, Mingyu had just promised to protect the boy forever, saving him from the danger coming from Wonwoo, and the boy then even agreed to prepared himself to be knotted and claimed by Mingyu first. Eventually, Mingyu himself became the enemy, and the boy ran to _the devil_ to stay away from him, begging _the demon_ to protect him from the alpha who vowed to never hurt him under any circumstances. Mingyu felt disgusted of himself, and all of a sudden, he felt like his life was worthless.

He had broken his promises. He failed to protect the one he loved, not to mention bringing him the happiness he desired.

Heartbroken by the scene, Seungkwan tried to give the collapsed man some soothing words, but it seemed that nothing could help the man feel any better. Meanwhile, Jun’s body was not supported by his alpha anymore. He almost fell, but luckily standing near the bed enough to hold onto it in order to keep himself standing straight. His head had stopped spinning after he woke up, but now it was like that again, and it ached badly, so badly that he thought he was going to die for real.

This was what he should have thought of when he agreed to help Jeonghan months ago, or when he went to the hotel with the rabbit just last week.

Joshua did not seem to be scared of him as much as how he was scared of Mingyu, but Jun could see, the boy _hated_ him. The hybrid knew what had happened to Jun in the apartment, but he still refused to come to visit him, and now when he spoke, the boy did not look at him either. Jun used to be the one Joshua would run to when he was sad or crying, but now everything was not the same as the past anymore. Jun became the nightmare that Joshua hated, and he clung to Wonwoo as if the lead alpha was his real angel, his savior. Jun thought that Wonwoo was definitely the worst alpha in this world, yet in the boy’s mind, that label was given to him, not _the real demon_. To the cat, _Jun was worse than a demon_.

Jun was not able to control his footsteps as he moved closer to the hybrid, and Wonwoo did not stop him. The lead alpha only watched his cousin warily, letting out a deep growl of warning when the younger alpha touched Joshua’s hand, but Jun was too lost to care about that. He tried to hold the boy’s hand, which had been gripping Wonwoo’s shoulder tightly. Joshua flinched and tried to take his hand back, but Jun could not let him go. The alpha begged, and his voice had never been that weak and desperate.

“Please, Joshua. Please, just look at me once.” Jun would not ever care if someone considered him to be pathetic and shameless to be an alpha who begged an omega. He would do anything to make Joshua forgive him, or even just look at him one more time. Did the boy really hate him so much that he did not want to see Jun anymore? Was this what Jun had to pay for what he had done?

There was no one for him to blame. He knew all of this was his own fault. He caused Jeonghan to be in trouble, and now he made Joshua hate him, breaking the boy’s heart, and destroying his pure love for him.

“Joshua, I’m sorry. Please, forgive me.” Once again, he begged, tears streaming down his cheeks as he stared at the back of the boy’s head.

With a lot of effort, Joshua pulled his own hand away from Jun, and once he succeeded, he hid it in between himself and Wonwoo’s chest, refusing to let the other alpha hold it again. The boy continued to whimper, showing so much pain that the anger in Wonwoo was becoming clearer and more fierce. Unable to let this go on, he decided to sternly command.

“Leave him alone, Jun. Both of you, don’t torture him anymore.”

Seungkwan had no choice but to grabbed both men’s arms and used all of his strength to drag them out of the room since they seemed like deaf - and dead - and not hearing anything that the lead alpha had said. No matter how hard they tried to reject this truth, fate forced them to acknowledge that _Joshua no longer wanted them_.

…

Long after that, Joshua stopped crying, but he was still clinging to Wonwoo, not sleeping, but not saying anything either. Seungkwan came back to say that he needed to take the boy’s blood for the prescription, so Wonwoo let him do it but not let go of the boy. Joshua was still in his alpha’s arms and only giving one of his hands to the doctor while burying his face in the man’s shoulder. Seungkwan had no problem with that, yet he sighed and pitied for the boy.

“Please spend a lot of time for him. As much as possible.” The doctor said before he left, almost like begging. “He needs you more than anything. He only wants you. Please just…”

Hesitating in a moment, Seungkwan heaved another long sigh, then decided that it would be the best to say the truth.

“Please be nice to him. He’s endured enough. He only has you.”

Wonwoo’s expression remained cold, and he said nothing, just nodding, making the human omega feel his heart drop. He was utterly worried for the boy’s future, wondering if he would survive this cruel life of living with this scary noble alpha. It was still soon but he doubted that he would have to visit to check Joshua many times after the alpha knotted him.

From that incident onwards, Joshua refused to leave Wonwoo. The alpha asked if he wanted to be carried around the hospital’s campus to take some fresh air outside, but the boy shook his head vigorously, not ready to see any strangers out there. After washing, he wore Wonwoo’s clothes again, and had dinner with the man in his room. Later, Wonwoo spent the evening having the boy on his lap and showing him some houses on the Internet. Staring at the man with confused eyes, Joshua silently asked the man his reasons for doing this, and Wonwoo let out a small chuckle at his omega’s silliness.

“Let’s choose our new house together, Joshua.” He slowly explained, voice soft and calm. “I think you will like a house more than an apartment. Look through this to see what type you prefer.”

In a daze, Joshua was not really sure what kind of house he liked, because to him, until now, having food to eat, having a nice place to sleep at night and not getting hit in a whole day were all enough to be a heaven. He had never thought of an ideal house for himself. It was so difficult to point out what he might like in all the houses Wonwoo showed him, and the boy slowly got afraid that his alpha would get impatient and become angry. However, the man actually did not show any sign of impatience, still giving off normal pheromones which had nothing to scare the hybrid.

As a result, Joshua had enough time to realize that he liked houses which were not too spacious because he preferred a cozy place rather than a luxurious but cold home. He would like to have a big yard so as to plant something there. Joshua wanted to be able to walk to the supermarket or any important places, so it would be better if they lived in the downtown. The cost may be much high, but money was not a problem for Wonwoo.

“I will arrange time to take you to some houses to see which one you like best. Agree?”

Of course, Joshua nodded. How could he dare to disagree with his owner?

The boy did not know why his opinions mattered to Wonwoo, but he accepted whatever the man was giving him. He thought it would be wise of him to feel happy with any nice treatment his owner gave him. As long as he remained obedient and submissive to Wonwoo, perhaps the man would reward him anything he wanted, like _attention and affection_. If the alpha treated him that well, then Joshua should behaved and returned the love by _giving his body to serve his alpha_.

Lying in Wonwoo’s arms after the light was off, Joshua tried to picture his own future in his mind, trying to teach himself to recall his lessons from the previous owner. Maybe living with Wonwoo would not be so hard. Wonwoo was not a violent man, so the boy only needed to do things he had already done in the past, like cooking and cleaning the house. The only additional thing was _sex_.

Would Wonwoo have any mercy for him? Would the man sympathize for him and just do it gently so as not to bring too much pain and fear to him? Or Wonwoo would be just like Seungcheol, taking and taking whatever he wanted regardless of his _slave_’s feelings? What if the alpha liked to have rough sex? What if he liked to torture his partner? What if he used sex to punish Joshua whenever he accidentally did something wrong? What if he got angry when the boy was too scared and cried too much?

Joshua did not know when his tears started to fall again.

\--------------------------------------

No one could make Jun talk after what happened in Joshua’s room.

From that moment, the alpha only sat silently in his bed. He spent a lot of time sleeping, only waking up when his parents asked him to eat something. However, Jun just shook his head, and said nothing. Mingyu tried to cheer him up by offering to bring him out, but his cousin shook his head one more time. The giant man was deadly worried, sensing something really wrong with Jun. Previously, Jun had already known that Joshua did not forgive him, so Mingyu thought it was impossible for him to behave like this just because of the incident in the hybrid’s room. There must be something else.

Neither of them cried no more, yet there was a strong need of space, and Mingyu literally begged Jun’s parents to let them here with each other only for tonight. The two men sighed, but then agreed and left with a promise to come back soon in the morning. The only thing made Mingyu a little relieved was that Jun returned a kiss on his fathers’ cheeks when they kissed him goodbye.

After that, the room was terribly silent. Mingyu started to feel like he was an invisible man in the room.

On the bed, Jun was sitting still like a stature with the blanket draping over his folded legs. Basing on the direction of his eyes and the slight tilt of his head, Mingyu guessed his lover was looking through the closed glass window. It was a starry night with a full moon, so maybe Jun was enjoying the peaceful and gentle beauty of nature out there. Was that scene able to heal a person’s broken heart? Mingyu guessed it was, because looking at the sky still made him feel better than watching his mate, who was being like a soulless corpse.

Trying to swallow the lump in his throat, Mingyu cleared his throat and asked his lover, suddenly feeling his voice so loud, so out of place.

“Do you want to have a better view, Junnie? Do you want to sit at the window?”

With all of his patience, the giant alpha waited a whole minute long until Jun finally answered by a very light nod without looking at him. Not hesitating at all, Mingyu came to open the window, welcome the gentle wind of the night.

Jun was not too weak, but Mingyu ended up being the one who did everything for his cousin, from pulling the blanket away to fixing his legs’ position so that he could sneak his arm under Jun’s knees and pick him up. Carefully and tenderly, he put his mate on the sill of the window, helping him get comfortable by making his back lean against the frame. At this position, it was convenient for Jun to have a wonderful view of night sky, beautiful, but silent and weirdly cold, although it was summer.

Once again, Mingyu felt like he was invisible. In a desperate attempt to escape from that feeling, he gently took both of Jun’s hands in his hands, tangling their fingers together. Magically, even though somehow lazily, his mate closed his fingers a little, helping Mingyu felt a bit loved and acknowledged.

Mingyu would die if now even Jun rejected him.

“Aren’t you hungry, Junnie?” He tried to initiate a talk, desperately hoping for his lover to say just a single word. “You haven’t eaten since the morning.”

Once again, Jun just slowly shook his head.

“You have to eat, Junnie. You can’t be healthy if you skip meals. You don’t have to eat much, but at least swallow something, even just a little milk.” Mingyu literally begged, trying his best to keep his voice low and sincere.

The silent person had no response. The giant man really wanted to cry, but he could not let his tears fall again, especially when his Junnie had already fallen apart. He could not be weak; he had to protect and take care of Jun at all cost. He already lost Joshua. He could not lose Jun.

“I know you’re sad. I am, too.”

Finding his lover’s hands so cold, Mingyu worriedly held those hands by his both big ones, bringing them closer to his mouth so that he could bring some warm air through his breath to his cousin. Once he finished, he did not let go of those hands, but pressed them to his face, nuzzling his cheek into the back of Jun’s hands. It was heartbreaking that the latter still refused to look at him even once.

“But you can’t let your life go like this, Junnie. You still have me, remember?”

Mingyu certainly did not expect to see his lover’s tears falling again on his pale cheeks.

Startled, the giant man was frightened, extremely nervous that he had said something wrong and broken Jun’s heart again. However, a minute later, his cousin eventually opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was unexpectedly broken and shattered the other man’s heart.

“I don’t want to let go of my life… but I…”

Jun was not able to continue. Clutching tightly to Mingyu’s hands, he cried, slouching towards his mate, biting his lips so hard and trembling violently. Startled and devastated, Mingyu was forced to pull one hand out of his lover’s grip to detach his teeth away from his lips.

“Please, Junnie, don’t do that.” The giant alpha felt hard to breathe just by looking at Jun like this, and his own voice was even unstable. “Don’t hold back. Please don’t do that. You’re hurt. You can cry.”

Jun did not bite his own lips anymore, yet he shook his head, and Mingyu could not help cupping his face. The younger man could not know whether his gentle touch there helped his lover even a bit or not, but he still kept his hand there, desperately trying to make Jun know that he was loved and supported. No matter what happened, Mingyu would be by his sides.

“Mingyu ah…” Jun looked at his cousin in the eyes while speaking, and the giant man could see a whole miserable hell in the other alpha’s eyes. It was enough to kill his heart. “Mingyu… Am I… a pathetic alpha… a slut?… I am, right?”

Mingyu was utterly dumfounded. Mouth agape and hung open, he stared at his mate unblinkingly, finding absolutely no reason for Jun to think of himself in such a wrong way. It was just terribly wrong and Mingyu had no way to believe what he had heard. However, when he tried to look more deeply into Jun’s eyes, his mind was attacked by the fact that his lover was actually convinced to consider himself as a horrible person. Jun did not seem like asking a real question. He was much more like seeking for a confirmation which would never come from Mingyu.

“No, Junnie. That isn’t true at all! Why do you think so?” The giant man worriedly asked, voice shaking due to shock, but his emotion rapidly changed to anger. “Who the hell told you that stupid thing?”

Not fazed even the slightest, Jun shook his head, gripping his cousin’s hand deadly tightly.

“I… I am a slut… that never knows what _enough_ is…” He stuttered, unable to face Mingyu anymore, just staring at their hands being laced together. “I have… two alphas… and two omegas… but I am pathetic… I can’t even help myself… I need protection from not only one… but two alphas.”

“That’s not pathetic, Junnie.” Mingyu shook his head vigorously, lifting Jun’s face so as to see his red watery eyes. “All of us love you. I love you. I want to be with you. It’s not that I think you need protection. I just want to be with you. There’s nothing wrong about that, Junnie.”

One more time, Jun shook his head.

“I am too weak… I can’t protect anyone I love… I can’t protect Jeonghan. Joshua is running away from me.”

“Jeonghan is not your fault.” Mingyu lowered his voice, but not less heartbroken. “Didn’t I tell you that he isn’t in this hospital anymore? Maybe he’s healthy now so he doesn’t need to stay here any longer.”

“But you said they aren’t at home…”

“Maybe Seungcheol took Jeonghan on a trip to somewhere with him.” The giant man did not give up looking for a reason, but it was obvious that Jun refused to trust him.

“I don’t know where they are… but I know… something is wrong…”

Mingyu thought that Jun was going to tell him what was wrong. Instead, the older alpha suddenly stopped, seeming extremely hesitant and strangely anxious, as if he were a kid afraid of getting scolded for what he was about to say. For a brief moment, the taller man was irritated by the fact that Jun did not trust him, but his worries soon took over and cooled down his temper.

“Why? What’s wrong, Junnie?” Desperate, Mingyu begged his cousin. The tears in his eyes wanted to fall for the man in front of him, because the pain in his heart was overbearing. Nonetheless, he still took a deep breath after another deep breath in an attempt to hold them back, although that action only brought more pain to himself. He could not cry, not when Jun was already broken like this. If Mingyu was weak, Jun would not have anyone to support him. “Please, Junnie. Don’t keep it all to yourself anymore, please. Tell me what’s wrong. I’m here to listen. Just tell me everything. Please.”

“But… but I betrayed you, Mingyu.” The older alpha sobbed heavily. “I lied to you… I didn’t tell you about Jeonghan and… and…” It took him a minute to get over his sobs and continue. “I promised to leave with you… but… I was marked… by another alpha… before... before you…”

“No, Junnie, no! No!” Mingyu shook his head like crazy, and he could not control himself anymore. He was shocked, knowing that things would never be okay if he could not solve this problem right now.

Much as he knew Jun was sad and even broken, he had never imagined his mind had been messed up like this. Mingyu knew Jun had the tendency to blame himself for everything, but never once in his life had he ever dared to think that things would become this severe.

“You didn’t betray me. You’re wrong.” Mingyu chose to accuse his cousin of being totally wrong this time. Jun was wrong, all wrong. “That isn’t betrayal. You were afraid that I would get upset, and you did tell me about Jeonghan. You didn’t betray me. Wonwoo marked you without asking. He’s the jerk. You’re just the victim. You…”

“I lied to you. I lied to you all the time.” Jun was still crying miserably. Every single sound coming from him was cutting into Mingyu’s heart. “I always acted like I even don’t know much about Jeonghan. I lied to you that my rut came and I went out to help myself, but in fact he was in heat so he called me to a hotel to help him… I’m a liar. I had never intended to leave Wonwoo, but I didn’t protest when you wanted to take me with you to another place. I should have reported that to the police, but I didn’t, because… because I love him…”

“No, please, Junnie, stop that. Please.” Mingyu admitted he had had no idea about Jun getting out of the apartment to help Jeonghan through his heat not only once but twice before Seungcheol told him, but he just could not find himself getting angry about that. Why should he? He had already been in pain enough to get rejection from Jun. What was he to interfere with his life? It was a bless for him to get Jun’s love. He had no right or even no wish to get mad at his older cousin. Whatever Jun gave him, he would receive without a single complaint. “You think why am I still here? If I minded those things would I still be here right now? Seungcheol told me all, but I don’t care. I have already known you love Jeonghan, and I won’t have any problems if you tell me that you love someone else…”

“That’s not fair to you, Mingyu.” Jun stubbornly shook his head. “I… I was so angry… and I collapsed when I found out Wonwoo was going to get married… but what about me? Am I any better than him? I didn’t ask your opinions about anything. I made you accept the fact that I love Jeonghan… and I… I am a jerk to Joshua… I cheat with his best friend… I ruin their friendship. I blamed Wonwoo but… it turns out that… I’m so much worse than him…”

All of a sudden, Mingyu became angry and his voice was in commanding tone.

“You seriously need to stop this, Junnie. I don’t want to hear all these things ever again.” He growled, making his mate stare at him with wide eyes, and frightened.

However, up to this point, Mingyu knew he could never stop this without being firm with Jun for once.

“Everything you have just said is all wrong, and I really hate that.” The giant man was deadly serious, and powerful enough to make his cousin cower. “Why do you always interpret everything in the most negative ways? Why do you always take all the blame? Do you ever think this is what hurts me? Do you know that I don’t feel anything painful or upset when you told me about Jeonghan but now I am in real pain because of you doubting yourself and me? Do you know I just want to go rip Wonwoo’s head off and now you’re here saying that you’re worse than him? How do you think I feel? You think you are trying to be fair to me, Junnie?”

Nevertheless, Jun only cried harder and tried to break free from Mingyu’s hand to cover his own face. Wiping tears and rubbing his eyes, he choked out a loud sob, shoulders trembling, and his voice was even more desperate.

“You… you’re also… mad at me? You hate me, too?”

“Of course I am mad, Junnie.” Mingyu’s voice was still fierce and showing evident anger. “I am so mad that I have tried so hard and you still don’t trust me but instead you trust that Wonwoo jerk and blame yourself for everything. I am so mad that you think you care about me but you are just driving me crazy. When will you learn how to love yourself and get fucking rid of the other people in your mind?”

Jun could not find a word to say back. He could only cry and cry, while Mingyu kept going on. He was so enraged that he could no longer keep those emotions in his heart, but the way his eyes were looking at his mate just revealed how much pain was torturing his soul.

“I don’t hate you. I hate myself because I am so stupid and I always love you no matter how many times you broke my heart and I know you will just break it again just because you don’t believe that I love you and even think that I hate you.”

“No, you’re not stupid.” Jun shook his head, protesting. “I… I am…”

“Stop that.” Mingyu gritted his teeth. “If somebody is at fault for something here, that person is definitely not you. It can only be Wonwoo and Seungcheol. You’re just the victim. And you are my love. That’s all I know, and that’s also all you need to care about. Do you understand, Junnie?”

The giant man could not believe that after all, Jun still cried helplessly.

“But if I’m not wrong… then why… why Wonwoo… he…”

“He what?” Instantly frowning, he questioned. “He told you something? Or he did something?”

At this moment, Jun looked so broken and ruined that Mingyu could not keep the anger in his chest any longer. He could not help holding his mate’s hand again, and his heart broke when Jun gripped him tightly immediately. His hands were cold like ice, and his tremble was getting more and more serious.

“When I woke up, I expected to see Wonwoo. I thought I would see him sitting there, staring at me, worrying for me… But in fact he didn’t come to visit me often… I thought he will stay here at least half a day… But no. He has Joshua to take care of, and I am just… nothing. Because I am the one at fault for all of this. I deserve this. I caused all of this. Maybe… he’s mad at me, and hate me. Because _I hurt Joshua_. He won’t forgive me for that.”

The giant man’s hand was getting numb because of Jun’s hands gripping him too tightly, yet he could not care about that. All he was focusing on was just his lover’s painful voice and the tears cascading his cheeks. The scene effortlessly shattered his heart into thousands of pieces. Mingyu had thought that Jun was always so nice, so wonderful and so many people loved him a lot, and that kind of person should not cry so much like this. Jun was supposed to experience only happiness thanks to all of the beautiful things he had always done and thought for other people. In the end, it turned out to be unfair for him to suffer most and cry so hard. The younger alpha felt as if he were going through the day his cousin broke down because of Wonwoo’s marriage again. Tonight was not less awful in any aspect, or even dreadfully worse.

“All the times, I always hoped to see him when I woke up, but then…” Jun tried to continue to speak between his sobs, but things were getting obviously too difficult. Mingyu tried to soothe him by using one hand to rub his back, hoping to calm him down even just a bit. It would take long to really take effect, but Mingyu had all the time in this world for Jun. No matter how long it could be, he would wait to hear all that his love wanted to tell him.

After one more minutes of silence, Jun went back to speaking.

“I forced myself to remember that he also has Joshua. He has to stay with Joshua. So… he couldn’t be with me anymore. And he’s… he’s punishing me… because I was bad… and disobedient to my alpha…”

“No, please. Don’t think of it in that way, Junnie. Please, don’t.” There was nothing Mingyu could do except for begging. Not only his mouth but also his eyes were begging Jun through their look. “Wonwoo just stays with Joshua all the time because Joshua needs him. If he hated you or wanted to punish you, I’m sure he wouldn’t come here even once and just talk to us through texts and calls. You know Wonwoo. His cold treatment is very scary. I’m sure he doesn’t hate you at all.”

Nonetheless, what Mingyu had just said did not seem to help. It even provoked something horrible inside Jun’s heart, something he did not want to think of.

“If he doesn’t hate me… then why… Why is that, Mingyu? We’ve been together for years. Joshua has just come to us in at most two months… and he…” Jun could not finish his sentence, but the younger male understood it all. Staring at a silent Mingyu, Jun kept on stabbing the knives into his own heart. “Is that fair? It’s not, right?”

Mingyu found no reason to argue with Jun anymore, since he was just right, and Mingyu’s heart was too wounded to instantly come up with a lie. It was obvious to both of them that Wonwoo loved Joshua so much, perhaps much more than how he loved Jun. It was really unfair, yet what could they do? They could never change Wonwoo’s heart. They could never make him love Jun more, and Jun was also the person who agreed to take the cat hybrid into their lives, so he did not have a proper reason to complain about that, not with Wonwoo.

Mingyu knew it was cruel and even unfair for Joshua when a person who had hid so many secrets from him - or _betrayed him_ \- like Jun complained about fate being unfair for him to get less of Wonwoo’s love than the boy did. Mingyu knew Joshua was the victim of everything and the boy had never done a single thing wrong. Perhaps the omega hated Jun now, or at least mad at him, but Mingyu just felt terrible for both and he could not find any will to blame any. All he knew was that, Jun had never had a bad intention towards anyone, and now he was atrociously broken.

Mingyu was not in the position to judge what was wrong or right. He only wanted to love and give comfort to Jun. In the end, fate was unfair, so he guessed it was impossible and even unnecessary to think what should or should not have occurred any longer.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry but Jun and Mingyu seriously need to sort things out with each other so as to get better and be fine again.   
And after all, Wonwoo still hasn't confronted Jun yet. So, let's expect that to come in the next chapter.   
I know you may dislike Joshua now, but I hope you all believe that it is possible for a person to act like him. Trust him. I am in a much similar situation but I still choose to stick to the "abuser" just because I am not strong enough to face the world by myself or with some help of people who really love me. I have strong faith in the "abuser" that she can protect me and give me all the best things I want even though my freedom is taken.  
Yeah, it's frustrating for outsiders to see anyone in this condition but the one who goes through this doesn't really think that there could be a better way.
> 
> In Joshua's case, it's even easier for this to happen as you can see how weak and dependent he is. He definitely prefers the more powerful person and Wonwoo is certainly stronger than "Mingyu plus Jun". And right now Wonwoo is treating Joshua very nicely. It's extremely easy to be fooled by the sweet things and forget all of the bad aspects. When the bad things ome, it's horrible, but then Joshua will try to please his "abuser" in order to get the sweet treatment again. Well, you will see this more clearly in the upcoming chapters.
> 
> Wow, I can say that I am pretty much desperate now because I can see you guys are very upset with Joshua right now and I am trying hard to explain his way of thinking so that you won't give up my fic when you find him too unreasonable and silly ;_; So sorry if this annoys you T_T
> 
> As always, I am eager to know how you think about this chapter!!! Please don't worry about anything. Just tell me. I really want to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	51. Endless guilt and pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo came to have a talk with his cousins.  
However, things did not go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more JunGyu in this new chapter ^^  
And of course, WonShua.   
I think you guys all know my favorite couple in this fic is the main one :">

“We can’t know what may happen.” Inhaling deeply, Mingyu tried his best to keep calm and tell his cousin in a soothing way, managing to get his attention. “I know it’s unexpected and unpleasant for you, but… we can’t find a proper explanation for everything. It isn’t your fault or Joshua’s fault or anyone’s fault. We should just accept it and move on.”

Thanks to his outstanding height, Mingyu was still able to lean forward and rest his forehead on Jun’s one even though the older man was sitting on the window. When Jun closed his eyes, the giant man also did the same and nuzzled lightly into his mate’s forehead.

“Can you try to remember one important thing, Junnie? That is, I love you. Jeonghan loves you. Wonwoo loves you, and Joshua loves you too.” In fact, he did not dare to make sure about the last part, but he would not tell the negative things to his lover right now. “He’s sad now, but as time goes by, he will forgive you. We will gradually solve all of our problems one by one, and in the end we will be all happy.”

“Is it possible?” Jun whispered, still closing his eyes and shedding tears. “I tried to call Jeonghan and even Seungcheol many times, but they didn’t answer. I… I think I have lost Jeonghan forever. Seungcheol will never let me see him again.”

“We will try to find him. I promise. I will use all of my money to hire detectives to trace Jeonghan for you.” Mingyu said with no hesitation, utterly sincere and determined. “I can’t believe Seungcheol could hide him forever. Once we find them, we will talk, and things will be fine.”

“You said as if it were so easy.” Jun sobbed and suddenly punched Mingyu’s chest so violently that the younger alpha winced, but at least he was happy that Jun started to show his emotions more comfortably. He was frustrated, then Mingyu should just let him show it.

“I won’t say it’s easy, but I won’t make things more complicated. There’s nothing you can do in just one night by yourself, Junnie. This is about all of us. This requires time. The only thing you can do now is to rest and heal.” Pulling away from Jun, Mingyu frowned deeply and spoke with a lot of pain, while Jun stared at him through wet eyes. “Do you need me to remind you how guilty I feel because I almost killed you? Do you know you could have died if they were a few minutes late when bringing you here? Do you even understand how happy I am now because you are alive and safe and easily forgive me?”

“You were drugged, Mingyu.” Jun protested right away. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t even remember anything…”

“But I’m still feeling guilty, and nothing could change the fact that I almost killed you.”

“But…”

“You see, Junnie. I nearly killed a person, but you didn’t cause anyone to bleed. So, you aren’t the only bad guy here. If you want to make a comparison, then my crime is much worse than yours. Don’t blame yourself anymore.”

Jun opened his mouth with the intention of arguing again but no word came out anymore, because Mingyu was right. All of a sudden, he felt guilty for neglecting his younger cousin’s feelings. The giant man must be feeling so bad since he scared the hell out of Joshua and harmed Jun so severely than he was in the ICU for more than a day. And then, Jun was here crying to Mingyu and complaining about himself being a horrible person instead of helping the man ease out the weight in his heart. Thinking about all more carefully, Jun knew that he had never voiced it out loud, but what he had said and done showed his suspicion of Mingyu’s love for him. That was just stupid. Everyone could see how much Mingyu adored him. Even Jun’s parents knew the feelings their giant nephew had for their son was true _love_.

And, Jun was crying to Mingyu about Wonwoo loving Joshua more than him, while the man in front of him was the one who loved him more than anything or anyone else in this world but got no recognition and whatever Jun had returned to him was far from enough. He owed Mingyu a lot. He owed Mingyu this whole life.

Without Mingyu, he would never have any freedom. He would be stuck to Wonwoo forever.

“I’m sorry.” Jun murmured quietly, ducking his head. “I’m sorry, Mingyu.”

“Please don’t say that, Junnie.” Mingyu shook his head and gently caressed his lover’s face. He was still begging, unlike Wonwoo, who only gave commands and forced Jun to do things he did not want to. That fact only made him shed more tears, and Mingyu’s words were both sweet and painful at the same time. “I just want you to know that you didn’t do anything wrong and I love you. Please, Junnie. Trust me. I love you, and I will take care of you forever, if you allow me to.”

Frantically nodding, Jun said repeatedly without looking at his mate.

“Of course I allow you. I do. I allow you. You’re my alpha.”

However, that only made Mingyu grimace in pain.

“Don’t let the bite affect your decision, Junnie. If you don’t want, we just need to stay away from each other for about a year and then the mark will disappear. You aren’t tied to me forever. If you want to stop it, I will…”

“No! I don’t want to.” Jun almost screamed, and he finally stared directly into his cousin’s eyes. Mingyu could see that he was frightened. “Don’t… don’t leave me, Mingyu. I need you. I want to be with you.”

“Okay, okay, Junnie. I know.” Hurriedly placing kisses on his mate’s forehead to calm him down, the giant man regretted scaring his lover. “When you get out of here, you will stay at your parents’ house for a while and I will find a new house for us to move in. Do you agree?”

Without thinking, the older alpha nodded, feeling comfortable with Mingyu’s plan. There was no problem in it. It was perfect for him to rest and heal in his parents’ house where he would be doted on and taken care of like a little child again. Whereas, Mingyu would spend time looking for a good place. Jun knew for sure that Mingyu would visit him very often then, or even sleep there some nights because his parents loved Mingyu so much as well. The only bad thing was that Mingyu would have to go back to their apartment to live alone for a short time and pack their stuff.

This was the thing only Mingyu could do for him. Only Mingyu would take the disadvantage and give all the best to Jun.

With such recognition and blooming love in his heart, Jun did not have any thought of rejection when Mingyu kissed him slowly and sweetly on his lips, even though he knew that he was being an ugly crying mess. The older alpha let himself bask in the affection, relaxing his body to enjoy the gentle movement of his lover’s lips on his own, and enjoy how they still remained eye contact. From time to time, Mingyu would broke the kiss and pulled away a little so that they could easily look into each other eyes and then went in for another kiss again. Everything was sweet, tender and perfect.

A few minutes later, Jun was not crying any more, and Mingyu patiently spent time wiping all the tears on his lover’s face. However, right after that, he still suggested that Jun should wash his face, and the older alpha quickly complied. He was actually quite good enough to walk on his own, although a little bit slowly, but Mingyu kindly carried him to the bathroom with a simple reason.

“Save your energy, Junnie, so that you can get healthy faster.”

As long as all Mingyu wanted for him was the best things, Jun would let him do everything. The affection from the giant man was not enough to stop the pain in his chest yet, but it was temporarily warm and loving enough to stop his tears from falling. Jun told himself to rest a bit, to seek for comfort from Mingyu, and to remember that he still had a perfect mate and perfect parents welcoming him with all their hearts at any times no matter what he had done.

When Jun got out of the bathroom, he saw someone unexpected in his room. In fact, it was the person he had longed to see for the whole day, yet he could not think that Wonwoo would come at this time. It was already ten in the evening.

Mingyu was crossing his arms with a deadly serious expression on his face, and Jun could feel a lot of tension between the two men. Jun could not help asking a question.

“What happened?” He nervously looked from Mingyu to Wonwoo and then back to the younger man. “Is there anything wrong?”

“Wonwoo came to ask you something.” Mingyu’s look was softened when he turned to his mate, but there were obvious worries in his eyes.

“Don’t you have to be with Joshua now?” Jun was also anxious to see Wonwoo coming to see him now.

“He’s sleeping.”

Wonwoo began to walk closer to Jun, but the sick alpha suddenly stepped back and moved to stand behind Mingyu. The giant man had already known the fact that Wonwoo drugged Jun and bit him without his consent, so Jun must have very bad impression of the lead alpha now, but he certainly did not expect his lover to look somehow frightened of that intimidating man like this. It was not very evident, but Jun seemed not to be at ease when Wonwoo wanted to approach him. He was only fine when their distance was kept. Sensing something wrong, Mingyu took one step ahead to cover his mate completely and confront his blood cousin.

“Just ask whatever you want, Wonwoo. Don’t touch him.” What Mingyu had just let out was an actual growl of fierce warning. Jun was able to feel the intense pheromones spreading from the huge man in front of him, but he was not scared. He felt protected and relieved to know he was right. Wonwoo could no longer harm him when Mingyu was nearby.

“I’m still your older cousin, Mingyu.” Wonwoo narrowed his eyes in a dangerous way and Jun instantly considered that as a real threat. They were both angry, yet he was sure that Wonwoo was much more threatening than Mingyu. His voice was deep as hell and sounding like coming from a true Lucifer. “I have the right to touch my mate or do whatever I want.”

“The only reason for me not to break your jaw is Joshua, but I swear I can get over that if you dare to hurt Junnie.” Mingyu warned again, tightening his fists. “You’re just his mate, not his parents or anything. Even his parents don’t have the right to hurt him. Step back, Wonwoo.”

“I need to talk to Jun.” Wonwoo gritted his teeth. “And I won’t talk to him with you between us like this.”

“You aren’t much different!” Mingyu pointed an accusing finger at the other man. “You kept holding Joshua and…”

Wonwoo snarled, not directing to Jun but the poor alpha still shivered.

“I did put him down and it was him who ran back to me. Still not give up, Mingyu?”

No matter how scared Jun was, he knew there was no other choice for him rather than facing Wonwoo and finishing this talk. The man would not leave until he sorted his things out. Jun could not guess what Wonwoo may want to ask him, but he was determined to solve this.

“I can talk to him.” Gripping Mingyu’s arm, Jun gently told him. “I just need you to stay with me.”

Worriedly turning towards his mate, Mingyu frowned in utter concern.

“Are you sure?”

“Just a talk. It’s fine.” Nodding, Jun forced himself to give his cousin a weak smile.

The giant man did not really have good feelings about this, but he had to follow his lover’s wish. Although Jun was the one who hid himself behind Mingyu a few minutes ago, now he stepped out on his own to face Wonwoo, but still make sure to keep a suitable distance between him and his older cousin. Jun truly wanted to see Wonwoo, to look at the man, but his heart failed to handle the pain brought by the man in front of him, so in the end he just ducked his head again. His voice was unexpectedly low and quiet.

“What do you want?”

“All I have heard only Mingyu’s plan, not yours.” Wonwoo stated, voice much calmer than previously, yet cold and somehow sounding commanding. “If you guys want to hear the answer from Joshua, then I want you to say it by yourself as well. You really want to leave with Mingyu?”

Jun did not need any time to think. He had already thought about this enough. Mingyu managed to clear his mind, and now Jun understood he needed to find the best for himself to heal after all of this. He would never get whatever he wanted if he tried to hold onto the past. He would find nothing from Wonwoo.

“Yes. I will leave with Mingyu.” He answered without looking at the lead alpha. “It’s already decided.”

“Are you sure?” Frowning deeply, sounding irritated, Wonwoo reached out a hand to grip Jun’s chin and lift his face up so as to look at him in the eyes. “Why can’t you look at me while saying so? Are you really sure that’s what you want?”

“Wonwoo!” Mingyu hissed angrily, about to attack his cousin right on the spot, but Jun held him back by a hand on his chest.

“Please, Mingyu. Don’t. I’m okay.” Breaking away from Wonwoo, Jun tried to assure the giant alpha and calm him down. Mingyu was extremely annoyed, but Jun kept looking at him and begging through his eyes. Therefore, he had no choice but to ignore that inappropriate action for now.

Nonetheless, there would not be a second time.

Jun did not let Mingyu do anything to Wonwoo, but that did not mean he was not angry. He was still being affected by the bite and Wonwoo’s dominant pheromones still scared him much more than how it used to in the past, but something gave him the audacity to get mad at the lead alpha. Jun was not sure what it was, but all of a sudden he could not endure this any longer.

“I know you bit me. I know I have your mark and now I am officially your mate.” Jun had to stop for a short while due to the pain those words gave him, but he bit his lips harshly and went back to retorting to his first love, his first of everything, and the first death of his soul in this whole life. “But I am not your slave or your child. I have the right to do what I want and I don’t have to ask you. Don’t act as if everyone needs you or has to obey you, Wonwoo!”

“I could bite you and leave a claiming mark on you. Do you understand what that mean, Junnie?” Wonwoo kept speaking in that voice, even becoming more and more scary, and Jun had to use a lot of strength to fight against the urge to submit in order to avoid punishment.

The punishment… Jun hated it. Just one thought of it was enough to make him shiver.

Getting no answer, Wonwoo continued.

“It means I am stronger than you and you are the one who has to listen to your mate.”

“You aren’t the only one.” Jun almost shouted to his face. “Mingyu is also my mate now. If you have that right, then he has it, too.”

“Don’t forget that Mingyu is younger than me and no matter what his rank is still lower than me.” Wonwoo looked exactly like a psychopath losing his mind completely right now, and he was making Jun scared and enraged at the same time. What he said was undeniable, but using those things as a way to manipulate and control the person he claimed to love was horribly wrong. Nevertheless, the lead alpha did not seem to think he was wrong even a bit, and he just got worse by second. “I’m the first in command here, and I won’t allow anyone around me to leave me like how my father did.”

At this point, Wonwoo abruptly walked closer to Jun, and he should be frightened. However, the man’s last saying was like the last straw to Jun, and he felt nothing but angry.

Without hesitation, Jun slapped Wonwoo right on the face, just like what he had done in his cousin’s room just a short time ago, when the man tried to beat him to submission. Not wasting any second, Jun pointed a finger to the lead alpha’s face and snarled at him with all of his anger.

“Do you know you’re pushing everyone away, Wonwoo? You keep saying that you love me but I don’t feel that. You and your fucking wedding. What the hell is wrong with you? When the hell will you understand? You always want me to submit and obey you, but do you ever know what I really want from you? Do you know what I want? It’s just one thing, one single thing.” Jun was not aware that his tears were falling again, and his voice was broken while Wonwoo stared at him with a stream of blood oozing out at the corner of his lips. “I just wish that one day I will wake up and you tell me you won’t get married anymore. And you will tell me that you love me and just want to be with me. That’s all I want. All I want is to get your love, but what did you give me? What did you give me, Wonwoo? You used Jeonghan to make me give in, raped me, bit me, punished me, and now what? What else do you want? You want me to be your slave forever, right?”

Gripping Jun’s wrist tightly, Wonwoo pulled him to his chest, making their faces just an inch away from each other when he growled in frustration.

“Isn’t it clear enough to you that I want you to stay with me? If I don’t love you, then I have tried so hard for what? Why did I have to mark you if I don’t love you?”

“You’re fucking sick, Wonwoo. That’s not love. You just want to own us.” Jun shook his head frantically. “If you say that you love me and Joshua so much, then why don’t you cancel that fucking wedding? Why don’t you get rid of that Soonyoung? Isn’t it clear that we both hate it?”

“Then why can’t you sacrifice just a little bit for your alpha? Didn’t I tell you that this wedding is just for business benefit?”

“You think I can trust you after all you’ve been hiding from me? This time’s Soonyoung, what about the next one? What if you need _another business benefit_ after you divorce Soonyoung? What am I? Am I a toy to you? I have to sacrifice my own life to watch you marry whoever you want forever? I have to live in the same house with _your husband_ who I don’t like at all? Or I will live in another house like your mistress?”

“Why is that business benefit so important to you, Wonwoo?” Mingyu successfully pushed Wonwoo away from Jun while asking, face also red in anger. “Why do you keep holding on it even though you know Jun and Joshua are both hurt because of your marriage? I can’t understand. You clearly know what they both want. You keep saying that they love you. Why don’t you prove you really love them by throwing that wedding away?”

Wonwoo suddenly snickered, as if mocking at himself, or at the two listeners. They were not sure, but the look in that man’s eyes were not less painful than the two of them.

“You two know nothing about me, and then now you’re teaching me how I should live properly.” To the shock of them, Wonwoo’s smile grew wider, and also wilder. “Junnie, you don’t know why you can live such a happy life, right? You guys don’t know how much Joshua actually costs, right? You, Mingyu, you don’t even know how much that perfect huge apartment with four bedrooms in the center of Seoul costs. You think that I can give you all of those things just by working as a fucking CEO in my father’s company?”

“What are you saying, Wonwoo?” Mingyu frowned, feeling something wrong. “All three of us knew the price…”

“No, you don’t.” Wonwoo growled, not letting his cousin finish. “You don’t fucking know anything. The number you knew was just half of the price, and at that time I knew neither of you would be able to pay such an amount of money, even you, Mingyu. You two thought Joshua was really that cheap? You really believed that a cat hybrid so cute and young and still in perfect quality like him could be kept in the pet shop for more than a month without anyone buying him? You think that was possible?”

Now thinking back about that, Mingyu and Jun realized the problem. The website of the pet shop did not provide much information, but through what Joshua had told them, they knew that he had already been in the shop for a few months. They were not involved in the purchasing process because Wonwoo dealt with everything then, and the two alphas only welcomed the hybrid to their home without asking any further questions.

As a result, now they stared at the lead alpha unblinkingly, nervously waiting for the explanation. The look irritated Wonwoo and satisfied him at the same time, making him see how dumb his innocent cousins were. They knew nothing. They never knew anything, and they were standing here throwing ugly words to his face, telling him that he was wrong.

“When I contacted the pet shop, they said that there was a long queue of people waiting to get Joshua and the price shown on the website was just the starting price. The shop was waiting for someone to come up with the highest price they desired and they would only sell him when they felt satisfied.” Smirking, Wonwoo just wanted to laugh at the other men’s stupid shocked faces. “How could we get him that fast? I paid them one hundred times more than the starting price, and Joshua was sold to us immediately.”

“Why… why didn’t you tell us then?” Mingyu asked in bewilderment, but his voice was a bit softer.

“What’s the point of telling you guys? Is there anything you can do about it?” The eldest man glared at his cousin. “Five hundred millions won. You want me to tell you that you will owe me more than one million won for the rest of your life? Want me to wait for you to pay this debt? I get Joshua for us and now you two are telling me that I am wrong in the way I earn money? What did we use to get our little omega? Air? Paper? That’s money. You fucking stupid.”

Shaking his head in shock over and over again, Jun mumbled in tears.

“No… Wonwoo… If… if you have been carrying such a burden like that all the time, why didn’t you…”

“No. That’s never a burden.” Wonwoo violently cut off his cousin, eyes red and fierce. “That’s how this life works. Without money, I’m just nothing. If I hadn’t made that much money and given you two such a wonderful life, would you two have stayed with me that long? If I were just a pathetic alpha working like crazy to earn money would you be able to rely on me? Of course you wouldn’t. Nobody wants to rely on a pathetic alpha. Without money I won’t be able to do anything. This marriage is just the same. It’s just a thing to help me earn more money and give you whatever you want. I can even buy a castle for all of us to live together if you want.”

“You’re seriously using those as an excuse for yourself.” Mingyu accused, voice getting much louder even though he was just soft a short while ago. After all that happened, it was too hard for him to have any further faith in his oldest cousin and those words were deadly annoying to his ears. “We have never asked for anything from you. It’s okay for all of us to live in anywhere smaller or worse. I will live anywhere even in a cottage if you agree to cancel the wedding and come back to Junnie and Joshua. You’re speaking as if we are the ones who make you marry Soonyoung but that was just totally your own decision.”

“You dare to make sure you guys will still be with me when I have no money left? When I am not a billionaire?” Once again, Wonwoo snickered, and then laughed loudly, furiously licking his own blood on his lips. “You can’t promise anything, Mingyu. Even a marriage means nothing. You can also divorce after marrying. Then what about me? What the hell do I have to make sure that you guys will stay with me forever? How can I know you won’t be like my father who walked away just because he thought a noble alpha was supposed to be strong and rich and better than everyone but my alpha father was not then?”

Until this point, Jun was dumbfounded and had no idea how to react, because he had never known anything about Wonwoo’s motivation for acting possessive towards everyone around him, and also because he had not been there to see why Wonwoo’s omega father left his family. When he first met Wonwoo, the lead alpha was already as cold as ice and almost never showed any signs of happiness. Only Mingyu knew, and the giant man was enraged right after that.

“Don’t compare us to your omega father, Wonwoo.” Rapidly stepping towards the lead alpha, Mingyu was slowly losing control. “We’ve been living together so long and now you’re still doubting us? You still can think that we could be the same as _him_? I thought we were so much better than that. All those years mean nothing to you?”

“Six years meant nothing to my father. And that is _my blood father_.” Wonwoo angrily growled to Mingyu’s face. “He left then why can’t you? We’re just cousins, not even real brothers. Junnie is already mated with me and has my bite but now he’s still going to leave with you. Can you dare say that I can’t compare you with my father?”

“You’re crazy, Wonwoo. It isn’t the same at all. Jun has the right to leave because you’ve hurt him enough and he can’t stand this anymore. _It’s all your fault_!”

“I did everything for both of you including this marriage and now you dare to say I am at fault for everything?”

“You drugged him and raped him. I can’t call that _love_, Wonwoo. I can only see you as _a fucking selfish bastard_.”

“The plan was just destroyed because of stupid Seungcheol. Don’t you know it, Mingyu? He had already given in to me, and I’m sure he didn’t want to leave with you at all after I claimed him.”

Mingyu could not endure this any longer.

Unable to contain his anger, the giant alpha clenched his fist extremely tightly before throwing it towards the older male. Unfortunately, Mingyu was just aiming for Wonwoo’s face but something else went into his way, blocking his target from his view. When he realized Joshua, it was already too late. The shock only helped Mingyu hold back part of his force, but he still ended up hitting the omega and caused him to fall onto the floor. The sound coming from the hybrid was utterly painful and heartbreaking.

Startled and shocked, all of the alphas stared at their omega with wide eyes, freezing. However, before any of them could take action, the boy struggled to get up and scrambled to crawl to the position in front of Mingyu so as to hold his leg and started to beg.

“Please… please don’t hit him… Please…”

The giant man was killed for the second time in just a day.

When he collapsed, Wonwoo also got his mind back and hurriedly went to scoop Joshua up into his arms, hugging the boy in the familiar position as always and quickly whispered to his crying omega.

“Don’t do that, kitten. I’m fine. You don’t need to beg him.”

Nonetheless, Wonwoo soon realized that Joshua was not crying because he was scared of Mingyu or something like that. The reasons might be complicated, but his blood immediately boiled when his eyes captured the sight of his bloody leg. It was obvious that they boy somehow tried to move from his room to here without using the crutch, and all those things that had happened did great harm to his wound. Joshua was bleeding, and perhaps his broken ankle got worse now.

Wonwoo did not waste any more second. He just left, having no word or feeling no need to say anything else to his cousins.

Joshua cried so hard that Wonwoo started to run right after leaving Jun’s room. It was a real struggle for him to try to calm the boy down, but Joshua only cried harder and got clingier to his alpha. The doctors asked Wonwoo to leave so that they could take care of the hybrid, but the cat literally panicked when he was taken away from the lead alpha. Consequently, Wonwoo insisted on staying with his kitten, and the doctors saw no other choice. They had to choose the best for the patient, and it would be like killing Joshua to force him to be alone now.

However, Wonwoo certainly did not expect that Joshua would turn to the doctor and pointed a finger at him.

“He… my master… he is bleeding.” The boy’s voice was unclear due to his sobs, but the situation was easy to understand so the doctors could catch his words. “Can… can you please… check…”

“I’m fine, Joshua. I’m really fine.” Wonwoo assured his kitten with a firm voice. “It’s just very little blood. I’m not bleeding anymore.”

“You should be more worried about yourself.” The doctor sighed a little. “Why were you so careless? Your ankle was broken. You can’t run or even walk without your crutch. Your face is bruised.”

All of a sudden, Joshua snapped his head towards Wonwoo to check his attitude, and then sunk deeply into the man’s chest without saying anything more. Trembling and crying in fright, Joshua thought it was too late for him to register that he had been a bad hybrid. He did not take care of himself. He became a burden of his master. He was causing troubles. Wonwoo would be mad. Wonwoo would punish him.

In fact, Wonwoo was not mad at all, yet he could understand what Joshua might be thinking in his mind. Lowering and softening his voice to the utmost, he cooed to the kitten, giving him soothing words and loving distractions while the doctors worked with his bleeding wound. The efforts luckily worked. During the process, Joshua did not seem to be much scared of his owner anymore, just clinging to him for his life and whimpered into the man’s chest whenever the doctors unintentionally hurt him.

A doctor kindly asked Wonwoo if he wanted them to give the hybrid a shot so as to make him fall asleep quickly or not, but the boy shook his head vigorously and begged the man not to do it. Wonwoo had no strength in his heart or his mind to go against Joshua’s wish at this moment, so he rejected the offer and took the boy back to his room. Joshua kept crying, crying, and crying, although he was safe, and Wonwoo was also safe now. The sobs had turned to sniffles, but the tears had never stopped streaming down his cheeks.

When Wonwoo sat in the middle of the bed, he gently pulled the boy away a little so as to look at him in the face clearly. At this moment, the hybrid looked unbelievably vulnerable, making the man feel as if his kitten would break for sure if he left this boy alone. Because the alpha was being extremely gentle, Joshua was not scared of being pushed away, but he did not dare to go back to Wonwoo’s chest before the man pulled him back by himself. He even ducked his head, afraid of staring into his master’s eyes. A good pet would not do that.

“Why did you leave your bed, Joshua?” Wonwoo worriedly asked, cupping the boy’s cheek by one hand and lifting his face up to see his eyes. “Was there something wrong here?”

Forced to look up, the hybrid finally looked at his alpha, and the man’s sad eyes made his heart even weaker and melt right on the spot. Clutching both hands tightly to the front of his owner’s shirt, Joshua tried to speak in tears.

“I had a nightmare… but I woke up and see you nowhere… so I… I ran to find you…”

Wonwoo did not ask what Joshua had seen in his dream, but he understood the boy enough to know the nightmare must have been much more terrible than the usual ones to make him act this way. His face was bruised and swollen due to Mingyu’s hit, yet thankfully things were not very serious and the boy was not suffering from much pain. However, Wonwoo was.

“I’m sorry.” Squeezing the crying kitten in his chest, the alpha placed an abnormally long kiss on the tip of his omega’s head. “I intended to go out for a short while when you slept. I didn’t know it would take that long. I’m sorry, baby.”

“Please don’t go… master… don’t leave me, please…” The boy cried and begged, unable to control his mouth, letting it say whatever appeared in his mind right then.

“I won’t. I promise, Joshua.” Wonwoo stated that again, wondering why the hybrid kept doubting that his owner would leave him over and over again. No matter how many times he promised to stay with Joshua, the boy would just get frightened by the idea of Wonwoo leaving him not only in his dreams but also in reality.

Patiently sitting there with the hybrid on his lap and in his arms, Wonwoo waited for his omega to fall asleep again. The candy scent got slightly sweeter when its owner stopped shedding tears and there were only sounds of the cat’s steady breath in his slumber. Wonwoo did not need much more to know that Seungkwan was definitely right about Joshua needing him more than anything right now.

Nevertheless, the huge questions did not stop haunting Wonwoo’s mind. The boy was acting this way because he loved the lead alpha, or just because he was scared of Mingyu and he hated Jun due to the betrayal? Joshua needed Wonwoo most just because he literally had no one else to rely on right now? The boy chose to stay with Wonwoo because he knew this would be the man who could give him a life with the best quality? In the end, what was the cat’s motivation of choosing Wonwoo?

Wonwoo was the man who won the battle, but he was not genuinely enjoying the satisfaction of triumph. The doubts were slowly destroying his mind, forcing him to just do all he could think of to own Joshua, to make the boy become his forever. Joshua legally belonged to him, because Wonwoo paid the money and signed the paper by himself, but the best way for a human to own a hybrid was giving him a mating bite. Wonwoo could never feel relieved in any second before Joshua was marked as his. He would make that happen at all cost. He would only believe that Joshua truly loved him and wanted to be with him if the boy obediently accepted this fate and followed his plan without a question.

Or Joshua was thinking that his being weak and vulnerable would make Wonwoo pity him and change his mind later? Just one guess like that was enough to make the man’s heart burn in anger, since he was determined to do everything to own Joshua.

The silence of the night was broken when there was a knock on the door. Wonwoo intended to put Joshua down so as to come to the door, but surprisingly, the boy tightened his arms around the man, which let the alpha know his kitten was not fully asleep yet. Unable to leave the boy alone again, Wonwoo decided to follow his hybrid’s wish and carried him while standing up and moving towards the door. Joshua slept comfortably in his alpha’s arms like a baby during the whole way, and did not move even a bit after the door was opened.

Mingyu definitely did not expect to see Wonwoo with Joshua in his embrace like that, and the sight broke his heart violently like hammer. It was easy for the lead alpha to feel his cousin’s pain because his scent was telling it all. Wonwoo had never smelled Mingyu devastating and awful like this moment. There was no tear on the giant man’s face, but his red eyes were the obvious evidence of him crying just a few minutes ago. Wonwoo had never seen Mingyu cry. Now he knew the younger man cried because he hurt Joshua, both times unintentionally, but the results were just horrible and almost unresolvable.

“I’m… sorry.” Mingyu’s sentence was broken due to an effort to hold back the tears. After so many seconds of staring into the back of Joshua’s head, the alpha managed to look at his older cousin in the eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Mingyu did not say much more, but Wonwoo decided to accept the apology and nodded. However, not long after that, he voiced out his opinion, voice cold but calm, and his face was emotionless.

“I think it’s better for us to part away from each other for a while. You take care of Jun. I will keep Joshua.”

Fortunately, Mingyu was thinking the same, even though it was painful for him to think of his upcoming days without the presence of his kitten. Again, his eyes were glued on the hybrid as the pain was killing his heart.

“I understand.” He nodded, swallowing the tears, feeling the huge uncomfortable lump in his throat. “It’s the best for us, but…”

Inhaling deeply and then sighing, Mingyu stared into Wonwoo’s eyes directly again. Before the giant man started to speak, the lead alpha was able to predict that his cousin was going to beg him.

“Please, Wonwoo.” Desperate, Mingyu saw no choice but to beg. “Please be nice to him.”

Wonwoo hated it when people asked him to _“be nice”_ to Joshua. His face was stern and he was evidently irritated, but Mingyu had to keep going on. He could not believe that Wonwoo did not understand this. He could not believe Wonwoo did not realize how much Joshua loved him. He could not believe that the boy would forget all of the pain Wonwoo gave him before he really saw it happen.

“What Joshua has for me and Jun is love. But for you, he loves you, and worships you.” Mingyu tried to keep a stable voice, but the truth about the boy’s heart hurt him so badly. “He has never said it out, but I can see he considers you as his God, and what he’s scared of most is losing you. I tried my best to distract him from the pain you caused but after all he still kept thinking of you for the whole day. He’s a hybrid. You beat him to submission from the first day and he loves you. No matter what you do, he will just never stop loving you or leave you. Please, don’t hurt him.”

Unexpectedly, Mingyu’s hope was shattered when Wonwoo replied coldly.

“I don’t hurt him. I just do what I need to do.”

“I seriously beg you, Wonwoo.” The giant alpha had no will left to argue with his older cousin. He just wanted to beg the man to have some mercy for the little hybrid. “He’s already broken from the day we got him, and he has never healed fully yet. Please, don’t torture him anymore. He can’t take it.”

“Don’t tell me how to treat my omega.” Wonwoo’s voice was getting much more stern, eyes narrowing, showing great irritation. “You’d better take care of Junnie. I know what to do with Joshua.”

Mingyu refused to give up that early, despite the fact that he could see himself getting hopeless.

“I know you said you would mark him after coming back here. He cried a lot about that. Joshua is frightened, especially after what I did to him. Please Wonwoo. Don’t hurt him this way. All of us promised not to hurt him. You also promised to wait for him, didn’t you?”

“Stop lecturing me, Mingyu.” At this moment Wonwoo was glaring at his cousin, giving a command sounding like a warning. “I think you should leave and let him rest now.”

Mingyu terribly wished to argue more with his cousin, but the look on the lead alpha clearly stated that he no longer wanted to talk more, and the giant man was afraid of hurting Joshua’s peace by messing with Wonwoo right now. It was not easy for the boy to find some comfort today; Mingyu should not ruin his slumber as he knew his older cousin’s angry pheromones could wake the hybrid up in just the blink of an eye.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he lowered his voice to the utmost, whispering the last plea.

“Can you please… let us say goodbye to him tomorrow? Please, Wonwoo?”

The cold man’s frown made Mingyu’s heart drop to the bottom of his stomach, preparing him for an upcoming rejection, yet he was already about to drop his knees to beg. He could not stand letting Joshua leave without a farewell, even though he was scared of the fact that the boy may actually not want to see him at all.

Magically, Wonwoo replied with a nod, although reluctantly.

“Come here around six. I won’t bring him to your room.”

That was all Mingyu got before the door was close and he was then alone in the empty hall.

He wanted to give Joshua a hug, a kiss on his hair, a peck on his cheek, to say good night to him, or at least to apologize to him.

Yet, all of them were out of his reach now, because he was the real demon in the cat’s eyes. Mingyu still remembered that just a few days ago, Joshua clung to him to seek for protection and comfort because Wonwoo hurt him and broke his heart. Today, everything changed. Mingyu was the one who brought pain to the hybrid, pushing him towards Wonwoo. Perhaps, he had lost Joshua forever.

Would it be forever? Mingyu did not dare to imagine.

Minutes slowly passed by and the giant man was still standing silently in front of Joshua’s room with his head low, eyes glued on the cold floor beneath. Never in his life had he ever hated himself this much. Snickering bitterly to himself, Mingyu suddenly understood what Jun had been going through. He finally knew how it felt like to hate himself, because right now he just wanted to punch his own face and curse at his own stupidity. Mingyu had no clue how to fix all of this, which caused him to feel desperate, and devastated.

_“Did I just lose Joshua forever?”_

Palming his own face, the man spent ten more minutes standing there until his mind forced him to think of Jun staying alone in his room in the middle of the night. The tired alpha had already stopped crying and the exhaustion made him sleep before Mingyu came here, but he was still worried of letting his mate be alone now. Consequently, the huge man heaved another long sigh then headed back to his lover’s place, trying his best to gather himself back together. He was not alone. He still had someone to take care of. He must be strong for Jun. He could not break.

Carefully opening the door without creating any sounds, Mingyu was utterly relieved to see Jun still sleeping in bed and nothing seemed to have happened while he was away. However, before joining his cousin on the bed, Mingyu went to the bathroom first so as to wash his face. He could only step out to face Jun when he was ready enough.

When Mingyu scooted closer to Jun and lied down next to him under the blanket, he was surprised to see his lover shifting into his arms instantly. Almost right away, Jun opened his eyes, croaking out a broken _“Mingyu”_ and bursting into tears in his alpha’s embrace.

That night, Jun cried himself to sleep. Hugging his mate tightly to his chest, Mingyu was not less exhausted and heartbroken. The only thing they could do to soothe the other one was trying to remember that they still had each other.

“We will get through this. Everything will be fine again. It will be.” Mingyu whispered, more to himself than to Jun, as a stream of tears fell on his cheek one more time, when he was sure that Jun could not see his face, and his sobs were loud enough to cover any sounds Mingyu might let out.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Joshua will definitely leave the hospital in the next chapter. You will know how Wonwoo is going to treat him then~ He will be quite nice, but still an asshole for sure...  
But first, in this chapter, poor Mingyu ;_; If I were him, I wouldn't be able to cope with so much guilt like this. 
> 
> I am curious to know how you think after hearing some of Wonwoo's thoughts. I know, like Mingyu said, they finally knew Wonwoo's motivation for acting this way, but anyway he's still wrong. I won't defend him for that, but at least eventually we can see the starting point of this. He has no trust in other people, and fails to make people trust him as well.
> 
> I don't know is it normal for me to feel this way or not, but I do pity for Wonwoo, because he was severely hurt by his parents' divorce. ;_;
> 
> About Jeonghan, please be patient T_T Trust me, he's my most beloved bias in SVT. I will never leave him out!!!!!!! When he appears again I think you will love every second of his presence!!!!!
> 
> Please feel free to share your thoughts and feelings and I am always happy to know ^^ 
> 
> \---
> 
> I am feeling bad and irritated again, but I can't go to my doctors because of the virus. We live in two different cities. I will have to catch a bus and then take a grab to reach there. The whole process will take about two hours but it's really dangerous to go around like that in my country these days because of the virus ;_; I feel stuck. I have no idea what to do.


	52. Lucifer's love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua left the hospital and started his new life.  
Nothing seemed to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite long, but I am not sure if you will like that or not... 
> 
> Recently I am very much worried of this fic even though many of you have already said that you will definitely stick to it till the end. But I am still nervous, because other than friends who usually comment, there are many people who didn't comment and just silently left ;_; 
> 
> Anyway, if you like angst, then this chapter might be a nice one for you. I hope you will enjoy it!

The next day, Joshua woke up early to prepare to go home. At that time, he was still in Wonwoo’s embrace but after one look, the boy knew that his owner had already got up a while ago and he was even ready to go. Rubbing his eyes lazily, Joshua felt his head heavy and dizzy, but he still obediently sat up and did his things after the alpha brought him to the bathroom door.

He was going home. A whole new life was about to start. _A whole new hell_ for him to live in.

When Joshua got out, Jihoon was there to help packing things and he heard Wonwoo telling the short omega.

“You bring them to the car first. I will bring Joshua down there after a minute.”

Jihoon nodded and took the bag full of their belongings and the hybrid’s crutch. Joshua felt relieved that Wonwoo would carry him to the car instead of making him walk by himself with the crutch. The only question was that why they did not leave together with Jihoon yet. The boy saw nothing left to do in this room.

Silently, Wonwoo brought Joshua to the couch, and after sitting down, the man let the hybrid sit on his lap in a position where it was easy for the boy to look at his owner. Joshua was even more relieved to see the collar being removed from his neck. He knew in the past few days Wonwoo had to put it on him because he was in the hospital, a public place where there were not only him and his master but also many other people, and it would be hard to protect the hybrid if the man did not claim his ownership.

Putting a soft kiss on the cat’s lips, Wonwoo leaned over to bite his omega, making Joshua yelp in pain, but he was not shocked. The bite was not intense enough to bring tears to Joshua’s eyes, but what the alpha whispered to his ear did.

_“I can’t wait to make this mark stay on your neck forever.”_

Trembling in terror, Joshua tried his best to fight back the tears, knowing that Wonwoo would not like it if he kept crying whenever the man mentioned _his plan_. The boy once wished that his owner would have some mercy for him after what Mingyu had done, after Joshua was betrayed, or even just because his ankle was broken and he was in physical pain. However, the meeting with Seungkwan yesterday destroyed all of the hybrid’s hopes. He could only count the days, waiting until he would be raped and knotted by Wonwoo.

Joshua did not have the right to cry anymore, because he had chosen this. He was the one who chose to live with the man whom he was scared of most in this world. He must be obedient and submissive if he wished Wonwoo to give him some luxurious love.

Nonetheless, the effort to hold back the tears was too hard when Joshua saw his owner taking out a new collar in his hand. The boy stared at it unblinkingly, yet Wonwoo was not fazed, juts simply putting it on his cat’s neck. The object was made of leather, black and smooth, but Wonwoo’s name on it was in shining silver, extraordinarily standing out. The collar looked like a choker without the name, but in this case, nobody could mistake it. It was obviously a collar for a hybrid.

Joshua’s heartbeat stopped when his eyes captured the small metal ring connected to the collar right at the front of his throat. Was it a kind of decoration? Why is that ambiguous thing here? Joshua had never chosen a collar with this thing on it. If it was really out there for the purpose of decoration, it was not good at all. It did not look that elegant to be beautiful.

The worse thing was that Wonwoo spent more time than usual to make the collar attached to Joshua’s neck. The action was carried out on his nape, yet the boy quickly understood in fright that this collar had a special lock. It was tiny, not bringing any discomfort, but the important thing was that only Wonwoo - who had the key - would be able to unlock it. Joshua would always have this collar on his neck until his alpha took it off. The boy froze, unable to process his mind, and having no nerve to ask a single question.

_What was he to question his master’s action?_

When Wonwoo put his hand in his pocket again, Joshua felt like his heart was about to stop beating soon and he just wished this scene to stop. Each time the man pulled out something from his pocket, everything got a hundred times worse. There was no more collar, but the object in his hand now was something similar to a watch. Joshua knew it did look like an expensive watch, but it was not. When Wonwoo locked it around his right wrist, the boy tried extremely hard to blink away the tears in his eyes.

This kind of “watch” would track his position whenever he went to. It was also something that stored the information of Joshua’s owner, and it would give the police anything they might need to throw him back to his place if they found the hybrid wandering on the street without his owner. It was locked in a special way that only Wonwoo could open. Joshua could never run anymore. No matter where he went, Wonwoo would found him.

_“Am I… just a pet?”_ The boy could not help thinking in his mind, biting his own lips harshly to prevent himself from crying.

The dream of becoming _Wonwoo’s mate, lover, omega_, was long gone. He was just the man’s _pet_.

Unfortunately, Joshua’s last hope was shattered into pieces.

The last thing Wonwoo pulled out of his pocket was a black long leather leash. Everything was all clear now. The small metal ring on Joshua’s neck was definitely used for connecting to the leash.

The trembling boy burst into tears immediately. He stared at Wonwoo in utter fright while the man did all of the last necessary things to make Joshua a thoroughly controlled pet of his own. The other end of the leash was certainly held tightly by the alpha’s hand. In the past, Joshua had never been taken out by his previous owner, but born as a hybrid, he knew there were different kinds of pets in this world. With this leash on, he was nothing more than just a pet, with zero freedom.

A hybrid with a collar could possibly wander around as long as he still went home on time and did not make his owner angry. Nonetheless, a hybrid with a leash could only go to the restroom without his owner. A hybrid with a leash was not allowed to talk if his owner did not tell him to. A hybrid with a leash had no right over anything. Joshua was ranked the lowest position of this society. He was not much different from any of the dogs out there.

This was what Joshua had to pay for interfering with Wonwoo’s personal life? If he had not run away from the man that night, and not showing his rejection towards the man’s marriage, he would not have received this treatment, right? This was a punishment, and Joshua cursed at himself for destroying everything.

If he had always been good to his master, this would not have happened. He was at fault for all.

“Why are you crying?” Cupping the boy’s face, Wonwoo used a thumb to wipe his tears. His question seemed to be tender, but the voice did not seem like that at all, and it even made the cat shiver. Sniffling, he tried again to stop the tears, yet it was too difficult, especially when Wonwoo kept speaking in that cold voice. “I will take the leash off if you behave well and know how to obey me. Understand, kitten?”

Joshua nodded, desperately wanting to avoid his owner’s gaze but not daring to do that.

“The rule is simple, Joshua.” Wonwoo leaned closer to his omega, murmuring on his wet cheek. “You submit to me and I will give you everything. Isn’t it too easy?”

Knowing for sure that the cruel man wanted a real answer, the boy choked out a broken reply.

“Yes, master… It is.”

Trying extremely hard to wipe the tears by his long sleeves and stop himself from crying any longer, Joshua certainly knew what he had to do, but it was just impossible not to feel heartbroken. It was too painful for the hybrid when Wonwoo watched him cry silently, not doing anything to comfort him, because those tears were _unacceptable_ to the man. Joshua did not know it would hurt him so bad to be in this situation. His alpha’s coldness was even more cruel than anything in this world, and he would do all to stop this.

“I’m sorry, master… I’m sorry…” The boy tried to speak clearly, desperately wanting to let Wonwoo know that he had decided to go home with him, then he would never try to leave him even once. How could the lead alpha know that? Joshua had better say it out on his own. “I’m yours, master… I will do anything you want.”

The boy was not sure if his words sounded sincere enough to Wonwoo or not, but Joshua could not hold himself back anymore. Before his brain stopped him, his hand already came to clutch onto the alpha’s arm, begging for the comfort he had always got from his greatest man. Joshua knew he was a huge mess with a head full of conflicted thoughts, yet all he needed now was just Wonwoo, and he could not think in any different way.

Fortunately, Wonwoo had no rejection, as it he was satisfied to see the kitten clinging to him no matter what the reason was. Pulling the hybrid into his own embrace, the man whispered in a low voice.

“Let’s leave this place.”

Right when Joshua was squeezed in Wonwoo’s arms, he instantly wrapped his limbs around the man, desperately clinging to him while the alpha stood up and brought him out of the room. The boy nodded into his owner’s shoulder, willing to go wherever Wonwoo took him to. An invisible knife violently stabbed through Joshua’s heart at the realization that today he would be nothing more than the alpha’s pet in everyone’s eyes, because the collar and the leash on his neck were evidently noticeable. He could no longer walk out of the house confidently, proud to be such a great man’s mate. Joshua would have to keep his head low for the rest of his life. Hiding the cat ears and tail was not necessary now, since nobody would consider him as a human.

_Not with this collar and this leash._

As a result, Joshua let go of them completely, showing his ears and tail so as just to make it a little bit less miserable for his own heart and body. Hiding those things did take some of his energy and concentration, but from now on Joshua would not have to do it. Perhaps, he should soothe himself by thinking that it was a good thing, as he could live with his true self.

And, he had to live with the fact that _Wonwoo did not love him_.

Joshua was totally unaware of his other owners – or ex-owners – waiting for them outside the room. It was not until Wonwoo stopped moving did the boy begin to feel something not right and start to sniff. His lungs got the scents of pine and sandalwood. The cat instantly flinched, hugging his alpha more tightly and burying his face more deeply into Wonwoo’s shoulder, as if there were still more space for him to press his face into. His tail came to wrap around his alpha, partly because he wanted to keep the man to himself, partly because he did not want anyone to touch it.

Jun was originally waiting on his wheelchair, but at the moment he saw Wonwoo bringing Joshua out, he stood up, desperately trying to get closer to the omega. Wonwoo did not stop him, but the man was more than ready to do anything if someone dared to touch Joshua without his permission again.

“Kitten, Jun and Mingyu come here to say goodbye to you.” The lead alpha whispered to his baby, gently rubbing his shoulder to gauge his reaction.

However, Joshua did not move even a bit, which brought a painful expression to Mingyu’s face. Jun just could not be more devastated. He was ready to jump into hell if that could make Joshua forgive him and love him again, but the boy did not give him a single care. Jun would just feel more relieved if the cat shouted at him, cursed at him, hit him, or did anything he wanted to pour out his anger. Nonetheless, Joshua just desperately avoided him, giving him not even a look. The boy did not let him explain or do anything.

The two desperate alphas both wanted to hold their little hybrid, to touch their beloved omega, and they just blindly reached out their hands towards the cat since their hearts could not contain their wishes any longer. However, Wonwoo let out a deep growl of warning, throwing a death stare at his cousins. At this point, Mingyu and Jun were utterly shocked, because they could see Joshua was not scared of Wonwoo’s fierce growl at all. It means, the boy was fully aware of the fact that the lead alpha was protecting him from other alphas and he was safe in his master’s arms. They could never find anything worse than this.

Joshua trusted Wonwoo. He really trusted the man who was going to rape him and go against all of his wishes. They could not force their minds to really believe this. What had messed up Joshua’s mind so terribly like that? Were they at fault for this? They unintentionally pushed him towards Wonwoo because Jun betrayed him and Mingyu almost raped him? That did not make sense, because if they wanted to talk about rape, then Wonwoo could not be better than Mingyu.

Perhaps, Joshua also hated Mingyu because he knew the giant man would take Jun’s sides while Wonwoo loved him – or Wonwoo _seemed to love him_ – more than anyone else?

“What… what is that thing, Wonwoo?” Mingyu stuttered, eyes flickering from the hybrid to Wonwoo in disbelief. “You… you put a leash on him?”

“What?” Jun only began to notice that now, and his eyes widened.

“You can’t do that to him!” Once again, Mingyu was irritated, even enraged. “You said he’s our omega, not our pet. You can’t…”

“Watch your words, Mingyu.” Wonwoo coldly reminded. “He has nothing to do with you. He’s mine.”

“Wonwoo…” Mingyu began to growl, and he almost jumped at his cousin if Jun did not hold him back on time.

“You dare to argue with me, Mingyu?” Wonwoo glared at the giant man, voice annoyingly cold and mocking. “You said you wanted to know Joshua’s opinion, and he chose to be with me. Then now you don’t want to respect his decision anymore?”

“You bastard, Wonwoo! Don’t talk like you are a saint! You’re the first one who ignores his…”

“Then what?” Wonwoo comfortably and calmly asked back. “He chose me, not you.”

Joshua was terribly tired of those fights and arguments; he wanted nothing but to have some peace with his alpha, but Mingyu and Jun did not seem to get it. He could feel the giant alpha’s angry pheromones spreading like wild fire, and he was scared again, even though he knew Mingyu could not do anything since he was still in Wonwoo’s protective arms. The cat started to shake, and Wonwoo could easily feel the problem right away. Frowning harshly at the two stubborn guys, the lead alpha lowered his head to place a soothing kiss on the tip of Joshua’s head, reassuring him.

“Don’t worry, kitten. We will leave soon. Just wait a bit more.”

The boy nodded obediently, wishing the other two to vanish as soon as possible, wishing to beg Wonwoo to leave right now but he never dared to. Seeing Joshua giving in to the eldest alpha completely like that, Mingyu was just more dead inside, and instead of anger, he only felt his heart empty yet heavy at the same time. All of a sudden, he lost his own faith about this being able to get any better. He would never get over this. He would never.

“I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m really sorry.”

Joshua heard both of the men apologizing to him over and over again. His heart ached, and he felt suffocated, because everything was just too much. He hated them; he hated to hear their apologies; he hated to get hurt to terribly because of them. In just one night, his whole world collapsed, and he had nothing left to hold onto except for Wonwoo. Joshua did not dare to trust them again, and even did not dare to look at their faces again. He knew, in this world, only Wonwoo would do anything to get him. No matter what it was, Wonwoo would just do it to get Joshua for himself, and the boy would never be abandoned. Nobody could steal Wonwoo away from him, because even the lead alpha refused to let anyone take Joshua away from him.

Joshua only had Wonwoo.

He did not want to see anyone anymore.

When the boy started to cry again, Wonwoo walked away without saying a word to his cousins. They could only stand there, freezing and staring at the back of the man, watching Joshua slipping out of their lives, maybe forever. The boy would not forgive them, and there was nothing they could do to get the person they loved out of hell when the boy wanted to stay in that hell by himself.

All of their promises for Joshua were broken. They failed to protect the hybrid, and failed to give him happiness. Would Wonwoo do all of those things to him? Would Wonwoo treat him nicely? They could not know. They would never know it.

“Please, Mingyu.” Jun turned to grip his mate’s arm tightly, begging in vain. “Please just… do something to help him. Please… Joshua won’t survive. Wonwoo will break him. Wonwoo will kill him.”

“No… Calm down, Junnie.” Mingyu was perplexed by his lover’s choice of words. “What are you saying? Wonwoo won’t kill Joshua. I… I think he just wants Joshua too much. He won’t break him…”

Frantically, Jun pulled both sleeves of his shirt up to reveal his terribly bruised wrists while Mingyu stared at him with confused eyes. The older alpha looked at his cousin with tears in his eyes, and his body began to shake so violently that Mingyu had to hold him to prevent him from falling.

“You think that you did this to me, right?” Jun pointed to the purple bruises around his wrists, and Mingyu nodded, still dumbfounded. Jun shook his head crazily. “No, Mingyu, no. It’s not you. It’s Wonwoo. He did this to me… He… he won’t have any mercy for Joshua… I can endure this, but… but Joshua can’t… He won’t survive. Please, Mingyu. We have to find ways to help him.”

Mingyu could not find a single word to speak, staring at Jun in utter shock. He had never known Jun had gone through such horrible things _twice_. Jun was not only marked when he was unconscious; he was even raped when he was fully awake, and Mingyu repeated that the second time. The giant man found his own lips tremble, and his ears almost went deaf at the sounds of his blood rushing to his brain.

In front of him, Jun broke down, collapsing on the floor, and tears wet his shirt like a flood.

This could be the end of everything.

…

Jihoon was literally shocked when seeing the collar and leash on Joshua’s neck. The human omega certainly knew his friend was a hybrid, yet he had always thought that Joshua was a spoilt kitten who was treated like Wonwoo’s mate rather than just a pet. Now, the scenario just changed drastically, as if the alpha in front of him was not the one who hired him to protect his little precious hybrid that he loved so much.

Nonetheless, Jihoon knew he had no right to interfere, so he could only opened the car door for Wonwoo and drove them to wherever the man told him to. The alpha sat at the backseat with Joshua on his lap. The boy managed to stop crying, yet Wonwoo did not force him to move away, so he just kept on hugging his owner as his heart wished to.

Not long after that, the car stopped and Joshua guessed they were going to get out of the car. Consequently, he sat up, preparing to walk by himself with the help of the crutch but Wonwoo strong arms kept him still. The man’s voice was calm and his action of rubbing the cat’s back was a little sweet to his hybrid.

“Let’s go have some breakfast first.”

Understanding that the man wanted to carry him like this, Joshua obediently nodded and stopped moving, resting his whole body against his alpha again. It was weird for a human omega to be carried around in public places like this, but Joshua was just _a hybrid_, so it was okay.

This was not a blessing. This was a pain and Joshua could only try to swallow the tears that were threatening to fall again.

Jihoon stayed in the car at the parking lot. There was only Wonwoo bringing Joshua into the restaurant to get their breakfast. The boy thought everything would be simple here, but it turned out to be not. It was normal to see a person with his or her own hybrid as a pet, but a hybrid going out with a leash was not common at all. When a hybrid appeared with a leash like this, it would be easy for people to assume him to be _naughty and disobedient_.

Hybrids are different from cats or dogs because they are half human and they can think like a normal human being. Only the worst hybrids refuse to use their brains and go against their masters’ commands. Peeking out from Wonwoo’s shoulder, Joshua could see people staring at him. Some of them were curious, since the human alpha seemed to be spoiling his hybrid; some of them were just obviously disgusted. Joshua was ashamed to see those burning gazes. He knew he was not a bad hybrid. He had always tried so hard to be good to Wonwoo. He was not a disgusting creature.

Sensing the discomfort from the boy, Wonwoo quickly recognized what was causing that problem. Joshua did not know exactly what his alpha just did, but everyone immediately tore their eyes away, and he got some peace back again. Yet, the bad feelings were still torturing his heart.

When they sat at the table, Joshua was allowed to look through the menu and choose his own dish. Sighing in relief, the boy was pathetically happy that at least Wonwoo did not take everything away from him. Maybe if he tried harder, be more obedient and submissive to his owner, he would be spoiled and loved again. Joshua started to gain the faith in that assumption, already more than ready to please Wonwoo by anything he could.

In the hospital, Joshua had been eating only food that was easy to digest, and it was not until now was he allowed to get a delicious steak. However, when he picked up the knife and fork and started to cut the meat, he instantly winced and dropped the sharp objects back on the table. Looking up from his plate, Wonwoo rapidly reached out his hand to grab Joshua’s wrist, and did not miss the way his hybrid flinched.

“Your wrists hurt?” The alpha asked, voice softer than what Joshua expected. Realizing that the man was asking sincerely, the boy relaxed and nodded.

“I didn’t know they hurt this bad.” Joshua said sheepishly, voice quiet. He was being honest; he did not have to use his arms or hands to do something requiring much strength in the hospital.

Gently lifting the sleeve up to reveal more of the boy’s skin, Wonwoo could not help grimacing at the bruises, even though this was not the first time he saw them. Certainly, the alpha knew they hurt; therefore, he did not touch them, but he did not expect them to even hurt when Joshua used the knife to cut his steak. In this condition, the boy would be surely unable to cook or do household chores in several days.

Sighing, Wonwoo tenderly rubbed the bruised skin, giving his omega some comfort and making his heart skip a few beats.

“Why didn’t they tell us how to make them hurt less?”

Joshua watched Wonwoo carefully, pretty much wary of his sigh. When the man sighed, it meant that he was being upset, and the boy was too scared to face an unhappy human alpha. Nonetheless, Wonwoo soon washed that worry away by his next saying.

“I will check for something that may help in the drugstore. Remember to choose something easier to eat, kitten.”

The cat nodded, but he began to get worried by another problem. Would he have to endure the pain to eat this steak? If it hurt too much, Wonwoo would make him starve this morning? Skipping breakfast in only one morning would not kill him, but it would be so awful to sit here and watch Wonwoo eat. Joshua had already ordered the food, and it would be painful if he was not able to eat it.

Nevertheless, the boy stared at his owner in awe when the man pushed his own dish to a side and then pulled Joshua’s plate to the front of him. Wonwoo also ordered the steak, so he picked up his own knife and fork to start cutting the large piece of meat for his kitten. Gasping, Joshua got alarmed.

“Ma-master… you don’t have to do that!” If it had been a week ago, he would have had been melted by his alpha’s consideration, but at this moment, Joshua was scared of such treatment.

Wonwoo only took his eyes away from the steak in a brief second to look at Joshua, and the boy shut his mouth right away. If his owner wanted to do this, the boy should only follow his wish and stay silent. Not daring to show any further protest, the cat sat there and watched his alpha cutting the steak into very small pieces. Wonwoo did not rush. He cut them all thoroughly and neatly. Being a cat, Joshua never liked to take big bites of food, but he did not think his owner would care about this.

Once again, a light hope was lit up in the hybrid’s vulnerable heart. He thought that Wonwoo no longer cared about him, yet the fact did not prove the same thing. Joshua ate a little more slowly than his alpha, but the man did not seem to mind waiting. He simply pulled out his phone to check something, and then turned to watch his omega eat. The hybrid nervously checked Wonwoo’s attitude over and over again so as to make sure that the man was not showing any sign of urging him to finish his meal faster.

Moreover, he did not expect Wonwoo to talk.

“You want to sleep at home or go to my office? You still look very tired.” The alpha asked while observing his omega, gently brushing some hair out of the boy’s forehead, and he frowned. “Your eyes are puffy.”

“I’m sorry.” Joshua murmured quietly, guessing that Wonwoo was complaining about his constant crying and perhaps the man also meant that he was so ugly right now.

However, the alpha shook his head lightly.

“Do you want to sleep at home?” He repeated the question, in a quite different way.

Imagining himself sleeping alone in their apartment, where Seungcheol had come to crush his ankle, pull his hair and drag him along the hall, also where Mingyu became a monster, and where all of the three alphas used to be together and take care of Joshua wholeheartedly, the boy trembled and bit his lips harshly. Wonwoo was right about him being tired, but the last thing Joshua wanted right now was leaving his greatest alpha to stay alone in that dreadful place.

Consequently, he shook his head and answered. Joshua was afraid of getting on Wonwoo’s nerves by speaking with a nervous voice all the time, but he could not help it. No matter how hard he tried, he could not keep calm when talking to his alpha anymore, especially when the man was asking him something like this. Making a decision was hard. He was not sure which one Wonwoo would prefer.

“I want to come to master’s office, if that doesn’t bother you.”

“Okay.” Satisfied, the alpha patted his omega’s head, smirking a little.

Joshua sighed in relief.

As promised, Wonwoo took his hybrid to a drugstore and the boy was finally given some patches to put on his wrists with a promise of helping him heal the bruises faster. Watching his alpha pay, Joshua was shocked to see those patches costing a considerable amount of money, yet Wonwoo did not seem to care about it at all.

Joshua may not know it, but he hugged the alpha a little more tightly and felt his heart lighter.

After that, he realized that Jihoon was not driving them to Wonwoo’s company. The boy was utterly curious and confused, yet he stayed silent and obediently waited. Instead of worrying too much, he let himself indulge in the warmth of his alpha’s embrace. He was feeling very sleepy right now, but before he fell asleep, Jihoon had already stopped the car.

Joshua did not know Wonwoo would be this quick. The man had just showed him the photos of different houses on the Internet yesterday, and now he was actually taking the boy to visit a real house. Joshua was carried in the bridal style when Wonwoo got out of the car, and the hybrid was smart enough to understand everything right after he saw a woman dressed formally waiting for them at the gate of the strange house. He was going to examine the house that perhaps Wonwoo would buy to start their new life.

Joshua guessed it would not be wrong to call this place a villa. It was painted in white and decorated with metal details in black. The front yard was big and green, seeming fresh and comfortable. The back yard was also large and had a pool in it. The boy was sure that he had seen this villa among all of the things Wonwoo showed him last night, and it was undoubtedly the one he liked most. Joshua liked this villa simply because it was spacious but not too big. The inside of the place was also painted white, but the wooden floor made the whole space cozy and beautiful. There were also big glass windows which he could choose to open to welcome the natural winds or to close them when he wanted to use the air conditioner.

Upstairs, there were three bedrooms and there were totally four bathrooms in the whole house. There were balconies attached to each of the bedroom, which interested Joshua right from the first moment he saw this villa. On windy warm days, he thought it would be nice to open the door to the balcony and lie in his bed to enjoy a beautiful atmosphere.

“Does it look like what you expected?” Joshua was caught off guard when Wonwoo suddenly asked while the boy was busy watching around one of the bedroom.

“Yes.” He nodded without hesitation. “It’s wonderful.”

“Do you like it?” Wonwoo asked, but also kindly reminded. “It’s just temporarily inconvenient for you to walk to the bedroom. It’s quite dangerous to walk on the stairs with a crutch and a broken ankle.”

“I… I think I can do it.” Joshua chewed his own lips nervously, really wanting to get this house. “I will get used to the crutch.”

Bringing the boy to the balcony, Wonwoo took a quick glance around the place and then looked back at his omega. Joshua spent time watching his alpha rather than looking around the villa.

“This house is not far from the city center. You can walk there when your ankle heals. You see the buildings out there?”

The hybrid nodded, finding it easy to realize how near those places were. Joshua thought he had nothing to complain about this villa.

“So you like this one?” Wonwoo asked for a confirmation.

“Yes, master.” Joshua nodded. He was being utterly honest but his voice was still shaking because of fear. The boy could not get rid of it. He would never stop being scared of Wonwoo.

Still watching her clients carefully from the beginning until now, the woman smiled and said softly.

“This place is ready for you to move in right from tomorrow. If you decide right now, we will clean the whole place thoroughly one more time to prepare it in the best condition for you.”

“I will finish the purchasing process today.” Wonwoo said without a second thought and Joshua was shocked.

He really did not understand. Wonwoo was going to get married with Soonyoung; perhaps this would be the house where he would live with his future omega husband. Had the man asked for Soonyoung’s opinion? Or the red-haired omega also liked this villa? What would have happened if Joshua had said he did not like this place? Joshua was just a hybrid. Humans do not ask for their pets’ opinions.

One more time, the naive boy was given another reason to believe that Wonwoo loved him. He knew it was stupid to trust human alphas. That was what Jeonghan taught him, and the boy had already learned that too well by himself. Nonetheless, his heart innocently trusted Wonwoo again, despite the fact that this alpha had hurt him over and over again.

When they were back to the car, Wonwoo let Joshua straddle him again and gently patted the boy’s hair while speaking softly.

“We need to go back home for a while. Can you handle that, kitten?”

The cat shivered, yet he knew there was no other choice. Wonwoo was asking, but he had better follow his master’s decision. Nuzzling into the alpha’s collar, he answered.

“Yes, I can, as long as you are with me.”

Wonwoo said no more, but Joshua felt safe and assured that he would never be left alone there thanks to a sweet kiss put on his head. It was hard to explain why he all of sudden became so clingy to Wonwoo and needed Wonwoo so much like this, but Joshua refused to search for the answer. He wanted Wonwoo and he had Wonwoo now. That was enough. He would not ask for more.

The alpha kept holding his kitten in that position while bringing him back to their apartment. Burying his face in the man’s shoulder, Joshua did not want to look at anything in that place, or even smell anything from there. As if being able to read his omega’s mind, Wonwoo intentionally pushed out his scent and pheromones so that the hybrid would be covered completely in the air full of the aroma of peppermint he liked. It definitely worked, since Joshua smelled nothing but Wonwoo even after the man stepped inside the apartment. However, the alpha could feel how stiff his kitten was in his arms, and Joshua was trembling in fright.

This was perhaps the best way for him to protect himself. Wonwoo believed the boy would freak out if he peeked out to see anything reminding him of that dreadful night.

“I think you may want to use the bathroom. You want to use your…”

Frightened by the idea of coming back to his own room where he was told about the _betrayal_ and had his ankle broken, Joshua shook his head vigorously instantly, cutting off his alpha’s words.

“Your bathroom. Please, bring me wherever you go to.” The poor boy begged, voice shaking terribly and his scent was awfully sour.

“Okay. It’s okay. Don’t be scared, Joshua.” Wonwoo tried to shush the scared boy by giving light kisses on his fluffy ears. “I will take you to my room.”

The boy only opened his eyes and let go of Wonwoo when he was put on the alpha’s bed. Joshua had no trauma related to Wonwoo’s room, so he felt calm to sit here and wait for the man doing stuff in the bathroom. However, the alpha decided to let the hybrid use it first.

Right at the moment Joshua wondered what he should do with the leash when he and his alpha were in two different rooms, Wonwoo sat down next to him and carefully tied the other end of the leash to the cat’s right wrist. In fact, it was locked properly just like the collar on his neck, and Joshua knew he would never be able to take it off on his own.

The boy was able to hold back his tears this time, and they only fell again when he was alone in the restroom.

Instead of doing nothing while waiting, Wonwoo decided to go to Joshua’s room so as to fetch the tablet for him in case the boy would like to play with it at his office. Joshua was being pretty good this morning; therefore, perhaps Wonwoo would be a little generous and spoil him today. Nonetheless, the whole situation changed drastically when the alpha saw the pills on the nightstand inside the hybrid’s bedroom.

Those were the contraceptive pills that Mingyu had bought for the cat a few days ago, and it was easy to realize some of them were gone.

Recalling what Mingyu had told him last night, Wonwoo felt his blood boiling again. His cousin knew about his plan to knot and mark Joshua, and he also said the boy was extremely frightened about it.

_“So, this is how he intends to solve the problem? Let Mingyu knot him first? So that he can run away from me forever?”_

Crushing the pills in his tightening hand, Wonwoo hit his own fist onto the nearest wall, growling angrily like a betrayed wild animal. Wonwoo was so right to doubt everyone, he thought bitterly to himself. Joshua, the crying vulnerable boy was no longer trustworthy either. Was the kitten the one who begged to stay with Wonwoo? Did Joshua just beg the alpha not to ever leave him? At this moment, Wonwoo was forced to realize all of those perhaps were just lies, because the boy obviously preferred Mingyu. He once thought of letting Mingyu knot him first, so that the giant man could take over Wonwoo’s thorough rights to control him.

Laughing to himself, Wonwoo now even doubted that, if he failed to keep Joshua by his sides carefully, the cat may secretly sneaked out of the house and then Mingyu would knot him and claim him first. After that, the giant man would show up at his house to state his rights to take Joshua away from Wonwoo forever.

The lead alpha went back to his own room right at the time Joshua opened the door to get out of the restroom. Standing there, he waited for the man to bring him out, but the exceptionally cold expression on Wonwoo’s face made the boy’s heart skip a few beats. Intimidated by the intense gaze the alpha was giving him, Joshua instantly ducked his head, worried that Wonwoo was annoyed to see his red puffy eyes. The hybrid did wash his face to hide the remnants of his crying, but it was impossible to get rid of all evidence.

“Did you just cry again, Joshua?” Wonwoo asked, slowly but dangerously, and gradually stepped inside at the same time.

Joshua was forced to jump back when the alpha moved forward, but the boy could only move on one leg. Consequently, he quickly jumped until his body could be supported by leaning against the big sink and it was easier for him to stand on one foot. Nevertheless, breathing was not less difficult than standing still, because he could feel the angry pheromones overpowering him in this small room. Joshua was suffocated by his alpha’s anger. Trembling, the boy unconsciously shrunk and ducked his head further until his chin touched his chest, and he did not dare to look at Wonwoo in the eyes anymore.

“I’m… I’m sorry, master…” Joshua did not need more to know that he had to apology because he made his master mad again. He tried his best to show submission, but nothing seemed to work, because Wonwoo was locking the cat between him and the sink, making the boy feel trapped and endangered. Frightened, Joshua tried to speak up again, hands shivering and holding tightly to each other. “I’m sorry… I won’t cry again. I’m sorry… I… Aaahh!!!”

All of a sudden, the hybrid was flipped to face the mirror, and if it had not been for him being trapped between Wonwoo and the sink, he would have had fallen to the ground for sure. Facing the large mirror, Joshua was scared to death to see Wonwoo reaching one hand to his neck, lifting his face up and choking him at the same time, while the other hand of the man was holding his body tightly to prevent him from moving.

“Why do you keep crying over and over again when there are only you and me, Joshua? Explain it.” Wonwoo asked, commanding and threatening, causing the kitten’s heartbeat to go crazy due to utter fear.

“It… it’s my fault” The hand on Joshua’s neck was loose enough for him to speak, but it hurt, and even though he was apologizing for crying, his tears started to run again out of his control. The boy was just too scared. “I’m sorry, master… I… I am bad. It’s my fault. I’m sorry…”

“Do you know I really hate bad kitten?” Wonwoo asked again, slowly moving the hand that was not on the boy’s neck to grip his tail from the base. Joshua began shaking in terror while the alpha slid his rough hand loosely from that position to the top of it. Through the reflection in the mirror, he could see it when Wonwoo’s hand reached the tip, and he immediately closed his eyes, not daring to witness what his master was going to do with his tail.

However, an action of tightening the man’s hand on the hybrid’s neck forced Joshua opened his eyes to look at his alpha in the mirror again. Growling, Wonwoo demanded an answer, mouth extremely close to the temporary mark on his kitten’s neck.

“Tell me, Joshua. Bad kitty deserves punishment, right?”

“Yes… yes.” Joshua had no other choice. He could only nod and say _“yes”_, but his heart was screaming as he still remembered what Wonwoo’s punishment was and he just never wanted to experience it again.

“If I see you crying for no reason like this again, you will get punished. I will be generous to you this time, but next time, it will be much worse. Understand?”

One more time, Joshua nodded but he trembled violently when he felt Wonwoo’s teeth on the mark again. Even though this time he knew what was coming, the feelings were not any better, or even one hundred times worse. The alpha’s cruel hand on Joshua’s neck prevented any sounds from coming out of his mouth when he bit that mark, but the hybrid’s whole body convulsed in shock and pain. The pain was literally everywhere, and the boy felt like a wave of electricity was torturing him from the tip of his tail right to his brain when Wonwoo gripped it with no mercy. Everything in the boy’s eyes went dark, and his tears were falling like a rain on his pale cheeks.

_That was hell._

_And it was just a punishment for crying._

When Joshua was dragged out of that dreadful hell and his mind was back to reality, he was sitting alone on Wonwoo’s bed, while the scary man was probably in the restroom. Too weak and too frightened, the boy was unable to sit straight and he fell helplessly onto the floor. Curling himself into a ball, Joshua sat at the corner of the bed and the nightstand, trying to stop the tears but he just kept on crying harder and harder, because everything was too much for him to endure. He knew when Wonwoo got out of there, he would not give him any comfort, because to him, Joshua was bad, bad, and bad.

_“Wonwoo hates me.”_

_“He hates me.”_

The devastating thoughts began to haunt the boy’s mind, and he was quickly convinced thoroughly. The miserable boy tried in vain to stop the tears but when Wonwoo returned he was still crying pathetically. Joshua was so scared at the moment the man kneeled down in front of him to look at him clearly, and if further punishment came right now, he would have no question. There was nothing the boy could do except for looking at his master and trembling at the same time. It was painful as hell for him to see the cold and indifferent expression on the face of the man he loved, yet Joshua was forced to have an eye contact.

The boy heard the sounds of his heart breaking by himself.

“Don’t act pathetic in front of me.” Wonwoo used one hand to wipe the tears on his omega’s face and said nonchalantly, which stabbed a knife into the hybrid’s soul. “Behave and then I won’t punish you. I only have to do that whenever you are a bad and disobedient kitty. Understand?”

Joshua nodded vigorously so as just to please Wonwoo for now. The rules seemed to be simple, but the boy knew his upcoming days could be another hell for him, just like the life he had gone through in the past. If crying was also considered to be bad, then what should he do to avoid punishment? Joshua did not cry for no reason; the reason was just unacceptable to Wonwoo. Whatever the man did not see fit, then it meant Joshua was wrong.

Would it ever be possible for him to stop shedding tears because of Wonwoo?

Joshua knew the answer was _“never”_.

Thankfully, the alpha did not scold the kitten for crying anymore, just simply undoing the tie of the leash on his wrist to hold it again, and then lifting the boy up into his arms one more time. Being wrapped in the man’s embrace, Joshua buried his face in Wonwoo’s shoulders and desperately tried to hold back a loud sob threatening to tear his throat apart.

Joshua did not need to act pathetic. He knew _he was pathetic_. He would always be the dumb cat that got hurt and frightened by Wonwoo and then clung to Wonwoo again as if nothing had happened.

Joshua did not dare to wish for Wonwoo to love him anymore.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart ached for Joshua when I wrote this ;_; He's certainly being abused and manipulated TvT 
> 
> If you feel uncomfortable with the length of the chapter, just tell me. I'm not sure if it's okay for you to read more than 7000 words of heavy angst at once like this. On the other hand, I am also worried that you won't like to see WonShua in too many chapters so I make each chapter longer...
> 
> Please feel free to share you opinions even if you think Joshua deserves this or anything else ^^ I won't get upset~ I am eager to know how you think and feel, really.
> 
> \---
> 
> Please take care and stay safe, everyone ;_; In my country, all schools, universities, colleges, and all other kinds of educational centers are still being closed from the Lunar New year holiday till the end of this month and one of the largest cities in my country is asking the government for the permission to let the students stay at home till the end of March ;_; It has not been decided yet but this piece of news still makes me worried that things are very serious here ;_; And that city is where my doctors live and also where I work (all schools close so I am not working now). 
> 
> I hope all of you will be all fine!!!


	53. Confused, lost, and devastated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua began taking his new contraceptive pills. He did not feel well at all.  
Meanwhile, Mingyu had bad news for Jun, but the one who collapsed right after that was not the gentle alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see in the summary, there is JunGyu in this chapter~ Let's enjoy it ^^  
Writing WonShua made me almost become a psycho because... neither of them think like a normal person. Nonetheless, I hope I manage to make you crazy as well :">

The hybrid was grateful as Wonwoo kept him on his lap while driving his own car on their way to his office. His crying came to an end around five minutes later, but Joshua was not sure when it would come back with full force again, because the pain in his chest seemed to be there from now on and would torture him forever. Closing his eyes and trying to indulge in the warmth of Wonwoo’s arms, Joshua took a deep breath, taking in the scent of peppermint, and reminding himself who he belonged to.

Wonwoo did not tell Joshua about his plan. As a result, the boy was surprised at first when the man stopped his car at a place which was not his company. After a quick look, the cat realized he was in front of Seungkwan’s clinic.

Like Jihoon, the omega doctor was shocked to see Joshua being brought to his place with a leash. After the shock, Seungkwan was really irritated and even angry, but he had to bite his own lips harshly in an attempt to control his emotions since he obviously had no rights to interfere with how Wonwoo treated his omega.

When Seungkwan gave them the pills, Joshua was asked to take one dose immediately. The boy complied and quickly swallowed it without looking at Wonwoo. Staring at the hybrid worriedly, Seungkwan once again lectured the alpha about the possible side effects Joshua might have to go through, but the boy barely heard anything the doctor said. He just kept his head low, knowing that Wonwoo did not care about a single thing. At least, the man was kind enough to find a prescription that would not harm the cat’s ability to conceive a baby in the future.

_“Will he let me have his child?”_ Joshua asked himself, allowing his mind to drift away with the beautiful dream for a few minutes.

_“If I give him a cute baby, will he hate me less?”_

And then the hybrid realized he was being stupid again.

_“Wonwoo hates me. He won’t want the pet he hates to bear his child.”_

If Joshua gave birth to Wonwoo’s child, the baby would have half the chance of being a hybrid. The boy guessed an excellent noble alpha like his owner would not want his child to be _something not human_. Joshua was not degrading himself; he was just aware of the painful fact that he should have known from long ago. If Wonwoo respected him, the man would not force him to wear a collar and a leash.

Joshua tried to be good to Wonwoo, so that at least he could still be carried around instead of walking on his own. That was the last hope for Joshua to hold onto in order just to make himself believe that there was still something called _love_ the man had for him in his heart.

Nonetheless, the cat definitely did not expect the side effects to show that quickly.

In Wonwoo’s car, even though Joshua was sitting securely on his alpha’s lap, he still felt incredibly dizzy. Last time when he took the pills Mingyu bought for him from the drugstore, he was also dizzy, but the feelings were not as severe as this time. The boy felt his head spinning and it would be extremely hard to sit straight. He felt thankful for his owner letting him rely on his body from the beginning. Burying his face in Wonwoo’s shoulder, Joshua tried to use the peppermint scent as a magical medicine for him to get through the uncomfortable feelings. It did work a little bit, but certainly the good effect would not last for long.

It was lucky for Joshua because he was too dizzy to see how people stared at him weirdly when Wonwoo brought him into the building. Of course, the alpha had his own way to make everyone stop staring instantly, but if the boy had seen it, he would have just felt more terrible. In the elevator, there was nobody else except for the two of them, so Wonwoo asked his boy.

“Are you not feeling well, kitten?”

Joshua may not realize it, but he in fact had whined feebly from time to time. Wonwoo did not point that out, but such actions told him there must be something wrong.

“I’m dizzy.” The boy murmured, forcing himself to lift up his head so as to look at his alpha. His heart melted to see the man being worried, even just a bit.

The hybrid’s face had been already pale from the first day Wonwoo saw him in the hospital after coming back from England but now it was even much paler. Just by one look, the alpha could see the word _“dizzy”_ being written there. The boy was not able to keep himself up straight for long. He leaned back against Wonwoo’s shoulder again, but he was happy to feel a gentle hand rubbing his back soothingly.

“Don’t worry. We are going to reach my office. You can rest there.”

Joshua nodded weakly and regretted his own action. Nodding made his head spin more.

Nonetheless, before getting inside Wonwoo’s office, the boy still peaked out from the man’s shoulder to check if there was someone replacing Jun’s position today. The answer turned out to be _yes_. Joshua may be considerably dizzy right now, but an omega’s sensitivity still allowed him to realize that the temporary secretary was a male beta, giving off no scent or pheromones, and that person was bowing to his boss politely. That was all he needed to check, and the kitten soon went back to find peace in his alpha’s shoulder.

Unfortunately, the peaceful moment did not last long for Joshua as Wonwoo placed him on his own huge chair at his desk. The boy was surprised to be allowed to sit there, but he stayed silent and tried to look at his owner in the eye when the man watched him carefully, maybe to examine his condition. Using a palm to check the boy’s temperature on his forehead, Wonwoo was relieved that at least he was not having a fever. Seungkwan said he needed to take Joshua to the hospital right away if the boy got feverish.

“Wait for me here.” The alpha put a soft kiss on his kitten’s forehead before murmuring to him.

The boy wanted to bask in the affection but he had to wait obediently and nodded at his alpha’s words. However, before the man left that position, Joshua suddenly remembered one thing and he scrambled to get out of the chair.

“What are you doing?” Wonwoo asked right away, frowning. “Did I just tell you to wait here?”

Intimidated by that frown, the hybrid hurriedly explained, but his voice was shaking.

“I… I’m going to make coffee for you.”

Luckily, the answer made Wonwoo soften right on the spot, and Joshua was pathetically happy when the man gently pushed him to sit properly back on the chair.

“You don’t have to do it today. Just sit here.”

The boy sat on the chair to watch his alpha walking around the room to do the necessary set up before starting his new working day. The secretary went in to make coffee, and Joshua was really comfortable with the fact that this man was a beta. He did not want to see an alpha so close to his vicinity and he hated to have an omega near Wonwoo. Minghao and Jihoon were enough.

The two men talked to each other about something related to their work and Joshua did not pay attention to as usual, and also because he was struggling with his dizziness. Moreover, the boy’s head was starting to ache as well. It was not too serious yet the pain remained there and made him feel uncomfortable. Anyway, according to what was happening here, the new secretary seemed to be kind since Joshua heard him asking if there was anything wrong with him and that guy addressed the boy as _“your omega”_ instead of _“your hybrid”_. Wonwoo just briefly answered that he could handle everything here and then there were only two of them left in the room.

Joshua was expecting Wonwoo to bring the second chair to this desk as he had always done in the past, but that did not happen. The alpha only walked back to his kitten, lifting him up from the chair and then taking the place. After sitting down, Wonwoo let Joshua sit across his lap and pulled the hybrid into his chest. While the boy stared at his owner with wide eyes, the alpha calmly turned on his computer and then looked at his omega.

“You still look very tired. Sleep a bit, Joshua.” Wonwoo said and rubbed the hybrid’s back. “Seungkwan said it’s normal to feel dizzy.”

“But… but…” Joshua nervously stammered, but he loved the man’s hand on his back so much. “If I stay like this for too long it will be…”

Wonwoo did not let the cat finish his saying. Shaking his head, the alpha lowered his voice.

“It’s not a problem to me. I will wake you up when it’s lunch time.” Nonetheless, after watching the boy’s face for a while, he saw another problem. “Are you really okay?”

It was not until this moment did Joshua begin to think that he was showing the painful feelings on his face.

“My head hurts.” He admitted, voice unintentionally weak and quiet.

Frowning, Wonwoo leaned over to open his drawer and took out some painkillers. The man walked away to get a glass of water for Joshua and then turned back to put the hybrid on his lap again. Given the pills and the water, the boy obediently took them right away and murmured a soft _“thank you”_ to his master. Apart from the head, Joshua also had some strange feelings in his stomach but he did not know how to describe them. Nothing happened yet, so the boy decided to just ignore them for now and perhaps he would tell Wonwoo later if things got more severe.

That was exactly what Wonwoo told him then.

“Tell me if something happens to you. And you don’t have to wake up when someone comes in here.”

At this moment, Wonwoo’s eyes and Wonwoo’s voice were so sweet and loving that Joshua just desperately wished to believe to be loved again. Snuggling into the man’s chest, the kitten said _“thank you”_ one more time and closed his eyes when the alpha put a kiss on his forehead. Focusing too much on the soothing and endearing feelings the kiss brought to his heart, Joshua did not notice Wonwoo’s hand coming to his neck. He was startled and snapped his eyes open right away when the alpha’s fingers touched his mark, but no pain came. Wonwoo was just rubbing it gently, bringing some generous comfort to the omega, easing out a little of the pain in his head.

Joshua guessed Wonwoo was being nice to him because he had behaved well at Seungkwan’s clinic. He took the pills very rapidly and did not hesitate even a bit. He guessed he manage to satisfy his owner by his obedience. If the price for being loved and spoiled was like this, then Joshua was willing to devote himself, so as just to get Wonwoo’s love again for his broken heart.

The cat felt his own heart slowly torn apart when Wonwoo kissed his lips slowly. The pain was killing him, yet Joshua had already chosen to die in this way. He tried to kiss his alpha back, tried to indulge in the long kisses with the man he loved. Joshua did not dare to trust Wonwoo’s words when the man whispered _“I love you”_ on his lips, but the boy fooled his mind one more time by letting his heart take control and memorize the precious confession forever.

“I love you”. The cat replied to his owner, wishing Wonwoo to understand him, and also remember it till the last day of his life.

Joshua was lured into sleep by the warmth of his alpha’s body and the gentle fingers rubbing his ears. He wanted to hold Wonwoo’s hand in his own ones so badly, but it was impossible since the man had to work with the computer, and the boy was sitting in the position where Wonwoo could only use his left hand to rub the hybrid’s back and ears. Joshua thought that he would try to find a chance to hold his owner’s hands, and hoping that Wonwoo would have no objection.

His wishes were always so simple, yet fate always did the opposite things to him. Joshua had never stopped wondering the reasons. He had once thought that Wonwoo, the powerful alpha that loved him and protected him from everything, would be the happy ending of his life, but the man turned out to be the real Lucifer dragging Joshua into hell again.

\-----------------------------------

Mingyu found it extremely stressful to talk to Jun these days.

It was almost impossible for them to avoid talking about bad things. Mingyu could try not to mention them, but there were occasions in which he was forced to do it, like this time. It was just the beginning of the morning and after the farewell with Joshua, he got bad news. Mingyu thought it might be better to delay telling Jun about this because the meeting with Joshua had already been devastating enough for him. He was so afraid that his mate would not be able to handle more, but perhaps he had to do it.

Jun had been asking about Jeonghan all the time and Mingyu failed to stay away from this subject. Also, it would be better to talk about this when Jun’s parents had not come back yet. The giant alpha was not sure if his lover was ready to let his fathers know about his _love affair_ or not. Mingyu did not want to think of Jun and Jeonghan’s relationship in this way; nonetheless, he was highly aware of the fact that many people would not have good reactions towards it.

Deep in Mingyu’s heart, he never really believed that Jun and Jeonghan were wrong, but he knew, to other people, their relationship was definitely a love affair, since the rabbit was already mated, and Jun had lovers, but they all hid their own story from everyone. Therefore, he guessed Jun might be scared of being judged and scolded by his parents, while what he seriously needed most right now was family’s unconditional love and support.

Mingyu only lost Joshua, yet Jun lost not only the cat hybrid but also Wonwoo and Jeonghan. The pain was tripled.

Glancing at the clock, Mingyu registered that he did not have much time left. In ten more minutes, the parents would be here. He needed to tell Jun right away and then perhaps he would consider finding a suitable way to tell Jun’s fathers about this later. Maybe they could come up with a way to help, or at least cheer their son up and give him solace.

“What are you thinking, Mingyu?”

The sudden question dragged the giant alpha out of his thoughts and he instantly looked down at Jun, who was lying on the bed with his head on Mingyu’s lap. The older alpha’s eyes were still so sad and red, but they made Mingyu’s heart break into pieces because of the obvious display of insecurities and worries in there. Jun was evidently tired but he was not able to sleep after Wonwoo and Joshua left, and now he was staring at his cousin with unshed tears in his eyes. His voice was so hoarse and Mingyu felt like he was about to cry again.

“Why are so you so silent after the call?” Jun continued to ask before his mate could answer. The more he spoke, the more broken he sounded and Mingyu just wanted to curse at himself. “You don’t say anything to me.”

“I’m sorry, Junnie. I’m sorry.” The huge man hurriedly apologized to his lover, leaning over to kiss Jun endearingly, giving him some assurance. Caressing the pale man’s cheek by one hand, Mingyu felt awful to realize his lover was feeling unsafe and sad all the time. He was going to make it worse. “I have something to tell you and I’m thinking how to say it.”

“Is it about Jeonghan?” Jun asked, voice weak but shaking in anticipation, and also in utter fear.

Mingyu swallowed thickly, but he was determined.

“Yeah.” He nodded, still keeping his hands on Jun, one in his hair, and one on his cheek. “I tried to look for them and it turns out that… Seungcheol has already brought Jeonghan with him and left Seoul. I haven’t found out where they are now yet, but certainly… they are not here anymore. I mean… they left. The mansion was sold.”

Jun did not have a word to reply to his cousin. He only closed his eyes as the tears streamed down his cheeks and he turned to the giant man’s hand to get more comfort from it, but Mingyu could not bear that any longer. Pulling Jun up, the giant alpha squeezed his mate into his chest, hugging him tightly and trying his best to soothe the crying man.

“I’m sorry, Junnie. I guess… he’s trying to avoid us. But I will keep finding them. I swear I will.” He tried to give Jun a better view of the future, but it was so hard, especially when he heard a sob from the older alpha. “We will know where they are soon, and once we find out I will bring you there as soon as possible.”

Neither of them was fine even a bit. Mingyu thought he was going to get crazy soon if things kept going on like this. Everything was getting worse and worse day by day, but he could not do anything to fix it. He was forced to watch Jun cry over and over again for days, and he himself was being drowned in guilt because of what he had done not only to Jun but also to Joshua. Furthermore, he was stuck, having no idea how to get the cat out of Wonwoo’s hell. He truly believed that his eldest cousin loved Jun, but the lead alpha still hurt him so badly. Joshua was just even an omega hybrid. How bad things could get? Mingyu did not dare to imagine.

If he failed to save Joshua before Wonwoo broke him, then perhaps nobody could ever heal the boy back anymore.

If he failed to find where Jeonghan was before something wrong happened to the rabbit, then perhaps Jun would never be able to forgive himself, and they would both live in misery forever.

A short while later, Jun’s parents came in and gently took the crying alpha away from Mingyu’s embrace so as just to squeeze him in their own arms in an attempt to soothe him and calm him down. However, right at the moment Mingyu was staring at the family with hazy eyes, another pairs of arms wrapped around him, and strings of sweet coos were poured into his ears by some magically familiar voices, and he thought no sound in this world could be as perfect as them.

The second after that, the giant alpha realized he was being sandwiched between his omega and alpha fathers, who had been brought along by Jun’s parents. Once in forever, Mingyu finally let go of his own mind and curled up in his omega father’s gentle embrace, letting the older man hug him closely to his chest and shower him with loving kisses on his locks.

“You’re not at fault for anything, Mingyu. You’re the best. We will be all fine. We will be.” The old omega whispered softly to his son, allowing his puppy to cry, because he knew his precious Mingyu would try his best to always be strong for other people to rely on him.

Their families were here just to let the two young alphas know that they could be weak and take a rest because they still had each other. In his parents’ embrace, Mingyu could not hold back any longer.

Jun was the one who had cried first, but just a few seconds after the appearance of the parents, he was utterly shocked by the sounds coming from his younger cousin, which made him turn his head back towards his mate instantly. In the two older men’s arms, Mingyu was curling up and crying like a kid. Strings of unclear and broken words got out of his mouth uncontrollably when the giant young alpha poured his whole heart out to his fathers. Jun froze and stared at his mate in silence, and guilt stabbed him like the sharpest knife in this world.

Nobody had ever really cared how Mingyu was feeling. Jun was drowned so deeply in his own misery that he nearly forgot what his lover had to go through. Jun did nothing but to rely on Mingyu and always seek for comfort from the giant alpha, but Mingyu had nobody. He did not even let his own parents know about anything. He just stayed here, taking care of Jun, trying to apologize to Joshua and beg for his forgiveness, and running around to find any information about Jeonghan. Jun had never made himself become a person whom Mingyu could rely on. All of a sudden, Jun hated nobody but only himself.

People were right when thinking that he was weak. He was not any stronger than an omega. He was too dependent, and he was not able to take care of Mingyu. He was such a useless alpha, while Mingyu definitely deserved much more than this. Never in his life had Jun imagined that there would be a chance for him to watch his bright, happy, cheerful and brave cousin crumbled.

_“I almost killed Jun.”_

_“Joshua hates me.”_

_“Wonwoo hates me too.”_

_“They don’t want to see me again.”_

_“Jun is too weak to walk by himself and they said he could have died if people didn’t stop me on time.”_

_“Joshua won’t make through it! He will break!”_

_“I can’t help Jun do anything! I don’t know what to do with Jeonghan!”_

_“I’m a failure! I messed up everything! I destroyed everything!”_

Those were all Jun managed to hear from Mingyu’s chaotic words. His heart was crushed violently, realizing that Mingyu was torn asunder by the tragedy and he would never forgive himself for what had happened. Why was Jun so selfish like this? Why did he keep crying to Mingyu and asking the man to do so many things for him without thinking of his feelings? Mingyu was suffering in misery and Jun was just lying in his bed all day, asking the noble alpha to care about another omega that literally had nothing to do with him. Jun kept putting more and more pressure on his younger cousin, as if the burden on Mingyu’s shoulders had not been deadly heavy enough.

Mingyu’s omega father was so heartbroken that he started to cry as well, and his arms around his son closed even more tightly in a desperate attempt to protect and soothe his boy.

“My silly puppy. Why didn’t you even call us to come here with you?” The man sobbed, pushing Mingyu into his chest.

“Everything is fine now, Mingyu. We are here. It’s fine.” The alpha father wrapped both of them in his huge embrace, face showing obvious painful expression. “We’re here for you, Mingyu.”

“No. It’s not fine. It’s not fine at all.” Mingyu chanted crazily between heavy sobs. “_It will never be fine again! It’s not! It’s not!_”

Jun could not bear this any longer.

In tears, he scrambled to get up on his knees and frantically crawled towards Mingyu. He was really weak, like the giant man had said, but it was also Mingyu that brought him the magical strength to move in the fastest speed he had ever used in his life. The alpha father let Jun join his family hug, allowing his nephew to wrap Mingyu in his arms as well.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mingyu.” Jun did not stop crying yet, but he himself felt his tears were nothing in comparison with Mingyu’s ones. “I love you. I will always love you. That will never change. Thank you, Mingyu. I love you. I love you.”

To Jun, Wonwoo was his first love, his first of everything.

On the other hand, Mingyu was the only one who could make him speak out his confession confidently without the slightest hesitation, not only once, but over and over again. No one or situation forced him to do that. The words came from his heart to his mouth naturally as if it had always been supposed to be this way.

Mingyu could not come up with any verbal response, yet Jun could never mind that. Nonetheless, he did not miss the way his giant lover’s hand reached out to find his one and grabbed it tightly, letting Jun know that he really mattered to someone.

From now on, Jun was determined to become a lover who Mingyu could rely on whenever he needed.

\--------------------------------

Joshua’s sleep was quite nice because he got no nightmare, but he was woken up because of some uncomfortable feelings. The boy could not identify exactly what it was, but he still opened his eyes lazily, slowly getting back his consciousness and then it hit him.

He was feeling nauseous, and his stomach told him that _this was urgent_.

Joshua almost jumped out of Wonwoo’s lap but he fortunately remembered that he could not walk. As a result, the hybrid gripped his owner’s shirt, shaking slightly.

“Master…” He wanted to get Wonwoo’s attention, but his voice was so much weaker than what he expected.

Looking at his kitten, the alpha immediately felt something wrong.

“Are you okay, baby?” He nervously asked, getting rid of whatever he was doing with the computer.

“Can you please help me go to the bathroom?” The boy tried to focus his eyes on Wonwoo but his head was still spinning crazily, and perhaps that problem made him terribly weak in every aspect. “I… I think I’m going to throw up.”

Wonwoo did not need to be told twice. The man instantly stood up with the cat in his arms and walked towards the restroom. Inside, he let Joshua stand right in front of the sink, helping the boy lean properly against the object so that he would not fall. Nonetheless, the alpha was still standing closely to his kitten, keeping an arm on Joshua’s back since he just did not want the boy to get hurt more. Joshua obviously did not seem to have the ability to even keep his head straight.

Less than a minute later, the hybrid really vomited into the sink. He did feel better after that because his stomach literally had nothing left to give out, but his body was terribly exhausted and Wonwoo had to help him stand while the boy rinsed his mouth and also the sink. When Joshua was brought back to the chair, Wonwoo gave him some water to drink and then the kitten was snuggled back into his master’s chest again.

However, Joshua was not relieved yet. His eyes were considerably apologetic and even nervous when he talked to Wonwoo again.

“I… I’m sorry, master… I…”

“It’s okay, kitten.” The alpha put a kiss on his boy’s forehead to shush him. “That’s just the side effect of the medicine. Don’t worry. How are you feeling now?”

“I’m very tired.” Even the way Joshua rubbed his eyes was sluggish, and his voice was getting thinner by seconds. “I’m very dizzy.”

“Do you want to go home to get a more comfortable sleep?” Wonwoo suggested, but the boy panicked right away.

“No! Please, no!” Joshua shook his head vehemently, gripping the man’s shirt again while begging him. “Please don’t leave me alone! Please let me stay here with you.”

Wonwoo was genuinely shocked by that reaction. When they were in the hospital, he simply thought that Joshua was afraid of being left alone because that place was not their home anyway, and Mingyu was being nearby and the boy was scared of him to death. However, at this moment, it was evident that Joshua could not bear being away from Wonwoo, even though the lead alpha could see how much the boy was scared of him.

Squeezing Joshua in his arms, the alpha cooed to his little cat, gently stroking his ears to give him some comfort.

“I don’t leave you, Joshua. Don’t be scared. I just think it’s easier for you to rest at home.”

The boy quickly made use of this chance to hold his owner’s hand, since at the moment the man was not using the computer. The poor cat needed nothing but to feel loved and protected by his greatest alpha, and a simple squeeze of Wonwoo’s hand on his one could do wonder to his heart. Joshua almost combusted when his alpha did not reject him when he reached out his shaking arm to find the man’s hand. Only a few days had passed, but the boy already missed this feeling so much. He nearly wanted to cry just because Wonwoo was holding his hand gently right now.

“I want to be here with you.” Joshua murmured to his master, staring at him directly in the eyes, and the man found nothing but a desperate plea in his hybrid’s watery eyes. “Please let me stay here with you. I swear I won’t disturb your work. I will stay silent. I won’t ask for anything.”

Wonwoo slightly frowned, because just earlier this morning, when he saw the contraceptive pills in Joshua’s room, he thought that the hybrid intended to leave him to go with Mingyu and Jun, but now what his eyes were witnessing was totally the opposite. Joshua was so young, innocent and naïve that he hardly had the ability to lie, and Wonwoo just found no will or reason to think that the boy was faking those emotions, especially when he seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears just because he thought that his master was going to send him home. If Joshua cried this time, it would not be _“crying for no reason”_, definitely. Wonwoo had to stop this. He did not want to make his baby cry this way.

Right at the moment the hybrid started to whimper and sniffle in agony, Wonwoo tenderly shushed him again by giving so many kisses on Joshua’s face. Bringing the soft and cold hand in his own one closer to his mouth, the man kissed the back of the cat’s hand while staring into his eyes at the same time, giving him a firm assurance.

“I won’t force you to go home. Don’t cry, kitten. I want you to be here with me, too.”

However, shifting his eyes towards Wonwoo’s hand when the alpha kissed his one, Joshua suddenly got his eyes widened due to the red small wounds on his master’s knuckles. In bewilderment, the boy hurriedly brought that hand considerably close to his eyes in order to examine those wounds more carefully, mouth hung open and a gasp was heard.

“Master, what happened to your hand?” The boy asked, all of a sudden forgetting his own problems of dizziness or headache. “When did you get hurt?”

If Joshua did not mention it, Wonwoo would forget that he had hurt himself this morning when punching his own fist on the wall in anger. He simply washed his hand to get rid of the blood after that, having no care about the wounds later because they actually did not hurt. Perhaps they would if he touched them, but well, who the hell would touch his hand except for Joshua?

“It’s not a big deal. They don’t hurt.” Wonwoo shook his head, but allowed the boy to keep his hand and stare at it unblinkingly. “You don’t have to care about that.”

Nevertheless, Joshua refused to leave his alpha’s hand wounded without being taken care of like this. Looking up at his owner, he asked.

“Do you have a first aid kit here? Or… just some cotton, bandage and antiseptic?”

Staring at the boy’s eyes, suspecting and considering his question and intention, Wonwoo silently retreated his hand and turned to open his drawer, taking out a small box. Inside the box, there was everything that Joshua would need to do whatever he wanted to the wounds on his alpha’s hand. The boy’s head did not stop spinning, but he tried his best to fight against his own troubles and focused on Wonwoo’s hand only.

The alpha watched his kitten worked attentively in silence. It was obvious that Joshua was still very dizzy because the boy sometimes even failed to apply the antiseptic precisely on the wounds and he accidentally poured pretty much of them on his own lap. The cat would possibly apologize and get frightened if he dirtied his alpha’s suit but such thing did not happen, so he just ignored it and kept on working. Wonwoo was the one who took out some tissue to clean the liquid on Joshua’s pants and considerately placed them there so as to prevent further damage to the boy’s clothes. Joshua highly concentrated on his alpha’s hand, paying no attention to that. He wanted to put the bandage on, but Wonwoo stopped him then.

“You don’t have to. It will be inconvenient.”

“But…” Joshua wanted to protest, thinking that it would be the best to cover wounds because he was afraid of infection.

“That’s fine, baby.” Wonwoo put everything back by himself, not letting room for any argument. “You’re tired. You need to rest. There’s still a lot of time before lunch.”

Joshua was still quite worried, but he could not disobey his alpha’s words. Therefore, he could only beg.

“Whenever you get injured, please tell me. I will do everything for you.”

Wonwoo was able to see, his kitten was desperate to please him. He understood that the boy cared about him, but there was a strong need of pleasing the owner in all his words and eyes. Wonwoo was satisfied, but there was an unexpected sting in his heart to see Joshua acting this way. Maybe Mingyu was right. To the cat, Wonwoo was his God, his everything, and Joshua refused to leave him at all cost. Wonwoo admitted that he was literally _abusing _the hybrid to beat him to submission and to keep him by his sides forever, but somehow reality proved him that he did not really need to do anything. Right now, he was not scolding Joshua or expressing any hostile emotion, yet the boy was still showing utter submission, his ears flopped and head low. He had no will or intention of fighting or protesting.

Wonwoo felt an urge to pamper his lovely kitten and shower him with some love. The boy had tried so hard to be good; therefore, Wonwoo would give him some rewards for his well behaving.

“I’m okay.” Murmuring softly, the alpha kissed Joshua’s forehead again, slowly trailing kisses from there to the boy’s cheek, and Joshua closed his eyes to bask in the affection he desired.

Caressing the hybrid’s cheek, enjoying the feeling of touching the smooth skin by his rough fingers, Wonwoo pressed another soft kiss on his kitten’s lips, making the boy open his eyes to look at him. It was unbelievable for Wonwoo to see how much innocent Joshua looked at this time. The boy looked up to him, admired him and worshiped him with all his soul and his heart.

“You’re such a good kitten today.” Wonwoo gave a praise, seeing sparkle in Joshua’s eyes instantly. “Keep going on like that. Can you, baby?”

The boy nodded vigorously.

“I will.” He promised without hesitation, too happy to be finally praised by his master. “I will be good. I will do anything.”

“Good.” The alpha kissed him again, humming in satisfaction. “Good kitten. So good for me.”

Wonwoo slowly kissed Joshua, again, and again, and the kisses gradually got deeper and deeper. The sweet kisses became rougher and the boy soon found it hard to breathe properly when Wonwoo made out passionately and the boy was not able to catch up with him. This was what they usually did with each other in the past. Wonwoo was not being brutal; he was just not the man of tenderness and Wonwoo loved to make it rough. Joshua was still okay because he was not in pain, but he was honestly scared today. He could not know when his alpha’s attitudes would change and what kind of reaction from him would make the man angry again. He let Wonwoo get whatever he wanted, even though he was getting more and more dizzy because of his enthusiastic master. His head ached less, but his heart ached more despite the fact that he was being given love and attention.

Cursing at himself, Joshua tried to kiss Wonwoo back like what he had done before, trying to enjoy this moment like he had in the past. It was not easy to get a chance to be loved by his God like this. Why should he waste it? He had better be wise and indulge in Wonwoo’s embrace, Wonwoo’s kisses and Wonwoo’s love. He understood Wonwoo. He knew the man was not a playboy, and Wonwoo would never do this to anyone he did not like.

After ten minutes of a long kissing session, Wonwoo finally let go of Joshua’s lips. At this point, the boy’s lips were already red and swollen, which only made them even more tempting and delicious to the alpha, but he had mercy for his kitten because the boy was too tired. Nonetheless, his lustful eyes and his action of licking his own lips while staring at the hybrid’s ones made Joshua not only blush but also scared. He was even frightened to feel the man’s boner in his pants. The boy did not dare to look, but he could feel it since he was sitting on the alpha’s lap. He knew how much Wonwoo desired him. That fact was not strange to anyone, but Joshua had never found it as terrifying as today. He understood that nothing would make Wonwoo stop. Nothing could make Wonwoo get rid of the plan to mark him forever.

Joshua was at least grateful that his owner did nothing more to him rather than kissing and cuddling. The man gave him some more tender strokes on his back and ears, gently telling him to go back to sleep while he continued to work. The sweet treatment calmed the boy down pretty quickly, and Joshua soon leaned against Wonwoo and slowly slipped into his slumber again. So as to make it comfortable for the hybrid, they decided to change the position and now the boy was straddling Wonwoo’s lap, pressing a side of his face to the man’s chest, two arms hanging loosely on the sides of his alpha’s torso. Joshua felt so much warmer and safer when Wonwoo’s vest was put on to cover his back and shoulders.

In his hazy mind, the cat did not really believe that Wonwoo did not mind him being clingy and troublesome like this. Nevertheless, once the man did not have any problem, Joshua could not bring himself to think of any other option, because this was the only way for him to feel a little bit happy and calm. His head, his heart, or just his whole body, everything hurt; Joshua thought he was going to die soon. Wonwoo was the only reason left for him to stay in this world, even though every single second of the presence brought a devastating pain to himself. Joshua could never understand why Wonwoo just wanted to mark him so quickly. If Wonwoo hated him, then why would the man have to claim him as his mate? If Wonwoo loved him, why was the alpha still torturing him with those horrible contraceptive pills?

Joshua hated these feelings. He just wanted them to end right on the spot.

Yet, he craved for Wonwoo’s love. He just wished to have more, more, and more of it.

Joshua was being in pain because of a thing Wonwoo gave him and neither of them could do anything about it. And now, Wonwoo was giving Joshua all of the comfort, attention and affection that he desired. Perfect. Joshua thought he had found the rules, the pattern. He should follow this.

_“Be good. Obedient. Submissive. Endure the bad things Wonwoo gives me.”_

_“Master won’t punish me if I am good.”_

_“Then I will be fine.”_

_“Wonwoo will love me again.”_

Joshua hated it when someone invaded the private space of him and his master. Actually, this was not a private place, but for now the boy just hated everyone stepping into the space where he and his alpha were being with each other. He felt intruded. He was irritated to think that they might destroy the peace he was enjoying. What if someone got in and asked Wonwoo to go out? What if someone made Wonwoo mad? What if someone talked something bad about Joshua and then he got punished again?

The feelings did not change even when he was able to smell Minghao. Minghao was a friend, but Joshua did not want to see him right now. Consequently, he stayed completely still on Wonwoo’s lap, pretending to sleep soundly. Thankfully, this position did not allow the human omega to see the leash on the hybrid’s neck, so he did not have any question about that topic.

“Is Joshua fine?” Minghao asked worriedly when seeing the boy sleeping on his alpha’s lap.

“He’s still tired, but doesn’t want to sleep alone at home.” Wonwoo briefly explained, and Minghao quickly understood. He could see the boy was desperately clinging to his owner these days.

“If you need to go out sometimes, you can bring him to my place.” The kind omega offered, genuinely ready to welcome the boy to his office at any time. “And… I’m really sorry for making him cry. I didn’t mean to.”

“That’s okay.” Wonwoo did not sound friendly but at least he was not angry. That was a good sign for Minghao. “Joshua did not blame you either. I will tell him that you came to visit.”

The boy heard them discuss something about work, and then Minghao left the room. Joshua sighed in relief to be with his alpha only again. Nuzzling into the man’s chest, the boy let himself succumb to his exhaustion in the warmth of his alpha’s body.

Even in his sleep, he tried to remind himself that, this was heaven.

_“I can’t ask for more.”_

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Mingyu aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh T_T  
Anyway, the good thing is that Jun will learn how to treasure Mingyu from now and he will become a stronger person for his lover!!!  
Wonwoo is pretty "good" in this chapter, so I hope he makes you less mad a little bit :"> By the way, I think Wonwoo and Joshua are perfect for each other because they're both... crazy ;_;
> 
> I am very excited to know how you think or feel about this chapter ><
> 
> Also, things are getting more and more dangerous in Korea ;_; Hope that our boys will be safe ;_; Hope that all of the people living in Korea will be safe ;_;


	54. No way to go back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua tried really hard to avoid punishment, but it still came again.  
In an attempt to get Jun for himself, still not giving up yet, Wonwoo came to the hospital one more time.  
Everything was all wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter may trigger you (in many different ways)
> 
> This chapter is quite long, but I seriously don't know how to cut it.

It was heaven until Joshua was woken up by Wonwoo talking to someone, perhaps on the phone. The alpha’s voice sent vibrations to the boy through his chest, and he honestly enjoyed listening to Wonwoo’s voice so much. It was so deep, low and attractive _in a very alpha_ way. He could listen to his master all day without getting bored, but this time, the name called by that voice all of a sudden broke his heart.

_“Soonyoung”_

Wonwoo was talking to Soonyoung on the phone.

“Not today, Soonyoung. I am busy.”

There was silence.

“Not a guest. I’m with Joshua today.”

And Wonwoo was silent again when the omega spoke something.

“No. Leave it later.” His voice was stern. “Don’t make me repeat it. I’m with Joshua today.”

_“Oh, Soonyoung is asking him out for lunch.”_

That was what Joshua managed to understand from little pieces of the conversation. His heart ached whenever that name came out of Wonwoo’s mouth, and the boy had never known that it would be possible for him to hate someone this much in his whole life until he knew Soonyoung. He hated that omega, because it was just unfair. Soonyoung was born in a freaking rich family, brought up well and maybe he also went to the best schools in this country. And now, he was going to get married with the best alpha in this world, while Joshua got nothing.

Soonyoung had everything and Joshua had nothing.

And just to make things worse, Wonwoo began talking about _“wedding”_ to his future omega husband, stabbing sharp knives into the hybrid’s heart. He would never get a wedding with Wonwoo. He would never be Wonwoo’s official husband, because he was just a hybrid, while his alpha was a human noble. They were just like the best and the worst of this world. It was already lucky for Joshua to become Wonwoo’s hybrid. Not all of the omega hybrids had this perfect chance. He could not dream more.

Yet, why was Wonwoo so cruel when he gave Joshua false hopes and then broke them all?

At the first day Joshua came into their apartment, if Wonwoo had not joined his cousins in the action of making the boy believe that he was going to be loved and treasured like a real human, perhaps today he would get hurt less. Joshua still remembered clearly Wonwoo’s words, which had always echoed in his mind, haunting him till the last day of his life.

_“You’re my omega, not my pet.”_

And now, Wonwoo was just proving the opposite thing. The evidence was obviously the leash attached to the collar on Joshua’s neck.

Joshua had been brought to heaven, convinced to be loved and promised to have a happy ending for his life as a human being, but then he was forced to live as a hybrid again. The tears started to fall again, but the boy knew he had nobody to blame. He chose this life by himself. He was given options, and he failed to live a life without Wonwoo. Just because of Wonwoo, he decided to be a pet instead of a human, yet the man was not having much mercy or generosity for the cat.

Shaking, Joshua tried hard to stop the sobs from escaping his mouth, because he knew Wonwoo would disapprove of that. He had tried so much to be a good pet, but his alpha was not satisfied yet; Joshua could not make it worse. He wanted to stop crying, but it was already too late, since Wonwoo had stopped talking on the phone since when the boy did not know.

Joshua was pushed up to sit, and he froze right on the spot. No matter how hard he tried to cover the tears, it was just useless. Wonwoo saw him crying, and the pain was so overwhelming that the cat began to sniffle. Having no nerves to look at his master’s face, the boy ducked his head, frantically wiping the tears by his long sleeves. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Wonwoo frown, and he panicked. Sensing the anger, Joshua once again attempted to show submission, but it seemed like nothing could cool the man down anymore.

“When did you become a bad kitty like this, Joshua?” Wonwoo asked, voice utterly cold and stern, but that was not a question which demanded an answer. It was an accusation. “Don’t you know that you should never eavesdrop on your master’s talk?”

_“Disobedient”_

_“Stupid cat”_

_“Bad kitty”_

Those words powerfully darkened the boy’s whole view of this world. A wave of trauma wrecked through his mind, reminding him of the awful days, the days in hell, where he was scolded and yelled at a hundred times a day because he failed to please his owner. Joshua was bad then, and now he was bad to Wonwoo again. He disobeyed his master’s words. He did not do that intentionally, but did that matter to Wonwoo? Of course, it did not.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Joshua was too frightened to talk normally. He was trembling in fear, and his voice was unclear. “I… I didn’t intend to… I’m sorry, master… I…”

“Didn’t I tell you not to cry for no reason in front of me again?” Wonwoo mumbled in an extremely dangerous way, making the boy shrink considerably. “Tell me, what is your reason for this? Are you crying because your master is talking to his fiancé?”

That was the truth, but Joshua knew for sure it would not be acceptable to Wonwoo. However, once the man stated so, the boy could not deny it anymore. Wonwoo knew exactly what made him cry, and that was why he was angry. Joshua thought that was too unfair; he cried because he loved Wonwoo, but that would never be a good reason for the man, and no matter what, Joshua was at fault for everything. Whatever Wonwoo did not see fit, then it was wrong.

“I’m sorry, master. I’m sorry.” The hybrid hurriedly apologized over and over again, begging for forgiveness, eyes filled with even more tears. “I was wrong. I’m sorry, master. I won’t do that again. I’m sorry.”

“I rejected my fiancé because I intended to spend my lunch time with you, but you turned out to be such a bad omega like this…”

Right after that saying, Wonwoo all of a sudden stood up and brought Joshua to the sofa. The boy was scared to death but he did not dare to question anything, just staring at his alpha with wide eyes when the man threw some cash on the coffee table.

“I don’t think a bad omega like you deserve my time. I _should teach you more how to be good_.” Wonwoo leaned over, so close to Joshua’s face and growled to the boy, drowning him in terror. “Eat anything you want for lunch, but don’t ever think of getting out of this office.”

“No, master, please don’t!” The boy cried out in extreme fright, frantically clutching to Wonwoo’s arm, desperately trying to hold him back. “Please, master! Don’t leave me alone here! Please! I’m sorry. I’m sorry, master…”

The boy kept on begging and crying, but Wonwoo just cruelly pushed him away and walked out. Joshua ended up falling on the cold floor, trying in vain to crawl towards the door to catch up with his owner, but the door was brutally shut in front of him after a clicking sound of Wonwoo locking it from inside. Joshua was left alone in the room, crying his eyes out but his alpha just did not come back or have a care.

This was a punishment.

Joshua had no clue what to do; all he did was just curling up at where he stopped crawling after the door was close and sobbed pathetically. Crying did nothing good to him, only making his head ache much more, but he could not stop. The room was still filled with Wonwoo’s scent, but that was never enough for the hybrid who was broken and devastated. He would agree to exchange everything to get Wonwoo back here, but fate just would never be generous enough to give him such an offer. He did not want to be alone. The boy kept crying out his alpha’s name so many times after that, but no one replied to him. Only his disgusting voice echoed in the cold room.

Losing his mind, Joshua tried to call Wonwoo by his cellphone, but the man rejected his call immediately. Even until he called the alpha for the tenth time, Wonwoo still refused to answer, totally ignoring the poor hybrid begging him to come back. He did not reply to texts either. The last thing Joshua ever wanted these days was to be left alone or to be abandoned by Wonwoo, especially when he was being in a bad health condition.

Looking around and trembling violently at the same time, Joshua tried to look for something that had a lot of Wonwoo’s scent on it, but he found nothing, because the man had already taken his vest with him out. The boy literally failed to find anything useful to calm himself down, and after crawling around the room a few rounds, he just cried harder. Joshua was terrible mess right now, yet he had no idea how to escape this panic. He kept pleading to no one, crying out Wonwoo’s name many times, voice gradually getting hoarser and uglier.

Joshua was unaware of his own labored breathing; every single second passing by was a struggle for him to live. The boy kept feeling his chest tightening, squeezing his heart and lungs so tightly that he thought he was going to die soon. The crying and exhausted cat only stopped moving when he found out that Wonwoo’s desk turned out to be the best place for him right now. His alpha usually stayed there most of the time, so it was undoubtedly the place having the most of the peppermint scent. Joshua knew a bad hybrid like him would never be allowed to sit on his owner’s chair, so he just crawled to the empty space under the desk surface, curling up and hugging his own knees closely to his chest.

Joshua did not care even a bit about the cash Wonwoo left for him on the coffee table. He was not even sure if he was hungry or not. The cat only knew that he did not want to see anyone except for his alpha, and he was ready to sacrifice everything to keep this last piece of peace for himself. Without Wonwoo, Joshua felt terribly helpless and useless. He wanted Wonwoo to come back. He wanted to be in Wonwoo’s arms again. He would kneel down and apologize again if that was what Wonwoo wanted.

After half an hour, Joshua was still crying, and fear had begun to grow bigger in his heart. Had he been bad again by trying to call Wonwoo and texting the man to beg him to come back? What if the alpha returned here after lunch and found Joshua still crying? Would Wonwoo give him another punishment? Shuddering and whimpering in fright, the boy bit his own lips so hard that they bled, but he was determined that he would rather choose to be bitten instead of being abandoned again. The bite was much better. He used to think it was the second worst after being raped, but now his mind had already changed.

Before the last little part of consciousness left Joshua, the only word escaping from his mouth was still _Wonwoo_…

\--------------------------

Jun could not sleep very well in the hospital, especially when Mingyu was not with him. In general, it was very hard for him to have a good sleep, and his parents had no choice but to ask the doctors to give him something that may help him sleep better, because it was vital for Jun to rest as much as possible these days, if he wanted to get out of the hospital soon.

Whenever Mingyu was there with him, Jun felt more comfortable in his slumber, but he did not dare to let his mate know about that. Once knowing this information, Mingyu would surely stay by his sides during the whole day without a care about his other problems. Jun thought that he might know the reasons for his inability to have a night sleep, yet it was too brutal for him to accept. Consequently, he just desperately tried to push that thought away, forcing himself to believe that he would be fine one day.

This morning, Jun did not enjoy his slumber very much either, but he still slept as his body was incredibly exhausted and sluggish. Nonetheless, at some point, he suddenly fell deep into his sleep, feeling contented even in his sleep as if he was having what he needed around him. His hazy mind was somehow able to recognize that there was a hand caressing his hair gently. The feelings that hand brought to him were so peaceful and sweet, making him just want to bask in the tender affection. It would be heaven for him if he could be treated like this forever. It was so familiar to Jun, alike something he had missed so badly from the past, causing him to yearn for more. Deep in his heart, he only wanted to use everything he had to exchange for this moment, and as greedy as he had always been for _someone_’s love, he could try his best to lengthen this intimate moment until the last day of his life.

Soon, Jun was not sleeping anymore, fully awake to know there was definitely a real hand caressing his hair tenderly, and that was not his parents or Mingyu. However, he did not open his eyes, pretending to be sleeping so that the person would keep on doing this to him longer and longer. Jun tried extremely hard to inhale deeply in order to satisfy his whole body and soul with the scent of peppermint. It turned out that he was right. He had not been able to feel comfortable because Wonwoo had not been here with him. Under the effect of the mating bite, Jun always unconsciously longed for his alpha, and he would never be the same as how he had been in the past again.

Fate was really cruel. It was already hard enough for a pathetic alpha like him to give up on his love for Wonwoo. Now, it was even impossible, since every day the bite would remind him of _his first alpha_, telling him that somewhere not far away from him, that man was still wishing to have him again, waiting for a happy ending for the two of them. Nevertheless, Jun knew a _“happy ending”_ involving Wonwoo was just a dream for him, because his alpha had already chosen a different path that Jun refused to walk on, and they would never be on the same boat anymore.

The pain burning in Jun’s chest forced him to open his eyes, so that he could see the first and permanent love his life sitting by his bed, chest touching the edge of it, face at the same level with him, and staring at him with the most endearing look he had ever seen from his mate. Wonwoo was wearing his suit from work, one hand was still gently caressing Jun’s hair and slowly moving to touch his cheek while the younger alpha stared back at him in silence. Once the image of Wonwoo was captured in his eyes, Jun was unfortunately brought back to the horrible night in England, and he just trembled.

It was still difficult for him to believe that the monster tortured him that night was Wonwoo, the man who had always claimed to love him with all his heart. Even though what Jun had now was a gentle Wonwoo, he still felt as if he were having a nightmare, where he felt he would never be able to have the man he loved again. Today, Wonwoo was not his anymore. No matter what happened, Jun knew the lead alpha’s heart was not for him anymore. He was no longer the number one priority in that man’s life.

Perhaps, he had never been even once.

Still keeping a hand on Jun’s cheek, Wonwoo slowly used the other hand to hold his younger cousin’s one, squeezing lightly, and just through one glance, Jun knew _his alpha_ was waiting for his reaction. The pain in his chest was almost unbearable at this moment, yet he knew it would just get worse if he forced himself to reject Wonwoo. Consequently, he squeezed the older male’s hand back, feeling the warmth from the bigger hand spreading to him and enlightening his dark heart.

He should hate Wonwoo, but in the end, he simply stayed here, desperately wishing that his alpha would hold him in his arms soon, luring him into sleep and telling him that he would never leave, and would cancel the wedding. His own tremor slowly subsided, and his soul, his body were satisfied to get contact with his alpha.

Jun was the first one to break the silence, yet the atmosphere was still peaceful as his voice was low and quiet.

“I’m sorry.”

He knew if Mingyu heard this, the giant man would be very sad. Nonetheless, Jun could not help it, because he really wanted to, and he would be terribly upset if he held back these words.

Seeming to understand, Wonwoo shook his head, asking a question.

“Did you eat?”

Jun nodded and asked in a nervous way.

“What about you? Your lunch time isn’t long.”

“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.” Running his fingers through his mate’s hair while saying, Wonwoo effortlessly succeeded in bringing a lot of comfort to Jun, and the lead alpha could tell it thanks to his scent.

“What about Joshua? You left him alone at your office?” The younger alpha did not stop worrying yet. “He can’t be alone now.”

Wonwoo was hit by a wave of guilt when Jun, a person who had not had even a minute with Joshua, even knew this _fact_.

“He’s with Minghao now.” He decided to lie, avoiding a quarrel with Jun now.

Unfortunately, Jun immediately looked like he was in fright. However, he seemed to be about to sit up, but eventually he just stayed still, darting his eyes away from the older male.

“Please go back to your company now.” He murmured without looking at his mate. “I have Mingyu here. Joshua has no one but you. You should take care of him better.”

Sighing, Wonwoo knew it was useless to lie.

“How do you know?”

“Minghao has just left a few minutes ago. I was trying to go back to sleep then you came.” Jun’s voice got weaker and weaker by seconds while his concern for his beloved omega grew bigger and bigger. “He intended to stay here a little longer but then his father called him and he had to leave.”

Trying to look at Wonwoo in the eyes again, Jun asked, feeling utterly anxious, not for himself, but for Joshua only.

“Why do you leave Joshua alone, Wonwoo? I’m sure he isn’t at home. He definitely doesn’t want to be there without you, at least for today. Are you punishing him for something?”

“I already let him eat before I left. He’s sleeping now. You know, the medicine will keep him sleep soundly for two hours.”

Jun wished he could trust Wonwoo, but he only thought that the lead alpha was telling a lie again. He did not believe Joshua could have done something so wrong that Wonwoo could punish the boy while he was being in such a terrible mental state, yet until today, Jun knew there was nothing Wonwoo refused to do, except for treating people nicely. Nevertheless, he did not try to force anything, knowing that it would be useless.

The only thing he could do for Joshua was trying to make Wonwoo leave quickly.

“Where is Mingyu?”

Frowning, Wonwoo was obviously not pleased to hear this question.

“Somewhere out there.”

“Can you please help me tell him to go back?” Jun tried his best to make himself sound normal, hoping that Wonwoo would not realize his true intention.

Unluckily, when he looked into the man’s eyes, he knew he failed pathetically.

“Why can’t you talk to me properly, Junnie?” Wonwoo demanded, eyes narrowing, heaving a particularly long sigh.

Forced to accept that there was no point lying to his alpha, Jun could not try to maintain this peaceful and sweet atmosphere any longer. Abruptly and violently taking back his own hand from Wonwoo’s one, he spoke much louder.

“You ditched Joshua to come here with me. That isn’t what I want.” Shifting on the bed, Jun turned to lie on his side, facing the wall instead of Wonwoo. “Please get Mingyu back here for me. I’m tired. I just want to sleep. Go back to your company.”

“You don’t know to say anything apart from _Mingyu_?” At this point, Wonwoo was evidently angry, and even sickly jealous. His voice was not only utterly annoying but also horribly heartbreaking to Jun, making him shiver in an extreme pain. “You really want to leave with him that much? Answer me, Junnie! You seriously decide to leave with Mingyu?”

Wonwoo was suddenly violent when grabbing Jun’s shoulder and turning the younger alpha, forcing the weaker person to face him. Although wincing, Jun was so angry that he rapidly forgot the pain and sat up, pushing the lead alpha’s hand away, snarling.

“I’ve already told you. I will leave with him. I can’t stand this anymore.”

However, Wonwoo was even more enraged than previously, gripping one of his younger cousin’s wrist exceedingly tightly. The fierce growl sent shivers up and down Jun’s spine, making his eyes widen.

“Watch your tone, Jun! I’m not only your older cousin but also your mate! No matter what, I am the only one who can command you. Don’t force me to _teach_ you how to behave!”

Hearing the word _“teach”_ coming from Wonwoo, Jun could not help shuddering in fright. The grip on his wrist hurt terribly since the old bruises left by the same person had not had enough time to disappear yet. The force Wonwoo was using in his hand was devastating, difficult for even an alpha like Jun to endure, not to mention an omega hybrid. The memories of that dreadful night flooded his mind in the blink of an eye, and his scent turned awfully sour right in the spot. It was hard to breath when he just thought of being knotted and bitten violently by his mate, yet at this moment he was being threatened to get a punishment, a lesson from the said person again.

Nonetheless, Jun was too heartbroken, too angry to give up. He tried to fight back, to take his hand away from Wonwoo, despite the fact that every effort was just useless. He was still weak and ill, because of nobody but only a psychotic Wonwoo and his crazy possessiveness. From the first second realizing that Wonwoo was here, Jun had wished that the man just came here to pay him a peaceful and loving visit, but now it turned out that he was just stupid by having hopes in the devil again. Wonwoo still did not change, and perhaps he would never change.

“Please stop this, Wonwoo.” Jun was not aware of his own tears falling again. His voice was unclear due to the heavy pain pressing against his heart, threatening to crush it and kill him. Shaking his head, he looked at Wonwoo in the eyes, refusing to believe that his first love had become this monster and he could do nothing to turn him back to the original Wonwoo he wanted.

Losing all of his hostility or anger, Jun saw no choice but to beg. He was tired of getting angry with Wonwoo, perhaps because he had never really wanted to get mad at the person he loved. Jun just wanted to love him, hug him, kiss him, and feel his love. None of his dreams was similar to what they were going through now, yet Wonwoo did not seem to care about his dream any longer.

“We’re done. I have never stopped loving you, and I won’t ever stop. But I can’t endure this anymore. Please, just… don’t do this to me anymore, Wonwoo. You’ve got what you want. I’m your mate. I have your bite. Isn’t this enough for you? I didn’t do anything wrong to you. Why do you have to torture me over and over again like that? I deserve your punishment just because I don’t follow all of your plans? You want me to be your slave, Wonwoo?”

“Are you sure you are not doing anything wrong to me?” Not fazed even a bit, Wonwoo only put more strength in his hand, pulling Jun even closer to himself, growling to his face, using his striking pheromones to overpower the other. “You are very wrong now for choosing to go with Mingyu. You always claim to love me and now you are going to leave me to live with another alpha? We’ve been with each other since we were kids, and everybody in our university thought that you’re my boyfriend, not my cousin. Mingyu had just come into your life for a few years and then you choose him instead of me?”

“I beg you. Please stop this, Wonwoo.” Shaking his head vigorously, Jun could not stand looking at his cousin anymore. Ducking his head, he recoiled, trying to gain more distance but to no avail.

Wonwoo had already stood up from the chair to sit on the bed, closing all of the space left between him and the younger alpha. Frightened, Jun tried to escape but he could not be as fast as a healthy noble alpha. The only thing he could do was just a simple turn of his body while Wonwoo was moving from the chair to the bed, and then he was trapped in the man’s strong arms again, like what had happened in _that night_. His back was pressed to Wonwoo’s chest, while the lead alpha’s mouth was extremely close to the mark on his neck, his breath sending utter fear to the poor alpha trembling in terror.

“Seems like my mark on you is getting worse.” Wonwoo grumbled, evidently irritated. The longer he stared at the red mark on Jun’s neck, the more ranging the flame in his chest became. “And Mingyu’s mark on you looks so good. That’s how you say you love me? I don’t see it.”

“Don’t forget what you have promised to me, Junnie.” Whispering to his cousin’s ear, Wonwoo grazed his teeth lightly along the mark, and Jun hated it. He squirmed, but the action only provoked the noble, making him more violent and his voice was a hundred times scarier. “Don’t you think I can put Seungcheol into jail and then your beloved Hannie will be in huge trouble? You want that to happen?”

Snickering like a real psychopath, Wonwoo effortlessly made goose bumps spread all over Jun’s skin. He knew he would get into trouble if he kept fighting against his superior mate, but he would never allow himself to give in anymore. Nevertheless, nothing had ever prepared him to hear the same threaten from his cousin again, perhaps the cruelest deal ever in this world.

“Yeah, I know you’re thinking that you can buy him. But you know what? He will be very upset if his Seungcheol is in jail. And, I won’t ever let you have him, Junnie. I can get him even before you or Mingyu can try to do anything. Don’t you wonder why I didn’t try to put Seungcheol into jail?”

“Don’t think of fooling me again, Wonwoo!” Jun began to thrash harder, but only to make his mate restrain him more violently. “I know he’s rich. He can get away. I know he’s already left Seoul to stay away from you. Bastard!”

“He’s rich, but just nothing compared to me, Junnie. Don’t be so naïve. I only spare him because I have already _punished_ him enough.”

The world all of a sudden darkened in front of Jun’s eyes. Freezing, he could not move a finger, shocked to death by what had just come to his ears. It took him more than ten seconds to let the words sink it and for his mouth to finally open again, shouting.

“What the hell did you do to them, Wonwoo? What did you do? You don’t have the rights to do that. Seungcheol is your friend, and you promised that you won’t touch Jeonghan…”

One more time, Wonwoo snickered.

“I didn’t promise anything about Jeonghan. You didn’t listen to me well, Junnie. I said I would stay there, keep Seungcheol and explain anything to him so that you could bring Jeonghan to the hospital. That’s all. I’ve never said I would or wouldn’t do anything to _that slut_.”

Jun thought that he had already reached his limit of endurance with Wonwoo a few days ago. Nonetheless, it was unbelievable for him to realize that it was actually possible for the lead alpha to push him to another level of animosity. His angry pheromones exploded in a split second as he was enraged to the utmost at the humiliation.

“_Fuck you, Wonwoo_!” Bristling in extreme anger, Jun got strikingly louder in his voice. “How dare you call him like that? He’s not a slut! He’s better than you in all ways! He’s not a bastard like you! Leave me alone! I don’t want to hear anything more from you! Don’t ever think that I will trust you again! I won’t! I won’t be stupid and let you fool me again. That’s enough! Get out of here! GET OUT!”

_“He’s better than you in all ways!”_

To Wonwoo, this was a true humiliation. A degradation.

To Jun’s bewilderment, a hand reached his neck, and choked him. He was completely trapped, bound and helpless, nothing different from that night in England. If that day Jun was just crying in agony, in defeat, in submission, then today, he was crying in the utmost misery of being unable to do anything. He could not get away from this monster, and he could not do anything to save the person he loved, having to listen to another alpha throwing awful words to his beloved bunny, his fragile angel, his wounded and broken omega.

“Don’t make yourself regret what you have said to day. I can do whatever I say. Jeonghan will have to pay for what you do.” Wonwoo aggressively dug his teeth in the mark, making it hurt terribly for the receiver by biting and speaking at the same time. “I’m generously giving you a chance to get out of misery. I can find Jeonghan for you if you want. You haven’t learned your lesson yet?”

It came again.

_The hell brought by the punishing bite._

Jun felt like his mind and his body were all about to collapse and crumble, yet the last consciousness of his soul did not approve of his weakness anymore. This was why he failed to protect Jeonghan. He was weak. He was not strong enough for anyone he loved, and he had always had a fucking soft spot for Wonwoo, easily giving in to him under any circumstances. He could not endure that any longer. He did not want to be manipulated by Wonwoo for the rest of his life.

“I don’t believe you!” Jun shouted, determined to get through all of this. He knew he could do it. He just had to try a little more. If he gave in now, he would live the life of a slave forever, without a single guarantee of his loved people being protected and happy. “Get away from me! I’m sick of you! I hate you! Let me go!”

Jun thrashed, kicked and screamed uncontrollably while Wonwoo kept on biting harder and harder. The scream from Jun was a ferocious combination of pain, fear, anger and determination. He himself was unable to know which part of it was stronger, aware of only one fact, which was that he had to get away from Wonwoo by all means.

The lead alpha only suddenly stopped when the mark began to bleed, and image of Joshua flashing back to his mind.

Watching Jun falling out of the bed, Wonwoo could not think of anything else, except for his kitten and what had happened to him yesterday. Frantically crawling away from the bed, Jun curled up against the corner which was the furthest away from the lead alpha. He trembling violently with blood oozing from his mark and slowly wetting his shirt, but he did not seem to care about it. Jun’s panicked screams became a name that could never be mistaken. The only notion left in his mind was the name of his Mingyu, Mingyu, and Mingyu only.

Jun cried out for Mingyu in a broken, deafening and devastated voice.

Joshua had been the same, trying hopelessly to stay away from Mingyu while crying out for Wonwoo, begging the lead alpha to help him out of the monster’s grasp. At that moment, Wonwoo simply thought that Mingyu had unintentionally messed up everything, destroying his and Joshua’s relationship. Nonetheless, at this time, it was Wonwoo who made the person he loved ran away from him as if he were a monster.

Wonwoo did not move even the slightest, but Jun could not get calm at any second. He kept on screaming and trembling tremendously. He was not less broken than Joshua when facing Mingyu, or even worse. At least, Joshua had not been bleeding that much.

Mingyu ran to his lover like a flash. Jun flung himself into his alpha’s arms immediately, but he barely had any ability to hold onto the man. Mingyu desperately wanted to hold Jun tightly in his chest, to comfort him, to soothe him, but it was too difficult when the older alpha was shaking this much. No matter what, the giant man still wrapped Jun protectively and safely in his arms.

Wasting no more second, Mingyu turned to his other cousin, pointing directly at the door, growling the most dominant command he had ever used to another person. It was unnecessary and also impossible for him to be polite to Wonwoo anymore. If Jun were not in such a terrible condition, the giant man would definitely spend time running towards the lead alpha to beat him to death.

No, Mingyu could not let Jun alone like this. Wonwoo did not deserve his time. He should spend it for Jun only.

_“Get out!”_

The giant man did not care if Wonwoo complied or not, since he was occupied by the alpha in his embrace, and his tremor got him fixated. Soon enough, in horror, Mingyu realized his lover was bleeding in a dangerous speed, rapidly making not only his own clothes but also Mingyu’s shirt damp and red. Jun was no longer screaming or saying anything.

“I’m here. I’m Mingyu. I’m here, Junnie. Do you hear me? Junnie?” Hurriedly brought Jun back to the bed, Mingyu tried to gauge his mate’s reaction, but got nothing. Without hesitation, he pressed the emergency red button above the bed.

However, after being placed on the bed, Jun still did not seem to see Mingyu at all. The scene the giant man was watching made him feel like he was going to die of a heart attack at any second. 

Staggered, shocked, Mingyu was brutally forced to acknowledge that Jun was having an epileptic seizure.

“Doctor! DOCTOR! HELP! DOCTOR!!!”

The room was quickly crowded by nurses and doctors. Mingyu was pushed away after the aghast doctors attacked him with hundreds of questions about Jun, and the only thing he knew was that his lover was bitten by his feral rapist again.

Mingyu was paralyzed during the whole time the doctors did all they needed to help Jun. Right at this moment, the giant man was ready to beg fate to take his life away instead of Jun’s. There was no record of a rape victim’s death of a _punishing bite_, but the scene of Jun destroyed by a seizure slowly killed his heart, his soul.

Even after the doctors sighed in relief, Mingyu did not feel relieved even the slightest.

\-------------------------------

Wonwoo did not know why but he came back to the company like a flash, as fast as how Mingyu stormed into the room to save Jun a short while ago. The lead alpha did not say a single word or glance at anyone during the whole way, but everyone immediately stayed away from the alpha as if he were a wild animal walking in the hall of the building. It was not until some people ran out of the elevator right after he entered did the alpha start to realize there was something wrong with him.

When the door was closed, the man checked his own appearance in his reflection on his phone screen, capturing the sight of his bloody mouth. Hastily wiping his lips, Wonwoo walked to the restroom at the end of the hall before entering his office, knowing it would be not nice at all for Joshua to see him in this state. The boy would undoubtedly freak out instantly. Taking this chance, the alpha splashed water on his face to cool himself down, trying to take back some conscience, or at least just some of his mind, to think of what he had really done in the hospital.

In his head, there was chaotic mixture of Joshua and Jun, the two people he loved most, the two people who had run away from him. Joshua was unfortunately broken by Mingyu, and the boy came back to him, always seeking for his protection, screaming pathetically when Mingyu wanted to approach him, and hugging Wonwoo so tightly when the man came to rescue his kitten. Nonetheless, Wonwoo was the one who broke Jun, and his cousin bled, screaming for Mingyu to save him from the _monster_.

Sighing at himself in the mirror, Wonwoo knew he would not be able to make Jun love him again like how Joshua was loving him right now. They were totally different from each other. Jun had his own choice, which was just Mingyu and Mingyu only now, while Joshua decided to stay with Wonwoo and nothing in this world could change their decision.

_“I can’t endure this anymore.”_

_“Please, don’t torture Joshua anymore. He can’t take it”_

All of them were talking as if Wonwoo know nothing but to hurt them over and over again. Whereas, he knew it clearer than anyone that all he had done was just because of his love for them. He wanted them to be by his sides. Why only Joshua understood this? Why did Mingyu even think that he was doing this not because he loved Joshua? Why did he use the word _“torture”_?

Right after those thoughts, all of a sudden, Wonwoo frowned, utterly annoyed and irritated by the incredible conflict in his mind.

In the end, what was he supposed to think about Joshua these days? Believe that the boy wholeheartedly loved him or just reassure himself that there would be no possibility of losing the boy if he stuck to his plan and marked his kitten forever?

Joshua might be crying a lot, but he had never opened his mouth to beg Wonwoo not to “torture” him. He even had never begged the alpha not to carry out his intention although Wonwoo knew the cat was scared to death. Mingyu and Jun were incredibly more annoying than the hybrid, always asking Wonwoo to do things that even Joshua did not ask him to. Was he giving the boy a very good life? He even let his omega choose his new house, sleep with him instead of his future husband, and so many other things and he even could not remember them all.

Wonwoo literally had no care about Soonyoung’s feelings since he wanted to give all the best to Joshua, spoiling him as how he had always done, yet the boy did not seem understand it, crying, crying and crying over his marriage, even planning to leave with Mingyu after finding out about his wedding. No matter how hard Wonwoo tried, he just could not mentally get rid of the fact that Joshua once wanted to leave him. The lead alpha would lose all of his legal rights to keep and control the cat if Mingyu marked him first, and he refused to let that happen under any circumstances.

Wonwoo had already lost Jun. When even a threat of hurting Jeonghan could not force him to submission, then the noble doubted that he had no other chance of getting Jun back to himself anymore. He had his parents, and even had another mate - an alpha. Nonetheless, Joshua’s case was much simpler. The boy was a hybrid, legally sold to Wonwoo. He was the one who signed the paper and at that time, both Mingyu and Jun were unable to foresee any trouble in terms of ownership, completely trusting Wonwoo in the matter of sharing their newly bought kitten. The money was transferred directly from his official bank account to the pet shop.

Once again, snickering, Wonwoo deemed his cousins stupid. They never understood anything, oblivious to everything and just seeing whatever was shown to their eyes without a second thought of the deeper aspect of any problems. They did not even understand him. They did not even fight to get Joshua. Unlike them, Wonwoo had tried in so many extreme ways to own the hybrid for himself, and his effort paid off. Currently, the alpha guessed he was not exaggerating at all by saying that he successfully made the boy love him more than anyone else in this world and not want anything except for him only.

Just to feed his own monstrous thirst for authority and commitment, Wonwoo took out his phone to scan the texts Joshua had sent to him in the past hour. In his phone, there were about twenty one calls and fifteen messages coming from the same number. The long desperate session of begging Wonwoo to come back seemed to have come to an end around twenty minutes ago, and the man had not answered to any of those calls or texts. Nonetheless, he was not sure what he was feeling at this moment.

It was pretty annoying when the phone kept buzzing in his pocket, and the more annoyed he felt, the more determined he was to ignore Joshua’s plea. However, checking them all at once and seeing the numbers demonstrating the hybrid’s fruitless effort suddenly brought him an unexpected exasperation. In his mind, Wonwoo could easily draw the picture of his kitten crying in his eyes out in the office, calling and texting like crazy in tears.

Surprisingly, it was heartbreaking as hell, although Wonwoo decided to do this so as to punish his _bad kitty_.

Inhaling deeply in an attempt to stop the pain in his chest, using even more water to help his mind become clearer, Wonwoo took another deep breath, thinking again about what he had done, or what Joshua had done.

If Joshua really loved him, perhaps the boy cried because he hated Soonyoung, and he did not want to hear Wonwoo talking to that omega at all. Nevertheless, when the lead alpha came to visit Jun, the thing he seemed to care about most was just Joshua, and that made Wonwoo bristle just by thinking back of it. Why everybody could not think of him only when being with him? Why did they always ask or think about other people while he should be their main priority? If Joshua loved him, why the cat could not accept the fact that his alpha was going to get married and start learning how to cope with this?

On the other hand, thinking about Joshua literally made Wonwoo feel like standing on fire, as his heart was screaming to get back to his office as soon as possible in order to check how his kitten was. The boy might have passed out because of his overwhelming panic or some other horrible reasons Wonwoo failed to predict. Now reconsidering his decision, the alpha admitted he should not have left Joshua alone in this condition, especially when the boy was mentally abnormal and crying in agony like that. Moreover, the cat was also physically injured, and Wonwoo guessed he would not dare to talk to anyone, including a delivery man to get his lunch. The hybrid would choose starving himself instead of facing a stranger.

Wonwoo was amazed about himself right now, since he had just acknowledged that his kitten was _“mentally abnormal”_. Meanwhile, he was determined to break the boy to the utmost, as if Joshua had not been broken enough currently. Wonwoo had to admitt he had never witnessed the hybrid acting this way in the past, yet he totally did not expect Joshua to keep clinging to him unconditionally like how he was doing these days. Wonwoo thought he would have to be very brutal to discipline his kitten. In the end, he needed to do nothing, and the boy was always there whenever he wanted.

Had Wonwoo ever seen someone loving him as much as Joshua did?

Definitely not, and perhaps never.

Wonwoo did not intend to avoid making noise when entering his own office, but somehow he still did. Nonetheless, the man was surprised by the fact that Joshua was nowhere to be seen, although his palpably sour and bitter scent attacked the alpha’s lungs in the blink of an eye. There was no light in the bathroom, so Joshua could not be there. The cash Wonwoo had thrown to the hybrid was still on the table with full amount, letting him know his kitten had not eaten anything.

Following the familiar but heartbreaking scent, Wonwoo slowly and quietly walked towards his desk, and found his beloved cat. Kneeling on the floor to have a better and closer view of Joshua curling up on the floor at the corner beneath the desk, close to his big chair. The boy was hugging himself, resting his head on his knees and folded arms, unaware of the person he longed for finally coming back to him. One of his hand was still holding his phone, as if waiting for a respond from his alpha. The hybrid had passed out for fallen asleep, Wonwoo was not sure, yet the tears that had not dried away on his cheeks gave the man a pang in his heart.

For the first time after the day Joshua ran away from him in the middle of their late night date, Wonwoo once again how knew it felt to regret his own action, or how it felt to see the kitten he loved willingly suffered all of the most horrible and dreadful pains his master was giving and would give him.

Wonwoo unintentionally, or accidentally, had given the boy a chance to change his mind, to escape, to ask Mingyu to come here and save him, but all Joshua did was just begging the man he not only loved but also worshiped to come back.

Wonwoo knew Joshua had chosen the spot where his scent lingered the most to stay. The chair should be a better one, yet the cat was too scared of his master to sit on his chair without his permission.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I hurt Junnie again ;_; I'm so sorry but it's very unreasonable for Wonwoo to give up easily. He had to all he could to get Jun back, and of course Jun fought back very hard and it was extremely bad for his health.  
Anyway, the good point is that Jun had managed to show his determination to leave Wonwoo and he would never give up. After this, Wonwoo would have to realize that there was no way for him to have Jun anymore.
> 
> Please don't worry everyone ;_; I swear no one dies in my fic. They may hurt a lot, but won't die. About Jeonghan, please don't worry either. He will appear again, by himself, not through other characters' thoughts or words. I have a big plan for him, not just a little. I won't leave my bias out of the story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
I feel a need to scream to the world that my bias is Jeonghan :">
> 
> This whole chapter is painful for me ;_; I am eager to know if you feel hurt as well TvT
> 
> \---
> 
> Besides, the situation about the virus is getting more and more dangerous day by day. I'm seriously nervous now, especially there are people who tell lies or do many things to avoid being put into isolation in the hospital. There is actually one case of a girl coming from Busan to my country, and she got in without being isolated for 14 days because she didn't let the officers at the airport know that she came from Daegu to Busan and then to my country @_@ It took a few days for her to be found out and now she is being isolated in the hospital but she must have gone to many places and met many people :"< 
> 
> I hope there is no case like this in your countries ;_; Please be careful and stay healthy!!!!


	55. The dying angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody could forgive Wonwoo faster than Joshua did. In his own hell, Joshua still believed that he was being loved even though his faith had been broken so many times.
> 
> Mingyu did not forgive Wonwoo, but he could not be angry at the moment, since he had all of his concentration on Jun.
> 
> Jun was not fine even a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's too hard to decide whether to post a 6000-word chapter or a 10,000-word chapter, but then I remembered today is Saturday, so I guess you can read a long chapter :">
> 
> And I am also afraid that you will get sick if the whole chapter is about WonShua only ;_;
> 
> I narrowed the space between paragraphs because I'm afraid it will be freaking long if I add big gap between paragraphs in this chapter.
> 
> Small warning: I have just added some new tags. Yeah, this chapter is the reason.

When Joshua woke up, he was relieved to see himself in Wonwoo’s arms again. He was sitting across the alpha’s lap, and his face was being pressed to the left side of the man’s chest. The boy did not want to move at all, so he just stayed there, eyes still closed, letting his own mind falling back into sleep again. The steady heartbeat of his master kept him calm, and the atmosphere filled thickly with the aroma of peppermint helped him feel protected. Joshua wondered if he should open his eyes to apologize Wonwoo again or not, but he was scared. Perhaps it would be better if he just kept sleeping like this. The alpha could get angry if he mentioned his own mistake again. Wonwoo was keeping him on his lap while working, then probably his punishment had already ended.

Nonetheless, Joshua could not go back to sleep easily, because he felt the need to go to the bathroom. He had his crutch here; therefore, he decided that he should just get up and walk to the room on his own. Wonwoo would not get angry over that.

Capturing the image of his alpha, his God, right after opening his eyes, Joshua felt a painful sting in his chest again. From that position, he was not having a good view of Wonwoo’s face, but the man never looked less perfect in the cat hybrid’s eyes. The alpha’s appearance was almost always so cold, but Joshua never stopped thinking that he looked better than anyone else in this world. Even when the man was being utterly cold and cruel to the boy, and even when it hurt the boy so much to look at Wonwoo in the eyes but found no love there, he still just wanted to stare at his alpha forever.

Joshua remembered how much he loved Wonwoo’s smiles. At those moments, his greatest alpha did not look less gentle than Jun even a bit. All the time, he was Joshua’s God, and when he smiled, he was giving off the tender light and loving warmth resembling the moon at night. Joshua had never paid much attention to the moon until the days he was locked in that dark room with Jeonghan, helpless and hopeless. When Wonwoo stepped into his life, the man was like that moon, and even greater. The more he thought about how great and wonderful Wonwoo was, the more he dreamed of being able to walk along the aisle with the man in the most important day of his life. The cat so many times had dreamed of having Wonwoo’s kids, giving his alpha the cutest children and bringing them up together.

Joshua had always believed that Wonwoo was the best alpha in this world, and not only he but also everyone looked up to this man. He might be the most unfortunate omega, but he was the luckiest hybrid, since he was stuck to Wonwoo forever. It was his luck to be bought by Wonwoo.

Joshua thought he had better apologize first prior to thinking of doing anything else, but the alpha realized his being awake before he did a thing to get his attention. Looking down at the hybrid on his lap with an emotionless face, Wonwoo silently scanned the hybrid’s pale face, making the boy’s voice suddenly get stuck in his throat. Joshua was so scared that he started to tremble again. One wrong move and he would be punished.

“I’m sorry, master.” The boy weakly said. No matter how hard he tried to speak up, his voice was still unbelievably quiet. Luckily, Wonwoo could hear him well, but the hybrid still tried again, showing clearly how desperate he was to apologize. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I will never do that again.”

Wonwoo did not reply, and his face remained emotionless, but Joshua guessed that was a good sign. His heart got even lighter when the alpha asked him.

“Are you still dizzy?”

Joshua nodded honestly.

“Did you eat?”

The boy’s heartbeat stopped. He shrunk, but had no choice except for shaking his head. Wonwoo glared at him in evident displease. Joshua tried to avoid his anger by murmuring an excuse.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I have to go to the bathroom.”

The boy hurriedly scrambled to get out of Wonwoo’s lap in order to go to the aimed room by himself, but the man did not let him. Just by one glance, the cat’s owner made him freeze instantly, and it was extremely easy for him to lift the kitten up by his arms. Joshua was shocked but he stayed still, whispering a grateful _“thank you”_ to his alpha when the man put him down in the middle of the restroom. Once Wonwoo disappeared behind the closed door, the boy let out a sigh in relief, lightly happy that he did not mess things up again.

Nonetheless, Joshua did not dare to lengthen his time in the bathroom, because it was very likely for Wonwoo to be waiting for him outside. Before going out, the boy washed his face so as to make himself look less awful, but he still looked awful anyway, freaking pale like a corpse. Joshua did not really think so, but he heard people saying that he had a pretty face and the boy nervously thought that was the only reason for Wonwoo to still keep him at this point. Joshua could not ruin his own life by letting himself be so ugly like this, but he could not help it. He was not healthy at all, and the pills Wonwoo forced him to take definitely did not help anything.

The only good thing was that thanks to checking his appearance in the mirror, Joshua was reminded that he had not changed the bandage on his neck yet. The bite Mingyu gave him on _that day_ left a big wound and Joshua had to take care of it carefully. Thankfully, the collar did not touch that wound and brought him no discomfort. When the boy was in the hospital, the omega nurses helped him change the bandage. It hurt for sure, but at least they were skilled at their work and they had a good view of the wound, while the hybrid’s head currently was spinning and he doubted his ability to do something requiring high precision. Joshua really wanted to ask Wonwoo to help him, but the boy certainly did not have the audacity to do such a crazy thing.

Joshua was brought back to the original position by his alpha. However, before the boy opened his mouth to ask Wonwoo to let him get the first aid kit to work with the wound, he saw the said box already placed on his master’s desk. Right at the moment Joshua saw Wonwoo’s hand coming near to the wound on his neck, he flinched at dodged, but soon regretted his own action. He should never do that to his alpha, and now Wonwoo was frowning.

“I need to change the bandage on your neck.” He proceeded on reaching out his hand until his hand touch Joshua’s neck, causing the boy to wince even though the pain had not come yet.

Wonwoo could see how much the cat was scared of him. He was being very gentle, but Joshua was staring at him so cautiously and he had never stopped shaking. Furthermore, his scent was far from sweet. Nevertheless, the alpha still did what he had to, peeling off the bandage slowly and carefully in order not to bring too much pain to Joshua. No matter what, the boy kept sinking deeper into Wonwoo’s chest, shrinking and trembling as if the man were going to kill him. Wonwoo firmly kept the boy in place by the other hand, furrowing his brow to watch Joshua trying to avoid his eyes and his touch.

Finally, the bandage was taken away, allowing the boy to relax his body a little. However, he was so shocked and dumbfounded when a kiss was put on his forehead, and Wonwoo’s voice in his ears was so sweet, so tender, as if nothing had ever happened; as if the man in front of him was still Wonwoo he had known in the past.

“It’s okay. It will hurt a little, but we have to do this.”

Joshua had no choice but to nod, since he did not want to get on the alpha’s nerves. Frowning again, Wonwoo was not satisfied with the forced submission the hybrid was showing to him, but he did not say anything, just starting to apply some antiseptic on the wound. Tormented by the alpha’s frown, the boy was unable to control his breath. His chest began to heave violently although Wonwoo was not doing anything hostile. The antiseptic hurt, causing Joshua to unconsciously grip his master’s shirt tightly while his face scrunched pathetically, as if the pain he felt was a hundred times worse than the real one.

Nonetheless, the process was finished soon since Wonwoo had no intention of torturing his omega, yet Joshua did not seem to be relieved yet. Hurt by the painful expression on the boy’s face, Wonwoo delivered a tender kiss on his forehead and gave him a praise.

“Good kitten.” Caressing Joshua’s cheek, the alpha saw his eyes sparkle after the compliment, and he was lured to give the hybrid more. “I know it hurt, but you did well, baby.”

Joshua knew Wonwoo said he _“did well”_ because he did not scream or run away. He did not know it would be this easy to get a praise from his master. What happened while Wonwoo left during lunchtime? Why did the alpha’s attitude changed so drastically? Just about an hour ago, he was determined to punish his _“bad kitty”_ and now he was being gentle again, even giving Joshua a praise, as if nothing had ever happened.

_“Is he this happy because he has just met Soonyoung?”_

Mentally punching his own face, Joshua cursed at himself for being stupid again. Of course, Wonwoo would be happy after seeing his fiancé, especially when he had thought that he would have to reject Soonyoung because of a burdensome hybrid.

However, the boy still had so many questions in his mind, since Wonwoo smelled strange. He did not have any scent of food or any sweet scent possibly belonging to an omega on him or his clothes. The alpha smelled much more like a thing that Joshua strongly _disliked_ \- the hospital. Furthermore, Wonwoo was having on himself a scent that burned the cat’s lungs and heart.

_The aroma of pine, a whole pine forest._

Joshua was unaware of his own action, but the alpha could see his kitten sniffing him in an attempt to figure out where he had been to and who he had met. In just a split second, the boy’s scent changed incredibly, losing all of its sweetness, and Wonwoo felt like there were hundreds of sharp needles piercing through his skin and his heart.

He needed to do something to distract Joshua from his thoughts about Jun immediately.

One more time, Joshua was startled and confused but also felt his heart fluttering at the same time when Wonwoo moved him until he was sitting with his back pressed against the man’s chest. There was no space between the two bodies, and the alpha just made them closer to each other when he took the phone and tapped on it by the other hand, keeping the object in front of Joshua, giving the boy a perfect view of the screen. The boy was so scared of Wonwoo that he was not even sure if he was allowed to look into his phone or not, but through a quick glance, he could see the man opening a food delivery application.

“Do you want to eat or drink something?” Wonwoo asked, voice low and soft. His mouth was being so close to Joshua’s ear that the boy could feel the man’s breath, and the honey in those sounds were making him intoxicated.

_Once again, Joshua felt like being loved._

“I… I… maybe something to drink.” The boy stuttered, giving not a very good answer because he himself did not know what he wanted. He did not know which answer might be good to Wonwoo either.

Fortunately, Wonwoo only hummed in acknowledgement, gently putting a kiss on the hybrid’s ear before giving him another question.

“Do you want some milk tea then?”

Joshua had followed Jun’s decision all the times, so he did not really know any different drinks. Therefore, he certainly agreed with Wonwoo and nodded, happy to see the man obviously knew which brand he loved most. Without asking, the alpha ordered exactly the thing his kitten liked, and then all they had to do was just to wait until the drink came.

Joshua was so desperate that he did not care about the reason any longer. He was just purely happy when Wonwoo cuddled him, turning him to sit across his lap again. In this position, it was easy for the alpha to snuggle his kitten. Joshua had his whole body on Wonwoo’s lap, leaving no part of himself touching the ground or even the chair. He curled like a real kitten in his master’s embrace, enjoying the gentle strokes on his ears, his hair and his back. Was this a “break time” for Wonwoo just because the man was tired of working and wanted something sweeter? Joshua had no clue, yet he decided to ignore the reasons.

It was heavenly to be snuggled and embraced again after being abandoned. He was given the hope to believe that Wonwoo loved him again. Joshua nuzzled into his alpha’s chest while the man scattered kisses on his face and even his hand. Why was he doing this? The boy could not understand anything, but he let himself follow his heart and reached up to kiss Wonwoo’s cheek softly.

Joshua might not be aware of it, but his eyes were actually displaying obvious desperation for love. Those melancholy eyes were begging Wonwoo to love him, begging the man to give him attention. The boy guessed the pills made him hallucinate, because right now his hazy mind thought that Wonwoo’s eyes somehow seemed sorrowful and apologetic. Joshua wanted nothing but to fall deep into those eyes, letting the alpha swallow and devour his soul fully. If that was one way to keep Wonwoo to himself forever, Joshua would be ready to do it at any time.

The cat did not know how it happened, but when he was being drunk in Wonwoo’s deep but gentle kisses, he suddenly realized that it was so easy for him to wrap his arms around his alpha’s neck and hugged him closely. It turned out that Wonwoo had moved the boy and made him straddle his lap, putting them in the position where Joshua was sitting face to face with his master. It was so much easier for them both to kiss, to cuddle, and to look into each other’s eyes. The hybrid missed the warmth of Wonwoo’s lips on his own right after the man broke away, but his heart melted to feel the alpha’s fingers caressing his cheek tenderly.

“Why didn’t you eat?” Wonwoo asked, voice deep and quiet, sounding mostly like whispering.

Those days, Joshua’s heart had been enduring constant pain, and a single word or action from Wonwoo could open his floodgate at any moment, just like this time. Right after the question, tears cascaded down the boy’s cheeks again when his mind went back to how awful and frightened he felt when Wonwoo cruelly walked away and left him alone here. Neither the collar nor the leash could help. He did not need the feelings of being owned. He needed Wonwoo.

“I just wanted you to go back.” The kitten weakly murmured to his master, avoiding his intense gaze. His voice came from shaking to broken. “I’m sorry, master. Please don’t leave me.”

Once again, he begged, and promised.

“I will be good… I will do anything you want.”

Wonwoo doubted those words, but he was easily beaten, because nothing in this world could be more sincere than Joshua’s plea. Narrowing his eyes while staring at the boy, he wondered if Joshua was so frightened after being almost raped by Mingyu that he already lost his mind. The boy surely understood that he was going to be raped - for real this time - and knotted in two more days, and nothing promised him that the same thing would not happen again as long as he still lived in the same house with Wonwoo. Nevertheless, Joshua always begged Wonwoo to stay with him, and he immediately panicked when being abandoned in just a short while.

Even when Joshua was not crying, Wonwoo could see the unshed tears in his eyes. Right now, the boy was trying in vain to stop them, using his own sleeves to wipe them over and over again, but he was obviously hurt too much to control himself.

What could be the reason for Joshua to choose to stay with Wonwoo? The alpha kept asking himself that question continuously. Was it _love_? Was Mingyu right about everything he had said?

Of course, Wonwoo knew Joshua liked his dominance, his power, his authority. The boy never protested whenever Wonwoo came to steal him from the other two alphas despite the fact that they all thought Joshua loved Jun most among three of them. His kitten had never asked to sit outside with Jun in the times he came to this office with him. Wonwoo knew Joshua loved to be spoiled and protected by him. Wonwoo knew Joshua always felt proud and happy to show off to the whole world that he belonged to this noble alpha.

Did Joshua really love Wonwoo that much?

The alpha did not say anything back to his kitten. He only leaned forward and sealed the boy’s lips by his own ones. Joshua melted into the kisses right away, relaxing his whole body into his alpha’s embrace and letting the man take the whole control. Gently holding the kitten in his arms, Wonwoo kept the moment sweet and intimate rather than passionate and enthusiastic. It did not take long for Joshua to finally lean his body against his owner’s chest, but it was still perfect for the man to have the most convenient access to his boy’s lips.

Joshua was still dizzy - it would never stop unless he stopped taking the contraceptive pills Seungkwan had given - but he felt comfortable and contented at the moment. The poor boy wondered why it was possible for him to forget the painful things this quickly, because he could not bring himself to think of what Wonwoo had done to him just an hour ago anymore. He only wanted to use all his heart to enjoy this affection, to feel adored and treasured again.

He guessed he was forgiven for his previous mistake.

The couple only stopped kissing when the drink for Joshua came. Wonwoo got out of the chair to get it for his kitten, and then the man went back to his chair, putting the cat on his lap again. The boy sat there and enjoyed his drink in peace, temporarily happy with what he had.

Nevertheless, Joshua did not expect the sweet drink to give him so much pain.

He could think of nothing but Jun when swallowing the lovely sweet liquid that his gentle alpha had always loved most among everything. Jun was seriously addicted to milk tea, and whenever he felt tired, he would come inside Wonwoo’s office and asked Joshua if the boy wanted to drink something. He would order a delivery or even took the cat out during lunchtime to find some sweet treats for them both. Blind by love, Joshua nodded to whatever his alpha suggested, since he had never been given the chance to try anything else. All Joshua had was what his alphas gave him. All Joshua knew was what his alphas had told him and showed him. Before the boy had the opportunity to try many kinds of different drinks in this world, Jun had already unintentionally fooled him that this was the best drink of the universe.

Joshua had never known what love was until Jeonghan stepped into his life. Joshua had never been treated gently until Jeonghan treasured and adored him as his baby while they were both trapped in hell. And then, out of that hell, Joshua had the chance to be loved and treated tenderly one more time, and he quickly concluded that Jun was the most gentle person in this world. Joshua thought he was so stupid, unable to see the perfect similarity between the two sweetest people of his life.

He failed to see that Jun was a perfect man for a fragile rabbit like Jeonghan.

Joshua failed to notice that Jeonghan had generously given Jun so many nice compliments even though they acted as if they had never talked to each other. How could Jeonghan know Jun was kind and gentle just by looking at him during the times they gathered at Seungcheol’s mansion?

Joshua knew he was stupid.

Was Jun having some milk tea to drink in the hospital? Did the doctors allow him to drink it? Was Mingyu taking care of Jun well? When would Jun be discharged? Would he and Mingyu continued to live in the apartment after Joshua and Wonwoo moved out?

The only thing could save his soul right now was Wonwoo, and Wonwoo only. Once the thought of his greatest alpha crossed his mind, the boy was able to drag himself out of his own dark hell inside his heart to look at his master again. The sight of the alpha melted his heart, and Joshua sunk even deeper into Wonwoo’s chest, curling on the man’s lap and focusing on taking in the scent of peppermint only. Unconsciously tracing the alpha’s name on his black collar, Joshua genuinely wished that his master would buy him some peppermint-scented shampoo and shower gel to use from now on.

He did that for real and Wonwoo easily made his omega’s dream come true with a smirk on his face. Joshua did not intend to play along with his master’s possessiveness. He just needed to feel Wonwoo’s presence all the time.

\---------------------------

Joshua knew he would have to see the other rooms in the apartment for many different reasons, but now he still decided not to care, just hiding his face in Wonwoo’s shoulder again when the man brought him home. The alpha generously put the cat on his bed and went to his omega’s room to get the underwear for him. When Wonwoo handed the clothes to Joshua, the boy gratefully and sincerely said to his owner

“Thank you, master.” He seriously did not want to enter that room right now, and no words could describe how thankful he was for his alpha helping him this little thing.

“I planned to move to our new house tomorrow, but I guess it’s impossible because you’re too tired and I still have work to do.” Wonwoo said while kneeling down in front of the hybrid, comfortably placing his hands on the sides of his kitten. “Do you want me to hire someone to pack our stuff tomorrow or we will do this ourselves tomorrow?”

Since Wonwoo seemed to be busy with his work, Joshua came up with another idea.

“I can stay here to pack things while you go to work. It will be finished before you get home.”

“Are you sure you can do it, kitten?” The alpha asked him, seeming worried, and Joshua instantly felt his heart melted.

“I… I hope I can ask Jihoon to come here and help me.” Joshua nervously said, afraid that he was asking for too much. “If that’s okay.”

“I can call Minghao too if you want.” Wonwoo suggested, and Joshua was surprised by how gentle and nice his alpha was.

Oh right. He had just forgotten it again. Things would be totally fine if he followed Wonwoo’s plans. That was what he was doing right now: preparing to move to the new house with his master without a single complaint, and doing his best to get rid of some burden for his master.

Joshua’s heart buzzed in happiness and excitement. If the rules were like this, perhaps things were not too difficult anyway.

“Does he have to work? Is it okay if I want him here?” The boy asked, as he really hoped to have Minghao here too. He thought he was supposed to be closer to Jihoon because the short omega had escorted him to many places before but in fact Joshua preferred Minghao. The two of them were just the same age but the taller omega seemed to be much more mature and the hybrid loved a person who he could rely on and seek for consultant.

“I’m his boss. I can let him take a day off if I want.” Wonwoo stated, watching his kitten’s expression carefully. “So I will call him to help you?”

Joshua nodded right away, already planning to let Jihoon prepare meals while he asked Minghao to help him with packing stuff.

“Thank you, master.” The boy said while fiddling with the underwear in his hands. “I will try to finish everything in just tomorrow.”

“It’s okay if you can’t. You aren’t healthy anyway. Don’t try too hard.” Wonwoo gently checked his cat’s temperature by placing a palm on the boy’s forehead, relieved to see him not feverish. “You only need to take my things in this room, and whatever I have bought for you in this house. Minghao will bring the boxes to you.”

Joshua nodded, happy to see everything going well. He did not like to stay here any longer, but it was necessary, and Wonwoo was being tender, so he would be able to endure all. The boy obediently listened to Wonwoo’s lecture about how he should handle his ankle in the bathroom, even though this was not the first time for him to hear this at all. If it had not been for the alpha’s _promise_, perhaps Joshua would have wished to have his master wash him, or at least help him with something in the restroom. Nonetheless, the constant fear in his heart did not allow him to do things like that with Wonwoo right now, too scared that things would get out of control.

It was not until now did Wonwoo finally take the collar and the leash away from his kitten. Joshua was extraordinarily happy to get rid of those things although he knew that they would come back soon tomorrow, or even just right after he stepped out of the bathroom. Nevertheless, he did not expect himself to start fidgeting after losing contact with the collar. He did not like this feeling. It turned out that Wonwoo was right all the time. Joshua needed the collar. He guessed whatever his alpha did now was all for the sake of his well-being, right? Maybe, he should just stop asking so many questions in his mind and learn to accept what his owner gave him.

_“That’s what a good pet should do.”_ The boy told himself. _“People love the real cats and dogs because they never ask anything. They don’t cry. Nobody likes a disobedient pet.”_

After a lot of struggle, the boy managed to finish all of the tasks in the bathroom. Getting out, Joshua felt his heart fluttering again to see Wonwoo still in the bedroom, but freshly clean and giving off an attractive masculine scent, a combination of the aroma of his shampoo and his original scent. Just by one glance, the hybrid could tell that his owner had done washing himself as well in one of the other restrooms. The man had changed to comfortable loose long black pants with a deep navy blue long-sleeved shirt. The sleeves were both rolled up to his elbows, and Joshua soon found himself standing there staring at his master like an idiot.

This image was nothing new to him. It was just something Joshua had grown familiar with in the past two months. It was heavenly wonderful to see things back to their normal states again. This was normal. Everything would be normal again. Nothing changed. Joshua would be able to continue to live happily with his greatest alpha.

The boy was not subtle even a bit when trying to sniff Wonwoo while the man brought him from the bathroom door to his bed. Joshua was actually wearing Wonwoo’s clothes but nothing could be compared with the real Wonwoo. Without asking, the man sunk his teeth deeply into Joshua’s skin to form a mark on his neck when he sat on the bed with the cat on his lap. It never stopped hurting him so badly whenever Wonwoo bit, but Joshua just got more and more submissive every time and the alpha definitely loved it. The boy held onto his master very tightly to brace himself for the pain to come, willingly tilting his head to give his owner a better access.

Wonwoo did not leave the newly formed mark alone after finishing his work. To alleviate the pain for the hybrid, he kissed Joshua’s neck gently and intimately, enjoying the sweet scent emitted from his kitten. Perhaps the boy had not smelled this good to him for days. The sour and bitter part in his supposedly sweet and lovely scent was still clear and heavy, but at least the sweet one was getting stronger and Wonwoo could detect some good mood in his hybrid. However, after a short while of lavishing the boy’s neck with kisses, the alpha realized that his kitten was leaning his whole body against him thoroughly, and his both eyes were closed. He was about to doze off.

“Come on, Joshua. You have to dry your hair first.” Wonwoo chuckled to himself, gently ruffling the slightly wet brown locks. “Are you sleepy, kitten?”

Joshua’s heart flipped a few times in his chest, loving to death the sound of his master’s chuckle. It sounded deep but warm and loving. The boy just wanted to sleep in his embrace like this and care about nothing else.

“I’m tired.” He murmured feebly, nuzzling his face into the crook of Wonwoo’s neck. “And dizzy, too.”

“Wait a bit more. I will take care of your wound, dry your hair and then you can go to bed. Okay, baby?” Wonwoo asked again, too gentle for the hybrid’s heart to stop melting.

“Yes, master.” He obediently responded, trying his best to open his eyes again and sit up.

Joshua totally forgot about the wound on his neck until Wonwoo told him, and the hybrid realized that his alpha had already prepared all. The first aid kit was on the nightstand, and the man only needed to reach out his hands towards the box to get whatever he needed. Once again, Joshua felt like he was being loved and spoiled just like before. Wonwoo always took care of him from the smallest things to the biggest ones. Except for the time Joshua had the seriously bad dream in Mingyu’s office, the giant man had never let him sit on his lap while driving, but it was normal for Wonwoo to do so and now Joshua hated to sit normally in his car.

In general, Wonwoo had always been the one to give Joshua the most attention and affection. The man literally spoiled him rotten, but that fact never made the boy become a naughty hybrid. Joshua was always so good, pliant and submissive. The only problem was that after all of those things, the cat mistook himself as a true human and expected Wonwoo to respect in him the same way. Reality hit him hard, teaching him a lesson and letting him know that no matter what, he was still just a hybrid and Wonwoo would never bother to ask for his opinions when it comes to his personal problems.

The task of applying antiseptic on the wound always brought so much pain, and Joshua unconsciously gripped his master’s shoulders extremely tightly when the pain made him shrink, wince and whimper. Nonetheless, Wonwoo did not seem to care, only focusing on taking care of his kitten, and after that the man even put the new pads on Joshua’s wrists so that they would stop hurting quickly. The cat’s heart broke when the collar was put on his neck again, but he tried his best to get used to it, and bask in the sweet moment as Wonwoo brought the hair dryer to the bed and work with the hybrid’s light brown hair.

To make it easy for Wonwoo, Joshua “put away” his cat ears, enjoying feeling his master’s fingers running through his hair, massaging his scalp soothingly and tenderly. The feelings were so good; he only wanted to sleep right away, but the boy fought to stay awake, leaning to the touch, and hoping to get back on his alpha’s lap while the man worked tonight. Joshua did not know why, but he heard Wonwoo chuckle above him, and the sound made his heart warm again.

“Thank you master.” Joshua whispered, looking at his alpha through hazy eyes as the man ruffled his hair one more time.

Wonwoo took something from the nightstand again, and when he put it into the middle of Joshua’s palm, the boy realized some pills including the contraceptive one. He forgot an important thing again. He needed to take them twice a day, not only once, and some other pills were given by the hospital.

Asking nothing, Joshua took them all and drank the water in the glass Wonwoo gave him. The hybrid was shaking, and he would never stop whenever seeing the contraceptive pills, but he guessed he saw the sign of satisfaction in Wonwoo’s eyes, and that was a perfect thing.

Therefore, he tried his best to remain calm and silent while the man put the leash on him again. The other end of the object was tied to Joshua’s right wrist, which made the boy sigh in relief. He would not have to beg Wonwoo to set him free in the middle of the night if he wanted to go to the bathroom. He had been worried that the alpha would tie the leash to the bed post, but thankfully that did not happen.

“Good.” Wonwoo gave his kitten a kiss on his forehead before pulling him to lie down. “Now just sleep. You’ve had a tiring day.”

“You still have to work?” Joshua sadly held his alpha’s hands, not wanting to let him go at all.

“Yeah. There are many things waiting for me to solve.” The alpha did not leave soon, willingly sitting on the bed while the hybrid held his hands closely to his chest.

Joshua understood it. Wonwoo had spent so much time staying with him in the hospital, which meant the man did not have time to do what he was supposed to do in his company, and now he had to struggle to catch up with everything.

_“This is my fault.” _The boy thought to himself, feeling terribly guilty. He should not disturb Wonwoo more. The man wanted him to sleep here, not on his lap, then he would just stay in bed to sleep.

“Please don’t stay up too late, master.” Joshua did not dare to speak up, even though he was just sincerely worrying about Wonwoo. He was afraid that his alpha would consider this the same as interfering with his business.

“I won’t.” Wonwoo used one hand to cup his kitten’s face, gently caressing and let the boy hold the other one. “You don’t have to wake up early tomorrow. I will only wake you up before I go. Jihoon and Minghao will arrive by that time.”

“Thank you, master.” Joshua smiled weakly to his alpha. Was he still able to smile now?

The boy guessed, as long as he had Wonwoo, everything would be possible.

He was abnormally happy to have his owner sitting next to him on the bed tonight. The boy lied on his side, burying half of his face in the fluffy pillow while the other one was feeling the warm of Wonwoo’s rough hand. The boy was still holding his man’s hand and pushed it into his chest after closing his eyes, wishing to feel the presence of Wonwoo while slowly drifting into sleep. It was surprising that his head did not stop spinning although he was lying, eyes closed, but Joshua decided to ignore them all. He was having Wonwoo to himself. It was impossible to have his God for him only every day. Joshua desperately tried his best to treasure this moment.

Before his mind gave up, he felt Wonwoo’s lips on his forehead again.

\---------------------------

Jun’s parents definitely did not want to leave their son anymore, after the terrifying event in the morning. However, Jun’s wish was totally different.

Nobody knew what Jun had seen in his dreams, but he definitely must have had a nightmare, a very terrible nightmare. After waking up, he kept screaming and begging everyone to leave him alone. None of them could touch him. Even the slightest touch from his beta father could make him flinch and scream more loudly. He even refused to sit on the bed. In a desperate attempt to stay away from everyone, he crawled to the corner of the room where he had just chosen in the morning, curling up and looking at nothing but the floor. He was not crying, yet both of his fathers and Mingyu just wished that he would burst into tears instead of violently scratching his own scalp and like this.

Forced to admit that the longer they stayed here, the more panicked Jun would become, the two old men had to walk out of the room, and the beta cried right away after Mingyu closed the door behind them. Even Mingyu did not know what to do. Nonetheless, he still believed that he was the only one whom Jun could rely on at this moment. There were secrets which he knew but the parents did not, and Mingyu doubted that perhaps Jun was trying to make everyone leave because he did not want them to know more about his dark secrets.

To Mingyu, Jun did not have any dark secrets. There was literally nothing dark or negative about Jun. However, his confidence and self-esteem were so severely damaged that Mingyu did not dare to risk letting anyone know something his lover had hidden. The reaction might be slightly different from what Jun expected and things would get wrong immediately.

Heaving an extraordinarily long and exhausting sigh, Mingyu persuaded his uncles to go home and rest. It was undoubtedly difficult to do this, but the giant man thought it was useless for them to stay here anyway, especially when Jun’s beta father seemed to be on the verge of breaking due to his son’s condition. Lowering his voice to the utmost, Mingyu sincerely begged them to go home and rest, so that they would be both ready and healthy when Jun needed their presence again. He definitely would need them after he calmed down, Mingyu was sure about that. Or else, Jun would break down if they kept pushing him too far and forcing him to do what he did not want at all.

The two old men just wanted to hold their son, to put a kiss on his head, yet nothing was possible. Since the moment he woke up, they had tried so many different ways, but to no avail. There was no other choice left for them. They were forced to put all of their hope and faith in Mingyu, desperately begging their kindest nephew to take care of their son, asking him to call them immediately if something happened.

After they left, Mingyu felt his heart even incredibly heavier and darker, filled with the most dreadful worries and fears. There was no room left for anger, because he could not bring his mind to think about Wonwoo right now. His only priority at the present was only Jun, the one who was overwhelmingly hurt and destroyed by a fucking bite.

The doctors had given Mingyu a very long lecture, saying that such _punishing bites_ were meant to force the victim - the receiver - to submit and give in to the alpha - the one who gave the bite. However, Jun tried too hard to fight back and keep his mind straight, totally refusing to submit. The more he fought, the harder Wonwoo bit him, and the result were just more devastating that how it should have been. Jun bled, and his body collapsed, unable to endure all of those strain and torture. They said it was a magic for him to have enough determination to go through a whole long bite without submitting, and it was also a magic for him to still be able to shout out Mingyu’s name at that moment.

Mingyu did not know how he should deal with Jun now, but he just did what he had to. He had to be with his Junnie. He would stay by his sides at all cost, even if Jun yelled or cursed at him with the ugliest words.

Nonetheless, nothing had ever prepared Mingyu for what he was forced to witness after entering the room again.

Still curling in that corner, Jun was holding his phone in one of his hands, seeming to be trying to call someone, but that was not what caught most of Mingyu’s attention. For a second, the giant man was immobilized by the blood wetting Jun’s shirt again, exactly the same as what he had seen a few hours ago. The bandage had been thrown recklessly on the floor while Jun’s bloody fingers were still scratching his own neck crazily, as if he wanted nothing but to destroy the mark by the new wounds scattering all over the broken skin of his neck.

There was even blood on one of his cheeks, on his arms, and his legs. His clothes were ripped in various spots. The call failed, as nobody picked up the phone, and Jun instantly screamed, frantically trying to make another call right away. Those strangled, pained sounds coming from the poor alpha were too horrible and nerve-racking for Mingyu’s ears, drowning the man in hell in less than three seconds. Jun was getting more and more frustrated and hopeless by second, venting his rage on his own body by hurting himself.

“No! Junnie! No!” Running to his lover, Mingyu quickly kneeled down next to Jun, pulling his hand away from his own body as fast as possible. “Please don’t do this, Junnie! You have to stop it…”

“Don’t touch me!” Jun screamed in utter panic, taking his hand back from Mingyu just to harm Wonwoo’s mark on his neck again while his other hand was making another phone call, and the giant man saw Jeonghan’s name on the screen.

“Why doesn’t he answer me? Why doesn’t he answer me?”

Jun was not crying. He was not. Not a single tear was shed, but Mingyu did not think the current condition of his cousin was any good. Jun was unable to control any words or action of himself; he always screamed, and his hand could not stop hurting his own body, digging nails into his skin and flesh to break it and make the blood ooze out. Nevertheless, he did not seem to feel the pain at all. What actually hurt him was the fact that neither Jeonghan nor Seungcheol answered his calls.

Tears cascaded down Mingyu’s cheeks when the man pulled Jun into his chest, throwing the shorter alpha’s arms over his shoulders in order just to stop the contact between his hand and his neck. Jun thrashed and screamed to get out of the giant man’s arms, but Mingyu had to hold him, had to stop this.

“Please, Junnie. I’m Mingyu. I’m here for you. Please don’t hurt yourself anymore. I beg you, Junnie.” No matter how hard Jun tried to escape, Mingyu tried harder to keep him in place, ignoring the fact that his mate’s frantic movements were hurting him as well. “Just call them. Call whoever you want. But please stop hurting yourself. I’m Mingyu. I’m here with you. I’m here.”

Again, Jun just screamed the same question, in a more broken voice, sobbing in the dreadful pain of his dying heart.

“Why doesn’t he answer me?”

Unexpectedly, Mingyu got a hard punch on his back, quickly realizing that Jun had just altered to vent his frustration on the person holding him.

Mingyu let him do it.

“Why doesn’t he answer me? WHY DOESN’T HE ANSWER ME?” Asking again, Jun punched his cousin many, many more times before finally bursting into tears. His sobs shattered Mingyu’s heart and soul into pieces without mercy.

“I’m sure if we keep calling them, one of them will answer us soon. I know. I’m sure, Junnie.” Squeezing his lover more tightly, Mingyu swallowed his own tears to clear his voice, trying again to be his Junnie’s home, so that he could have a place to cry, to rely on. “I’m Mingyu. Do you recognize me, Junnie? I’m your Mingyu, your silly cousin. I will help you call them. I’ve promised that I will help you find them. Remember?”

Jun furiously shook his head and punched Mingyu’s back many more times, keeping on screaming in full volume, threatening to make his mate go deaf.

“I get them in trouble! I kill them! Why don’t they answer me? Where are they? What happened to them? Where is my Hannie? What’s going on with him? What did Wonwoo do to him?”

The punches really hurt but that was the last thing Mingyu cared at this moment. At least, Jun was punching his giant cousin, not hurting himself, and he did not try to push Mingyu away anymore. Therefore, the bigger alpha believed that his lover did recognize him; he was just too panicked to act in a normal way. Refusing to let go of his cousin, Mingyu winced under the punched but squeezing his trembling lover in his embrace, reassuring and begging again.

“They will answer. I’m sure they will. They aren’t dead, Junnie. They can’t sell Seungcheol’s mansion if they’re dead, and Seungcheol won’t leave Wonwoo alone if _that thing_ really happened to Jeonghan. Please, Junnie! Listen to me! We will try this together.”

Jun was not calm enough to hold the phone anymore, especially when Mingyu’s huge body was annoyingly blocking part of his sight. The cellphone was dropped to the floor after another call failed, and the crying alpha used both hands to hit his mate extremely hard, whimpering like a wounded animal and sobbing pathetically. Mingyu was not sure if he should called those sounds “whimpers” or not, since to him they seemed to be so much worse than just whimpers. Although his back hurt, he knew he was not able to feel exactly or describe how much painful his lover was feeling right now.

Mingyu did not know what Wonwoo had said to Jun, but after his cousin’s rant about Jeonghan and Seungcheol, he easily realized there must have been something wrong with them, or something would happen. Wonwoo never joked about anything. If he said it, then he had done or would do it at all cost.

No matter what the reasons for Jun’s panic were, the giant alpha refused to relent, still holding his lover tightly, moving one hand to stroke his hair, wishing nothing but to give the love of his life some little comfort. The blood was getting on all over Mingyu’s clothes, yet he did not care, attempting to push out his scent and pheromones, hoping to cover his Junnie in a comfortable zone, earning him some more sense of safety and protection. It was too devastating to witness his lover being destroyed by a bite, a monster, and a tragedy of the omega he loved like this. Mingyu thought he might stop breathing soon, because this was too much for his heart and his soul.

Jun did not just punch and hit. He was doing everything he could not to break free but to hurt his own body again. However, the giant man was certainly much stronger, and in that position, Jun could not use any of his hands to touch his neck, torso, or legs. Nevertheless, Mingyu rapidly realized that his cousin could harm his own face, so without hesitation, he pulled Jun into his chest, crushing him in his embrace. The change put Jun in the position where he could touch his limbs again, but Mingyu was faster.

Grabbing both of his mate’s hands, the younger man locked them in his own ones, holding them in front of Jun’s chest, successfully preventing him from hurting himself any further. To this point, Jun was helpless, hopeless and broken, crying in vain in Mingyu’s chest.

“Please, Junnie. Please listen to me!” Inhaling deeply, Mingyu fought hard with his own sobs to keep his voice normal and stable for his lover, placing his chin on the tip of Jun’s head. “I swear I will help you call them and then find them. I’m sure they’re still fine. They’re fine.”

Until this moment, it was obvious for Mingyu to see that Jun was mad at himself. He hated himself, hating the mark on his neck, and hating his inability to save Jeonghan.

In his last attempt of bringing more damage to his body, Jun’s fingers violently scratched anything they could reach, forcing the giant alpha to intertwine his own fingers with them so that less harm would be caused to his lover. They both bled, but no magic in this world could stop Mingyu. He had all of the time in this universe for his Junnie, having every kind of patience and his whole heart for his Junnie to torture, as long as he would calm down and stop whatever he was doing.

When Mingyu’s tears were dropped on Jun’s messy hair, when the whimpers were silenced, the man murmured quietly to his sobbing and shaking lover.

“I love you, Junnie. Jeonghan loves you, too. He’s living somewhere, waiting to see you again.”

Those sentences were repeated over and over again, as if Mingyu were playing a song in a continuous loop to his lover. Mingyu had never talked to Jeonghan or even seen him and Jun interacting with each other, but he believed in their love. He knew they both loved each other so much yet this love brought to them too much pain than whatever they had predicted. Nevertheless, Mingyu had his strong faith in the beautiful heaven they found in each other’s love and presence, and those heavens were definitely worth all of these pains, making them yearn for each other despite whatever might happen.

When Mingyu felt the grip of Jun’s hands loosen, he cautiously put less strength in his hands, and then realizing that his mate had stopped moving for good. He was just crying and trembling, slowly shrinking and curling up. Waiting no more, Mingyu let go of those hands to reach out his arms further, wrapping Jun’s whole body, including his legs, in his big and warm embrace. Pressing the side of his head to Jun’s one, letting their ears touch, he kept on whispering, eventually ignoring his own tears, allowing them to mix with his lover’s sweat, blood, and tears.

_“I love you, Junnie. Jeonghan loves you, too. He’s living somewhere, waiting to see you again.”_

Making use of this chance, Mingyu slowly and carefully moved his mouth closer to his claiming mark on Jun’s neck. Surprisingly, even though so many scratches were scattered all over his neck, this mark was unharmed, looking just fine as any normal mark that could be found in any omegas of married couples. Ending his whisper, Mingyu dug his teeth in it tenderly, gently giving soothing sensation to his mate. No more words were voiced out, but the sweet and gentle bite was just another way of saying _“I love you”_, even with stronger emphasis and confirmation.

It was merely impossible to send any comfortable feelings without love from the giving side.

Jun was still crying at the time Mingyu took out his own phone. At least, the older alpha’s breath had become more steady, and Mingyu deemed that enough. He needed to do what he had promised. He had assured Jun that he would help calling Seungcheol and Jeonghan, so he would do it right now, just wanting to find a way to help Jun feel calm enough to start taking care of all those bleeding wounds.

Mingyu was unable to see his cousin’s eyes, but it was easy to see how his head was moving in the same direction with the giant man’s hand which was holding the phone. Mingyu kept the phone in the position where it was convenient for both him and his lover to look at the screen. Jun was totally oblivious to the fact that his mate had to blink his eyes so many times in order to clear his sight.

The first call failed.

The second, third, fourth and fifth also failed.

Mingyu sent a text.

_“Please pick up my call, Cheol. Just once. Please.”_

Waiting fifteen more seconds after sending, he called Seungcheol again, and magic came.

Immediately, Mingyu turned on the speaker so that both of them could hear his friend. The giant alpha was the one to speak first, already impatient. He felt like sitting on fire, deadly worried of Jeonghan’s condition, afraid that there was truly something wrong. If there really was, Jun might break down again.

“Hey, Seungcheol. Why didn’t you answer our calls? I’m so sick worried. Is there anything wrong with you two? Please let me know.”

Mingyu could feel his cousin holding his breath while waiting in the intense silence. So was he. A few seconds of waiting were more stressful than any examination Mingyu had ever gone through in his life. Why was Seungcheol hesitant? If everything were fine, there would be no need to hesitate.

Sensing something not nice, Mingyu sneaked one arm into the small space between Jun’s stomach and legs, wrapping around his waist to keep him still in case a piece of bad news made him go crazy again. Not feeling enough yet, the giant man put a tender kiss on his lover’s ear, hoping to help him calm down, even just a little bit.

After almost a minute, the couple heard Seungcheol sigh.

“I’m sorry, Mingyu.” Their friend said in a voice which was almost unrecognizable to them. Seungcheol sounded unexpectedly hoarse, voice strangely low and sorrowful.

Mingyu nearly forgot what Seungcheol had done to him until his friend said _“sorry”_ to him in such an evidently apologetic voice. He did not know how to answer. Fortunately, Seungcheol did not seem to expect something similar to forgiveness; he just sighed one more time before continuing to speak.

“I know you two call to ask about Jeonghan.”

Jun instantly and obviously tensed up at the mention of his bunny, a small whimper seeming to escape his mouth again, and Mingyu tenderly shushed him by another kiss on his ear.

“I’m sorry Mingyu, but I will say this only once…” Seungcheol sighed again, letting his friends hear him inhaling deeply and then speaking, this time without any pause or hesitation. “I’m just… I’m very tired now. I want nothing but to take care of Jeonghan. I just want to stay by his sides now. Hannie is… not very fine, but he will be. I will take care of him. Please understand this for me. I don’t want anything else. Please just leave us alone.”

“What’s wrong with Han… Jeonghan? What’s wrong with him, Cheol?” Mingyu almost made a mistake by accidentally mimicking the way both his friend and his lover called the rabbit hybrid. Knowing that it would be hard for Jun to talk right now, the giant man asked by himself. “Please tell us. What happened to him? I promise we won’t disturb you or anything if you don’t want.”

There came another heavy and exhausting sigh.

“I’m sorry Mingyu… Just… leave us alone. If you truly want to help Hannie, please stay away from us. And… please help me send my apology to Jun. And Joshua. If you have a chance to see Joshua, please tell him that Hannie loves him and he wishes he could say sorry to him.”

Mingyu really feel scared now.

“What do you mean, Cheol? Why does he _wish_ so? Why doesn’t he call Joshua or come to see him? Why…”

He did not have the chance to finish his sentence, because Seungcheol had hung up. Jun let out a broken sob, while Mingyu threw away his phone in order just to squeeze his lover into his chest. This time, Jun did not have any further protest, pressing his face into his giant mate’s chest to cry his eyes out.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, baby.” Kissing the older alpha’s hair, Mingyu told him in the most tender voice he had ever used in his own life, rubbing the trembling back. “Now we know that they have each other. Seungcheol said he’s taking care of Jeonghan now. I think that’s good enough. Maybe… maybe he’s just sick now, and Seungcheol only wants to focus on taking care of his mate. He doesn’t want to see us now. I guess he feels bad for what he did. Perhaps he will see us again later. It’s okay, Junnie.”

Jun did not say a word. Even until Mingyu brought him back to the bed, he was still silent, letting out no sounds except for heartbreaking sobs and sniffles. Considering his cousin to be calm enough now, Mingyu pressed the red button again, sitting on the bed and snuggled his lover lovingly while waiting for the nurses and doctors to come.

The giant man did not think that his mate would pass out again before the doctors reached them. The short but atrocious panic had worn out his energy, and his mind could not handle more. Hugging Jun tightly, burying his own face in his cousin’s hair, Mingyu let his tears fall and ignored the blood Jun might left on his clothes or body. He was not even sure whether what he had seen was a panic attack or not, because the older alpha had not done anything while his parents were still here. He had just avoided all kinds of physical contacts and refused to talk to anyone. Jun only began to hurt himself after they all got out of the room in just a few minutes.

As a result, Mingyu knew that he would never allow himself to leave Jun alone again, even in just half a second. Jun did not lose his mind completely. In terror, the giant man realized that his lover was actually aware of every word and action of his own. The problem was that, Jun hated himself right now, but knew too well that people who loved him would not allow him to satisfy his own hatred towards himself whenever they were by his sides. The only way he found satisfying enough for him to vent his frustration was to let it out all on himself.

At least, Seungcheol let them know that Jeonghan was still alive and they were being together, which also meant that Jeonghan was being with someone who really could protect him. Mingyu was not sure if that was enough for Jun, but it was still so much better than having no information about the omega. Part of his heart strongly wanted to get Jeonghan back for his Junnie, but he was afraid that would hurt Jeonghan more than doing him good, because Seungcheol did not seem to have any intention of letting go of his mate. He told them to _“leave us alone.”_

The doctors and nurses were all shocked when entering the room and seeing blood all over the two alphas. In a low and hoarse voice, the bigger man begged them to give his mate something that could make him sleep soundly in a few hours so that he could have a good rest to recover, because the giant man had no idea how to help his lover anymore.

Sympathizing for the alpha, the doctors agreed, giving Jun an injection after taking care of his wounds. However, they asked Mingyu to explain to Jun that no violent effort could erase the already formed mark on his neck. It would only vanish if he stayed away from his superior mate for at least one year. Nodding in silence, Mingyu felt his heart even heavier than before at the mention of the mark.

If Jun was already this damaged, then how would Joshua become after Wonwoo knotted him and broke him completely?

If Joshua broke, how much Jun would hate himself then?

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have just realized that there is a huge difference between the two couples right now. WonShua seems to be very happy now while JunGyu...  
I'm sorry ;_;
> 
> I am really really really eager to know how you feel or think ;_; Please share your opinions!!!


	56. Bittersweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua found himself unable to sleep without Wonwoo's presence. He was drawn to his man, obsessed to spending his time in his greatest alpha's arms and listening to his voice.
> 
> The cat wondered why his master could not understand that this was his true happiness and nothing could ever be tempting enough to make him give up this life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so sad to me but I guess I have to accept the fact that my fic isn't for a very wide range of readers ;_; After I post the previous chapter (where Jun broke down and hurt himself) the numbers of subsciption and bookmarks and comments dropped drastically T_T Actually they have all dropped from the day Wonwoo assaulted Jeonghan and Joshua clung to Wonwoo but what happened after I post chapter 55 is just...
> 
> Anyway, to all the people who still keep on reading, I love you and hope that you can enjoy this chapter even though it's about our toxic couple again.

Things did not go well as Joshua expected. He could not sleep well without Wonwoo.

He had already had this problem when he was still in the hospital. Even if Wonwoo was not there, at least he needed to have Jihoon or Minghao to sleep. Joshua thought the problem would be solved when he got home because this was a familiar place filled with his alpha’s scent, but it turned out that nothing changed. His mind failed to rest while he was not in Wonwoo’s embrace. The boy did not know why he became so pathetic like this, but his heart kept desperately screaming for Wonwoo, Wonwoo and Wonwoo.

After a long while of tossing and turning, Joshua finally opened his eyes, only to find his head spinning like crazy. Staying still, the boy stared at the ceiling above, patiently waiting for the dizziness to get a bit better. Instead of sitting up first, he decided to turn towards Wonwoo’s desk first, but surprisingly, his owner was not there. Whining in disappointment, the hybrid all of a sudden had the strength to fight against the uncomfortable feelings to get up and grab his crutch placed next to the bed. He needed to find Wonwoo. The man was possibly in the kitchen right now.

Joshua did not like the kitchen at all, but because of Wonwoo, he would try to reach there. However, his heart still started to race due to the worry of his alpha not being at home now. It was possible that Wonwoo had tried to lure him into sleep so that he could go out, maybe to have a date with Soonyoung.

Nonetheless, in the middle of the way, Joshua chuckled bitterly to himself, thinking that he was stupid again. Why the hell did Wonwoo need to go while he was sleeping? Wonwoo was the master; he did not need to care about the cat’s feelings or opinions.

Luckily, Joshua’s heart finally danced happily in his chest as his eyes captured the sight of his alpha’s back around the kitchen counters. The alpha always looked so strong and virile with his perfect figures: long legs and wide shoulders. Once seeing his man, the boy just wanted to run towards him and hug him, yet he could not do it, not with this broken ankle and this crutch. Joshua could smell coffee, knowing that Wonwoo was making the drink to get through a busy night, but the peppermint scent was more dominant than anything to the hybrid, simply because he loved it most.

Nevertheless, Joshua could not keep the positive thoughts in his mind for long after completely leaving the hall and entering the space of the kitchen. He managed to get through the hall by focusing on the desire to find Wonwoo, but it was overwhelming in this room, where Mingyu turned into a monster and the boy was almost raped. The scene was like occurring in front of his eyes again, with Jun giving in to the giant alpha while throwing his phone towards Joshua and telling him to run for his own life.

Wonwoo was so carried away by his own thoughts that he only started to notice Joshua’s appearance when he got alarmed by his kitten’s labored breathing. Snapping his head towards the direction of the cat, he immediately moved rapidly towards his omega, catching the boy on time before he fell on the floor. Joshua had dropped his crutch and not been able to stand still any longer. Right at the moment Wonwoo closed his arms around him, the hybrid clung to his owner and wrapped his limbs around the man instantly.

“I’m here, kitten. I’m here.” The alpha stroke his baby’s hair and back gently, murmuring nervously to him. “Don’t be scared. It’s okay.”

Joshua luckily did not cry, only whimpering and burying his face in Wonwoo’s shoulder and trying to take in his scent as much as possible. The strong smell of peppermint calmed his mind down quickly, and he could feel his master walking and then sitting down. The alpha’s hands were still rubbing his cat’s back soothingly, and Joshua could never find any words to describe thoroughly how much he loved that.

“Why do you get out of bed, Joshua? Did you have a nightmare?” Wonwoo asked, quite confused, because the boy had just closed his eyes about fifteen minutes ago. Joshua’s bad dreams had never come that fast.

The boy slightly nuzzled into the crook of his master’s neck, replying sheepishly.

“I can’t sleep without you.”

One more time in just a night, the hybrid heard his alpha chuckle. His voice was still so deep, but it was getting sweeter and warmer, bringing thousands of beautiful feelings to the boy’s heart.

“I still have a lot of work to do, Joshua. I can’t go to sleep with you right now.”

Trying to fight against the wish to hug Wonwoo tightly forever, Joshua placed his both hands on the man’s chest, pushing himself up in order to look at the man in the eyes. He melted when his eyes met the alpha’s ones, and he realized that Wonwoo was not being mad or upset at all. The man was being soft and gentle to him tonight. Perhaps Joshua was being good enough. Should he risk asking something more?

“Can I sit with you while you work?” The boy asked, but he really sounded like begging. He was so scared of being rejected. Therefore, he quickly came up with another idea in case Wonwoo would not agree to let him sit on his lap again. “Or I can sit under your desk, next to your chair.”

As if afraid of not being convincing enough, Joshua tried harder, obviously begging right now.

“I will be good. I won’t disturb you. I will just sit there. Please, master.”

“Shhh, Joshua.” Wonwoo shushed the hybrid by a soft peck on the cheek. “It’s okay. I wanted you to sleep comfortably, but if you can’t sleep alone, then just sit on my lap like we did this morning.”

There were real sparkles in the boy’s eyes after he got the permission, and he smiled. It was a quite awful smile of a person finding the slightest glint of happiness in dark misery, making Wonwoo unconsciously grimace. He could not believe that Joshua even looked better without smiling. This kind of smile broke his heart terribly, making him feel it _so wrong_. Why was it wrong? He was not sure, but what he remembered was the lovely, pure and adorable smiles of Joshua, and none of them was like this one.

“Thank you master.” The boy said sincerely, feeling not so scared of the kitchen anymore.

“Do you want to drink some hot chocolate?” Wonwoo gently asked, hands still rubbing the boy’s back lovingly since he knew his kitten loved it. “I will make it for you.”

Joshua certainly did not dare to ask his owner to do anything for him, but since Wonwoo already said so by himself, the boy instantly nodded, but he shook his head vigorously and clutched onto the man tightly when Wonwoo put him on the chair.

“I can’t carry you while making the drink, baby.” Wonwoo reminded the boy, not annoyed even a bit, because he knew Joshua did not like this kitchen. “Can you wait a little?”

“Can I stay on your back?” The boy asked, desperately trying all he could so that he would not be “alone” here.

“I will have to use my hands. I can’t hold you.”

“I can hold onto you by myself.” Joshua tried to persuade, making use of his chance to be spoiled tonight. “I’m a cat. I won’t fall.”

Reminded of his kitten having the instincts of a real cat, Wonwoo was easily defeated. He carefully lowered himself so as to make it easy for the boy to climb on his back. Once Joshua had bodily wrapped around him completely and safely, Wonwoo moved back to the counters. Busy making the hot chocolate, Wonwoo was pleased to see that his kitten was right. He did not feel like the boy was using much effort, but he did not seem to be about to fall at all. Joshua was being very comfortable right now, with his chin resting on his alpha’s shoulder, silently watching every movement of the man’s hands. From time to time, Wonwoo would turn his head to give a kiss on his cat’s lips.

At this moment, Wonwoo found his omega’s scent sweeter than the chocolate.

When the drink was finished, Wonwoo put the mug next to his coffee on the dining table, and let Joshua sit there as well. After sitting down, the man put the hybrid back on his lap again, letting the boy sit face to face with him. As the space between them was so small, Joshua placed both his hands on Wonwoo’s chest again, leaning his whole body against the man and putting his head on Wonwoo’s shoulder.

“We should wait until they cool down a little bit, right?” The alpha whispered to his kitten’s ear, earning an obedient nod.

Lovingly stroking the cat’s ears, Wonwoo was satisfied to hear the soft purring sounds from Joshua again. Bit by bit, the boy melted in his embrace, relaxing all his body to the softest, and Wonwoo felt as if his baby was floating in heaven. Was it really that wonderful for Joshua to be in his arms? This was definitely not the first time for Wonwoo to witness the boy acting like that, but after all that happened, he did not expect this.

Wonwoo knew more clearly than anyone that he hurt Joshua. Not only once, but many, many, many times. Furthermore, he had already promised to _break_ the boy, and Joshua certainly could never forget that. The boy was obviously always scared as the promise would never stop haunting his mind. Nonetheless, it seemed like nothing could stop him from clinging to Wonwoo as if the man was his life.

Once again, Mingyu’s words echoed in the alpha’s head.

_“What Joshua has for me and Jun is love. But for you, he loves you, and worships you… He considers you as his God, and what he’s scared of most is losing you. He’s a hybrid. You beat him to submission from the first day and he loves you. No matter what you do, he will just never stop loving you or leave you.”_

Was Mingyu right?

Wonwoo did not dare to risk it. No matter what, he had to make sure that Joshua was his, and the boy would never be able to leave him. Not with this collar, this leash, and the most important thing would be a permanent mark on his neck. Joshua had run away from him once, and the boy was so depressed to see him getting married. Wonwoo could not make sure that the hybrid would not run away from him again.

Mingyu and Jun could steal the boy away from him. He had already lost Jun. He could not lose Joshua.

“Are you still dizzy, Joshua?” Wonwoo asked after a minute of silence, somehow worried that the boy had fallen asleep.

Fortunately, Joshua was still fully awake to enjoy the comfortable feelings.

“Yes.” He nodded, subtly rubbing his nose on Wonwoo’s neck to get his scent. He was like an addict now, making use of all of his chances to inhale deeply the aroma of peppermint from his alpha. It helped him feel calm, safe and protected, just like Wonwoo’s presence in his life.

“I want you to get used to this kitchen a little.” Wonwoo explained his reasons for not going back to his room yet, smiling to himself as he knew what his kitten was trying to do. “You still have to be here tomorrow. You can’t be too frightened of it.”

“Thank you, master.” Joshua was glad that Wonwoo decided to help him, not force him. As long as Wonwoo was here to help him, the boy thought he would be fine.

The intimate atmosphere was suddenly broken when the cat felt his owner’s hand wrapping around the base of his tail. Flinching and trembling, he was frightened to recall what Wonwoo had done to his tail, but he did not dare to move an inch, just unconsciously gripping his shoulders tightly and biting his lips, waiting for the pain to come again. Joshua used to see some humans playing or stroking their hybrids’ tails extremely tenderly, or a bit playfully to tease them, but his life just could not happen in that way. His previous owner did nothing but pulled it and gripped it to punish him whenever he was _bad_.

Was he being bad right now? Why did Wonwoo want to punish him again?

There was no way Wonwoo could miss how scared his kitten was when he just began to touch his brown fluffy tail. All of a sudden, the alpha was hit by a strong wave of guilt. This kind of feelings had not come in the past few days, but right now, when the boy was being pliant and adorable like this, Wonwoo failed to ignore the pain in his chest. He scared his little cat to death, but after all Joshua still obeyed him and chose to live with him. Should he treat his kitten better?

If the boy could be good, Wonwoo would be nice to him. He just wanted obedience and submission, which meant Joshua would never be allowed to show the slightest signs of protest, rejection, or intention of leaving the alpha, like right now. The boy was bracing himself for the pain to come, not running away or begging his master not to hurt him.

Joshua was caught off guard when the feelings Wonwoo’s hand brought to him were completely different from what he had expected. His tail was stroked gently in the man’s long fingers from the base to the tip, and the alpha repeated the same pattern over and over again. The boy really melted this time, exceedingly loving to be stroked this way, and the purring sounds even got better in Wonwoo’s ears. The man regretted not doing this sooner, since currently he could see how much Joshua enjoyed it. His whole body relaxed again, and his scent was beautifully sweet when Wonwoo put a kiss on his cat ear.

“Do you like this, baby?” He murmured right into the boy’s ear, and his breath hitched. That deep voice was the death of him. Joshua could never get over it. Goosebumps began to spread on his skin crazily.

Trying to collect his mind, the boy took more than ten seconds to give an answer.

“Y-yes.” He could not help stuttering, feeling his face burning.

Wonwoo still remembered that at the time Joshua was in heat, the boy moaned lewdly when he pulled the tail through the hole on the pants, which meant touching his tail could bring special sensation, if he knew how to handle it properly.

“You’re such a cute kitten.” Wonwoo smirked while kissing the slightly pointy ear again, pleased to see it twitch in excitement.

Joshua whined feebly in embarrassment, and the alpha even found that cuter.

“You’re so cute that I can’t even imagine how to live without you.” The man murmured sweetly, making the boy’s heartbeat halt for a second.

“I want to be with you too, master.” Joshua shyly but honestly admitted, nuzzling into Wonwoo’s neck, and knowing that his master was happy since the man gave his both ears some kisses again.

When the hybrid was pulled away gently, he did not feel abandoned at all, because Wonwoo was looking at him endearingly. The boy believed that was the kind of look that could only be exchanged between lovers. His alpha still looked intimidating, as always, but Joshua loved to feel vulnerable and weak under that gaze, because he knew his powerful alpha would protect him.

A kiss on the lips even made the kitten feel weaker, causing him to gradually grip his alpha’s collar a little. His kisses were slow but giving sounds, and Joshua knew those were the kisses that Wonwoo usually gave him when he still wanted to talk. The sounds were embarrassing, yet still enjoyable.

A hand was still on Joshua’s tail while the other one was grabbing his neck at the back. The action did not have much strength, but he felt very controlled at this moment. Even though Wonwoo was being sweet and intimate, he could not stop showing dominance and authority.

“What is happiness to you, Joshua?” He asked, looking at his kitten in the eyes.

The question was strange and unexpected, so Joshua spent some time thinking about it, and Wonwoo patiently waited, hand stroking the tail tenderly.

“I guess it is…” Feeling shy to say about this, the boy began to look down, avoiding his man’s gaze, voice tiny. “…waking up in your arms every day, making breakfast for you, going to your office with you… or cooking meals and waiting for you at home until you come back and then having dinner with you… then…”

At this point, Joshua seemed to have forgotten the original question, drifting along his own imagination of a future he wished to have.

“After that, I want to sit on your lap while you work, or we can watch TV together. And then I will sleep in your arms the whole night, so that in the morning I will wake up and see you again.”

Unconsciously smiling to himself, the boy ducked his head further, saying out his desire.

“Later, I wish I can have your babies. We will be a happy little family.”

The pain in Wonwoo’s heart had never been so strong and devastating like this. He realized, all of Joshua’s dreams had him, and the boy did not want a single thing that did not include Wonwoo in it. Despite his fear of sex, the hybrid now wished to give birth to Wonwoo’s children, which obviously proved that he had already accepted his fate, knowing that he could not avoid being knotted by his alpha. During the whole time Joshua told him about his dreams, Wonwoo could not detect any lies in his words, facial expressions or actions. The boy was just as pure and innocent as he usually was. He was not trying to please his owner at all. He was just being honest, shy and nervous.

“That’s easy.” Wonwoo whispered after a short kiss. “In our new house, you won’t have your own private room anymore. We will sleep together every night. Do you like that, kitten?”

Joshua was confused, because his alpha was going to get married soon, but he could not care about that much now. His heart only jumped in excitement, and he naturally smiled, eyes sparkling with the purest happiness.

“Thank you, master.” The boy leaned over and could not help kissing his alpha’s cheek and hugging him tightly again.

Chuckling, Wonwoo brushed his boy’s hair and asked.

“How did I tell you to call me, Joshua? I don’t like that _“master”_ word at all.”

Sitting back up, the hybrid cocked his head in confusion, and also in fear. Wonwoo did not like to be called “master”, then what the hell did the man want? Joshua tried his best to think very hard. What was the other way a pet should call his master?

“Daddy?” The boy anxiously asked.

The alpha’s eyes went dark immediately. Joshua might be having different thoughts, but Wonwoo could only think of one thing. He still remembered the night his kitten called him _“daddy”_.

“That’s a good way, but not what I’m talking about.” Kissing the cat again, the man moved one hand from the back of his neck to his chin, brushing his thumb on the boy’s plump lower lip.

Instantly, Joshua’s mind was brought back to the way that Wonwoo had asked him to call so many times, and it was also how the hybrid loved to call his alpha. The name he loved was always on the tip of his tongue, but now, with a collar and a leash on his neck like this, the boy did not dare to think that Wonwoo still wanted to hear his name coming from a pet’s mouth. However, if that was not the correct answer, then Joshua really had idea what Wonwoo was talking about. Would the alpha get mad to see that his cat did not remember what he had talked about? Was Joshua so absent-minded that he could even forget his master’s words?

Not wanting to watch the boy struggle longer, the alpha answered by himself. The corners of Wonwoo’s lips curved up a little to form a smile that seemed too melancholy to the hybrid’s eyes.

“Call my name, kitten.” Gently kissing Joshua again, again and again, the man genuinely wanted to hear that from his omega.

Still nervous, the boy asked one more time, hands fiddling with his owner’s collar.

“I… I really can?”

“This is a command, baby.” Wonwoo whispered to the boy’s left ear. The content of his saying was somehow scary, but his voice was seductive, and Joshua shivered to feel the alpha’s hand playing gently with the tip of his tail. _Wonwoo was teasing it_.

_This was going to be bad._

“Won… Wonwoo…” Joshua swore he did not do it intentionally, but in the end, the man’s name coming out of his mouth sounded so much like a moan. He buried his face in the alpha’s shoulder due to embarrassment, squirming. “Please… please don’t do that.”

“Why?” The alpha asked, voice getting darker and darker. “I think you like it.”

It was undeniable that Joshua really started to have abnormal feelings, but he was scared to register Wonwoo was having the mood for _that thing_, and perhaps he would have no limit for it this time. The boy was far from ready for anything that crossed his own limit, but he knew he would definitely get punishment if he dared to disobey his owner.

Nonetheless, Wonwoo really took his hand away from the hybrid tail and gently pushed him to sit up again. The boy wanted to examine his alpha’s eyes to figure out what his master was going to do, but he was not given the chance, since the man sealed his lips with a few more kisses again, hand gently holding his face. The boy could feel Wonwoo’s smile on his own lips.

“You are really so cute, kitten.” Joshua stared at his alpha in awe while the man caressed his cheek after the compliment, and the next saying was even more shocking to him. “I bet our kids will be just as cute as you.”

Effortlessly, the boy smiled again, and all of a sudden, he did not really care if Wonwoo was lying to him or not anymore. The boy decided to only live in the beautiful fantasy his alpha gave him in order to be happy. If Wonwoo said that they would have kids, then he would believe that he would give birth to his alpha’s babies in the future.

Squeezing the adorable kitten in his arms, Wonwoo showered Joshua with kisses all over his face, but then his most important destination was still the boy’s beautiful lips. The hybrid kissed his alpha back tenderly and shyly, and Wonwoo loved that so much. He always loved his shy kitten; he never needed Joshua to get bolder or anything. It would be good for the boy to get more comfortable with him, but perhaps this would also be enough. Anyway, Wonwoo always wanted to take the lead, to be dominant, and Joshua was his perfect match, who never tried even a bit to take control over anything while the alpha was also involved.

The couple soon forgot their original intention of this talk. The two mugs of coffee and hot chocolate were neglected on the table, but neither of them cared. To Wonwoo, the cat’s lips could keep him up much better than caffeine, and to Joshua, his alpha at this moment was warmer and sweeter than the chocolate. He loved the hands rubbing his back, stroking his hair, and sometimes even stroking his thighs a little. Those kinds of touch made him shudder, but the feelings were not exactly unwelcomed.

Joshua did not know when Wonwoo started to lavish his slender neck with kisses, and he was quite startled when the alpha tugged the leash, forcing him to tilt his head, giving him a better access to the temporary mark. Closing his eyes, the hybrid began to feel his heartbeat picking up its pace, knowing that Wonwoo was about to go further. Much as he enjoyed the sensual feelings of his alpha’s lips on his neck, especially on the mark, he was afraid that the man would want to actually have sex with him. His breath hitched, suddenly realizing that Wonwoo never had to wait until the day the pills took effect fully to fuck him. He just needed to use the condom, and then the problem would be solved.

Nevertheless, Joshua was too scared of his owner to let the man know what he was thinking in his mind. The alpha’s hand was like a snake when it slowly sneaked in under the boy’s shirt to touch his back, caressing the smooth skin of the omega, making him mewl softly between the kisses. Joshua still loved Wonwoo’s touch on his bare skin, still wanted to feel the warmth of his alpha’s body, and still desired to enjoy the pleasure brought by his master, but not with what Wonwoo had threatened to do to him.

Joshua loved his God, always wishing to please him. He sincerely wanted to devote all of himself, including his soul, his heart, and his body, but he was too scared. And he knew Wonwoo would not be gentle once he was frightened and started to cry during being penetrated. Even if Wonwoo could be gentle, Joshua would still be scared, because he was not ready.

“I miss your body, Joshua.” Wonwoo murmured seductively on the boy’s lips, sending shivers up and down his spine. “I miss your scent, your taste, your everything.”

“I… I thought you’re busy tonight… master…” The cat stammered, even more scared when staring into the man’s lustful eyes.

Still caressing the boy’s back by one hand, Wonwoo used the other one to slowly undo the buttons on his omega’s shirt, from the top first, his gaze shifting from where his hand was working to the cat’s eyes.

“I need some energy to get through this busy night. Will you help me, baby?”

“I… I…” Joshua was unable to form a proper answer, both hands shaking in fear.

“I will be very happy if you call me _daddy_ now, kitten.” Wonwoo said while finishing the last button, but the boy realized that was a command.

Definitely, it was a command. The alpha’s hand went back to the leash, tugging it again to show dominance, demanding submission, even though his look was still gentle.

“D-daddy.” Joshua stuttered, confused when Wonwoo kept staring at him, as if waiting for something else. Trying to make his brain work, the hybrid gulped, desperately wishing his owner to have some mercy for him. “I’m… I’m your kitten, daddy.”

Certainly, it was easy for Wonwoo to realize how scared the boy was, and it was also easy for him to see that Joshua had no intention of protesting. The cat’s shaking hands were gripping his shirt tightly while his eyes displayed obvious fear, and his scent was bitter and sweet at the same time. Wonwoo could feel his omega’s skin heating up under his hand, and the boy shivered when his alpha’s both hands came to hold his waist not too loosely but not too tightly either.

“Good boy.” Smirking in satisfaction, the man scattered kisses along the hybrid’s jaw and cheeks. His voice turned a hundred times deeper so quickly that Joshua gulped, feeling goose bumps spreading crazily on his body. Sensing the tension in his kitten, Wonwoo reminded while nibbling his right earlobe. “Relax, baby. Don’t be scared.”

That voice definitely did not help even a bit.

Joshua did not know he was stupid when asking his alpha another question. Perhaps, he had already lost his mind, drowning in terror.

“Daddy… what… what are you going to do?” His voice was shaking, tiny and breathless, but Wonwoo found it cute and even tempting.

“I want to leave some nice hickeys on your skin.” The man moved to kiss and bite Joshua’s neck again, sucking on a spot under his ear and successfully eliciting a moan from the boy. “…and adore your body.”

Pulling away, Wonwoo saw his blushing boy biting his lips to block his own sounds, which caused him to chuckle lightly at the cat’s cuteness. Joshua did not know why, but his heart beat much more violently when the alpha used one thumb to stroke his lower lip tenderly and sensually. Sexual stimulation brought pleasure, but this kind of sweet and gentle action made his him melt and yearn for much more. Effortlessly, Wonwoo stopped the boy from biting his own lips, locking eyes with him.

In that moment, Joshua was intoxicated.

Whereas, Wonwoo thought that his kitten’s eyes were the most breathtaking things ever existing in the universe.

“Do you know what made I fall for you right at the first time I saw you, Joshua?” The man asked, still enjoying the nice feeling of his omega’s soft and cute lips under his finger.

The boy shook his head, curious and eager to know the answer.

“I love your eyes. And these…” Wonwoo answered with a soft smile, using both hands to cup the boy’s face this time, and his thumb reached up to gently trace along the fat under Joshua’s eyes. His action was so tender that the hybrid felt like his master was actually adoring something he loved more than anything else. “…They are so cute, and even make your eyes much more beautiful.”

Putting two hands down, Wonwoo placed them on Joshua’s back under his shirt again in order to pull the boy into his embrace again, and delivered a soft kiss on his lips. The boy comfortably leaned on his alpha’s chest, welcoming his lips and kissing back lightly. The man kept whispering and maintained eye contact with his lover, sending shivers up and down Joshua’s spine.

“You looked so sad in those photos, and I just wanted to make you smile immediately. I know your eyes would be a thousand times more beautiful when you smiled.”

Hearing the confession, Joshua smiled on his master’s lips, letting out a sound like a tiny giggle. It was his alpha’s turn to melt under his kitten’s cuteness.

After all, what made the frightened boy relax and loosen his grip on the man’s shirt was a compliment. Joshua was still so naïve, so innocent, so lovely that Wonwoo wanted to growl in frustration. Of course, he was frustrated, unable to believe that it was possible for a person who was this cute to exist in this world. Why was Wonwoo so late in discovering Joshua? If he had found the boy right at the time he was sold to the pet shop and was on sale for the first time, everything would have changed. The price must be crazily high then, but Wonwoo swore Joshua would be always worth billions of dollars.

“I love your lips too.” The alpha kept on telling his lover the truth he had not told before. “I don’t know how to describe, but they look so special, and I bet nothing could taste better than those lips.”

The boy blushed a deep shade of red, but he still smiled and indulged in the kisses his master gave him.

“You were described to be _“disobedient”_, but I seriously couldn’t believe them.” While saying, Wonwoo slowly moved his hands up along the sides of Joshua’s torso, but the boy was paying too much attention on his words to notice that movement. “When I looked into your eyes, I believed that you’re more pure than anyone else.”

However, this time, Joshua noticed the way Wonwoo stated that by using past tense.

“You… _believed_ so?” He nervously asked.

“At that time, I just believed so.” Wonwoo gave him a soothing kiss, hands gradually moving higher and higher. “But now, I _know_ that you’re pure and nothing can ever destroy your innocence.”

Joshua almost jumped out of his alpha’s lap at the moment two fingers brushed over his nipples lightly. It was extremely difficult for him to keep his mouth shut completely when Wonwoo began to play with his most sensitive spots, and judging by the way the alpha kissed him more erotically, the boy knew he was not allowed to hold back his own moans. Some of them were muffled while Wonwoo was kissing him, but when the alpha moved his lips to kiss along Joshua’s neck, the hybrid had nothing else to cover his embarrassing sounds. Nonetheless, Wonwoo still found them both cute and tempting.

“Even in such moments, you’re still so innocent.” The man said while leaving kisses on his lover’s neck, and even on his collarbones. “I really want to destroy you. I want to be the only one to see you crumble and become ruined because of me.”

The kisses were safe, bringing no pain or discomfort, which made Joshua quickly fall deep into a sinful pleasure. Closing his eyes, the boy enjoyed the feelings of having Wonwoo’s lips, tongue and teeth on his skin, and skillful fingers on his nipples. The pressure the man put on the hybrid slightly hurt a few times, but Joshua knew after each of those times, a new red mark was formed on his body. His face was burning, and he could feel his own cock twitching in his sweatpants, perhaps leaking some embarrassing liquid that gave off an exceedingly sweet scent and Wonwoo definitely could smell it all right now.

Joshua yelped in shock when his alpha brought him to sit on the table, but those dark eyes staring at him intensely shut his mouth immediately. The boy could not even breath when Wonwoo was looking at him with such an expression on his face, lustful and fierce, ready to eat his omega alive. Somehow, Joshua started to believe that his owner was not going to fuck him, not with how the man was treating him so tenderly tonight.

Pulling the hybrid’s legs apart, Wonwoo moved his own chair closer to the table and opened his kitten’s shirt more widely, letting it slide off the boy’s shoulders a bit, enough to reveal not only his beautifully curved shoulders but also his chest with the erected nipples. They were already red after being played with by the alpha’s rough fingers, extremely cute, tempting and delicious in Wonwoo’s eyes. His hands placed on the boy’s back, making sure to keep him close and also burn his skin more. Unconsciously licking his lips, he leaned closer to his omega, sticking out his tongue a little, and beginning to lick one of the rosy bud.

Unable to control any sounds or reaction, Joshua threw his head back and moaned lewdly. Closing his arms around the man’s shoulders, the cat tangled his hand in the alpha’s dark blocks, desperately wishing to push him closer into his chest, yearning for more contact from his mouth. Wonwoo had not even started to suck yet; he was still just licking, circling the tip of his tongue around the boy’s nipple, making it wet with his saliva, exciting the sensitive spot where he knew Joshua would love to be touched and teased.

After a whole minute long, Wonwoo finally gave Joshua what he wanted. The boy knew nothing else but his alpha from the moment his alpha started to suck his nipple. Fear had never left the hybrid’s mind, yet he temporarily allowed himself to enjoy this pleasure since his alpha was still nice and gentle. Joshua definitely loved the way Wonwoo rubbed his back under the layer of fabric, feeling like the man was determined to examine every inch of his skin. His movement was slow and sensual, never hasty or aggressive, making the boy wonder if the air conditioner was still running properly, because his whole body felt so warm, or even hot.

Joshua was still dizzy and the pleasure made it more difficult for him to keep himself sit straight, but thankfully Wonwoo’s hands kept him in place, and the boy only felt his head spinning _in a good way_. From time to time, the alpha’s name escaped the hybrid’s mouth in the middle of his moans, or there were times in which the boy kept calling him _“daddy”_ over and over again, especially when Wonwoo bit his nipples hard and played with it by his teeth. Neither of them was neglected; the alpha took care of them both well, and Joshua could not tell how much he loved it.

When Wonwoo’s right hand snuck into the front of Joshua’s pants, the boy was not startled or scared; he was actually relieved to feel his alpha’s large hand wrapping around his cock. He would get frustrated soon if Wonwoo did not give him more stimulation as the boy did not feel enough with just his alpha’s mouth on his nipples. The man was able to multitask, playing with Joshua’s buds and pumping his cock at the same time, causing his kitten to moan wantonly.

Nothing could make Joshua’s shyness vanish completely, but Wonwoo’s touch was no longer foreign to the hybrid. Everything about the alpha was so familiar with the boy that he hated it when he was scared of what his owner was going to do. Nonetheless, until now, it was still so fine that Joshua just wanted to let go of his own fear for tonight. Perhaps Wonwoo was just going to do this like what they had done in the past. Memories of those sweet and hot nights in the lead alpha’s bed were still lively in the cat’s mind. Joshua desired to live in them, to feel loved again like how he had felt in those dreamy days.

It was like a beautiful dream to Joshua. Thinking back of it, he just found it unbelievable. There were real days when Wonwoo just took off his omega’s clothes, adoring the boy’s body through his eyes, letting Joshua know how much he was loved by giving him deep kisses and gentle touch on his skin. The alpha kept giving his kitten too much pleasure, making him cum so many times in just a night, but asking for nothing back.

Would this time be the same?

Joshua placed both his hands on the table, lifting himself up so that Wonwoo could easily pull his sweatpants and underwear down. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, the boy’s face turned adorably red, making the alpha chuckle at his cuteness. Standing up and locking his own lips with the cat’s again, Wonwoo returned to stroke his boy’s length.

“Wonwoo… Wonwoo… Daddy…” Joshua tried to speak, voice breathless. “I… I will make a huge mess on the table…”

“Don’t worry.” The man said while moving his lips to a lower position, trailing kisses along the cat’s chest, down to his stomach. “I will clean it later.”

Once Wonwoo had said so, Joshua had nothing more to protest, mewling seductively when the alpha started sucking his cock. The hybrid’s mind flew away along with his fear, as if Wonwoo had never harmed him in any way.

For this moment, Joshua only knew that this alpha was his Wonwoo, the man he loves wholeheartedly.

…

When Joshua got his mind back a pretty long while later, he was still shaking slightly in Wonwoo’s arms. The boy had no strength to sit up, just leaning all of his weight against the alpha as he straddled his owner’s lap again. Still floating in his own heaven, Joshua tried to focus on controlling his breath but he could hear the sounds of Wonwoo licking his own fingers after getting the omega’s cum on his stomach. It was so embarrassing, yet the hybrid loved the fact that his master loved his taste. Wonwoo always enjoyed licking and swallowing any kinds of liquid coming from his kitten.

Silently waiting for the boy to calm down, Wonwoo gently rubbed his hair and back, delivering kisses on his omega’s messy hair and sweaty shoulder. Knowing Joshua’s dislike for emptiness in his hole, the alpha kept his four fingers in the hybrid’s heat, only taking them out when he found the sweet scent became normal again. Nonetheless, Joshua still whined feebly, as if he still wanted to keep his master’s fingers inside longer.

Chuckling, Wonwoo carefully brought his kitten to the bathroom to clean both of them.

Usually, if Wonwoo did this right before sleeping, they would have no care about cleaning up, because neither of them minded sleeping in a mess of each other’s _things_. However, Wonwoo had to work after this, so he had no choice but to help Joshua change clothes and also get a new pair of pants for himself.

Joshua was so tired and sleepy that he barely knew how Wonwoo cleaned him. The boy could only guess that everything was nice and soothing, and when he was a bit more sober, he was in his alpha’s arms again in the kitchen. Exhausted and lazy, Joshua was like a real kitten right now, wanting nothing but to sleep in his master’s embrace, yet Wonwoo kindly heated up his chocolate a little and gave him the drink. The boy even did not know how or when the alpha did that. The only thing he registered was that his mug of chocolate was pleasantly hot enough for him to drink without any difficulty.

It was so comfortable and warm to drink such a sweet thing while he was sitting on Wonwoo’s lap, leaning against his chest, and having the man’s hands wrapping around his hand since Wonwoo was afraid that his kitten was too tired to hold the mug well. Sipping the sweet liquid, Joshua happily listened to his alpha’s whispers by his ears, softly giggling whenever the man scratched his cat ears too lightly and brought him some tickling sensation. It was generally nice and sweet, making the boy temporarily think that his life was fulfilled.

Following Joshua’s wish, his owner let him sit on his lap while he worked on the computer. With a contented heart, the hybrid fell asleep easily. It was perfect to hear the deep voice he always loves right before his mind was drifted away in his peaceful slumber.

“Sleep well, kitten. I love you.”

Joshua was not conscious enough to reply anymore, but he guessed Wonwoo had already known his answer.

The boy failed to notice that he had forgot to give his alpha a blowjob, or anything that could bring the man to a release.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear writing WonShua is even more difficult than writing the scene of Jun breaking down. Nonetheless, I still love WonShua a lot T_T 
> 
> One more time, I hope all of you will trust me when I say that Jeonghan will appear again! I promise he will show up again!!! He isn't dead or gone forever!!! Please trust me and be patient and you will see him again with a lot of love and fluff!!!!
> 
> I know you don't like WonShua much but I am still eager to know how you think or feel about this chapter ^^


	57. Different kinds of love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day, Minghao and Jihoon came to help Joshua pack the stuff, getting ready to move.  
However, an unexpected guest came.  
At least, that person was unexpected to the cat only.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite long, but I hope it's okay for you. If I cut it, then you would read a chapter with almost no progress, just only some deeper details about Joshua's thoughts and feelings. Therefore, I decided to put a whole long one here, so that you can see a little bit more progress of the story.

Joshua woke up when he was scooped up from the bed. The boy wanted to groan in frustration, wanting to go back to sleep, but the strike of the aroma of peppermint in his lungs made him shut his mouth immediately. Instead, the boy followed the movements of his alpha’s hands, instantly wrapping his arms around his owner once he was put on the man’s lap. Chuckling, Wonwoo squeezed the cat into his chest, giving each of the cat’s ears a loving kiss.

“Time to wake up, baby.”

“You have to go now?” Joshua nuzzled into the crook of his alpha’s neck, taking in the sharp scent.

“Not yet. We still have thirty minutes.”

Closing his arms tightly around Wonwoo, the boy shook his head.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“Come on, baby.” Chuckling, the man ruffled his boy’s messy hair. “If you follow me to my office, we will have to stay in this apartment one more day. Do you like that?”

This time, Joshua shook his head vigorously, but still not letting go of his master. Smiling fondly, Wonwoo gave his baby a lot of strokes and kisses on his ears to soothe him. After five minutes, the man brought his cat to the bathroom and now the boy reluctantly stopped clinging to his alpha to start a new day.

Checking himself in front of the mirror in the restroom, Joshua blushed violently. He had never seen so many hickeys on his own body like this in his whole life. The bruises left by Mingyu were almost faded, leaving his skin newly decorated with red marks from Wonwoo. Basing on his experience with the lead alpha in the past, the boy knew it would take many days for those hickeys to disappear thoroughly, but he doubted if he would be able to go through a single day without any mark on his body. Wonwoo never stopped being over-possessive; he kissed and nibbled on Joshua’s skin with much more force than usual, and such actions would help the alpha embed his scent in his omega.

Even though Joshua did not have any plan of going out today, he failed to get rid of his habit of showing off those marks to other people’s eyes. The cat thought he would keep his collar loose with some buttons undone, not too much revealing, but enough to see the hickeys scattered along his neck and collarbones.

When Joshua got out, Wonwoo brought him back to the bed and helped him take care of the wound on his neck again. Furthermore, the man also put the new pads on his kitten’s wrists. The boy was amazed to find his master remembering his troubles even better than himself. He never had to ask the man to do anything; Wonwoo did those on his own, and the man also gave his omega a new bite as usual, making him happy and contented with the feelings of being owned and protected.

Waiting for Jihoon and Minghao to come, Joshua sat on Wonwoo’s lap in the living room while the man was sitting on the couch. Joshua did not like to look at the room even a bit, so he chose to hide his face in his master’s chest or shoulder. Feeling the tension in his hybrid, Wonwoo distracted the boy’s attention by giving him kisses and soft whispers in his lovely ears.

“Remember to take the pills after breakfast, kitten.” The alpha reminded him. “Don’t take it before you eat. Okay?”

“Yes, master.” Joshua nodded, but slightly pouted. “But my breakfast will go out all then.”

“Try to endure this a little more.” Wonwoo kissed his forehead sweetly. “Later we will use the normal pills and you will feel better.”

Joshua hoped Wonwoo would keep this promise, and there would be no other problem making him use those special pills again. He hated them, hated these uncomfortable feelings. Right now, he had not taken the pills yet, but his head was already spinning and aching again. Rubbing his face in Wonwoo’s shoulder, desperately trying to find some comfort, Joshua whined in frustration as nothing could make the pain stop.

“What’s wrong, kitten?” The alpha asked, easily realizing the discomfort in his omega.

“My head hurts.” Another whine came right after the boy’s answer. “I feel worse than yesterday.”

“Try harder for me, baby. You will be okay.”

Wonwoo was giving an encouragement, but that saying hurt the hybrid more terribly than anything. The alpha was asking Joshua to _“try harder”_ for him, while Wonwoo himself could not tolerate his omega or sympathize for his trauma. That was how a human treated his pet. Joshua did not have a voice in anything. He did not have the right to choose. He could only try to endure what Wonwoo gave him. Joshua asked for his master’s permission to stay at home and pack their stuff today, but right at this moment the boy doubted his own ability to do anything. With this awful head, he might just end up falling flat on the floor. Perhaps, he would be fine if he just sat on the floor, waiting for Minghao to give him the carton boxes and throw the clothes to him. He would not go anywhere, only staying at one place and arranging things in those boxes.

“All of the side effects are okay, but if you have a fever, tell Jihoon or Minghao to take you to the hospital immediately. Remember, Joshua?” Wonwoo reminded his cat, scratching his ears gently.

The boy tried to speak up with an unendurable pain in his chest.

“Yes, master.”

_“All of the side effects are okay???”_

_“I’m not okay at all.”_

_“I’m not okay, Wonwoo.”_

All of a sudden, tears streaming down the hybrid’s cheeks when he begged his owner.

“Please… Can you please stay with me, master?... I… I can’t…”

Wonwoo could not see Joshua’s face, but he could register that his boy was crying thanks to his shaking and unstable voice.

“I know you can. Just two more days. _Be good for me_ and stay at home to finish everything. Okay, kitten?”

The crying boy stopped pleading for good, but he shed more tears, hurting to know that Wonwoo would never care. No matter what, the alpha would still rape and knot him, and Joshua would be stuck to him for the rest of his life. Joshua could not do anything to make his master believe that he would just stay here forever, because he wholeheartedly wanted to spend the rest of his life with his greatest alpha. Why did not Wonwoo trust him? Why did Wonwoo always think that he would leave? Joshua could not understand.

“Master…” Fighting against the pain, the boy murmured quietly, trembling at his own question. “Can I ask you something?”

“Just ask, baby.” Wonwoo nodded, comfortably placing his chin on the tip of the omega’s head. “You’re just asking a question. You don’t need to ask for permission, but last night I’ve already told you not to call me _“master”_ anymore. Remember?”

Too lost in the pain that both his head and his heart were suffering, the hybrid was not aware of the fact that he was risking his own peace by asking a stupid question.

“Will you ever marry me, Wonwoo?”

As long as Wonwoo said _“yes”_, he would try to endure everything to make this dream come true. The boy was willing to be a pet, if that could help him stay with Wonwoo until the last day of his life, but what he truly wished was to become _his real husband_. In just two more days, he would officially become Wonwoo’s omega by receiving his permanent mark. Even though things did not go as what he had expected, it was still good to be claimed by Wonwoo. His life would be fulfilled if he could become his alpha’s legal spouse.

Surprisingly, Wonwoo laughed, but his voice was showing a lot of fondness.

“Why are you asking this silly question, Joshua?” The man asked, making the boy’s heart drop. In a split second, he stopped breathing.

Nonetheless, Wonwoo kept on saying after putting a kiss on his omega’s hair.

“I don’t claim you as mine for fun, kitten. Yesterday we even talked about our kids, remember?”

Joshua did not dare to think about any positive things yet. He still asked doubtfully.

“Some people… some people mark their pets just because they want to. Many hybrids have marks but have no spouse. And some couples don’t get married even though they have kids.” The boy was so nervous and even scared, stuttering over and over again. “I… I don’t know if you will… and you are going to get married… So I think… think that you won’t…”

The boy’s heartbeat stopped when he felt Wonwoo froze. A strange tension from the man drowned him in the utter fear of being rejected. Why was his alpha suddenly hesitant? Joshua really misunderstood him? When the man said that _“I don’t claim you as mine for fun”_, the cat really thought that Wonwoo meant he wanted to make become Joshua his soulmate of this life.

“It can be different in some cases…” Wonwoo continued to speak, causing the boy to hold his breath to listen. “But you’re mine, Joshua…”

Gently pushing the hybrid to sit up, the man cupped his kitten’s face by both hands, tenderly using his thumbs to caress the soft skin of the pretty face while the boy stared at him endearingly in the greatest anticipation.

“I will give you the most beautiful wedding you can ever dream of.” It was quite rare for anyone to see Wonwoo smile, but at this moment, the alpha was giving his kitten the most beautiful smile the boy had ever seen as he draw the picture of their future wedding in his mind. “I will announce to the whole world that you are mine. But if you don’t like a wedding with too many guests, I will only invite my relatives and our close friends, and then choose another way to make an announcement.”

Joshua’s head was spinning so severely during the time listening to his alpha that he had to blink his eyes a few times to clear his view, but what the man had just said almost made him pass out right on the spot. Feeling like the boy in his arms was about to fall to a side, Wonwoo held his kitten more tightly and pushed him to lean against his chest again, tenderly pushing the boy’s head to rest back on his shoulder so that the cat could easily rest. Nonetheless, the man was amazed to see Joshua squeezing him tightly and his lungs were violently stroke by the outburst of the omega’s sweet scent. It was like someone had just shoved a bucket of candies into Wonwoo’s mouth and drown him in a sea of roses.

“Thank you, Wonwoo. Thank you.” The hybrid whispered to his alpha, voice adorably sweet and showing an unbelievable amount of happiness, making Wonwoo chuckle.

Patting the boy’s hair, he answered through his deep voice, and Joshua swore he had never known that it would be possible for him to love that voice more and more day by day.

“Why are you saying _thank you_ when someone says he wants to marry you?” Asking, Wonwoo rubbed the mark on Joshua’s neck, making him let put a soft sound, somehow like a feeble moan. “You didn’t give me the chance to give you a proper proposal.”

It was quite ridiculous when Wonwoo mentioned the _“proposal”_ because Joshua knew the alpha would not care if he did not agree to get married with him, but he decided not to care about it for now, and maybe for good.

“I didn’t dare to dream of getting married in the past.” Joshua nuzzled into his owner’s neck, wishing to see the ring on his finger right now, right here. “Not all hybrids are sold as pets, but once I was sold, no alpha hybrids will ever want me.”

Wonwoo huffed, and even letting out a growl in displease.

“You don’t need to care about them anymore, because _I am your alpha_.”

Joshua did not know why, but he was overwhelmed by Wonwoo’s pheromones and sharp scent so much that he instinctively tilted his head to bare his neck to the alpha again, as if the already formed mark on his neck was not enough for either of them yet. Possessiveness took control, and Wonwoo sunk his teeth in his lover’s skin again, deepening the bite to satiate his strong desire to claim the omega as his forever. The bite made Joshua’s dizziness even worse than previously, but the feelings were good, and the boy wholeheartedly indulged in the moment of having his alpha’s sharp teeth on his neck. It felt nice, wonderful, and perfect to be owned by the human alpha he loved.

Moreover, that was also Joshua’s God. His God would keep him forever. They would never be apart from each other. The boy was willing to devote his own life, and he would give his soul to Wonwoo forever.

The alpha only stopped his action when Joshua began to moan as the bite started to give him a sensual stimulation. Pulling away, Wonwoo was a little bit disappointed, but he had to, since they did not have enough time for that right now. Nevertheless, what he saw in Joshua’s eyes was relief. The boy did not want it.

Wonwoo felt triggered by the fact that his omega did not like to have sexual activities with him, but he held back for now, deciding to tame his own instincts for his omega. The reason perhaps was just that Joshua was dizzy and having a bad headache; it was normal for him not to be in the mood for sex or anything similar.

A short while later, Minghao and Jihoon came with some bags of food, saying that they were going to have breakfast together. Discreetly taking a quick glance around the living room, Minghao was not very comfortable with the place where he had witnessed a disaster just a few days ago, but what was most unpleasant to him right now was the fact that Joshua was wearing Wonwoo’s clothes. The alpha’s scent was always extraordinarily sharp and strong since he was a noble, and Minghao really disliked the idea of being surrounded by that scent the whole day. He did not need to be extremely close to Joshua to register that the alpha had already scent-marked his omega. Joshua reeked of him in a very horrible way.

Glancing towards Jihoon, Minghao saw him scrunching his face too. It _smelled very wrong_ here. If they had not met the couple just two days ago, they would think that Wonwoo had just gone through his rut and rubbed his scent all over the cat hybrid. On the day Minghao went to England to escort Jun back home, he was pretty much aware that the two alphas must have had sex the day before, but Jun did not smell like Joshua right now. If the omegas stayed with the hybrid a whole day, then Minghao guessed they would need to get a shower before going out, or no alpha would ever dare to approach them, even just to talk. Minghao did not want to smell like his alpha friend, and Jihoon hated it if someone told him that he reeked of an alpha, who was his client.

Besides, Minghao and Jihoon were both shocked to see how awful Joshua looked today. They did not need to ask to figure out that the boy was not in a good health condition. Basing on the way Wonwoo was treating Joshua now, they did not think the alpha did something bad to the hybrid, but Joshua was strangely pale and tired. Even though Minghao is also an omega, he suddenly had the urge to shower the boy with love and care, to pamper him and feed him a lot of food, like a mother taking care of her son.

Pushing those thoughts away, the two human omegas tried to be cheerful, but Joshua got sad immediately; he knew it was time for Wonwoo to go.

The farewell did not end up as well as any of them expected. Minghao and Jihoon were both shocked while Wonwoo got seriously alarmed. Joshua desperately clung to him, refusing to let him go and crying his eyes out on the alpha’s shoulder. His sweet scent vanished in the blink of an eye, and he smelled terribly devastated. Everyone felt as if the boy could die if Wonwoo left him. The man had to sit down again in order to soothe his omega, pouring thousands of soothing words to his ears, but it was hard as hell to calm Joshua down.

“You can’t always be with Wonwoo, Joshua.” Minghao tried to help the hybrid understand his condition. “Even if you go with him to work today, you will still have to be alone when he has a meeting. I know he has one today, and I have already had today off. I won’t be there with you. In other days, you can’t follow him to his meetings or conferences either. You have to learn to live without him sometimes, okay?”

Joshua still cried, but he nodded, which let all of them realize that the boy was not being stupid. He was just broken and he needed nothing more than Wonwoo right now. Minghao did not fully understand this yet. He knew Mingyu had hurt the hybrid - even though unintentionally - and Jun “betrayed” him but there was still not enough reason for him to figure out why Joshua was so desperate for Wonwoo like this. The only way Minghao could think of was that, perhaps the cat was more broken than what he had thought. He did not dare to voice out his thought yet, but he slowly started to assume that Joshua seriously needed mental help. The boy was not acting normally.

Wanting to help as well, Jihoon gently squeezed Joshua’s hand in his own, reassuring.

“Wonwoo will go back home with you soon. A day will go by very quickly. Don’t worry, Joshua. Minghao and I will be here with you.”

“I will go back to check on you during lunch time.” Wonwoo kissed his omega’s temple lovingly, lingering there for a few seconds before saying more. “Don’t be scared, kitten. I will be home soon.”

Joshua murmured something into the alpha’s ear while the other two omegas stared at them curiously, unable to hear a single word. Surprisingly, Wonwoo politely asked them to wait here and then quickly stood up, bringing the hybrid to his own room and locking the door behind. The two omegas looked at each other in confusion, and they both shrugged, deciding to set up the table for breakfast instead of just sitting and waiting.

When the pair went back, the two omegas failed to hide their scowl. They were wrong to think that it was impossible for things to get more serious, yet reality proved them wrong. The peppermint scent coming from Joshua was doubled. Neither of the human omegas liked to stay close to Wonwoo because he was scary and everything about him - his scent and his pheromones - was too strong to their liking, but currently Joshua was just _the second Wonwoo in rut_, without the striking pheromones.

Nonetheless, the good thing was that Joshua had stopped sobbing and right now, he was only sniffling softly into Wonwoo’s shoulder while the man brought him to the dining table. Placing his kitten on the chair, the alpha kisses Joshua’s forehead tenderly while rubbing his ears lovingly.

“Call me if you need. I promise, I will go back during lunch time. Okay, kitten?” Wonwoo smiled gently to his omega, but obvious worries still tinted his eyes. It was too heartbreaking to leave the boy like this, but he had no choice.

Joshua nodded, but his grip on Wonwoo’s collar did not loosen even a bit. Minghao cooed sweet words to the cat, rubbing his back soothingly, encouraging him to let go of Wonwoo so that the alpha would not be late for work. Minghao hated doing this, because he felt like he was persuading a crying kid to say goodbye to his dad and go to class. Joshua was not supposed to be like this. Where was the doubtful but spoilt cat he had known? Why was he ruined like this?

Jihoon had to help in the process as well, and it took them approximately five more minutes to coax Joshua into letting his master go without making him cry pathetically again. When Wonwoo was already gone, both of the omegas sat closely to Joshua and Minghao pulled the boy into his chest instantly.

“It’s okay, Joshua. Don’t cry. We still have a lot of things to do, remember?” Slowly rocking back and forth, he lowered his voice and tried to push out his sweet scent to make Joshua feel more comfortable.

Nevertheless, he doubted whether it would work, since Wonwoo’s scent was too strong; it could overshadow anything.

“Minghao’s right, Joshua.” Jihoon added, thinking of a way to make the cat stop crying for real. “Wonwoo will be very upset if he comes home tonight and we haven’t finished packing things yet. Do you think so?”

Minghao got startled by the saying, but this method was amazingly effective. For the first time, Joshua started to wipe his own tears, which was a good sign showing that he wanted to stop shedding tears. After five more minutes, the cat was finally fine to go wash his face with some help from Minghao. Later, the three of them joined at the dining table to have their breakfast.

Pretty long ago, Minghao noticed a small pink box on the dining table. Thinking that it was not something related to the meal, he put it away on the counter while displaying the food, but when Wonwoo returned to the kitchen, he evidently looked around to search for the missing box and then put it back on the table again. The alpha did not forget to request.

“Can you please put this on the table so that Joshua won’t forget it?”

Minghao was curious but he knew Wonwoo would not like to share the reason, so he did not ask.

At this moment, during breakfast, Minghao secretly watched how Joshua glanced towards the box from time to time. The boy was anxious the whole time, and it was hard to tell which emotion he received from the suspicious box. Nonetheless, Minghao was not the only one to notice Joshua’s abnormal behavior. Jihoon really felt the urge to ask as curiosity was killing him, but Minghao frowned and shook his head, silently asking him to shut his mouth on time.

Trying to distract himself and also his friends from the box, Minghao asked about another thing.

“Hey Joshua.” He called to get the hybrid’s attention. Joshua turned to face him with a little hesitation, which made the human omega feel really bad. He had not said anything yet, but the boy was already uncomfortable.

Sighing, he asked gently.

“We’re at home now. Why do you still wear your collar and that…leash?” Pointing at the leather about a meter long “string” connected Joshua’s neck and right wrist, Minghao was not sure if it would be okay for him to call the real name of that thing. “I thought they are only necessary while you’re outside?”

Luckily, the cat got relaxed after the question, seeming to be fine with this even though Minghao doubted his true feelings hidden behind that mask.

“Wonwoo wants me to wear them.” Joshua blatantly answered, unconsciously rubbing his collar, right on the place where his owner’s name was printed. “He only takes them off me when I take a shower.”

“You wear them when sleeping too?” Jihoon asked in awe, obviously shocked.

The boy nodded and continued to eat, giving a confirmation.

“Because I’m a pet.”

“Oh no, you’re not.” Minghao shook his head immediately. “Nobody scent-marks their pets like this. The alphas only do that to their omegas.”

However, Joshua had no reaction, as if he had not heard anything, keeping on eating. Only one day had passed since the last time Minghao saw the hybrid, but he felt like a lot had changed. Joshua was acting extraordinarily strange. He was not showing much of his emotion; his face did not alter even a bit when talking about Wonwoo treating him like a pet. While Minghao began to feel that it would be useless to ask Joshua more questions, Jihoon still asked again.

“What about your mark? It’s still a temporary one, right?”

The boy nodded, yet seeming confused.

“Why do you ask so?”

“It looks very red.” Minghao commented, staring at his friend nervously. “Look like it’s going to bleed but it’s not.”

The boy unconsciously reached his left hand towards his neck, intending to touch the mark, but he luckily held himself back on time, knowing that it would hurt to touch.

“I… I didn’t know that.” He admitted honestly, having no intention of saying more, but both of the omegas were having so intense worries in their eyes, the cat was forced to give the best explanation he could think of. “It’s just… I think it’s because Wonwoo bit me three times this morning.”

Minghao raised an eyebrow in question.

“I heard that alphas can help their omegas feel better by biting the marks gently, but I didn’t know it would make your mark look so… unhealthy like this.”

The way Joshua’s eyes flickered revealed how he was obviously trying to hide his true emotion and ignore the word _“unhealthy”_.

“It’s not like that.” The boy calmly corrected Minghao, not offended by his misunderstanding. “This is like… intensifying the mark.”

“Why did he have to do that, Joshua?” Trying to make his voice softer, Minghao put a lot of effort in making Joshua believe that he was sincerely caring about him. “You asked him to or he force bit you?”

“No, no, no! He didn’t force bite me!” Joshua panicked, suddenly answering with higher volume and faster speed, causing Jihoon to jump. Realizing how much he shocked the other, the cat cowered a little, as if feeling he had done something wrong, and his voice was ten times quieter. “I wanted him to do that…. because I didn’t feel enough.”

Placing his hand gently on Joshua’s free hand on the table, Minghao squeezed his friend’s cold fingers, successfully making the hybrid look at him in the eyes.

“You don’t feel safe? Don’t worry, Joshua. We’re here with you. Jihoon will go to the supermarket, but I will stay here with you all the time.”

“And you’re also wearing your alpha’s clothes.” Jihoon pointed out. “You even have a collar, a leash, and that thing… I don’t know what it’s called.” Saying, the short omega pointed at the abnormal “watch” on Joshua’s wrist. “I guess you have enough of his scent on you, and it’s evident that he won’t ever let you go out of his grasp. Right?”

“I…” Joshua hesitated for a pretty long while, trying to find a suitable word, but he did not take his hand out of Minghao’s one, and the human omega was relieved to see that the cat at least had some trust in him. “I just want to… strengthen the bond.”

“So you two went back to his room previously for the third bite?” Minghao sought for a confirmation, using his other hand to pour some more milk into Joshua’s half-empty glass.

The boy nodded after a soft _“thanks”_.

“I asked him to scent-mark me more, too.”

“I’m sure that Wonwoo does that every day without being told.” Jihoon said with a mouthful of food. “From what I smell from you, it’s obvious that he rubs his scent all over you _every single day_.”

Minghao felt agitated when the boy stated the same reason again.

“I didn’t feel enough.”

The both human omegas tried their best not to wince in pain. They could not tell why, but there was a real pain shooting through their bodies after hearing the hybrid’s confession, and they believed that Joshua was not lying at all. Moreover, it would be a blatant lie if they said that they were feeling comfortable with the boy right now. Joshua was not acting like the host in this place. Even to his omega friends, he was still showing a lot of _negative submission_. He always kept his head low, voice tiny and cautious in every action.

Holding back a sigh, Minghao shared a meaningful look with Jihoon. They had no choice but to maintain a light atmosphere so as to make Joshua feel more relaxed, and no matter how they felt, they should never say anything bad about Wonwoo, even though they knew the alpha was _an asshole_.

“Hey Joshua, what do you want to eat today?” Jihoon asked after shoving food into his mouth, making Minghao frown, but the taller omega still kept watching the other one as he continued to speak with a mouth full of food. “I will go to the supermarket right after finishing my breakfast. Tell me what you want to eat. I will buy the ingredients and cook whatever you want like what…”

Jihoon almost said something _very wrong_ but he managed to control his own mouth just right in time, and fixed the ending of his sentence.

“…like what Wonwoo has told me. He said you can’t eat anything that may require using your hands with too much force.”

Glancing at the boy’s hands, Minghao noticed the pad on his wrists. He reached out his hand to touch one of them very gently, but Joshua still flinched, almost pulling his arm away. It took him three more seconds to realize that Minghao was being extremely gentle and the omega did nothing but rubbed his wrist slowly.

“It hurts that much?” He asked worriedly, and the cat nodded, getting more relaxed.

“So what do you want to eat?”

Since Joshua never spoke except for when being asked, Minghao and Jihoon had to dote on him with all their hearts, taking care of him in even the tiniest things. However, it was alarming that Joshua did not seem to know that he needed help and had all the rights to ask anyone to help him. He was strangely quiet and too sad for the other two omegas to endure. He had just spent one day alone with only Wonwoo and he changed drastically, literally scared and wary of everyone who was not Wonwoo.

“You should just cook what you two want to eat… I… I won’t eat much.” The boy answered in a very quiet voice. “I feel very nauseous these days. The food will go all out anyway.”

“Why are you nauseous? Are you sick?” Jihoon asked nervously, placing a palm on the hybrid’s forehead to check his temperature, making the boy flinch again.

“No. I’m fine.”

He was lying. Everyone could easily see that. Minghao saw Joshua’s eyes flicker to the small box on the table again. Taking this chance, he began to ask about that suspicious object.

“Is it your medicine?”

“Yes.” The cat nodded. “The hospital gave me some. They said the pills would help my wounds heal faster.”

Still suspecting, Minghao nodded without asking further. When Joshua finished eating, the human omega kindly got him a glass of water while Jihoon cleaned the table and got ready to go out. Eying the hybrid, Minghao was amazed to see the content inside the pink box. Moreover, Joshua was surprised as well. Both of the omega stared at the box with wide eyes, mouth hung open to see how considerately Wonwoo had prepared the medicine for his omega. The box was divided into four compartments, each of which contained some pills of different colors. The compartments on the left side were in bright pink while the others were in a bolder shade of pink. According to Joshua’s explanation, the ones on the left were meant to be taken in the morning and those on the right were for the evening. Consequently, this whole box would be used up in two days totally.

Until now, Minghao was relieved to see that at least Wonwoo was treating his kitten well. Following what the alpha had told him, Minghao had brought along some carton boxes to help Joshua. Nonetheless, he did not expect to see the boy having so much difficulty in walking back to his room even with the help of his crutch. Hurriedly dropping the boxes, Minghao decided to help the cat first, earning a small _“thank you”_ from him. Too worried of his condition, Minghao escorted him to the restroom’s door and only walked away after he was sure that Joshua had leaned against the sink safely and would not fall to the ground.

Knowing too well about Joshua’s possessiveness towards his alpha, Minghao patiently sat on the floor with the boxes while waiting, pretending to scroll through something on his phone instead of looking around Wonwoo’s room. When the boy got out, he helped him to go and sit on the floor near those boxes, and Joshua instantly relaxed, making the human omega even more surprised. He had never known that the pills which were supposed to help heal wounds could make the patient so dizzy like this.

“Can you stay here for a while? I will go to your room and bring your stuff here.” Minghao asked, relieved to see Joshua smile to him a little.

“Thank you, Minghao. Don’t worry about me.”

“How many boxes do you think I will need?”

“I think one box is okay. Just put all of them into one box and I will arrange them later.”

“Only one box? Are you sure that’s enough?”

“Yeah. I only have some clothes and books.”

Doing his job quickly, Minghao soon came back with a box full of Joshua’s clothes and books, just like what the boy had said. However, when he went in, the hybrid was rubbing his forehead, obviously very dizzy. Nervous, Minghao sat down next to him, squeezing his shoulder a little.

“Are you okay, Joshua? Do you need to rest? I can do all of this by myself, if you allow me to.”

“I’m fine.” Joshua gave him a weak smile, but he was gradually losing balance.

Cooing softly at the cat, Minghao pulled him to rest his head on his chest, draping his arm over the boy’s shoulder and ruffling his hair tenderly.

“Oh, let’s relax a bit. I don’t think you can do it right now. I feel dizzy just by looking at your eyes, you know.” Joking a bit, Minghao was relieved to hear his friend’s chuckle.

Closing his eyes while still smiling, Joshua unconsciously let the omega know how much he enjoyed the gentle hand on his hair. Feeling satisfied, Minghao kept his hand in the hybrid’s hair, languidly stroking his fluffy ears to bring the boy more comfort.

“I’m sorry, Minghao.” Joshua murmured weakly, stating no more explanation, but the other omega could understand.

The cat must be talking about the incident of Minghao making him cry by mentioning Jeonghan. If Joshua knew he was wrong that time, then Minghao believed that he was still somehow in his right mind now.

“That’s fine. You don’t have to say sorry. I was worried that you were mad at me but when Wonwoo asked me to come here to help you, I was so relieved.”

“I’m really sorry.” The boy’s voice got much lower now. “I’m not mad at you. I was… too upset that day.”

“So how are you feeling now?” Asking this question, Minghao wanted to talk about his emotions, not his physical health.

“I’m fine.”

It was a blatant lie, and the human omega did not want to push further. Joshua would probably cry again if he mentioned Jun or Jeonghan now, and they would not be able to finish packing things. Consequently, Minghao kept the mood light and nice by changing the topic.

“I saw many culinary books in your room. You like cooking?”

“Yes.” The hybrid answered without hesitation. His eyes were still closed, yet Minghao was able to sense honesty and comfort in his words now. “I really like cooking.”

“So… do you have any plan about cooking in the future? It will be very good for you if you take some professional classes in cooking. I think Wonwoo will be very glad to open a small restaurant for you.”

Slowly opening his eyes, Joshua shook his head and stared at his two hands which were fiddling with Minghao’s fingers on his free hand.

“No, he won’t. Nobody opens a restaurant for a pet.”

“I’m sure you aren’t just a pet to Wonwoo.” Minghao said firmly, amazed to see how much clingy Joshua was being today. It seemed that the boy was desperate for a lot of affection from anyone close to him these days.

“He said he would take this leash off if I’m good.” The hybrid murmured quietly and melancholy. “I think I have been good… but he still doesn’t take it off. People only put the leash on their pets.”

“I swear no pet has a private driver like you.” Minghao stated with no doubt. “And I swear Wonwoo isn’t the kind of person who wants to own a pet. The only reason for him to take you is that he wants you to be his omega.”

However, the conversation was interrupted when Joshua suddenly pulled the human omega’s hand.

“Minghao… could you please help me go to the bathroom? I think… I’m going to…”

Seeing the boy rubbing his stomach by the other hand, Minghao rapidly understood and helped the cat stand up right away. Fortunately, Joshua reached the sink on time, and Minghao was shocked to him letting out all of his breakfast. Patiently rubbing the boy’s back soothingly, he waited for Joshua to finish washing his mouth, and then helped the boy go out again.

“Do you need to rest?” Minghao anxiously asked, realizing his friend was getting paler and paler. “I can do all of those things on my own. You don’t look fine at all.”

Minghao wanted to take Joshua to the bed, but the boy pulled his arm and asked him to sit down at their previous position again, faking a weak smile.

“I’m fine. I want to pack the stuff for Wonwoo. We will move to our new home tonight.”

It was a true effort for Minghao to hold back a sigh. He could not miss how Joshua said _“pack the stuff for Wonwoo”_ but not for both of them or at least for himself. What the boy had just said was similar to _“you can help me pack my things but I am the only one who can touch my alpha’s objects.”_

Following Joshua’s guidance, Minghao brought him some water and painkillers, utterly worried to see his friend not only nauseous and dizzy but also having a bad headache. Feeling this not right at all, Minghao forcefully pulled Joshua to lie down, placing the boy’s head on his lap. The hybrid was so dizzy that he was hardly able to hold himself against the human omega’s force, helplessly falling slowly on the ground and having no strength to sit up anymore.

“I think you should just sleep for a while. At least sleep for an hour.” Minghao went back to stroking the cat’s ears, liking the soft feelings of those fluffy things. “I will wake you up and then we can continue with our work. I don’t think you and Wonwoo have too many things to pack. We will finish very quickly.”

Although Joshua said he was fine by himself, at this moment he did not protest any longer, closing his eyes, obviously basking in the light and fresh affection Minghao was giving him. It could not be compared with Wonwoo’s, yet it was still much better than loneliness and Joshua remembered clearly how much Minghao and Jihoon’s presence had helped him when he had been in the hospital.

“What kind of pills are you taking, Joshua?” Too curious, Minghao had no choice but to ask. “You weren’t like this in the hospital.”

Knowing that it was not necessary to lie, the boy answered in a weak voice without looking at his friend, turning to lie on his side so that his face was a little bit closer to Minghao’s torso. In this direction, it was considerably easier for Joshua to take in the sweet scent of the omega. Minghao smelled like jasmine. His scent was sweet, not too much, just sweet enough to make people around him feel comfortable. It was a totally different kind of comfort in comparison with the feelings Joshua felt when he was with Wonwoo, yet he tried to enjoy anything that could make him feel better these days.

“I’m taking the contraceptive pills. The side effects aren’t very nice.”

“Contraceptive pills?” Minghao was shocked, almost pushing the cat up. “I thought… you are taking the heat suppressant because your alphas can’t help you when your heats come!”

Joshua answered simply.

“That’s the past. Wonwoo is going to mark me soon.”

Even though the hybrid was trying really hard to pretend to be calm and normal about whatever he was saying, what Minghao saw from him was just the opposite. Joshua definitely did not smell sweet these days, but right now his scent was obviously getting worse, and he was shrinking, pushing his own face closer into Minghao’s torso. With his hands still on the cat, Minghao could feel him trembling.

Joshua was scared just by mentioning _that problem_, and Minghao felt anger rising up in his chest instantly.

“I really don’t understand.” He asked, horribly exasperated. “Why does he want to do that? What makes him change? I thought he didn’t want to hurt you. First he put a leash on you and then now _this_? Is he crazy?”

“It’s okay.” Although defending Wonwoo, Joshua knew he was far from _okay_. “He just wants to make sure I belong to him.”

Minghao huffed, apparently irritated.

“That’s fucking crazy. I’m sick of him telling others that he signed your documents and officially owned you. Do you know that? He literally tells everyone about those things when someone lays an eye on you. Isn’t that already enough?”

Joshua did not know why but his heart felt warm when Minghao was being angry towards Wonwoo. Nonetheless, this kind of anger also brought another painful pang to his chest, causing him to wince and push his face even further to the omega’s body. This was not the first time for him to see someone objecting to Wonwoo’s decision of marking him. Minghao was not the only one who did not want that to happen. Minghao was just an omega friend who could not do much to help Joshua, yet there once were people who actually wanted to help the boy out of this tragedy and promised to give him a happier life with all of the peace, comfort and love he wanted.

Joshua was the one who refused to choose that life just because he could not live without Wonwoo.

Until now, it was still impossible for the boy to imagine a life where he could be happy without Wonwoo’s presence by his sides. If he had chosen to go with Jun and Mingyu, would they ever allow him to see Wonwoo again? He was sure they would not. They were mad at his alpha, and they would be afraid that Wonwoo could steal him away from them, just like how Wonwoo was being scared of losing Joshua to other people right now.

Minghao felt his heart heavy to watch the hybrid curling up and keeping on shaking. Stroking Joshua’s hair by one hand, he used the other one to rub his back while listening to the boy’s muffled words.

“If another human alpha marks me, Wonwoo will lose his ownership. I think he just wants to make sure it won’t happen.”

“I really don’t understand. He didn’t force you to stay with him. You chose this by yourself. What the hell is he still worrying about?” Minghao sighed audibly, very annoyed at the fact that this couple was too complicated and toxic for him to understand anything. “If someone marks you, it’s just a rape and I’m sure Wonwoo can put that jerk in jail in less than one day. I’m also sure Mingyu and Jun won’t ever do that if you don’t allow them to. I don’t see anything that can take you away from Wonwoo.”

Joshua shrunk even more when hearing about Jun and Mingyu, causing Minghao to murmur a soft apology.

“I’m sorry, Joshua.” Shaking his head, Minghao lowered his voice, trying his best to make himself not sound like offending the boy. “But I… I really don’t understand this. Why did you choose Wonwoo? Have you ever thought that you’ve made the wrong decision?”

Joshua stayed silent for so long that Minghao thought he might have passed out of fallen asleep.

“I don’t want to leave Wonwoo.” His voice got tinier, forcing Minghao to bend down a little in order to hear him.

“You feel bad for him or you want to be with him?”

“I want to be with him.”

“What’s the reason, Joshua? He isn’t good to you at all. I know he doesn’t consider you as his pet but he’s too possessive and that makes him treat you like his real pet, doing all he can to make it seems like he really owns you in all ways while it’s already obvious to everyone that you don’t want to leave him. Don’t you think that you will freak out when he has sex with you and knots you? How can you live happily with him after that? Do you know that after doing that once, he will do it many more times no matter you want it or not, because he wants to control your whole life. He won’t give you the right to choose. You really think you can endure it? And then what will happen when his ruts come? He will lose his mind and all he wants is just to fuck you relentlessly until his rut is gone.”

Hearing the sobs coming from Joshua, Minghao realized the cat was crying. Nevertheless, he could not stop, just softening his voice even more.

“I know he’s going to get married. Mingyu’s already told me. You might think that Wonwoo will prefer his omega husband during his rut, but I really don’t think so, Joshua. The bond is a very strong connection and I’m sure he loves you. He will be drawn to you because of numerous reasons. And I swear to you, I have known Wonwoo since I was four. I know Soonyoung isn’t his type at all. I have seen that guy a few times. Wonwoo can’t love that omega. I am not trying to say that Wonwoo is doing the right thing when he marries that guy because of business benefit, but I want to tell you that he doesn’t have feelings for Soonyoung. The one he loves is you, so he will certainly want you more than anyone else during his ruts, and you have no way to run away from him.”

Two minutes after that, Joshua just sobbed while Minghao embraced him tightly, patting his back in a steady and gentle pace. When the boy spoke up again, the human omega knew that it was impossible for anyone to make him change his mind.

“I know you’re worried about me…. Thank you, Minghao, but… I… I can’t live without him. I will take everything he gives me.”

Minghao almost clicked his tongue in displease, but he luckily stopped himself on time, because he did not want to make Joshua feel offended. He hated the hybrid’s decision, but he had no rights to get mad at the boy or lecture him more about his life. The only thing he could do was giving advise, and he had tried his best. Sighing heavily, Minghao stroked his friend’s fluffy ears one more time.

“Okay, okay. Just… please remember that no matter what, you still have me and Jihoon. If you want to talk, feel free to find us at any time, okay?”

“Thank you, Minghao.” Still sniffling, the cat answered by his shaking voice, and suddenly, his voice got even lower. “But… Can I ask you something?”

Minghao chuckled lightly, attempting to make the atmosphere more comfortable.

“I don’t think there’s something between us that may force you to ask for permission before asking a question. Just ask, Shua. If I know, I will answer.”

The boy’s heart tightened in his chest at the pet name Minghao had just called him for the first time. No omega in this world had ever given him a pet name, except for Jeonghan. His best friend did not call him “Shua” or “Josh” or anything related to his own name, but his lovely rabbit had called him “baby”, as if they were not just friends, but a couple. It was horrible to consider Jeonghan just as his best friend. Joshua knew he was not. Joshua knew he had wished that Jeonghan were an alpha numerous times, wishing the blonde beauty he had been adoring since the first day they met would mark him forever. Joshua still remembered they had a divine promise with each other. He remembered how happy he was when Jeonghan told him he would run away with Joshua if one day the boy told him that he did not want to live with his new owners anymore.

Jeonghan loved Seungcheol, but he was already ready to give up his own love so as to be with Joshua, to make his best friend happy. Joshua knew, they had not been just friends any longer for a very long time.

To him, Jeonghan was not much different from Wonwoo, Jun, or Mingyu. Jeonghan did not have the authority or ownership over the cat, but the influence he had on Joshua’s life had never been less overwhelming than the three alphas. The pain in Joshua’s heart threatened to kill him when his mind went back to the day he was in bed with Jeonghan, allowing the blond omega to make love with him as if the trauma about sex had never haunted his soul. Intertwining fingers with each other, they whispered “I love you” over and over again, making Joshua feel as if this was the first time of his life to experience what sex was. It was heavenly to feel like Jeonghan was the one and only one who had taken his virginity, letting him know that sex could be safe, happy, sweet and enjoyable in such a perfect way.

Jeonghan was not his best friend. Jeonghan was Joshua’s lover, just like Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Jun.

“Shua? Are you okay?” Worried by the boy’s silence, Minghao asked, hand still caressing the soft brown locks.

Dragged out of his chain of thoughts, the hybrid asked, voice suddenly husky.

“How… how is Jun now?”

Minghao felt relieved to hear this question. It was enough of a clear proof to see that Joshua still cared about Jun. His voice did not seem angry or upset, revealing only concern, sadness and curiosity. It was easy to understand the boy could not ask Wonwoo about this. The only one he could discuss this problem was Minghao.

“He isn’t very good now.” Minghao was unable to hold back a sigh. Joshua had unintentionally chosen the perfect time to ask about Jun, because the alpha was absolutely in deep distress and misery. “I went to the hospital this morning. He was still sleeping then but Mingyu still let me in and I saw hundreds of bandage on his body.”

Quickly turning his body so as to see his friend’s face, Joshua asked hurriedly, eyes widen.

“Hundreds of bandages?” He echoed Minghao’s words, not remembering seeing so much of that on Jun last time. “What happened to him?”

Taking out his own handkerchief, Minghao gently wiped the tears on the cat’s face while explaining.

“Wonwoo came to visit him yesterday. Gosh, I wish I had stayed there a bit longer.” Shaking his head and sighing again, Minghao tried to push down his anger, focusing on letting Joshua know how much Jun was damaged due to the monster the boy had chosen to stay with. “Mingyu was not there when they talked but he guessed Wonwoo asked Jun to go with him again but Jun refused, and Wonwoo didn’t give up. As a result, Wonwoo gave Jun a terrifying bite to force him to give in. Jun fought back and Mingyu rushed back in the room when he heard Jun’s screams. Wonwoo only left then and Jun had a very bad seizure.”

“A… a seizure?” The boy asked in disbelief, shedding even more tears on the cheeks Minghao had just dried for him. “Is… is he okay now?”

“Promise me you won’t go nuts if I tell you about Jeonghan.” Minghao sternly said. “Then I will let you know everything.”

Joshua had no idea why the story about Wonwoo hurting Jun could be related to Jeonghan, yet since he was already desperate to know more about Jun’s condition, he just quickly nodded and took a deep inhale. His heart was already in constant pain; it should be no problem to receive even more pain, because all he felt was just pain and pain.

“Mingyu guessed Wonwoo had threatened to do something to Jeonghan if Jun goes with Mingyu, but you know… you’re the only one who still can trust Wonwoo at this point…” Minghao did not intend to mock at Joshua but he still sounded like he was doing so. “Jun still fought back anyway. And… Mingyu said they had lost contact with Seungcheol and Jeonghan for days, and they aren’t in Seoul anymore, so Jun was deadly scared and thought that he was the one who harmed them. He hated himself and hurt his own body. That’s the reason for the wounds all over him.”

“H…Hannie isn’t in Seoul anymore?” Joshua asked in broken voice, and sobbed. “What’s wrong with him? Did Wonwoo really do something?”

Before Minghao could answer, he heard the sounds of the door opening, and there were sounds of someone’s footsteps which were too loud and too heavy to be their little friend Jihoon. Joshua was too lost in his worries to hear those small sounds or cared about why Jihoon could be back this quickly. Therefore, he could not understand why Minghao pushed his head away from his lap and forced him to stand up. Whining and whimpering, the boy wanted to protest but he was too weak and too dizzy, helplessly sitting on Wonwoo’s bed while staring at his friend in shock.

“What’s wrong, Hao?” The boy asked nervously, fidgeting on the bed, hazy eyes watching the omega walking towards the door. “Where are you going?”

Joshua only concentrated on his friend right now, but Minghao was listening to the chaotic footsteps outside. He knew someone was frantically running, perhaps to find the cat in this room. Without hesitation, he opened the door, peeking his head out to call the huge man standing in front the door to Joshua’s room.

“He’s here, Mingyu.”

Joshua was frightened just by hearing that name.

The boy wanted to find somewhere to hide, but just ending up falling to the floor because his fractured leg did not allow him to move that fast and his aching head was just getting worse and worse. Seeing his kitten falling, Mingyu only wanted to run to him instantly, but Minghao grabbed his arm and held him back on time. Shaking his head, the omega tried to calm his alpha friend down, nearly pleading the taller man.

“Please, Mingyu. You can’t come near him. He’s still scared of you. Please remember to keep distance.”

Mingyu still desperately desired to help his baby, to hug and embrace his lover, to give his kitten a lot of love and apology, yet he was forced to believe that Minghao was right. He had had the chance to witness how Joshua screamed and thrashed when the giant man touched him in the hospital. The result would just be the same if Mingyu repeated those actions right here, and the man was not sure if his heart was capable of enduring such a pain one more time.

Releasing Mingyu’s arm, Minghao hurriedly came to help Joshua sit back on the bed, but the boy did not care about that problem right now. Frantically grabbing both of the omega’s arms, he asked breathlessly, revealing obvious fear through not only his words but also his eyes and scent.

“Why is he here? Can you please make him go, Minghao? Please…”

“Calm down, Joshua. This place is still Mingyu’s home. Remember?” Holding the boy’s shoulders, Minghao stopped him from squirming, but the cat did not seem to be relaxed at all. He was shedding more tears, staring at his friend with a betrayed look, making the omega so uncomfortable and feel as if he were doing the wrong thing. “He isn’t coming here to hurt you. This is his home. He just accidentally comes home when you are here.”

“Yes. Minghao is right, Joshua.” Mingyu quickly explained for himself, trying his best to convince the boy that he was not intending to harm him or take him away. “I… I thought that you would go to Wonwoo’s office today. I didn’t know you’re here, but can we talk a little, Joshua? I really want to talk to you. Please, Joshua. Just one minute. I swear I won’t touch you. I won’t do anything you don’t like. Please, let me talk to you.”

Mingyu’s words flew out of his mouth so fast that even a healthy Minghao had to struggle to catch up with his speech, but it was painfully easy for both of the omegas to realize how desperate the alpha was to get his rarest chance to talk to Joshua. Looking at Mingyu, Minghao felt as if the man were about to kneel down in order to beg the hybrid to give him this opportunity to apologize and fix his mistake. Nonetheless, Joshua was looking at anything but Mingyu, too frightened to stare at the giant man, which made this scene too painful for Minghao to watch.

Mingyu did not do a single thing wrong and Joshua was still scared of him to death. It was even outrageous to think of the fact that Joshua failed to predict or ignored how much he would be frightened of Wonwoo after the lead alpha knotted him. Perhaps, the boy would still be able to face his alpha after that, but the wound in his heart could be more devastating than what Mingyu had ever done to the cat.

Sitting next to Joshua on the bed, Minghao held the hybrid’s hands tightly and gave him an assuring look while Mingyu could only fidgeted anxiously at the door. Minghao in fact had to use pretty much strength in his grip to keep the boy in place. Fortunately, the bruised wrists did not allow Joshua to move his arms and hands a lot, trapping him in his friend’s bigger and stronger hands.

“I will be here with you, if you want.” The omega hated to do this, but he had no other choice to make the cat feel safer. “Here, I’m having my phone. I will call Wonwoo right away if something happens. Okay?”

“No! I can’t! I can’t, Hao! I can’t!” Joshua continued to shake his head and beg his friend. “Please tell him to go. I really can’t! I can’t!”

Unexpectedly, the frustration had been piled up in Minghao for so long that he had no more patience in this moment. Inhaling deeply, he abruptly let go of Joshua’s hands completely, standing up and glaring at the hybrid.

“Joshua, can’t you understand what I am trying to do?” Raising his voice and expressing clear anger, Minghao vent his anger by speaking out all the words he knew he should not tell Joshua but he had to. “I’m literally risking my own job just to help you get over this with Mingyu, so that you two can have a chance to talk, but why are you insist on acting like this? Can you listen to anyone apart from Wonwoo? Can you calm down in just a second? You really think that he’s going to hurt you or something?”

Joshua could not understand why Minghao suddenly bristled like that. Everything happened so quickly and the boy was not able to know when his friend started to walk away from him, leaving him helpless and alone on the bed. As the door was slammed shut, the cat was in Wonwoo’s room with Mingyu only, without anything or anyone that could protect him. A scream for Wonwoo would be useless and no one would help him.

Mingyu was immobilized while watching Joshua scrambled out of the bed, crying on his whole way crawling towards the wardrobe. Opening the door, the boy climbed into it and locked himself there, as if his mind assumed it to be a safe place for him to hide away from the monster. The sounds of his sniffles were still making their ways to Mingyu’s ears, so as just to break his heart and force his knees to buckle.

In the past few days, Mingyu felt like he had been killed and resurrected over and over again, because of Joshua, because of Jun, and then because of Joshua again. Smiling bitterly to himself, allowing his own tears to fall to the ground, Mingyu guessed he must have been a serial killer in his previous life, and fate decided to punish him in this life by leaving him stuck in this vicious circle. No matter what he tried to do, he just failed, failed and failed. Jun survived, but no one could predict what might happen. Joshua was broken, and Wonwoo got him. Jeonghan’s whereabouts were still a misery to the giant man, and even when he found out where the rabbit was, he would still have no idea what to do. Making up a plan to kill Seungcheol and get Jeonghan back for Jun?

Not bothering to stand up or move towards the wardrobe, Mingyu stayed there, with his knees on the floor, head low and eyes glued on his own hands placing on this lap. His heart was screaming for him to run to his little kitten to squeeze him tightly in his embrace, kissing him, stroking his cute ears, murmuring soft apologies to him and then the man would take the boy with him out of here forever. If it was necessary, he would even suggest drugging Joshua so that they hybrid would be unconscious while Mingyu knotted him and marked him forever, setting him free out of Wonwoo’s control for the rest of his life.

“I know nothing can change what I have done to you…” Trying hard to stifle his own long sigh, Mingyu said quietly, unknowing whether the boy was calm enough to listen to him or not. “I’m sorry, Joshua. I’ve made you scared. I even hurt you more than whatever Wonwoo had done. I’m sorry.”

Joshua did not say a word. All the alpha could hear from his was just sobs and sniffles, but he had to keep on speaking. This could be the last chance of his life to pour his heart out to his beloved kitten. Minghao had already told him that Wonwoo would bring Joshua out of here to move to their new house tomorrow; the lead alpha would never allow him to enter his house whenever he was not at home. When Wonwoo was there, Joshua would definitely not want to hear anything from any other alphas.

“I know I can’t make you forgive me soon. I’ve ruined all of the previous efforts to heal the wounds in your heart.” Unable to control himself, Mingyu slowly move forwards, but still with head low, tears cascading down his cheeks. “But… can you please give Jun a chance, Joshua?”

The giant man only stopped his movement when he was right in front of the wardrobe, only half a meter away from it, where he could hear clearly even the sounds of his omega’s labored and unsteady breathing. Biting his own lips harshly, once again, Mingyu pathetically failed to control himself, reaching one hand towards the metal door of the wardrobe, letting his imagination fool his mind by allowing him to think that he was being given the opportunity to touch Joshua again. The boy was not far from him; he was just on the other side of this door. Mingyu could smell his scent, sour and bitter, and he just wished to do something to make it sweet and beautiful again.

“I… I understand we can’t go back to the past anymore, but please, Joshua…” Pleading, Mingyu lowered his voice to the utmost, sincerely begging the hybrid to give him just a little mercy. “…Please don’t hate Junnie. He and Jeonghan… they didn’t intend to lie to you. Junnie loves you, and he really wants to apologize. Please, Joshua. Junnie is in very bad condition right now. He’s getting worse and worse day by day, and he always asks if you have come to visit him while he was sleeping or not.”

Feeling hopeless and desperate by the silence coming from Joshua, Mingyu rested his forehead on the door of the wardrobe, closing his eyes as feeling his chest tightening in agony.

“We’re sorry, kitten.” Clenching his fist, the alpha hated to mention Wonwoo, but he had to. Nonetheless, his voice was still soft and low for Joshua, too afraid of scaring the crying boy. “I just want to protect you. Can you please think of your decision again, Joshua? If you choose Wonwoo only because you’re scared of me, then it’s okay. I will leave and you can stay with Junnie only in his parents’ house. Or… if you are mad at Junnie and don’t want to see him, he will stay at his home and you stay with me in another apartment. There are many cases to solve this problem. I will do whatever you want. I swear I will make you happy. I will never hurt you again. I will protect you and Wonwoo will never be able to knot you without your consent.”

Mingyu was so worried to hear a much louder sob coming from his kitten, yet there was nothing he could do. It would be horrible to open this fucking door carelessly and Joshua would start screaming again. Mingyu thought he was already sick of the screams; perhaps he might faint if he was forced to hear them again, even from Jun or Joshua. After just a few days, his lungs had got accustomed to the scent of fear, pain and sorrow. For a second, the alpha wondered how happiness smelled like. Would he forget Joshua’s strawberry candy-liked and rosy scent after years of being apart from the boy? Would the cat’s bitter and sour scent of this moment haunt him forever?

Feeling more and more hopeless by second, Mingyu still tried one more time. Even his own arms and hands were shaking due to countless reasons. He wanted to destroy the door, to punch Wonwoo, and to hold his kitten tightly and love him as his heart had always wished to.

“Please listen to me, Joshua. Wonwoo isn’t as good as you think. I don’t know how to describe how damaged and ruined Jun is right now, all because of Wonwoo. The same thing can happen to you, kitten. Please, Joshua. I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want you to suffer more. Wonwoo won’t have mercy for you. He even used Jeonghan to threaten Jun. I don’t know exactly what he said, but he definitely has done or will do something to Jeonghan because Junnie doesn’t agree to stay with him. Jun is an alpha and Wonwoo successfully broke him. You can’t survive this, Joshua. You…”

“Liar!” All of a sudden, the boy croaked out, protesting in a voice that sounded too painful for Mingyu’s heart to beat properly. However, the hybrid’s volume was much softer than his screams in the hospital, but his sniffles and sobs were tremendously louder, stronger and just overall awful. “Wonwoo loves me! I love him! I won’t go anywhere! He won’t kill me! _He loves me! He loves me!_”

Mingyu could not make himself think that Joshua truly believed in what he was saying. To the giant man, the sentence _“Wonwoo loves me”_ or _“he loves me”_ simply sounded like a toxic mantra that Joshua was overusing to lure himself into the faith of Wonwoo’s love for him. Nevertheless, Mingyu did not want to talk about whether Wonwoo loved Joshua or not. The only thing he knew was that, Wonwoo would do everything to even the people he loved to satisfy himself without a single care of that person’s feelings. In this case, Wonwoo just wanted to make his heart and mind at ease with his permanent ownership over Joshua. He would only stop when his goal was achieved. That probably would be the time Joshua completely turned into a mentally ill broken omega fooled by his own fantasy of a love that was in fact far different from his expectations and his dreams.

Mingyu felt a real pang in his chest right at the second his mind began to imagine how Joshua would be after Wonwoo knotted him. The boy would lose his mind and merely crazy, knowing nothing more. Or else, his poor kitten would cling to Wonwoo desperately for the rest of his life and hated not only Mingyu but also Jun as if they were his enemies.

“Why don’t you trust me, Joshua?” Letting out a long sigh of desperation, Mingyu hit his own forehead on the wardrobe, sounding just exhausted. “What did I do wrong to make you doubt my ability to make you happy? Why do you just trust Wonwoo? I can’t be Wonwoo. I can’t be your God. But I promise I can be the one who love you and protect you till the day I die.”

Joshua only cried, saying nothing, but deep in his agony, Mingyu knew he was allowed to take this as a slightly positive hint, a sign that let him know the boy did not fully object to his saying. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly as the pain kept getting more and more dreadfully painful, the alpha hated to think that Joshua actually had always known all of those things. He could not easily forget Mingyu’s promises, right? It was impossible. What about their beautiful and memorable day by the beach? What about their promise to run away together?

“Please open the door for me, Joshua.” One more time, Mingyu begged, caring no more about his pride or anything. “Please allow me to talk to you properly. Please accept my apologies. I promise I won’t hurt you or harm you in any way. You know I love you, right?”

Again, Joshua did not protest, but nothing could alleviate the pain Mingyu was enduring.

“Can I open this door, Joshua? I want to see you. Please! Let me look at you. Just this once. You won’t be here anymore from tomorrow. Please just this time! Joshua, please!”

The alpha was pleading, and dying at the same time.

“Can I open this door, please, kitten?”

The response he got was just silence.

With shaking hands, Mingyu carefully pulled the door open, revealing the inside of the wardrobe with his beloved kitten curling up at the corner, right in front of the alpha. Still scared, the boy hid his face in his folded arms on his knees, avoiding looking at Mingyu, and the man did not even know he should feel miserable or pathetically happy. Joshua was not screaming. He was scared, but not panicked. He did not throw any ugly words towards the man.

Nonetheless, this was the first time Mingyu had enough time and calmness to observe Joshua after the tragedy. He was shocked to death.

The bruises, the collar, the leash, and the leg in cast. They were all too horrible, too painful, too devastating, forcing the alpha to choke out a sob. The boy in front of his eyes was the most obvious proof of his failure in this life. His little kitten smelled exactly the same as _the monster_, trapped thoroughly by the lead alpha’s sick possessiveness.

Trembling just like the boy in the wardrobe, Mingyu could not stand this any longer. His hand naturally found its way to the cat’s hand, cautiously and gently pulling it out of his tight hold around himself. The alpha felt his omega trying to take his hand back, but he did not relent, determined to hold the cold and shivering hand by his both bigger ones. Adoring the kitten’s hand as if it were a petal that could be destroyed at any moment, Mingyu brought it to his face, nuzzling his cheek into his lover’s palm, unintentionally making Joshua cry harder since he felt the tears on the man’s face.

Could Mingyu consider Joshua as his lover anymore?

“I’m sorry, Joshua.” At this point, he literally broke down, unable to control his voice even just a bit. “Junnie wants to apologize to you. Jeonghan wants to apologize to you, too. But neither of them can come to see you. They’re both dying, Joshua. They are all in hell now, because they know they hurt you. I can’t do anything but to beg for your forgiveness. Please reconsider you choice once. Just once, Joshua. I beg you!”

There were so many things Mingyu had to say yet the time he had was so little that he was not capable of organizing his speech properly. Everything flew out of his mind in chaos, his heart beating and racing crazily, feeling like Joshua would disappear any time.

“I love you. Junnie loves you. Seungcheol told me that Jeonghan wanted to tell you he loves you too. We all want you to be safe and happy, Joshua, but you won’t be happy in this way, not with Wonwoo. Please! Can you please just forgive one of us? If you agree, I will bring you out of here right now. You don’t have to be scared of Wonwoo.”

In three minutes after that, neither of them said a word. The hybrid had already given up, stopping trying to take his hand away from Mingyu, letting the man warming it by the heat from his own face. The alpha held his breath while waiting for his kitten to have a reaction, staring at the fragile boy through his hazy watery eyes. In another attempt to sooth Joshua, the man gently rubbed the spot where the pad was placed on the cat’s wrist, knowing better than anyone that this bruise was what he brought to the boy. The annoying tracker looking like a watch made him strongly desired to crush Wonwoo’s skull, but even his anger for the lead alpha could not overpower his love and his hope for Joshua now.

When Joshua eventually lifted up his head, Mingyu still did not dare to move further, sitting there with a weak smile on his lips, looking at his kitten endearingly, yet his smile could not stay there long, since the boy’s tears effortlessly broke his heart brutally. Seeing the alpha, the hybrid just found his sight getting worse and worse because more and more tears were falling. The boy guessed Mingyu had lost a lot of his weight in the past few days. He looked tired and thin, cheeks hollow, eyes black and hair messy, as if it had been years after the last time Joshua and Mingyu were happy together.

Similarly, Mingyu could not believe that Joshua could look this pale and exhausted like this, as he thought Wonwoo was taking care of the cat very well. It turned out that no matter what Wonwoo did, he just could never make Joshua healthy and happy if he insisted on carrying out his plan of marking the boy. The fear was eating the boy alive day by day, draining his energy and his will to live. With no doubt, the alpha knew his cousin must be forcing Joshua to take contraceptive pills, perhaps something much stronger than the normal ones since Wonwoo was certainly not a man with patience when it came to the matter of claiming his omega.

“Please, run away with me, kitten.” Mingyu begged again, kissing the boy’s shaking hand, looking deeply into his eyes. “I’m sure Minghao won’t stop us. Jihoon won’t, either. If you forgive Jeonghan, then I will steal him away from Seungcheol for you and Junnie. The four of us can run away together. I will take care of all of you. You can live happily. Nobody will put a leash on you again. There will be no punishment under any circumstances. Nobody will hurt you or go against your wish. All of us will use our whole life to make up for what we have done to you. Please, Joshua! Please!”

At this moment, Mingyu no longer thought or felt that Joshua hated him anymore. The boy was actually crying because of him, feeling a pain deep inside his heart just like how he was feeling, but there was something else setting up a huge barrier between them, causing the boy to drift away from him, and slip out of his life no matter how hard he tried to hold him back in vain.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Mingyu.” Shaking his head, Joshua whispered in tears, using all of the energy left in his body to take his hand back and burying his face in his folded arms again. “I won’t go anywhere Please leave me alone.”

“No! Joshua! No! Please don’t!” Frightened, Mingyu frantically tried to take the boy’s hand back, scrambling to move into the wardrobe. “Please think about it again! Please, Joshua! I beg you! You can’t…”

“Please go, Mingyu!” Sobbing loudly, Joshua flinched at the alpha’s touch, hugging himself much more tightly and shifting closer to the corner. “Please leave me alone!”

“No! Joshua, I have to…”

“Please don’t force me to call Wonwoo.” Trembling even more violently than previously, the cat covered both of his ears by his hands, shaking his head frantically. “Please go, Mingyu! Please!”

Mingyu kept begging, and Joshua kept threatening to call Wonwoo so as to make the giant man leave but neither of them did anything else. Nonetheless, just after a short while, the hybrid could not say more, only crying and whimpering. In tears, Mingyu wanted to gouge out his own eyeballs while watching the boy clutching on the collar having Wonwoo’s name. It was not necessary to read the cat’s mind to know he was desperately wishing to have Wonwoo here again to save him and protect him from all of the people hurting his heart and his soul. This scene would keep Mingyu in his overwrought condition for months, for years, and maybe for this whole life.

The giant alpha never stopped pleading his kitten even when the two omegas entered the room and grabbed his arms to drag him out. Minghao and Jihoon both felt awful to do this the second time, since they knew Mingyu did nothing wrong and they were upset about Joshua’s decision either. However, they had the responsibility to take care of the cat today, and letting Mingyu stay here when Joshua was already in this state was not the right way to do it.

“Please, Mingyu. You have to leave.”

“His scent is getting worse very quickly. It’s too bad. We can’t let you stay here any longer.”

“Please go, Mingyu. You’re making him suffer. He will panic soon if you don’t leave.”

When Mingyu was finally out, Minghao went back inside and closed the door immediately, rushing towards the boy still in the corner of the wardrobe. Climbing inside and pulling Joshua into his embrace, Minghao hurriedly murmured to his friend, feeling utterly guilty.

“I’m sorry, Shua. I’m sorry. Don’t cry. It’s okay. Don’t cry.”

Bearing no grudge towards the omega, Joshua closed his arms around Minghao’s torso as well and buried his face in his friend’s chest with a loud whimper escaping his mouth. Still whimpering in an overwhelming pain, the cat bit his lips harshly, hating himself more than anyone else in this world.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

Minghao was not sure why Joshua was saying so, but just a second after that, he heard a similarly painful sound possibly from Mingyu out there.

Minghao wondered why fate had pushed his friends into this tragedy.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least now Mingyu has had a chance to talk... And Joshua was getting more information about Jun and Jeonghan. You definitely can have some hope in their future.
> 
> I am always eager to know how you think or feel about this chapter. I seriously crave for comments because there have been so few comments lately ;_; I am getting more and more desperate T_T Of course I will never drop this fic but this is surely a very bad feeling that haunts me every day ;_;
> 
> Moreover, I'm afraid that the next chapter will be delayed a few more days because I'm in a very bad health condition right now. I don't know why but my heartbeat is so fast these days (I can feel the change in its speed without using any machine, and after I used machine to check, the result proved that my heartbeat rate has truly increase incredibly) and I always feel very tired. I also have a pain in my ankle (so surprised) with no reason. I think I need to visit the hospital soon ;_;
> 
> Hope you have a nice weekend!


	58. More truth about to monster to be revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minghao and Jihoon decided to tell Joshua about what they thought the boy should know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stop myself so I post this chapter here, even though it's quite short. It's shorter than what I expected so there's no JunGyu yet, but there will be in the next chapter. Definitely!

Jihoon only went back to Wonwoo’s room when Mingyu was gone and he had to knock the door, waiting for Minghao to open it for him since the taller omega was afraid that the alpha would not be able to control himself and run back inside again. Jihoon was so relieved to see Joshua sitting on the floor and arranging his belongings in a big carton box. It was obvious that the boy had washed his face and was still slightly sniffling, but at least he was trying to stop crying. They had wasted pretty much time of the morning, and they had to make sure to finish everything today.

Kneeling next to Joshua and watching the boy a little, Jihoon felt his heart soft and weak when the cat blinked at him through his still wet eyes. Giving the hybrid a friendly stroke on one of his ears, Jihoon smiled and said gently.

“I will try to cook quickly and then come here to help you two.” Sighing, the short omega dropped his hand to land on his friend’s shoulder as his face fell. “I don’t want to make you cry again, but there’s something I really want to tell you. I think I have to tell you. You have the right to know, and it will be better if you know this.”

Sitting down and staring at Jihoon expectantly, Minghao waited for him to continue, having the same opinions. As a person who had already known what Jihoon was going to say, Minghao agreed that Joshua needed to know about this even though Wonwoo definitely did not think so. Then what? Joshua was their friend, and he was suffering. They could not keep lying to him or make things worse.

Totally unable to know what might be about to come out of Jihoon’s mouth, Joshua was not sure if he should feel comfortable with this. Thankfully, as if reading the boy’s mind, Minghao reached out one hand to hold Joshua’s one and held it tightly, giving the cat some more assurance, silently telling him that he was here for him to rely on.

Looking deep into the hybrid’s eyes, Jihoon tried to make his voice as sincere as possible.

“Your alpha, Wonwoo, he actually had known about Jun and Jeonghan’s affair not long after… uhm… the first time they… uhm… did that.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but…” Minghao had no choice but to cut Jihoon off. “I think we need to explain why we know about these things.”

Turning back to Joshua, Minghao could easily see that the boy wanted to run away again. The rejection in his eyes were clear; the cat was not ready to know more about Jun or Jeonghan, knowing too well that he would get hurt after whatever he heard about them.

“We visited Jun a few times. I’ve already told you. He’s devastated. He couldn’t help telling us about all. He’s stuck and he didn’t know how to beg for your forgiveness. We were very surprised when he told us about it, but… he wasn’t in his right mind then. And I’m sure he isn’t any better now.”

Nodding, Jihoon continued after clearing his voice.

“I’m sorry but I have to make this straight… I won’t beat around the bush anymore. Let’s say it again. Wonwoo had already known about this after the first time Jun helped Jeonghan, but Jeonghan had no idea about this. Then, when Jun helped him again, Wonwoo somehow found the hotel they were in and he brought Seungcheol there with him…”

Without a pause, Jihoon told Joshua the whole story about the story of that day and observed the cat crying and shrinking again. At the same time, Minghao could feel the boy squeezing his hand more tightly.

“Joshua, you need to know that Jeonghan was in a very bad condition that day. There was nothing I could do to make him stop crying. I mean… they didn’t lie to you to be happy behind your back. Both of them are miserable. When Seungcheol came into the room, Jeonghan was so scared that he didn’t say a single word. It’s like… he shut his mouth completely when his mate appeared. Can you imagine that? He clutched on my shirt, trying his best to keep me with him but he didn’t say anything. I felt so horrible that even Seungcheol asked me to leave, I had to beg him to let me stay because I thought Jeonghan would not be able to endure being alone with his alpha.”

Palming and rubbing his face in distress, Jihoon could feel the pain just by thinking of the poor rabbit and recalling his state then. Therefore, he felt more relieved to see the tears cascading down Joshua’s cheeks.

“Seungcheol didn’t do anything bad to Jeonghan. He was quiet too, but the atmosphere was horrible… Gosh, I really don’t want to think of it anymore.” Jihoon groaned and shook his head, causing Minghao to hold his hand as well in order to help him calm down. That actually helped a lot. “And about Mingyu… he had just told me that Wonwoo threatened something about Jeonghan. I’m seriously worried that Wonwoo’s done or will do something. You know who he is. He could even take Seungcheol to the hotel to catch Jun and Jeonghan. And now Seungcheol’s already taken Jeonghan with him to leave Seoul. I can’t believe that everything’s still fine. Seungcheol must have sensed something wrong about to happen or something’s happened already. Jeonghan doesn’t deserve this, Joshua.”

Squeezing Joshua’s free hand, feeling the boy’s tremor, Jihoon turned to plead.

“Please don’t hate Jeonghan. I don’t ask you to forgive him, but please don’t hate him. He isn’t any better than you now. Did Mingyu tell you that he still loves you and wants to apologize to you but he can’t? He’s your best friend. Can you just have some mercy for him by… at least sending him a text or calling him to ask how he is now?”

Minghao gently encouraged the cat.

“I know if something really has happened, we can’t do anything to change it, but I guess he will feel much better if he gets a call or a text from you. Don’t you think that you will be able to get rid of a lot of burden in your heart if you talk to him and hear his apology? I bet no matter what Wonwoo might do or have done to him, he will have nothing to hate on you and he will definitely say sorry over and over again and then say he loves you again.”

“You’re talking as if you knew him so well.” Jihoon cocked an eyebrow in bewilderment.

Minghao wanted to say that there must be a reason for Jun to love Jeonghan although he knew this was his omega’s best friend. If Jeonghan were not a person who had this enormous love for Joshua, Jun could not have fallen head over heels like this. Minghao had known Jun for long enough to understand that the alpha would never have sex with anyone he did not have any feeling for.

Nonetheless, he knew he should not say these things to Joshua. It was the truth but sounded very annoying to the boy right now. Instead, he chose to speak in a more pleasant way.

“Jeonghan and Joshua have been through so much difficulty together. I believe this kind of friendship can’t end easily.”

Nodding, Jihoon hummed in agreement.

“The only thing I disagree with you is that, I don’t think _friendship_ is a suitable word for their relationship.” Jihoon flickered his eyes from Minghao to Joshua and saw the boy ducking his head. “Am I right, Joshua?”

“How do you know?” The boy weakly asked after a sniffle while Minghao gently wiped his tears.

“Oh boy, you were very loud during your heat.” Jihoon commented and also teased his friend a bit. “You kept calling his name over and over again. I knew what you guys were doing. You wouldn’t have done that if he had just used some toys on you.”

“Oh God.” Minghao exclaimed breathlessly. “I can’t believe this! Please, Joshua. I bet you still love him so much now! Please give it a try! Please call him or send him a text!”

“Oh no we’ve forgot to tell him about this!” Jihoon looked shocked when he tapped Minghao’s arm hurriedly. “Did you tell him we saw Jeonghan outside his room?”

This time, it was Joshua’s turn to get shocked, eyes widened.

“What???” His voice changed instantly, becoming extremely hoarse and shaking. “You… you saw him outside my room? He came to see me?”

“I’m not sure what happened then because we were too fixated on Mingyu at that time.” Minghao felt quite guilty due to this late information. “We just saw him peeking into your room, but then he ran away, and just a little later Wonwoo also left.”

“We thought he was going out to get Jeonghan back to you… Oh shit!” Gasping, Jihoon covered his mouth by his own hand, staring at Minghao in horror. “Oh no… no! No!”

Nobody said it out loud, but Joshua knew what his friends were thinking, because his heart also dropped at his own dreadful thoughts.

If Wonwoo had really done something horrible to Jeonghan, it must have happened at that time. The hybrid still remembered how desperate he was when begging Wonwoo to stay with him, but the man insisted on leaving without any explanation, causing him to think that his master was going to abandon him in the hospital.

It was true that Joshua decided to live with Wonwoo by himself, but it did not mean he would not believe his alpha could not do cruel thing to other people. Through what they all had told him about Jeonghan and Jun, Joshua suddenly trembled in fright, too scared to think of what crime Wonwoo had committed. It was possible that the alpha had attempted to murder Jeonghan but the rabbit luckily survived; as a result, Seungcheol took him out of Seoul to run away from the evil man.

Sensing the fear in Joshua, Minghao nudged him, freely expressing his own fear as well.

“I think you really should check on Jeonghan. You may regret this forever. According to what Seungcheol told Mingyu, I think he is in very bad condition right now. He might be dying. If you don’t contact him soon, you may lose this chance to see him for the last time forever.”

Jihoon scowled.

“How can you say about those terrible things like that?”

Minghao certainly knew he was cruel by saying so, but he was also aware that this could be the only way to make Joshua take action and heal his friendship.

“I’m just saying the truth, and I don’t want Joshua to regret this. Please, Shua!” He turned back to the reluctant hybrid. Joshua was being reluctant and evidently nervous, not fully objecting to any ideas about Jun or Jeonghan anymore, and that was a perfect sign for the other two omegas to push further. “Just call him now. Or even call Seungcheol. Jeonghan isn’t fine. He even can’t text or call you to apologize. There must be something wrong.”

Joshua had no choice but to admit that his friends were very reasonable, and they were making him grow more and more worried by second. After days, this was the first time for Joshua to realize that Jeonghan must be in huge trouble with Seungcheol after the secret had been revealed, and countless awful things might have come afterwards. Seungcheol was a bad guy, still a person Joshua hated a lot, but the boy did not think the alpha was the kind of man who would lie about something like this, because it was just unnecessary.

Joshua was mad, extremely mad about the secret between his alpha and his best friend, but he had never wished for any of them to die or suffer more. He simply wanted the pain they had brought to him to stop; to achieve that goal, the cat decided to avoid them and stop thinking about them. However, at this moment he was forced to think of them again but only to realize that there were many things he did not know.

After ten more minutes, Joshua finally took out his phone from his pocket to call Jeonghan. Minghao and Jihoon still sat right by his sides, anxiously waiting to see how things were going to be.

The first call failed, causing Minghao to quickly urging his friend to try for the second time. The more Joshua waited for Jeonghan to answer, the more scared he felt. In the past, Jeonghan had never ignored his calls. If he did not answer it, he would send a text right away so that Joshua would not be too worried of him or feel like he was neglected. Consequently, this strange incident made him sweat, hands trembling more severely.

Eventually, at the fourth attempt, Joshua heard Seungcheol’s voice at the other end, and his breath hitched, feeling like his heart was about to stop beating soon. Instantly realizing the sudden tension in the hybrid, both Minghao and Jihoon knew there must be someone picking up the phone, and they desperately wanted Joshua to let them hear the conversation as well. Nevertheless, they knew they did not have the right to demand such a thing.

“What’s this, Joshua?” The alpha sighed, evidently tired and upset. His voice revealed no energy, making Joshua feel like the man was dying. The only good thing was that he did not sound intimidating or angry at all, completely the opposite of the monster who had crushed Joshua’s ankle.

Sighing again, Seungcheol lowered his voice more.

“I’m sorry… I know I was wrong. I was bad to you, but… Why are you calling Hannie now, Joshua? What do you want from him? Isn’t this enough?”

“What… what do you mean?” Joshua was soon confused, almost dropping his phone, stuttering. “I… I haven’t heard anything about him for days… I wonder how he is now. Is he still fine? Mingyu said you told him that Hannie wanted to apologize to me but he couldn’t.”

Suddenly, Seungcheol burst into laugh like a psycho, making Joshua jump and feel shivers up and down his spine. His hands were getting colder and shakier, too scared of what he might be going to hear from the crazy alpha.

“What… what’s wrong with Hannie? Please! Please tell me!” Joshua frantically began to beg through his phone. “Why are you laughing?”

“Wow, I didn’t think you are this oblivious about everything, Joshua.” Seungcheol snickered after a very long sickly mad laughing session. The alpha sounded exceedingly bitter. His tone made the boy scared and tremble as he was reminded of the monster that night, but his friends were holding his hand and squeezing his shoulders to keep him calm.

Inhaling deeply, Seungcheol let it out in one go, spitting out the words in a dreadfully painful voice.

“Your alpha wanted to take revenge, so _he decided to assault the weakest, the most vulnerable person who literally couldn’t do anything to fight against him_. He called me, gave me a direction to a location, and when I came there, do you know what I saw? I saw Hannie unconscious in the middle of the high way with no clothes, blood all over his body, and a new bleeding mark on his neck. Do you understand, Joshua? So leave him alone! Leave us alone! I don’t want Hannie to see you or _him_ again. Never! I’m sorry Joshua. I know I hurt you. I’m sorry, but I can’t risk letting Jeonghan be near you or _your fucking alpha_ again. I will let him know that you still care about him.”

Not waiting for Joshua to respond, Seungcheol hung up.

Watching the hybrid in an intense silence, Minghao and Jihoon both waited for the boy to announce something, but Joshua only shed tears without saying a word. Dropping his phone to the floor, the cat stared at nothing but his own lap, feelings hundreds of chaotic thoughts torturing his mind, threatening to make it explode at any time. The phone call helped nothing but make his head ache more horribly while the pain in his heart was deepened. It was hard to breath, even with the gentle hands of his friends rubbing his back soothingly and their sweet words poured into his ears.

Minghao and Jihoon were alarmed by Joshua’s labored breathing, which made the tallest omega pull the hybrid into his chest instantly while Jihoon shifted closer and joined his friend in the task of giving Joshua solace. The boy scared the hell out of them, making them afraid that Jeonghan could be dead now, but no effort could make him speak. The cat was not sobbing heavily, but unsteady breathing was more worth worrying. Moreover, he was shaking and giving off the outrageous of utter fear and panic.

The worse thing was that, after five minutes of slowly getting calmer, Joshua sat up. Pushing away their hands, he grabbed the carton box and mumbled, although he was still obviously trembling.

“Let’s… get back to work.”

Exchanging a worried look with each other, Minghao and Jihoon had no idea what they should do with Joshua. Sighing, Jihoon only knew one thing that could help the boy right now. The short omega suggested putting the ingredients he had just bought into the refrigerator and they would call a delievery when lunch time came. Instead of cooking, he would help the boy putting his and Wonwoo’s things into the carton boxes since they had wasted pretty much time. Drifting away with his own thoughts, Joshua barely noticed what Jihoon had told him, and Minghao was the only who approved of the short omega’s idea.

Minghao sincerely hoped that he would not have to call Wonwoo. Firstly, he hoped Joshua would be okay. Secondly, he did not want to face an angry Wonwoo again. The alpha would surely yelled at him for making his omega cry again, and this time it was undoubtedly Minghao’s fault; he had no excuse for himself. When he visited Jun at the hospital, Mingyu did ask him if he knew whether Wonwoo would bring Joshua to his office or not, and Minghao told the man that he had just seen Wonwoo having breakfast with the hybrid in a restaurant on his way to the restaurant.

It was too painful for him to see Mingyu checking whether Joshua was at home or not before deciding if he should go home or not, even though this place was literally still his home. The giant man was desperate to see his kitten again, but at the same time, he was trying his best to make the boy he loved more comfortable, already too afraid of scaring him. If Wonwoo came back here and saw Joshua crying, Minghao would have to confess his sin, since he never wanted the cruel alpha to blame Mingyu for this.

During the whole time, Minghao could not help observing Joshua carefully, afraid that the boy would feel too upset and end up calling Wonwoo by himself. Fortunately, he did not, only focusing on packing stuff and going back to the restroom to throw up a few more times.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now you know a little more about what happened to Jeonghan. Joshua finally knew it.  
Please don't worry too much. I promise Jeonghan won't die in my fic ;_; He's just in a very bad condition now.
> 
> I am eager to know how you think and feel about this chapter ><
> 
> Also, please take care everybody! It's getting more and more dangerous. The virus stopped spreading in my country for a while but now it's spreading crazily again because of a girl who went to Italy and then to London and then back to my country. When she got back, she hid the truth of her visit to Italy and SHE WAS ALREADY HAVING A FEVER AT THAT TIME but she didn't go to the hospital and kept going around around and around. And a few days ago she was finally tested and INFECTED BY THE VIRUS. Let's imagine how many places she had been to and how many people she had met before coming to the hospital.... People on the same plane as her were infected as well, and they all had gone to different regions of my country, including my city....
> 
> So, everyone, if one day you have to wait too long for a new update of this fic, then you should understand that I... ;_;
> 
> I hope everyone will be safe and healthy!!! Love you all!!


	59. The unmatched beauty of the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun woke up after a very long sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~~~ I'm back with a new chapter ^^ I'm so sorry for making you wait longer than usual. I hope you will like this chapter and enjoy a little more pain :">

Jun woke up when hearing a deep voice humming his name in the sweetest way that he had always adored.

“Junnie.”

The call successfully pulled him out of his slumber and helped him get back his consciousness, but the sound was just so sweet that he did not want to open his eyes at all. Pretending to be still sleeping, Jun relished in the warmth of himself on the fluffy bed with a body crushing him above his own one. Under the blanket, the person lying with his chest on his back was giving Jun extra warmth and comfort, making him lazy and soft to the utmost.

“Come on, Junnie. You’re gonna be late.”

The voice whispered to him again, and a kiss was put on the back of his head just a second later. Whining feebly, he buried his face deeper into the pillow while he felt the bigger body on his back shifted a little and another kiss was placed on his nape. Although eyes still closed, Jun blushed at the intimate kiss, since nobody in this world had ever kissed him there, and perhaps he would never allow anyone else to kiss him this way, except for his one and only Wonwoo.

“Don’t be a lazy cat, Junnie.” Wonwoo chuckled lightly with his nose nuzzling against Jun’s hair. “Breakfast’s ready. We have the same class today, remember?”

Whining again, Jun refused to get up, lips pouting to a cute shape that Wonwoo always fell for and even could see right now, since the man had move his head to a pretty higher position to watch his cousin’s face.

“Can we skip class this morning? It’s just two periods, not a big deal.”

Smiling at his adorable cousin, Wonwoo tenderly caressed Jun’s hair while giving him an gentle objection.

“Didn’t I warn you not to stay up late? You’re not capable of doing that at all. If you had listened to me last night, I could let you stay home to continue to review for your test, but you’ve already refused to listen to my advice.”

“It’s not fair, Wonwoooooooooo!” Whining like a kid, Jun wriggled his own body while pushing his own face into the pillow and shaking his head at the same time. “You’re not my older brother! Why do I need your approval to skip my class?”

“I know you don’t like being alone and I will never skip my class, Junnie.” Wonwoo whispered to his cousin, voice still tender but firm and determined. “Come on, I had eggs and bacon for you this morning. Let’s eat while they’re still hot. Don’t waste my effort, baby.”

The younger alpha whined eve more loudly now, blushing extremely hard due to the pet name Wonwoo was giving him. Grinning at his cute cousin, the lead alpha kissed Jun’s cheek fondly.

“I have a surprise for you this morning. If you want to get it, you had better go to class with me.”

Suddenly turning to lie on his back so as to face Wonwoo, Jun opened his eyes widely and asked, voice full of excitement and curiosity.

“You aren’t joking, right?”

“I never joke about anything, Junnie.” Wonwoo gave the younger male another kiss, this time on his forehead. “So you want to get your surprise or not?”

As a young, kind, naïve and lovable alpha, Jun was finally dragged out of bed just because of his cousin’s promise about something he had not known what it was. After washing his face, he was happy to sit at the small table where his breakfast was already prepared and placed neatly. Wonwoo soon joined him after giving him a glass full of milk and a ruffle on his hair.

“Thank you, Wonwoo.” He smiled and whispered to his cousin, ready to enjoy his meal at the beginning of the day.

His days in university had always been like that. Jun never had to bother to wake up early or worry about what he would eat in the next morning. He did not even care about setting an alarm clock, since he had always had Wonwoo. His older cousin woke up earlier than him every day, and the man willingly prepared breakfast for both of them without a single complaint. Jun was spoilt and babied to the utmost. This life was not much different from how it was when he was still at home with his parents, and Jun wished nothing but to be able to spend all of his years in university with Wonwoo in this way. There was no need for anything to change even a bit.

Wonwoo had the tendency to sit at the first row in every class but Jun was always the opposite, and for this class, he was just a spoilt brat whose wish was blindly followed by his cousin. Gleefully grabbing Wonwoo’s arm, Jun pulled his cousin to the table at the corner of the classroom, noticing Wonwoo clicking his tongue lightly. Nonetheless, Jun saw nothing on his face except for a soft smile full of fondness. That was all for him to know that there was nothing to worry about. The most interesting classes were always the ones where he had Wonwoo with him.

Jun did not know why, but nobody ever joined the table of him and Wonwoo. In other classes, he might have some other friends around him, but none whenever Wonwoo was nearby. It was strange yet enjoyable at the same time, because he literally could not pay attention to anyone else apart from the professor and his cousin. This day was one of those days, although Jun soon dozed off just ten minutes after the class began.

At the moment Jun lazily and slowly opened his eyes again, he was not sure what woke him up, but he soon realized that his arms had folded on the table and his head was resting on them, face titled towards his cousin. Jun did not even know how he ended up in this position while he thought he was still listening to the professor’s boring lecture attentively. However, the scene that welcomed Jun when he woke up was too breathtaking for him to fall asleep again.

Jun had always known from a long time ago that Wonwoo’s side profile was perfect, but he had never been less astonished whenever looking at his cousin form this angle. What Jun was seeing right now was a Wonwoo who was highly concentrating on the lecture and scribbling down something on his notebook, which just made him look cooler and more attractive to the younger alpha’s eyes. Wonwoo only wore glasses when necessary, and he was certainly wearing them now. Jun felt his heart skip a beat when the man pushed the glasses up his sharp nose. His heart was warm to see Wonwoo squinting quiet often.

One of the reasons for Wonwoo to prefer the front row was that he was short-sighted. Nevertheless, he easily let Jun drag him to the corner of the classroom and squinted his eyes from time to time without complaining or nagging at his cousin.

All of a sudden, Wonwoo turned towards Jun.

Everything happened so quickly that Jun could only stare at his cousin with wide eyes when the man leaned closer and pecked his cheek softly. As if he had not done anything, Wonwoo sat straight up in just a blink of an eye, continuing to take note and look at the screen where the professor was showing slides after slides for the half-asleep students. Jun almost yelped in surprise, but he luckily held it back in time, and used a hand to punch Wonwoo’s arm instead.

“What are you doing, Wonwoooo?” His voice was whiny and his cheeks were both red.

“I’m studying.” The older alpha replied nonchalantly without looking back at the other one.

“That’s not studying!” Jun protested in a weak voice, careful so as not to be heard by other students.

“At least I’m not sleeping like you, Junnie.”

“You’re so mean, Wonwooooo!!”

Whining again, Jun punched his cousin again, but Wonwoo just smiled at him tenderly and gave him another peck.

“This class’s going to end soon. Be patient. Your surprise is coming, baby.”

“When is it?” Jun became curious again, highly excited by the idea of getting Wonwoo’s surprise for him after this boring class. “Right after this class?”

“Right after this class.” Wonwoo confirmed with a smirk on his face.

When the class ended, Jun was told to wait for Wonwoo on a bench in the university’s campus. He patiently waited while playing with his phone, and then confused right at the moment Wonwoo appeared in front of him.

With no explanation, Wonwoo took his cousin’s hand and led him to somewhere Jun did not know. He was curious, but no single cell of his brain was nervous, because he was being with Wonwoo, not anyone else.

Jun definitely did not expect that Wonwoo would take him to an empty classroom, closing the door, pushing him to a table in the middle of the room, lifting him up to put him sit on it, taking both of their bags away to place on another table, and then making out with him passionately.

Surprised and almost shocked, Jun stared at his cousin in a few seconds before chuckling into his kisses and smiled brightly, kissing him back, shyly but also eagerly and lovingly. The fact that Wonwoo was standing between Jun’s legs and very closely to him made the younger alpha feel embarrassed, but it only took him more than three minutes to enjoy this intimacy and close his legs around his cousin. Hugging Wonwoo, Jun wholeheartedly indulged in the sweet kisses of Wonwoo’s lips on his own, happily tangling his fingers in the man’s dark locks. Between the hot, deep and wet kisses, Jun still could feel Wonwoo’s hands travelling around his back, caressing him tenderly and somehow sensually at the same time, making his face burn in embarrassment.

Nonetheless, Jun never had enough strength to say no to Wonwoo, even though the fear always ate him up whenever they did this together.

“What should we do if someone see us?” Pulling away for a second and gasping for air, Jun whispered on his cousin lips, breathlessly.

Carefully watching the way Wonwoo’s tongue licked his lips, Jun knew his face was heating up and must look like a tomato right now.

“Why do we have to care?” The man replied after a very loud and embarrassing smack on Jun’s lips.

“Then why are you choosing this place to… to do this?” Jun could not help stuttering, still not completely comfortable with all of this. He was scared. He had no idea what to do if someone found out what they were doing with each other. Their parents had never known about this. In their minds, the two young alphas were just cousins who were as close as best friends or real brothers.

Looking at Jun in the eyes, Wonwoo tenderly caressed his cousin’s face, using a thumb to stroke his lower lip.

“Because I know you like it. We can’t just kiss at home, right?”

It was impossible for Jun to stop himself from smiling when hearing that from Wonwoo. He knew his cousin always wanted to make their relationship obvious to the public, but Jun was always too scared of letting people know he was having a romantic “something” with his so called _cousin_. 

“But I’m asking seriously, Wonwoo.” Sighing softly, the younger alpha placed his arms on his cousin’s chest, lips slightly pouting. “If someone finds out… what will our parents say? They will be angry.”

Chuckling, Wonwoo pinched Jun’s nose lightly.

“You’re so silly, Junnie. We even have never told anyone we are cousins. How can this be spread to our families? Plus, I know your dads don’t hate me at all.”

Pouting and sulking, Jun slapped his cousin’s chest, but brought no pain to him.

“It’s all your fault! They always tease us, say that we’re a couple but you never correct them!”

“Well, you don’t do that either. Then why do I have to care about them?”

Before Jun could protest again in utter embarrassment, Wonwoo had already sealed his lips by another chain of long and deep kisses. Jun had not stopped being worried yet, but as always, Wonwoo could easily drown him into their sweet moment to enjoy the softness of each other’s lips. Giggling quietly, Jun kissed his cousin back again, closing his legs more tightly in order to push Wonwoo further into his own body, so that there was no distance left between them. Nobody was here with them inside this classroom, and there was rarely a chance of them being seen by anybody, but there were still some thrilling feelings that sent shiver up and down Jun’s spines. Nevertheless, such a sensation did nothing but to make him feel more excited and crazy in the embrace of his love.

“So… this is your surprise for me this morning?” Jun asked when they had to pull away one more time because of the need for air. He pouted, feeling a little disappointed. “I thought you have something more special for me.”

“Of course I have.” Wonwoo smiled while caressing Jun’s thigh seductively. “I will help you stop feeling sleepy and ready for the test in the afternoon.”

Blushing violently, Jun hurriedly pulled the hand on his thigh away, whining loudly.

“Wonwoo!” He tried to make his voice stern, but he just turned out to be like a kid. “I won’t do that in this place!”

“I didn’t know you have a dirty mind like this, Junnie. I didn’t do anything.” Smirking, Wonwoo placed both hands on Jun’s waist, lowering his head to suck on his cousin’s neck hard, causing Jun to yelp in shock.

“No Wonwoo!!!!” Whining again with red cheeks and shaking voice, Jun punched his cousin in the chest, knowing that Wonwoo had just created a hickey on his neck. “What’re you doing? How can I go to class after this?”

“Of course you can.” The lead alpha did not relent, keeping on sucking harder to make sure the mark would look as clear as possible. “I want everyone to know you aren’t available at all.”

Knowing that he would not be able to stop Wonwoo, Jun decided to give up and even tilted his head slightly to give his cousin a better access to his neck, allowing the man to scent-mark him although Jun was pretty sure Wonwoo had already done that at the beginning of the day. His face was gradually heating up, on the verge of burning, causing him to whine feebly. Smiling at his cousin’s cuteness, Wonwoo pulled away, leaving his spot temporarily to get his bag on another table. Staring at him curiously with round eyes, Jun carefully watched Wonwoo coming back to him, and made sure to keep his legs apart, so that his cousin could return to stand in the same position.

Again, Jun definitely had not expected that Wonwoo would take out form his bag a large cup of milktea. Just through one look, he could easily realize that it had been bought not long ago, because the ice was still there. Beaming, Jun almost jumped out of the table if it had not been for Wonwoo’s presence right in front of him. Giving the cup to an impatient Jun, Wonwoo smiled happily to see his cousin speedily starting sipping the sweet drink. Swallowing the liquid he had always loved, and chewing the boba joyfully, Jun wrapped his arms tightly around Wonwoo, murmuring to him.

“Thank you Wonwoo! Thank you so much!”

“As long as you like it, Junnie.” Wonwoo tenderly went back to stroke his cousin’s hair while the younger alpha was busy drinking. “I know it’s nothing new but… I still hoped you would like it.”

Jun answered with no hesitation, grinning brightly.

“I love it! But…” Suddenly biting his lips, Jun frowned, thinking deeply. “If I drink this then how… how can we…”

Blushing at his own thought, Jun could not finish his sentence, which made Wonwoo help him continue.

“You should drink it first when the ice hasn’t melted yet.”

Jun spent nearly a minute thinking hard while Wonwoo eyed him with the most loving expression on his face. It was those gentle eyes, those tender expressions that helped Jun make his decision. Putting the cup to a side, he leaned over to hug his older cousin intimately.

“No! I will leave it later! I can’t wait for this!”

Despite the fact that Jun had just stated that by himself, he was still too shy to initiate a kiss, but Wonwoo had already understood him thoroughly. Smiling in happiness, the lead alpha kissed his cousin’s lips enthusiastically. Soon, Jun was floating in his own heaven, drowned in the sweet and enormous love of his Wonwoo, his first love, his first of everything. At that moment, between the passionate kisses, the naïve alpha closed his eyes and tried imagining how it would be if one day he got claimed by Wonwoo forever. Even though it was just a thought, it was enough to make his heart flutter, and determined to make his dream come true one day.

Wonwoo was his first love, and would be his first alpha of this life. Perhaps, Wonwoo could be the only one. Jun thought he would never want anyone else as long as he had Wonwoo.

Only when Jun opened his eyes again did he realize that what he had seen was just a dream.

Was that a nightmare or a beautiful dream? During his slumber, those memories brought so many sweet and happy feelings to his heart, yet at this moment, he felt nothing but miserable. The pain in his heart was unendurable. His mind failed to register how things could have changed that drastically in just a few years. No. _Just a few months_. Everything only started to become chaotic after he found out about Wonwoo’s marriage. During the whole long years before that day, Wonwoo had always just been the Wonwoo that Jun loved. He had not been a monster. He had never tortured Jun or hurt him even a little bit. No matter how desperately Jun’s heart and soul screamed for those days to go back, they were long gone and had no sign of coming back to him ever again.

Fate had taken away his Wonwoo forever. The lead alpha was officially his mate, _his alpha_ now, but Jun found no happiness in any thought about Wonwoo. Could he go back to sleep and continue to dream that dream? Would some kind of magic help him sleep in that sweet and beautiful world together? Jun would not try to escape. He was willing to stay there forever, as long as Wonwoo was his, and Wonwoo would love him, adore him, and treasure him till the end of the world.

Wonwoo was not here. His scent was not, either. Yet, Jun still shivered and began to breath with a lot of difficulty, and even he himself was not sure what kind of state this is. He panicked? He was frightened? He was too scared of Wonwoo now? It was too painful to endure all of this? Jun could not think much further, since his brain was stuck. It evidently knew the way out, and knew that Mingyu was his only savior at this moment, but Jun could not force his heart to wash away his feelings for his first love. It would never do that. Those feelings would haunt him and torture him forever together with the cruel and brutal things Wonwoo had done to him and his miserable omegas.

Nonetheless, Jun was dragged out of those thoughts right away when he heard the familiar voices of his parents. Slightly shifting his body and looking up, he saw his beta father, and saw himself being enveloped in his embrace on the bed of the hospital. Happiness was shining in the old man’s eyes, but Jun could see sadness and worries more clearly than anything else. Jun did not know if he was feeling warm or heartbroken by the loving look from his dad. However, his body felt more relaxed thanks to the gentle hands rubbing his back and his arm in an attempt to calm him down.

“Dad is here! We’re here! How are you feeling, Junnie?”

The question was so tender, containing so much love which Jun had never thought he deserved to have in this life. It was strange and even overwhelming. Jun remembered how he had pushed his parents away, screaming at them, and even hitting Mingyu over and over again. Despite all of those things, they were still here, giving him love and protection with all of their hearts, questioning nothing but his feelings and well-being. They did not need much explanation.

“Are you hungry now, Junnie?”

Turning his head to the other side, Jun saw his alpha father, who had just lied down on the mattress to join his husband in the action of hugging their son. A kiss was placed on Jun’s forehead, melting his heart and breaking it at the same time. If the bed were bigger, the old alpha would have joined his beloved people from the beginning.

Knowing that his son was being extremely sensitive right now, the alpha father did not try to push when Jun did not answer the first question. He was strangely quiet and unresponsive, so the old man altered to another kind of question, which made it easier for all of them and Jun just replied by a very light nod.

He was actually not hungry at all. He nodded because he knew his parents thought he should eat when they asked this question, and he would make them more worried if he told them the truth.

“You don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to eat.” The beta cooed softly, one hand caressing his son’s hair. “If you’re too tired, just go back to sleep.”

Jun had forgotten one important fact, which was that nobody in this world could understand him better than his parents, because they were the kindest people who had brought him up for years and taught him everything.

“Yeah. It’s most important for you to rest now.” The alpha father agreed, voice soft and sweet only for his family. “But no matter what, we have to call the doctor to come here and check you first. Are you okay with that?”

It was painful to hear these things, but Jun was grateful that his parents had asked. They were being extremely careful, too afraid of making their son freak out again, but unintentionally causing Jun to feel bad for making them in distress like this. In order not to make things worse, he nodded one more time, which earned a smile from his alpha father, and the man reached up to press the red button immediately.

The beta father stayed with Jun while the doctors checked his health and the alpha man went out to get some food for him after making sure what he might want to eat currently. Jun remained quiet, saying nothing, just nodding or shaking his head whenever the doctors asked something, but nobody complained. It was already a huge relief to see him a pretty calm condition right now. He just looked too pale, almost lifeless, refusing to have eye contact with anyone who was not his parents, obviously too uncomfortable when someone touched him or even just stayed too close to him (except for his parents, also in this case). He did not panic, but he flinched, and that was enough for anyone to halt their movements instantly, since nobody wanted to push him into the state he had been in a few hours ago anymore.

The doctors assured both Jun and his father that he would be safe in this hospital because special security had been established to prevent the abuser from coming back here to harm him again. This arrangement was certainly demanded by his parents; Jun had no doubt about that, and he had to admit he felt relieved to know about it. He did not want to see Wonwoo again, even just one single time in less than a second. Besides, the doctors only asked him to rest as much as possible so that he would regain his strength and become healthy again soon. The only unhappy thing he heard from them was that he would not be allowed to leave the hospital before he was able to walk normally on his own without the help of anyone or anything.

Jun hated this place. He just wanted to go home with his parents and sleep in his old room again. That was the safest place on this planet. Or else, it could be his and Mingyu’s new home. Jun knew Mingyu would find a new place for the two of them soon, and that was where Jun would want to live. Besides, Jun also knew Mingyu was not here since the man definitely needed to take some time to rest and do other stuff, but it did not mean he would feel comfortable with the absence of Mingyu here. Jun wanted his cousin to come back to him as soon as possible, yet he had no choice but to wait. He had already a burden of everyone; he could not urge Mingyu to do this and that, which would drain the giant alpha much more.

Thankfully, the beta father could read his son like a book.

“I think it will be better for you to change to another room. Maybe a room that’s easier for you to get out and walk around the campus. Do you like that, Junnie?”

Wasting no time to think, Jun nodded instantly. A plan was quickly made, and Jun was informed that he would be able to move to another room in this afternoon.

It was not until then did Jun realize that it was in the morning right now. How long had he been sleeping? He felt like decades had passed, but he did not ask anyone.

When Jun’s alpha father returned, he was followed by two more people, who were Mingyu’s parents. Their appearance did not make Jun smile, but all of them could see the young alpha was relaxed and calm to see them, even letting them hug him closely. The omega male particularly squeezed Jun very tightly in his embrace, seeming to be very happy to see his nephew temporarily normal again.

Jun was then showered with so much love and food that he had no clue where to start first or whom to focus on. Apart from the soup his father bought, there were also many other kinds of food that Mingyu’s parents brought here for him. They were mostly fruits and milk, and even some sweet things they knew Jun always liked. They did not ask him any question, just gently telling him to eat slowly, and softly chatting to each other while sitting on the edge of his bed. Jun was not forced to speak; he only ate in silence while watching and listening to the older men, feeling enough to have their presence and especially spoilt when one of them tenderly stroked his hair from time to time, or asked him if he wanted to have some water or not.

Jun was grateful that they did not push him. He did not want to talk to anyone. Moreover, he would feel crowded and suffocated if they kept lingering around him for too long.

Fortunately, they all could sense the discomfort in Jun when they were sitting near him even after he had finished his food and also had already paid a visit to the restroom. Consequently, they went outside to continue talking and let Jun have his peaceful space, leaving a kiss on his forehead before heading out. The kisses made him feel like he were a little kid receiving a goodnight kiss from the adults, but it was still enjoyable and comfortable, so he had no protest. Jun partly wanted to thank them, but he could not, and still stayed silent the whole time.

Only Jun’s beta father stayed with him and joined him on the bed. Jun welcomed his dad with all his heart, willingly placed his head on his father’s bicep and let the man pull him into his embrace. Humming a beautiful lullaby, the man tenderly lured his son into sleep, and Jun felt utterly safe thanks to his dad. The fact that his parents loved him and adored him so much would never stop shocking him, which made him sometimes even doubt why he deserved their great love like this. He failed in everything. He messed up everything. No matter what, they kept loving him and giving him all the sweetest things in this world as if he was the most precious person in their lives.

What could Jun do to deserve their love? What should he do to pay for what they had done for him?

…

When Mingyu returned to the hospital, he was surprised to see his parents there. Before he could react, they had already squeezed him tightly and showered him with a lot of love. The giant man whined and asked why they had not told him about their visit in advance, but the two men just laughed and then took him to the cafeteria of the hospital to give him the food they had prepared. Besides the fruits and milk for Jun, they also had brought along a whole proper meal for their son. The food was stored carefully and when they were showed to Mingyu, they were still in the best condition, allowing him to eat delicious food comfortably while his parents watched him fondly.

The two men knew their son too well. They knew Mingyu had not eaten anything even though he had left the hospital to go back home for a while. It was heartbreaking to see their child losing a lot of weight in a short period of time, and they were worried that Mingyu would not have the appetite for even the food his omega father cooked. However, Mingyu turned out to eat a lot, swallowing down everything his dads gave him. Trying to hold back the tears, the omega father patted his son head lovingly while telling him.

“We will come to visit and bring you food every day. You’re too thin now, Mingyu.”

Immediately, Mingyu wanted to protest because he found that too time-consuming for his parents.

“But that’s…”

“No _but_, Mingyu.” The alpha father sternly said. “I haven’t reprimanded you for hiding the whole thing from us yet, so now you don’t have the right to reject this anymore. We will come and I won’t let you live in peace if you don’t finish everything we bring for you.”

Seeing his son smiling like an idiot to him, the old man eventually laughed and ruffled his hair.

…

Jun woke up when he wanted to change his position but failed. It felt like he was being trapped in something that refrained him from moving, and that fact caused him to open his eyes and even whine and wriggle his body in frustration.

Nonetheless, when Jun finally saw the reason of everything, he immediately regretted his decision. All of his sounds and action were enough to stir Mingyu awake. The giant man was hugging him extraordinarily tightly in his strong arms, and Jun was even amazed to see his own head being placed on the man’s shoulder. Half of his body was already lying on Mingyu’s torso, which made Jun feel guilty all of a sudden. How long had he been lying like this? Was this too much for Mingyu? It could not comfortable at all to endure so much pressure in a long period of time.

Mingyu was sleepy for a moment, but he rapidly realized what was happening. His face fell in the blink of an eye, and this time it was the giant man’s turn to feel guilty.

“I’m sorry, Junnie. I hold you too tight, right? I’m sorry.”

Jun almost opened his mouth to tell Mingyu that it was totally okay, but his eyes captured something strange, unintentionally shutting his mouth to focus thoroughly on the abnormal things.

Between him and Mingyu, there were two small stuff animals. They were being pressed pretty tightly by the two alphas’ bodies, and Jun hurriedly took the nearest one by both hands, bringing it closer to his face and examining carefully. It was a white rabbit in the size of an average pillow, extremely cute and fluffy, even too much for Jun’s heart to stop melting. The other one was a kitty with light brown fur and big lovely eyes. Staring at the rabbit with wide eyes, Jun used his shaking fingers to trace along the animal’s long ears, feeling his heart aching badly in his chest. They were fake, but felt exactly the same as _the real ones_, reminding him of how _his little bunny_ had relaxed and closed his eyes in comfort under his touch.

Seeing the tears on Jun’s face, Mingyu was startled and frightened. Quickly grabbing the kitty, he explained to his lover right away.

“I… I thought you would like them… I brought them before coming back here. If… if you don’t like them then I…”

Sniffling lightly, Jun shook his head, still looking at the rabbit with love in his eyes when he whispered to his cousin.

“No… I like them. Thank you, Mingyu.”

The giant man almost winced due to how hoarse and awful his mate sounded like, but he tried to control his emotions, knowing that he must be strong for Jun to rely on. Jun would be sadder if he saw someone getting upset or worried because of him. Mingyu had already promised to himself that he would show nothing but positivity to his lover from now on, and he was determined to make this plan come true.

Smiling to his mate, Mingyu used a hand to wipe the tears on Jun’s face while talking to him gently.

“When you get out of this hospital, I will bring you to this shop. They have so many nice things there, and there’s also a very big milk tea shop next door. I bet you haven’t tried that place. Does it sound like a nice weekend for you, Junnie?”

Mingyu did not know that his voice was actually shattering Jun’s heart as well, since he did not sound any better. His voice was not hoarse or broken, but it was the sound coming from a broken a person, a person who was exceedingly desperate and on the verge of breaking. Unlike Mingyu, Jun was not able to try to do anything at this moment. As a result, he just ended up bursting into tears and cried like a kid in his cousin’s embrace. With a terribly heavy and painful heart, the giant alpha wrapped his arms around his lover, pulling him into his wide chest and rubbing his back slowly.

“You’re safe now, Junnie. Nobody can hurt you anymore.”

Whimpering and trembling violently, Jun nodded his head into the giant man’s chest, squeezing the rabbit and the kitty between them again. Even though they were just some kinds of toys, Jun could not handle seeing them slipping out of his life any longer. Willingly taking everything his Junnie wanted, Mingyu paid a lot of attention to the both of stuff animals and made sure not to let them fall out of their grasp. His lover was crying and sobbing, but what Mingyu felt in his heart was an enormous relief that no words could ever describe fully. Right now, he believed he had just had the chance to live in heaven again, because his beloved Junnie was crying to him, clinging to him, not pushing him away or screaming anymore. As long as Jun agreed to rely on him, allowing Mingyu to take care of him and love him as how he always deserved to be loved, the giant man believed that they would be fine.

As long as they had each other, they would be fine one day. When would be _“one day”_? Mingyu was not sure, but he would try everything he could to convince Jun that it would come.

Mingyu was not sure how long it took him to make Jun stop crying, and he did not care either. he only knew that when he checked his watch, it turned out to be still early in the afternoon. Fidgeting nervously for a while, Mingyu tried to speak out what he was forced to tell his mate.

“You know… uhm… you need to wash…” Scratching his scalp anxiously, Mingyu felt bad to see his cousin frowning with a look of horror on his face. “I just want to ask… if you allow me to help you or not… because, you know… if you aren’t careful enough, you can hurt yourself when touching those wounds.”

Jun seriously hated this.

He had already been a burden, and now he just successfully became a bigger burden which was unable to wash himself properly. He knew Mingyu was not having any bad intention when saying so, because the man totally made sense. Jun was too weak to stay too long in the shower, and it would require him to use too much energy if he wanted to take care of his body without creating more pain to himself. Nothing was good. The best thing Jun could get now was letting Mingyu help him, or wash him, as if he were a toddler.

Nodding in embarrassment, Jun agreed to let Mingyu bring him to the bathroom. Putting the weak alpha to sit on the close toilet, the giant man went out to fetch his necessary things. It was awkward and frustrating for both of them to be trapped in this situation, but Mingyu was doing everything in the most considerate and loving way to make everything most comfortable for his love. He helped Jun get rid of his clothes, taking piece by piece of carefully in order not to hurt his wounds. Following the instructions the doctors had told him, Mingyu took of the bandage thoroughly before bringing his mate to the bathtub.

Although Jun had stopped crying a few minutes ago, now in the bathtub, he was crying again, silently shedding tears while Mingyu ran the faucet gently to wet his body.

Jun could not help whimpering when the water touched his broken skin despite the fact that they had been taken care of in the correct way by the professional doctors and they were actually starting to heal. Mingyu felt bad, extremely bad, too bad for his heart to endure, but he had to keep on doing this, because it was his responsibility, and his honor to take care of his Junnie.

Mingyu did not spend much time making Jun wet; he soon turned off the faucet and started to do other stuff. In tears, Jun tried his best to just focus on how gentle and careful Mingyu’s fingers were on his scalp and every single inch of his skin. The giant man concentrated all his mind on the wounds, so that he would not touch them, and he managed to finish applying the shower gel on his cousin without hurting him. It only hurt again when he used the faucet to washed away the foams, causing the painful whimpers from Jun to pierce through his heart.

Holding back his tears, Mingyu told himself not to cry. He was not allowed to cry in front of Jun again, because he had to protect and take care of his lover.

Mingyu thought his Junnie was really brave and strong. He did whimper, but he did not flinch or push his cousin away even once. He was trying to endure the pain, not running away from it. The giant man knew the reason for his mate crying was not those wounds. It was the embarrassment Mingyu thought should not exist. Nevertheless, once it was there, he hoped it was a sign that showed Jun’s desire to get better, to get out of this condition.

“Thank you, Junnie.” Mingyu smiled to the love of his life while helping him dry his hair and his body. “I was so afraid that you wouldn’t allow me to do this. But please don’t cry, baby. Do you know how brave you are? If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have let me do this for you. There’s nothing to feel embarrassed.”

Although Jun’s tears did not stop falling, Mingyu believed he saw sparkles in those red and puffy eyes. Still as carefully as always, the giant alpha dressed his cousin in the most comfortable clothes before bringing him back to the bed and then helped him dry his hair with a dryer. At this moment, Jun was a little better. Tears were cascading down his cheeks, yet he seemed to be calmer and more collected. Sitting in silence while Mingyu working with his hair, the older alpha hugged the rabbit tightly in his chest, clutching on it like a kid holding his favorite toy.

Watching his lover, Mingyu guessed Jun preferred the rabbit to the kitty.

What about Mingyu himself? Certainly, he loved the pine forest most.

Jun refused to go to the cafeteria to eat something, and Mingyu totally understood. With no complaint, the man simply took out his phone to open a delivery app, sitting on bed with Junnie on his lap, tenderly asking him what he wanted to eat. Still hugging the rabbit, Jun looked through the shops and restaurants Mingyu were showing to him, quietly choosing the dish for himself.

Nonetheless, he was nearly shocked when Mingyu tapped the name of a milk tea shop.

“Do you want a small or a big cup of milk tea today, Junnie?” Asking with a bright grin, the giant man effortlessly made his mate’s heart flutter. “I guess it will lighten up your mood a lot. Nothing can kill your love for milk tea, right?”

Clearing his throat before speaking, the older alpha nervously asked for a confirmation.

“Am I really allowed to drink this?”

“Definitely, baby.” Mingyu kissed his cheek softly on the side which was unharmed by any scratch. “The doctors didn’t say anything about sweets. You can drink as much as you can.”

As long as he was assured about that, Jun decided very quickly.

“I want a big cup.”

“Okay. I think I will have a big cup too!” Tapping a few times to finish the ordering process, Mingyu put his phone to a side, going back to cuddling his lover. “Now we just have to wait.”

Curling into a small little fluffy ball on the giant alpha’s lap, Jun pressed his own face into Mingyu’s chest, basking in the warmth and affection from his mate. For a second, he wished the rabbit he was holding in his arms were a real one, so that they could be a happy family together. This family could not be considered as perfect, yet Jun believed it would be where all the three of them could be safe and happy by each other’s sides.

The couple sat on the bed and ate together. Mingyu was the one who took the main role of talking, keeping the atmosphere light and happy enough for Jun’s expression to look a little brighter. It was always nice to hear Mingyu’s speaking, because the giant man just naturally had his own bright and joyful personalities. His talk was always charming and making the other person feel happy thanks to his tone, his voice and also the topics he chose to talk about. They did not tell each other, but both of them secretly knew that there were some subjects they would decide to stay away in every conversation without any further discussion, since they understood that they were trapped now. Talking more about them would solve nothing.

Therefore, the best solution was just avoiding them.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please trust me. Jun seems to be in so much pain here but he's definitely progressing in getting better ;_; 
> 
> Honestly, I'm quite sad to see that all of the characters are getting to the point where they will get better TvT I still want to enjoy the pain more ;_; I'm seriously addicted ;_;
> 
> The viruses spread so crazily recently ;_; I hope you will be careful, healthy and safe!!! Please take care of yourself and always be careful!!! The number of people infected by the virus is increasing in my country too and there are sick people in the city right next to mine T_T I've been coughing for a few days but I just hope there's nothing wrong :"> 
> 
> Take care~~~ As always, I am super eager to read your comments ><
> 
> Love you ^^


	60. Want nothing but your love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua, Minghao, and Jihoon did not dare to let Wonwoo know about what had happened at home. 
> 
> However, that turned out to be a huge mistake for the hybrid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took quite long again.   
Everything is so chaotic these days :< I hope you guys are still all safe and fine!!!!

Jun was so weak that Mingyu had to stay next to him and help him stand while the older alpha brushed his teeth. Jun really hated this, but surprisingly, Mingyu had his own way to warm his heart.

“You have no idea how many times I have imagined our future life.” Closing his arms intimately around Jun’s waist from behind, the giant man pressed his chest to the back of his mate. “When you’re brushing your teeth in the morning, I will come in and disturb you by hugging you like this.”

Chuckling at his own imagination, Mingyu kept on speaking, having no problem with Jun’s silence.

“If you are in a good mood, it will be fine, but if you’re pretty mad that day, you will elbow me right in my stomach to kick me out immediately.”

Jun halted his action for a second, but then kept on doing his stuff and only turned around to face Mingyu when he had finished his task. A slight curve of his lips was enough to make Mingyu’s heart dance around in his ribcage.

“I think I will lock the door even when I just brush my teeth in the future.”

This time, the giant alpha’s heart stopped beating for real in more than three seconds, and his mind screamed. This was definitely the longest sentence Jun had ever told him today, and it was such a significant progress of his mate trying to get better. Mingyu was so touched that he nearly cried, but he managed to hold the tears back and smiled to his lover instead with a soft whine.

“Nooooo you can’t do that, Junnie!!! I always like to mess with you when you’re doing your stuff…”

“So you haven’t bickered with me enough in the past years?” Jun asked, voice tiny and quiet. His speech was slow and quite unnatural, but the giant alpha did not mind.

“I just want to get your attention and that’s definitely the best way to do it!”

Smiling like a silly man in front of his huge crush, Mingyu hugged his mate happily.

“I’m willing to bicker with you for the rest of my life, as long as you won’t get sick of me.”

Relaxing his whole body in his cousin’s embrace, Jun comfortably leaned all his weight against the bigger man, whispering.

“I won’t get sick of you.”

Jun’s voice was low while his speech was abnormally slow as if he were a foreigner learning to speak Korean but Mingyu knew his lover was being honest to him. In this condition, Jun was absolutely unable to tell any lie. Giggling gleefully, Mingyu bent down to scoop his mate up in his arms, causing the older alpha to squeak in bewilderment. His face burned as he was being carried in bridal style back to his bed, yet he did nothing to fight against the giant man, subtly nuzzling into the bigger alpha’s neck. Satisfied by everything about Jun right now, Mingyu was still smiling when he lied down on the mattress with his lover on top of him and pulled the blanket to cover both of their bodies.

“Is it okay for you?” Jun nervously asked, staring at his cousin with eyes full of concern.

“Don’t worry, baby. This is nothing to me.” Grinning, Mingyu grabbed not only the rabbit but also the kitty for his lover and Jun instantly tucked them under his arm, making them look like two fathers holding their kids in their embrace.

“Thank you, Mingyu.”

The younger male did not know why, but the simple saying incredibly warmed his heart and kept the smile stay on his face for even longer.

“It’s my pleasure.” He ended his sentence by a kiss on the tip of his cousin’s head, one hand moving to caress his back tenderly. “I’ve been dreaming of becoming someone for you to rely on for years. Don’t you know that?”

“I know.” Jun nodded slightly, closing his eyes and feeling his lover’s lips on his head. “You aren’t subtle at all.”

Chuckling in embarrassment, Mingyu murmured gently.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to make you uncomfortable.”

Shaking his head, Jun sighed, changing the topic a bit.

“I shouldn’t be the one who relies on you… I’m older than you.”

“It’s okay for us to rely on each other, Junnie.” Mingyu explained, giving his mate another kiss. “I actually rely on you too. You can’t imagine how I could go through all of this without you.”

Jun honesty wanted to protest further, since he knew he had not done anything for Mingyu, bringing his cousin only a lot of troubles and sadness, but he also knew that there was no point saying bad things about himself to his mate now. Mingyu would reject everything in his most precious and tender way, giving Jun the illusion that everything was _still so fine_. In the giant man’s words, everything was just fine, and Jun could not help wondering what kind of magic in this world had given Mingyu this much power to be positive and generous under any circumstances. What had he done and what should he do to deserve Mingyu?

When Jun felt his eyelids heavy, Mingyu was also whispering quietly to him.

“Now just sleep, baby. I will take care of everything else. You don’t have to worry about anything, okay?”

“When I wake up…” Closing his eyes, Jun murmured sleepily. “Will you be the only one I see here?”

“Definitely.” The younger alpha promised, running his fingers through his lover’s soft hair. “Sleep well, Junnie. I love you.”

Despite being extremely tired and sleepy, Jun tried his best to keep his mind awake in a few more seconds in order just to reply to his lover.

_“I love you too.”_

Smiling to himself, Mingyu placed his lips on his mate’s hair again to kiss him, lips lingering for much longer, wishing to spend all of his time with his Junnie here forever. The man forced his eyes to close, telling himself to make use of this peaceful and sweet moment to sleep a little as his body wished to. At least for now, he would not have to worry about Jun waking up screaming and scratching his own skin anymore. Everything seemed to begin getting better for Jun, but Mingyu had no idea what he ought to do with his little kitten.

How would he save Joshua? Would the boy be able to survive after being knotted by Wonwoo? Should Mingyu kidnap the cat?

Thinking of Joshua, Mingyu found it too difficult to sleep again.

\------------------------------

Minghao thought it was good and lucky that he did not have to call Wonwoo to go back home, but things turned out not to be that good.

Without talking, the three omegas managed to finish packing stuff even before lunch time. Jihoon and Minghao were supposed to help Joshua do those things only, but they knew they had better not leave the boy alone, so they still stayed with him for the rest of the time, urging Joshua to sleep a bit. However, the cat silently climbed into the empty carton box left, curling into a small fluffy ball, drowning in his own dark world. He did not say a word or look at his friends. He was weirdly quiet, and the most serious thing about the hybrid was that he had never stopped trembling.

Minghao and Jihoon were both dumbfounded. They did not know what to do. It was obvious that Joshua did not want anyone to be close to him currently. The two human omegas sat outside the box but right next to it, peeking their heads over the edge of the object to look at the cat inside. They did not want to take their eyes away from Joshua, too afraid of the boy breaking down while they were not watching him. Tears were cascading down the hybrid’s cheeks; his red eyes were looking at nothing. As if knowing that the other two people were staring, Joshua hid his face in his folded arms, turning to let his both feet point towards the corner of the box. The long tail curled around his own shaking body tightly. Minghao tried touching Joshua’s ear, hoping to soothe him, but the squeak coming from the boy made him freeze immediately.

Retreating his hand, sighing in great concern, Minghao was forced to think of calling Wonwoo, but Jihoon gently held his hand and shook his head, signaling him not to do that. Still deadly worried, Minghao decided to wait a little more, nodding to the short omega and looking at the hybrid again. At this point, they no longer hoped Joshua would stop crying by the time Wonwoo went home. The only difference between waiting for Wonwoo to return and calling Wonwoo to go back home right now was just a very thin line between the alpha being _angry_ and being _livid_.

They wanted Joshua to join them in the discussion about how they should explain all of this to Wonwoo, yet the boy’s condition was not good enough for him to do that. They whispered quietly to each other, and decided to tell a lie.

Nonetheless, nothing was like what they had expected.

At the time Minghao knew that it was very possible for Wonwoo to appear, he heard a very loud sound of the door slamming violently. Before any of them could react, the said alpha had already stormed into the room with a scarily cold expression on his face. Wonwoo had always been cold, but this kind of coldness was definitely horrible. The striking pheromones were making even Minghao and Jihoon uncomfortable, not to mention Joshua. For a minute, the two human omegas just went speechless, staring at Wonwoo and recoiling, not sure how to start their explanation.

Meanwhile, aware of his master coming back, Joshua got out of the box, hurriedly wiping his tears. Hearing the sounds from the boy trying to stand up, Minghao quickly turned to help him. He thought the cat would scramble to run towards his alpha instantly, but Joshua did not. Feeling his heartbeat picking up its speed, Minghao knew his friend had made a very awful mistake.

“What did you tell him to make him cry again, Minghao?”

When Wonwoo suddenly asked, Minghao felt scared and irritated at the same time. Last time Wonwoo did not seem to mind the fact that Minghao had asked Joshua about Jeonghan and made him cry, but at this moment the alpha obviously minded a lot. He was talking as if Minghao were a troublemaker.

Glancing at Joshua, he saw the second mistake. The boy did not dare to look at his owner.

“We… talked about your plan.” Trying his best to stay calm and pretending to be normal, Minghao answered slowly. “Your plan of knotting him.”

Nodding in agreement, Jihoon added more information.

“Joshua isn’t fine this morning. He vomited a lot, and he was very sensitive. We just talked a bit, and then… he started to cry.”

However, after all the human omegas had said, Wonwoo strangely directed his next question towards the cat only, stepping closer to the cowering boy.

“Did Mingyu come here, Joshua?”

“No, he didn’t.” Minghao answered before his brain could stop his mouth.

Giving the omega a death glare, effortlessly making him reel back, Wonwoo gritted his teeth.

“I’m asking Joshua, not you.”

Without warning, the alpha strongly gripped the leash attached to Joshua’s collar and wrist, pulling him closer. The boy squeaked again and winced in pain, almost falling towards his owner, yet he managed to keep balance. Still ducking his head, Joshua found it frightening to talk to Wonwoo now. Too scared, head still spinning and aching, the cat tried to his hold back his tears and open his mouth, but he just failed. Of course, he knew he could not say Mingyu had come here, because that truth would bring numerous troubles to not only himself but also his friends and even Mingyu.

“Don’t make me wait, Joshua.” Wonwoo’s voice got terribly stern and fierce as he pulled the leash harder, giving a direct command. “Answer me. Did Mingyu come here?”

Shaking his head in utter fear, Joshua stuttered pathetically.

“N-no, no, master.” Still avoiding the alpha’s eyes, Joshua replied in shaking and tiny voice. “He… he didn’t come here.”

Joshua did not see, but Minghao and Jihoon could see that Wonwoo had just smirked, and it was terribly psychotic.

“So… is Minghao right, Joshua? You cried because you weren’t fine this morning and then you discussed about getting knotted soon?”

“Y-yes… He’s right.” Joshua nodded frantically.

“Did you talk to anyone apart from Minghao and Jihoon?”

Biting his lips to stifle a sob in agony, the hybrid shook his head.

“No, master.”

Wonwoo’s lips became a very thin line before he asked again.

“Are you sure?” Moving one hand to hold the boy’s chin, the alpha lifted up his face, forcing eye contact. “Look at me and answer, Joshua.”

Right at the moment Joshua looked at his master in the eye, he knew that he had already stepped into hell.

“Yes… yes, master. I-I’m sure.”

“He’s being honest.” Although Jihoon was extraordinarily nervous, he wanted to help his friend. “Joshua didn’t meet anyone or talk to anyone except for me and Minghao. Right, Hao?”

The fact that Jihoon was being so brave made Minghao much braver, and he nodded.

“Yes. Only three of us.”

Glaring at the other two omegas, Wonwoo huffed and then let go of the cat completely, giving the scared people a second to temporarily feel slightly relieved. Nevertheless, that was only Minghao and Jihoon’s feeling, because Joshua felt nothing good. He ducked his head, still trembling and reeking of fear evidently. The smell was so thick in the air as same as the scent of fury coming from Wonwoo. The scarier Wonwoo were, the more frightened Joshua became, and even when he was petrified, the alpha still got angrier and angrier.

All of the omegas were caught off guard because of Wonwoo’s next saying.

“I can see that you all have finished packing. I will bring Joshua to my office this afternoon.”

The boy stared at his master with wide eyes while Minghao asked back in bewilderment.

“Bring him to your office? I think… why don’t you just let him rest at home? I think he needs a lot of sleep.”

“Joshua preferred being with me. Right, kitten?”

Even though Wonwoo was asking a nice question, Joshua could read the tone of the man, realizing it was not any different from a threat. He had no choice but to nod. If he disliked being with Wonwoo, he still had to nod.

Biting his lips and watching Joshua anxiously, Minghao tried to contemplate if that was actually good for Joshua right now, but he guessed perhaps the best thing was only to let the cat be with his master. They could not do anything for him but Wonwoo could give him a considerable amount of love and comfort, in spite of the fact that the man was being quite scary.

“So… I have to go back to work this afternoon?”

“It’s fine. You can stay at home. Thank you for helping us.”

Minghao and Jihoon soon realized that Wonwoo wanted them to leave as soon as possible.

At the door, they took turn to give Joshua a tight hug before saying goodbye. Wiping the tears which had not dried away on the boy’s face, Minghao gently told him.

“Please try to rest, Shua. You look very pale today. If you need anything, just call me or Jihoon. Okay?”

Joshua nodded. Jihoon did not dare to say the same thing as Minghao, since he knew exactly the omega’s saying was definitely directed towards Wonwoo. If something happened to Joshua, it would absolutely _be caused by Wonwoo_ and Jihoon did not think they would have the right or even the chance to help. The cat was too obedient to his master.

“See you later, Joshua.”

With heavy hearts, the two omegas walked out of the apartment and headed to the parking lot. They did not know they had just left their poor friend alone with the monster which was about to _tear him apart._

When the door was closed, Wonwoo brought Joshua up in his arms, walking back to his bedroom and asking.

“Did you leave some clothes outside to get changed?”

“Yes, I did.” He nodded, utterly confused by the alpha’s attitude. He was strange, very strange right now. His speech was normal, but his pheromones did not prove the same thing and this situation was extremely similar to the one at the night when Seungcheol came to take his revenge on them. What was going to happen? Joshua was unable to predict or to avoid.

“Get dressed. I will take the boxes out and the moving company will take them to our new house.”

Sitting on Wonwoo’s bed, Joshua silently waited for the man to bring those boxes out and then locked the door to change his clothes after his leash had been taken off. The boy could hear sounds of people coming into the apartment and carrying the boxes out, knowing his new life would start right from this evening. He was spending his last minute in this apartment, and this morning had already been his last chance to see Mingyu. Wonwoo would never allow his giant cousin to enter his place.

For the first time, Joshua did not consider that as a good thing, yet his brain was not healthy or calm enough to think more.

Finishing putting all the last necessary things into a small bag, the boy opened the door and was startled to see Wonwoo standing right there, as if the man had been waiting for him to come out.

“I-I’m ready now.” Joshua stuttered, too nervous and intimated by the intense gaze from his owner.

“Drop the bag.” Wonwoo coldly commanded, leaving the hybrid dumbfounded.

Joshua did not understand, but he quickly obeyed and put the bag on the floor, stumbling a bit since his head was aching and he was still dizzy.

Before the cat could clear his mind and get back some balance, he was violently pushed towards the nearest wall by a hand choking his neck. The crutch was no longer any helpful for him, because Joshua’s legs were not touching the floor anymore when Wonwoo’s cruel hand tightened around his neck and lifted his whole body up. Unable to breathe, the hybrid was even more frightened to see the flame in Wonwoo’s eyes, feeling as if the alpha’s anger was going to destroy everything.

The man in front of him was growling, baring his teeth like a wild animal in his great fury. Tears speedily cascaded down Joshua’s cheeks, and he was ready to do anything to beg for some mercy from his master. His hands tried to detach the man’s hand away from his neck just by instincts. His mind had given up, knowing too well he would never be able to stop his master from doing anything.

“Didn’t I say I really hate bad kitty, Joshua?” Wonwoo gritted his teeth, snarling to his omega, making the boy shut his eyes in terror. “You’re a very disobedient and very bad kitty today. You deserve punishment.”

Not needing any answer, the alpha threw his hybrid on the bed just by one hand.

Joshua’s health condition was too bad for him to have any reaction, and at this moment he was nothing more than just a rag doll for Wonwoo to torture as he wanted. In a split second, the boy was scared to death to think that his master intended to rape him right now, but the situation turned out to be different. Moving like a flash to the bed, the man also sat down, rapidly grabbing the cat, dragging him to lie with his belly on Wonwoo’s lap. Joshua was draped over his owner’s thighs. The quick movement did nothing good to his brain, making his dizziness even more serious, and his heart was threatening to jump out of his chest.

In shock, the boy felt his pants and underwear being pushed down, revealing his rear to the cold air. His breath hitched. He froze, having no strength or courage to move a finger, and his brain stopped working.

“You thought you could fool me that easily, Joshua?” Wonwoo asked, rubbing his right hand suspiciously gently on the hybrid’s buttocks. “I guess you didn’t know I had installed a camera in this room. And the watch on your wrist helps me listen to whatever you talk to other people, kitten.”

Joshua’s heartbeat halted.

Wonwoo had already known everything before coming home, and Joshua was like an idiot lying to him about everything.

_“This is the end.”_ The last piece of consciousness told Joshua.

Leaning over to the cat’s ear, Wonwoo growled and spoke through his teeth.

“Mingyu came here, talked to you, held your hand, begged you to go with him, and then you told me nobody came here? Why are you such a bad kitty like this? Why?”

Ending his saying, Wonwoo spanked Joshua mercilessly, creating a terrifying loud sound echoing around the whole room. The boy literally screamed in pain. His body jolted in shock, but Wonwoo easily kept him in place without dropping a sweat. At first, Joshua was still aware of when his owner hit or stopped hitting, but just after three smacks, he lost his mind because of the continuous input of pain in a quick concession. The cat no longer knew anything, just crying and screaming as Wonwoo hit his bottom relentlessly while torturing him even with his cruel words.

“I thought you were submissive and scared of me, but now I realize I was awfully wrong. You aren’t a good cat at all, Joshua. You’re just a liar. What do you want to do with your lies? Wanna run away with Mingyu? Or Jeonghan?”

“I’m sorry, master. I’m sorry.” The boy cried out, broken. “I… I was wrong. I’m sorry… M-master… I’m sorry.”

“Always say sorry.” Wonwoo spanked the omega particularly hard after that sentence, eliciting a louder scream from Joshua. “Do you really know your fault? Did I tell you your punishment would be much worse?”

The hybrid could not say anymore. His mouth only screamed, until his throat hurt and could not force out any sound again. His ears could no longer hear anything from Wonwoo.

How many times was Joshua hit? How long did Wonwoo spank him? The boy did not know.

He only knew he was pushed into hell and forced to experience all of the worst feelings of hell again by the punishing bite Wonwoo gave him after the spanking session had ended. At that moment, Joshua thought he heard Lucifer whispering something to his ear.

_“You will be mine forever, Joshua. Don’t ever think of leaving me. I will break you until you know nothing more than just me, and me, Wonwoo, your alpha, your master.”_

Sobbing and trembling, Joshua was finally knocked down, as his mind and body both gave up. He was too weak to endure all of this, feeling death coming so near to his soul. His heart and his soul would die first, and when there was just his soulless body alive in this world, perhaps Wonwoo would be satisfied.

In his dark dreams, Joshua saw himself running around looking for Wonwoo in desperation, crying, crying and screaming his name over and over again, but the alpha was nowhere to be found.

Then, when the boy woke up again, he found himself sitting in the corner of the familiar restroom in Wonwoo’s office. He was there alone, with nothing but his clothes, and he was chained to the sink by the other end of his leash. Choking out a sob, the poor hybrid curled up, crying his eyes out, trying to endure not only the physical pain but also the mental pain by himself. In his chains of whimpers, Wonwoo’s name was called so many times, yet the boy got no answer from anyone or anything. His watch showed three o’clock in the afternoon, but the place was cold as if Joshua was no longer living in Earth and breathing air under the sun.

His master had dumped him in this restroom while he went out to do his job, and Joshua was locked here, starving and having nothing to alleviate the burning pain on his bottom.

Hiding his own face behind his two hands, the cat knew his world had collapsed again. Wonwoo had built in back up in a short period of time, and then brutally smashed everything at once.

_“Why does Wonwoo hate me? Why does he hate me so much?”_

Joshua knew he had been exceptionally stupid. It was already obvious that Wonwoo did not care about any other people. The alpha only wanted obedience and submission from his cat. If Joshua had told him the truth about Mingyu coming home and his conversation with Seungcheol on the phone, everything would have been fine. Wonwoo would have been satisfied to see his kitten telling him about everything which had happened to him while he had not been there. Why did Joshua bother to lie? There was nothing he could change. Jeonghan had already been damaged, and the boy shivered in terror, doubting if there would be someone able to heal his best friend back again.

It was too late to regret anything.

Joshua did not regret choosing Wonwoo. He regretted not asking about Jeonghan earlier. The guilt was eating him up, swallowing him gradually into the greatest darkness and drowning him in hell.

Despite knowing that his alpha could hear everything coming from his mouth even though the man was not here, Joshua pathetically failed to control his mouth, and his best friend’s name kept getting out in a chaotic combination with Wonwoo’s name and the heavy sobs.

Perhaps, one day Joshua’s life would end up in the same way as Jeonghan. Wonwoo would rape him until he got bored of the cat, and then decided to abandon the boy in the middle of a high way or a jungle. For the last time of “using” the hybrid, Wonwoo would have no mercy, treating him like an animal. Joshua would be covered in blood and nothing else. At least, Jeonghan had Seungcheol, who had come to save him and protected him right now.

What about Joshua? He would not have anyone, since he had pushed everyone away by himself.

Digging his nails into his thighs violently while crying, Joshua wished he could die before the day Wonwoo dumped him as if he were a piece of rubbish. He would end his life by himself before that day came, because he knew he would not be able to handle it. _Today was already too much_, as right now, although Wonwoo was not here, Joshua was still feeling like the man was hitting his bottom over and over again. Possibly, when Wonwoo came back, if his anger had not subsided yet, he would beat Joshua again.

\-----------------------------------------------

Joshua did not sleep or even feel sleepy, but he still jumped when he heard the door opened. Holding his breath, the boy anxiously fidgeted at his place, unsure what he was supposed to feel about the knowledge that Wonwoo was coming back to him and would appear in this room in just a few more seconds. His stupid heart was dancing around in happiness, longing for his alpha no matter what had happened, but his mind was screaming in a different way. Would his punishment continue to go on? Was this enough to Wonwoo? What could happen next? Would his owner bring him out of here, or the man would just leave him in this restroom until it was time to go home?

At the moment Wonwoo stepped inside the small room, Joshua instantly flinched and pushed himself backwards, pressing his own body closer to the wall as if it could help him disappear out of his master’s sight. The cat wanted to fling himself towards Wonwoo, but he was too scared and his body was not following his brain. Ducking his head, the boy did not dare to look at his alpha in the eyes, yet he knew Wonwoo was giving him a look full of hatred, disgust, and anger. The scent of fury was so thick and intense that Joshua felt suffocated and found it hard to breathe properly.

The cat was right when he thought Wonwoo was being livid and glaring at him with fierce eyes. Nonetheless, there was actually no hatred or disgust in the way the alpha looked at his omega. In fact, there were just incredible anger, enormous pain and endless disappointment in those dark eyes. Wonwoo knew he had hurt Joshua much more what could be considered to be acceptable for a person to treat his beloved people, yet he failed to contain the outburst of his feelings. A few hours ago, he had had to sit in this office, staring at the computer screen, watching Mingyu walking into his bedroom. While Wonwoo could only clenched his fists tightly and watched, Joshua had climbed into the wardrobe, and Mingyu had been making use of that chance to persuade the boy to leave with him.

Joshua had cried a lot, but none of the omegas had called Wonwoo, which meant he had not needed his alpha’s comfort at that time. And then, the boy found out what his master had done to Jeonghan. What was Wonwoo supposed to think about his reaction? Could anyone in this world understand how painful and betrayed he felt when he came home to see a crying Joshua but his kitten did not jump to him to cry on his shoulder again? When would Jeonghan stop affecting his life? Joshua lied to him just because of those people who did nothing good to him. Wonwoo could not remember how many times he had promised to give Joshua everything, but in the end, the boy still chose to disobeyed his words and even lied to him, ending up getting punished and crying pathetically, making Wonwoo feel nothing but miserable and tremendously hurt even more than before.

The biggest difference between Joshua and other people in Wonwoo’s life was that, after he hurt them, they would hate him and try their best to run away or at least stay away from him as much as possible. Nevertheless, Joshua did not seem to have the slightest wish of saving his life. Like this time, when Wonwoo walked closer and kneeled down in front of the hybrid, slowly opening his arms towards the crying cat, Joshua immediately lifted up his head, staring at those arms unblinkingly, and then within three seconds, the naïve boy flung himself into his master’s embrace again, like how he had always done in the past. Wonwoo closed his arms around Joshua to bring him up, feeling his omega wrapping all his limbs around him and burying his face into the crook of the alpha’s neck. The boy was shaking so much and most of his scent had faded away with his health, leaving him extremely weak in his master’s arms. It was even difficult for the cat to hug Wonwoo, yet everything was still fine, since the man had already held him tightly and securely, carefully walking back to his working desk.

When Joshua was pulled away so that Wonwoo could take care of the wound on his neck, the boy tried very hard to stifle his sobs by biting his lips harshly. His hands both gripped the alpha’s shirt tightly, one on the front and one at the back. Wonwoo did not seem to mind that, only focusing on the hybrid’s neck and face. Joshua did not dare to look at his master, but he thought it was good enough for him when the man was being gentle like this. His wound did not have enough time to heal yet, so it definitely still hurt, yet the pain was not brought by Wonwoo’s fault.

Done with the wound, the alpha turned to open the drawer and took out some painkillers, giving them to Joshua together with a glass full of water. The boy wanted to thank him, but his throat was so dry that barely any sound came out from there. Since the cat was trembling too much, it was utterly difficult for him to hold the glass, and the water was threatening to spill out of the container when Joshua tried to bring it to his mouth. Realizing the trouble, Wonwoo quickly used his hand to help the boy drink his water easily.

Without saying a word, the alpha put Joshua back into their usual position and switched his attention to the computer screen. The cat was finally safe now, getting no more punishment, but Wonwoo’s cold attitude brought the greater pain than anything else. The man did not try to give his kitten any solace, maybe because he was still mad, yet Joshua hated himself for being unable to get accustomed to living a life without being loved by his master. If Wonwoo really loved him, he would not have used violence and punishing bite would not have been used so many times. Shedding tears endlessly, Joshua squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in the man’s shoulder, desperately wishing to indulge in his illusion again, to believe that he was being in the embrace of the man who loved him more than anyone else.

During the rest of the time Joshua spent in Wonwoo’s office, he just silently stayed in that position, and got up whenever he felt the need to go to the restroom. The boy thought he would need to walk by himself, but his alpha eventually still brought him to the door. Although Joshua did not eat anything for lunch, he threw up again, and he just felt so much worse after that, as if the contraceptive pills were in fact a kind of poison that was trying to kill him slowly. He did not feel hungry at all. The clearest feelings were just his dizziness and the relentless pain in his head. Joshua was not aware of his own sounds, but Wonwoo highly concentrated on his kitten’s constant quiet whimpers, which proved his unendurable discomfort.

Joshua wished he could beg Wonwoo to bring him to the hospital, or at least to just stop forcing him to take those pills. Nonetheless, he did not dare to say a word about that, because he knew nothing could stop Wonwoo. From the beginning, the alpha had not cared about Joshua’s opinions or feelings, so why would he care now? The man had said he would only bring the cat to the hospital if he got a fever. Was there any way for a person to fake a fever?

No. Joshua cursed at himself for his stupidity. If Wonwoo found out his lie, he would be punished again. This time, his master would not just spank him. Perhaps he would hit the hybrid right in his face, or kick into his stomach, or rape him right on the spot.

Wonwoo knew those were undoubtedly the side effects from the contraceptive pills he gave Joshua, but his heart could not help feeling worried and hurt because of his kitten’s suffering. His condition was obviously getting so much worse. Wonwoo could easily tell that through his scent and his body. The cat on his lap was not different from soggy noodles with almost no scent. At this moment, the boy was supposed to smell sour and bitter due to his fear and sadness, but in fact he reeked of nothing. His body had no strength; even his arms were not strong enough to hold Wonwoo anymore. Joshua’s two arms fell on two sides, hands resting loosely around his alpha’s waist.

If things kept on proceeding in this way, Wonwoo guessed the medicine would _knock the boy down_ within today’s night.

Nevertheless, no matter how angry or disappointed the alpha had been previously, he could not control the growing pain in his chest in front of his kitten. Joshua might have been bad, but currently he was being very good, giving no complaint about his feelings, asking for nothing. Wonwoo heard the whimpers and felt the tears on his shoulder, yet the cat had never said a single word.

Eventually, Wonwoo’s heart broke when Joshua let out a tiny sob and a tremor wrecked his body.

Forgetting whatever he was doing on the computer in the blink of an eye, the alpha used both arms to hug his kitten more closely and tightly. One of his hands gently ran through the boy’s hair, massaging his scalp while the other one was stroking his back tenderly. Instantly having a reaction, Joshua nuzzled into his master’s shoulder, melting under the loving touch, choking out another sob in agony when his owner finally paid attention to him and tried to give him some comfort again.

“Try a little more, kitten.” Wonwoo whispered to the hybrid, placing a kiss on his hair. “Only one more day to go.”

Joshua nodded even though no part of his mind or his body agreed with the alpha. He did not want to endure it any longer, and he guessed Wonwoo had already known that without being told. Yet, the man still chose to ignore that fact and forced his cat to do what he wanted. Just this morning, Joshua was able to tell Wonwoo how he was feeling without worrying about the man’s reaction too much, but now he did not dare to say a single word anymore. The boy kept his mouth shut all the time, understanding his position was not any higher than just a pet in his owner’s control.

However, Wonwoo ended up leaving the office early with a still crying and whimpering cat in his arms. From time to time peeking out from the man’s shoulder to look, Joshua realized Wonwoo was bringing him to a hospital, which seemed to be the one where he had stayed a few days ago. His heart fluttered at the knowledge of himself getting something to help himself get better in this hospital, but the tiny happiness disappeared from the poor boy’s heart right at the moment he sensed the pheromones of another alpha stepping into the room where he was waiting with his master.

“I’m so sorry but all of the other omega and beta doctors are busy now.”

That was the only explanation Joshua heard from the doctor for this condition, but it was still difficult for him to accept this truth.

His body started to scramble to move in order just to stay away from that alpha, but Wonwoo did not allow him to. Unable to escape, the hybrid cried incredibly harder and his sobs began to get out of control. His owner was determined to keep him in place in spite of his kitten’s panic, so Joshua had no choice but to hold onto his master tightly, silently begging Wonwoo to save him and protect him at all cost. Trying to shush and restrain the cat, Wonwoo pulled one of his sleeves up while the doctor was moving closer to the couple, and Joshua was frightened.

“It’s okay, kitten. Just an injection. It will help you feel better.” Wonwoo told his omega, reassuring him by an emphasis on the word _“better”._

Feeling concerned by the situation, the doctor asked.

“Was he abused in the past? Is he scared of all alphas?”

“Yes.” Wonwoo replied after putting a kiss on Joshua’s head in an attempt to calm him down.

Shaking his head and sighing, the doctor kept on with his work.

“Poor boy… How did you manage to make him love you and trust you so much like that?”

Wonwoo was busy soothing his kitten, but the sudden question caught his attention immediately.

“What?” He frowned, making the doctor surprised.

“What is _what_?” The doctor raised his eyebrows, amazed. “It’s obvious. You’re also an alpha, but he’s clinging to you for his life. He trusts you, or at least blindly loves you.”

The doctor was actually annoying Wonwoo by talking too much but he did not seem to say the wrong thing.

“I swear if you were a doctor here, no omega patients would dare to come to this hospital again.”

Joshua could not hear what the two men had been talking because the fear had already clouded his mind, and he was just more scared when the stranger held his arm, preparing to give him the injection. If it had not been for the great fear of messing up with Wonwoo, the cat would have thrashed and kicked crazily to get out of this situation. However, he heard Wonwoo’s sweet and gentle coos by his ears, feeling his tender fingers stroking his hair and his back. 

Joshua was so scared of the alpha doctor that the needle meant nothing to him. He did not even know when the sharp thing pierced through his skin and when the whole process stopped. The boy just closed his arms around Wonwoo’s neck instantly after he was released from the doctor’s grip. No single word from the two alphas’ conversation went through Joshua’s ears as he literally ignored everything and wanted nothing but to go home as soon as possible. Fortunately, Wonwoo did not linger longer in the hospital.

In his own car, the noble alpha waited for his kitten on his lap to calm down. Joshua felt completely safe again to be with his master only. It was not until then did he start to realize that the pain in his head had subsided a little. The dizziness had not gone away yet, but the hybrid felt less horrible to have some normal feeling in his head. Therefore, his heavy sobs slowly turned into light sniffles, and five minutes later, he was able to sit straight when Wonwoo pushed him to get up from his chest.

“Do you feel better now?” Asking and carefully observing the boy’s face, Wonwoo used his handkerchief to wipe the tears.

Melting under the loving treatment, Joshua nodded, but when his alpha asked him could they go to a restaurant to have dinner now, the boy begged him to wait a bit more. Patient and also worried, Wonwoo pulled the hybrid into his embrace again, hugging Joshua without any complaint.

Neither of them said anything, yet there was a whole chaos ruining every single neuron in Wonwoo’s brain right now.

Why did everyone say the same thing?

At the second the lead alpha’s teeth touched the mark on Joshua’s neck, the boy was frightened to death, flinching and shrinking with a very loud whimper. Wonwoo intended to give his omega some comfort through his bite, but in the end he was the one who received so much pain by watching the boy desperately trying his best to brace himself for the punishment to come. The cat did nothing to fight back or escape. He just accepted his fate, which made Wonwoo recall the moment he spanked his kitten at home.

Joshua did not try to run away. He did not beg his master to stop. He only apologized. Unlike Jun, the cat took the bite with no wish of going against his alpha. He had already totally given in. After what Wonwoo had seen from the camera installed in his bedroom this morning, he did not expect this to come, astounded to see his kitten in this state. Was it true to think that Joshua wanted to leave with Mingyu since he had lied to Wonwoo about the giant man? Was Joshua such a great actor that he was faking all of this submission to fool Wonwoo?

The pain did not come to Joshua. His body instantly felt lighter as the gentle bit sent through his body a wave of fresh and sweet sensation, clearing his mind and warming his heart.

One more time, drowning in the scent of peppermint he had always loved, the cat was convinced that Wonwoo loved him. This felt like love, like a thing Wonwoo would never do to someone he did not adore or have special feelings for.

The naïve and silly kitten did not know that the bite could never bring any solace to the receiver without true love from the giving side.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I intended to leave that spanking part for another fic in the future, but I guess it's so mad to have a cruel Wonwoo twice so I decided to put it here :"> I'm not sure if it's possible for you to hate him more now...
> 
> As you can see, the final tragedy is coming soon. It's very near now. Since it's the "final tragedy", things will get better after that ^^ I can't believe that I'm actually spoiling my own fic here but I guess I have brought so much angst and now I have no choice but to do this ;_;
> 
> Have you guys watched the teaser video for SEVENTEEN "Falling flower"??? It's sooooooo beautiful and aesthetic T_T I can't wait T_T Everything is so good so perfect. I wish our true life right now could be as beautiful as that ;_;
> 
> Rumors said that there are sick people in my city and the whole city is going to be secluded soon... I really hope that isn't true ;_; I guess the situation about the virus is getting me stressed again and I'm becoming more hot-tempered and I had so many bad dreams every night.... *sigh*
> 
> Please be careful, wear masks when going out and wash your hands properly everyone!!! Please be safe and healthy!!!!
> 
> I love you~~~


	61. The noble alpha's omegas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happened. It was unexpected not only to Joshua but also to Wonwoo.
> 
> The alpha was then forced to acknowledge that his kitten was already broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~~ I'm back again. Hope that you're still fine ^^  
There's a little surprise in this chapter!!! I hope you will like it ^^

Joshua hated the restaurant where Wonwoo chose to have their dinner right from the first moment the alpha brought him into it. It was a classy and luxurious place with rich people and expensive food that the boy did not exactly like. His clothes were fine enough for this environment, but he still felt uncomfortable to sit here. After a quick glance, he realized he was not the only hybrid here. There were actually many other hybrids in the restaurant, which obviously proved that keeping hybrids as pets was something only made for the wealthy.

At other places, Joshua usually just saw cats, dogs, and rabbits, but now he had the chance to see various breeds of them, which were foxes, leopards, and even tigers. They were all omegas, but to Joshua, even if he were a human, he would never keep a hybrid which was half wild animal as his pet. The boy felt safe to be here with Wonwoo, but if he accidentally came across a leopard or tiger hybrid on the street, he would run away as fast as possible.

On the other hand, after a few more minutes of staring at the hybrids, Joshua also registered one surprising fact: he was the most “normal” hybrid here. It was not until now did he start to think that he was too lame and low for a rich and powerful human noble alpha like Wonwoo. The tigers, foxes and leopards seemed to be strangely classier for the rich people. A cat was _too normal_. Joshua knew those hybrids must cost extraordinarily higher than himself and they would be something their owners were proud to show off to other people.

Perhaps, it was still a good thing somehow, because nobody would bother to stare at Joshua, and that was what he really wanted right now. However, the boy was so fixated on the exotic hybrids around him that he did not notice Wonwoo changing his seat from the opposite side of him to his side, and even the waiter had already come to their table. Sitting next to the cat on the same bench, the alpha gently pulled his kitten closer to him and placed a kiss on one of his fluffy ears.

“What’s wrong, baby?” The man asked, highly wary of the surrounding, searching for anything which might make his omega uneasy.

“No… Nothing, master.” Joshua shook his head, speaking in tiny voice, embarrassed by the waiter staring at them doing such an intimate thing.

“Then why are you staring at those hybrids?” Wonwoo did not let go of this topic that easily, feeling sure that there must be a problem. “Is any of them trying to intimidate you?”

“No, master.” The boy shook his head again, turning all of his attention back to his master. “They aren’t doing anything to me.”

Observing the cat’s expression, glancing around one more time, Wonwoo was sure no one was doing anything rude to his kitten, yet the discomfort and insecurity were both being shown obviously by the way his omega fidgeted in his seat.

“We need some time to decide. I will call you later.” The alpha told the waiter, earning a huge relief for Joshua.

Usually, he was fine with those waiters, but not today. He was extremely sensitive and uncomfortable with everything this evening. The only thing that could made him feel safe and peaceful was Wonwoo.

Nothing had prepared Joshua for being picked up by his master in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Placing the hybrid on his lap, Wonwoo put a palm on his kitten’s forehead, slightly frowning in concern.

“You’re quite hot. Are you feeling anything?”

Despite being shy and embarrassed, Joshua was beaten right at the moment Wonwoo’s palm touched his forehead, and he just leaned against his alpha, burying his face into the crook of the man’s neck.

“I don’t know… I just want to go home with you.”

Joshua could not leave out the part “with you”. He particularly wanted to be with Wonwoo. It was good to be at home, their new home, but what he wanted was _being with his alpha only_, and _home_ was where his wish could come true.

“You have to eat first, or else you won’t get through.”

The cat really wanted to ask what _“get through”_ meant, but before he could open his mouth again, Wonwoo had changed their position, turning Joshua to face the table and opening the menu in front of him. However, it was hard to concentrate on the menu, since the boy began to sense jealousy rising up in the space. Some hybrids were staring at him unblinkingly, and perhaps staring at _his alpha_ too. People always stared at Wonwoo. The noble alpha had always been extraordinarily attractive or exceedingly scary to all kinds of omegas and invoked intense curiosity from them. Joshua knew this fact well because he had gone out so many times with his owner.

Nevertheless, he had never felt this irritated. His mind was burning, raging and drowning in hatred. The cat was only snapped out of his strange behavior when Wonwoo kissed his cheek and cooed softly.

“It’s okay, kitten. You don’t have to care about them. Don’t hiss at them like that.”

_Joshua had been hissing?_

It was not typical of him to do that at all. Joshua was not the kind of person who tended to show hostility towards other people. According to what Wonwoo had just said, he had hissed and even snarled at those hybrids.

“I’m sorry, master.” Joshua ducked his head, avoiding looking at those people again.

Wonwoo did not scold his kitten, just showing the menu to the cat, suggesting delicious dishes to him and encouraging him to eat whatever he liked. The boy was amazed by his owner’s generosity and sweetness, but he was too naïve to think any further. Drowning in the happiness of being loved by his alpha, Joshua sat on his master’s lap, choosing the dishes and then waiting together with Wonwoo.

To kill time, Wonwoo snuggled his little kitten, giving kisses on all over his hair, his face, and even kissing Joshua on his lips. The boy was terribly embarrassed but he could not resist his alpha. Between kisses, he could see other human alphas doing intimate things to their omega hybrids as well, but for him and Wonwoo, this was a strange thing, for the first time. Other people did kiss, but no one seemed to be about to devour his omega like how Wonwoo was doing to Joshua.

The boy could not measure how much strength he was using to refrain himself from climbing over Wonwoo’s lap to straddle him and make out with him as how they had always done to each other at home or in the alpha’s office. Joshua did not know why Wonwoo smelled so good to him tonight, as if his mind had gone crazy after a day of him being bitten by his alpha over and over again.

Both of them were reluctant to let go of each other when the food arrived, and Wonwoo’s eyes at that moment almost made Joshua choke on air. If they were at home right now, the boy would think that his master was going to attack him right on the spot. The feral look in those intimidating eyes had never been this clear, forcing Joshua to submit and waking up something inside him that the cat could not understand.

He was still fidgety during the whole time Wonwoo cut the steak for him. Joshua ate by himself, but still on his alpha’s lap. The man was weirdly caring a lot about his kitten’s eating, always making sure to give him enough food and drink, giving so much attention that Joshua started to think he was dreaming. What was happening? Why was he himself strange and why was Wonwoo strange too?

About Wonwoo, he saw some male alphas in the restaurant glancing at his kitten, which was something they should never do when the cat was being with his master who was a noble alpha like him. However, today they just all became shameless and irritated Wonwoo in all ways. They were trying to be discreet, yet Joshua’s alpha was still annoyed and raging. The boy did not recognize the change in his owner’s pheromones as the man intentionally pushed them out to force every alpha in this area stop looking at his omega. It always worked, since noble alphas were not common and there were just few of them in this world. Moreover, Wonwoo was even a particularly powerful and strong one, a person who normal people would try not to mess up with.

Joshua did not think he would have the appetite to eat, but he turned out to eat normally, perhaps because he had been left starving during the whole afternoon and the injection had helped him feel better. He was not feeling much dizzy or nauseous anymore. Every bad side effects brought by the contraceptive pills had fortunately subsided a little, enough for the boy to function properly. He was only weak and tired, and maybe would feel dizzy again if he moved around on his own instead of being carried by his owner.

In the middle of their dinner, a male human alpha in suit came to greet Wonwoo, disturbing their moment. Joshua did not like that at all, but he still bowed to the man and then kept his head low, keeping on eating, because Wonwoo did not like him to eavesdrop on his talk. The boy only wished he could somehow tell his master that he really hated the presence of an alpha in such a short distance, yet he knew he was not allowed to speak while his owner was talking to another person.

Nonetheless, Wonwoo was able to sense the discomfort in his omega. He certainly knew how much Joshua disliked the alphas, and the problem was even more severe after what Mingyu had done to him. Consequently, Wonwoo considerately guided his friend to another corner in the restaurant to have a better position for their conversation, giving his kitten some peace. Before leaving, he kissed the boy’s hair softly and gently told him.

“Kitten, sit here and wait for me. I will go there to talk. You still can see me from here. Okay?”

Looking at his master in the eyes, Joshua obediently nodded, although he just wanted to scream and beg the alpha not to leave him alone here. Having both Wonwoo and the stranger near him was still better than being far away from the said man without his alpha’s presence. However, he could not be bad. He had to be a good pet if he wanted Wonwoo to love him. The cat had just been loved again for not very long; he did not want to destroy his peace one more time.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Joshua tried, it was impossible for him to feel “normal” or comfortable in a public place full of people while his alpha was not right next to him. The hybrid kept glancing anxiously towards his master, gradually getting more and more desperate, totally unaware of his own eyes silently begging Wonwoo to go back. The boy only recognized his misbehavior and even his feeble whimpers when the man scowled and glared at him in obvious displease.

Startled, Joshua ducked his head immediately, staring at his own lap and giving up completely. He had no choice but to wait, and perhaps he had messed up again. Wonwoo had been evidently upset at him. It was just one glance but Joshua could understand it. Fear easily seeped into his mind, causing him to start shivering. It was light at first, but the tremor in his hands got more severe by second. As a person who had already known Wonwoo’s punishment would gradually get worse and worse after each time, Joshua did not dare to think what his master would do to him after they went home tonight. Eventually, the boy ended up dropping his fork on the carpeted floor.

The only thing helping Joshua felt thankful and relieved was that the metal fork did not create much sound when it landed on the floor, or else he would be in huge trouble with Wonwoo. Telling himself that he had dropped just a fork, the hybrid carefully bent down to grab it, but it was unluckily too far away from him. Sighing and biting his lips, the boy carefully got out of his chair to get the fork back.

Too bad for him, previously Wonwoo carried him inside the restaurant. As a result, Joshua did not have the crutch with him right now, which made it extremely difficult for him to move. Much as he disliked it, the cat had to crawl towards the fork. There was no other choice, since the dizziness and the headache were bad enough for the boy to keep his balance. Sitting in one place was good for him, but moving was not. Wonwoo was totally wise when carrying the cat in his arms to everywhere.

Surprisingly, an unfamiliar hand grabbed the fork and that person slowly kneeled down in front of Joshua, giving him the small object. Seeing the long brown brush waving lightly in the air, the cat realized he was facing a fox hybrid, who was possibly an omega too, because Joshua could smell a sweet scent coming from the person in front of him.

Reaching out his hand towards the fork in the fox hybrid’s hand, Joshua intended to take it back and say a _“thank you”_, but that person suddenly pulled his own hand back. A smirk appeared on his face while the cat stared at him in bewilderment.

“Wow, I’m seeing a bad cat!” The brown-haired fox chuckled with a sound that made Joshua really annoyed, but the boy did not dare to say anything yet.

Somehow dumbfounded, he just stared at the other hybrid, and that fox kept on mocking.

“Didn’t your master tell you to sit there? Why are you crawling here?”

This time, Joshua had to explain, a little frightened to recall what Wonwoo had told him.

“I… I just want to pick up my folk.”

“Oh wow, I see why your master put a leash on you.” The smile on the fox’s face grew wide and smug. “Are you being bad again now?”

“No. I’m not bad.” The boy spoke up instantly, defending himself. “I just accidentally dropped my folk and I am…”

The fox impolitely cut him off.

“Oh stop it, please!” Rolling his eyes, he smirked again. “Everybody knows that only bad hybrids deserve a leash. You’re definitely a bad cat. Very very bad cat. Look at me. I’m a fox. I’m a wild animal, but I don’t have any leash. My master doesn’t need to worry about me. Whereas, you’re a cat. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever seen a cat with a leash like this.”

Mentally collapsing, Joshua took a quick glance around the restaurant, and realized that the fox hybrid was not lying even a bit. Every single person was looking at him with a frown, and shook their head. Someone even clicked their tongue and saying something sounding like _“naughty cat.”_

Joshua did not dare to look at Wonwoo.

He was really a bad kitty?

He had just dropped a fork. He may think that it was not a big deal, but after spending a few more seconds thinking about it, Joshua realized that he had made himself a burden for Wonwoo again. He could not continue to eat with this fork. His alpha would have to ask the waiter to bring another fork for him. He shamed his master in a public place, in front of so many people because of his clumsiness. The worst part was that, Wonwoo had told him to _“sit here”_, and he was not doing what he had been told.

The fox seemed to be satisfied with the petrified expression on the cat’s face.

“Let’s see how your master is going to punish you. Your master is a noble alpha, right? Wow, I guess it won’t be easy for you, kitty.”

Before Joshua could come up with a respond, another person approached the cat, and it turned out to be the last one he expected to see in any circumstances.

“What’s going on? What are you doing here, Joshua?”

That person moved to stand next to Joshua and just stayed there, asking and doing nothing to help him get up from the floor. The boy did not need to even look up to see the face of that person. Just by hearing the voice, he was sure that was _the omega he hated most in this world_.

“Sir.” The fox quickly got up on two feet, bowing politely to the red-haired human omega, eyes twinkling with curiosity. “You know this cat? He is being a really bad cat here.”

“Is he?” Wonwoo’s fiancé asked in surprise, but seeming interested in this situation.

“No! I’m not!” Joshua suddenly raised his voice, but it was unintentional. It was the way Soonyoung cocked and eyebrow at him that irked him and made him lose his control. “I’m not a bad cat! I am just…”

“See! He’s talking back at you! He interrupted you, sir!” The fox hybrid kept on accusing Joshua of doing bad things. “His alpha asked him to sit on his chair only but he’s scrawling here while his master isn’t watching.”

It was not until now did Soonyoung lower himself so as to touch the cat hybrid’s leash, causing him to recoil and hastily snatch the string back but the grip of the human omega’s hand was tight. He even pulled it harder towards his own direction, making Joshua stumble. If it had not been for one of his hands already placed on the floor, he would have fallen with his face right on the carpet.

“Wow, when did you get a leash like this, Joshua?” He asked with wide eyes, yet Joshua was able to see the mocking attitude in them. Soonyoung was not any better than the fox.

  
“Why did Wonwoo put a leash on you? You must have been very bad, right?”

“No! I’m not bad! I’m not!” Angrier than ever, Joshua growled, forgetting all of the things the fox had told him. There was only one thing on his mind right now - _his enemy_.

“That’s not how you talk to a human, Joshua!” Soonyoung attempted to reprimand the cat, and Joshua almost bristled.

Nonetheless, his action immediately halted as other people’s words came to his ears.

_“Whose cat is he? Why is he such a bad cat?”_

_“Wow! He’s just an omega pet but he’s growling to a human! So disrespectful!”_

_“Doesn’t he know that he is being punished?”_

_“Have you ever seen a cat with a leash before?”_

_“People always say that cat hybrids are soft and nice but this cat surely isn’t one of them.”_

That was not the worst of things yet.

Joshua had to pay for growling into the face of a human right in a public place. Some waiters came to interfere, scaring the hell out of the cat right on the spot. However, what really made him panic was the manager of the restaurant, who was definitely an alpha, walked straight to him to detach him hand away from the leash, even though Soonyoung was the one pulling his leash. Joshua did not know why he was deemed wrong for doing this, yet no reason was important to him at this moment. His mind only screamed and his whole body desired nothing but running away from the alpha.

Joshua did not know exactly what got out of his mouth after that, but perhaps they were some very loud and annoying sounds, tearing even his own ears apart. The boy only got a bit of his mind back when Wonwoo’s face came to his sight again in such a close distance, close enough for him to see the anger and even the worries, the distress in those usually cold eyes. Joshua did not know what gave him the audacity to believe that those worrying feelings were directed to him, but in just the blink of an eye, he was not scared of Wonwoo even a bit. The boy cried out his alpha’s name and flung himself into Wonwoo’s open arms, crying his eyes out on the man’s shoulder while Wonwoo picked him up again, hugging the trembling cat extremely tightly and securely.

Soonyoung did not know he had just caused trouble until Wonwoo turned to him with fire in his eyes. The scary pheromones made the omega waiters go hide in the kitchen and all of the other omega customers feel frightened.

“Didn’t I say that you aren’t allowed to lay a finger on Joshua?” The alpha growled, throwing a death glare at his fiancé. “Don’t you understand me, Soonyoung?”

“I didn’t do anything to him.” Soonyoung retorted, defending himself. “I just asked him why he got out of his chair while you asked him to…”

“It’s none of your business.” Wonwoo coldly cut off, effortlessly making the omega shut his mouth instantly. Joshua’s hard sobs and tears terribly irritated the alpha to the utmost, and he just deadly wanted to punish someone for this. They were having a nice dinner with each other and then some unexpected people made his omega cry. Wonwoo did not need to raise his voice to express his anger. He was even much scarier when his voice was low and powerful, sounding like growling, forcing the other person to cower. “Even if he burns this restaurant you have no right to question him. You hear me, Kwon Soonyoung?”

Scowling and biting his lips harshly, the red-haired male risked retorting again.

“But I…”

“Now you are talking back to an alpha, Soonyoung?” Wonwoo gave the last warning.

As long as Joshua knew his alpha was not mad at him and the man was scolding other people, he was not scared of anyone anymore, but the frightening feelings brought by the contact of an alpha still scared him to death. The boy clung to Wonwoo for his life, too scared of facing any other alpha again. His whole face was buried into Wonwoo’s shoulder, wetting the man’s shirt, yet his heartbeat gradually slowed down thanks to the gentle hand rubbing his back soothingly.

Getting no more response from Soonyoung, Wonwoo turned his attention to the other one who had also verbally harassed his kitten only to find the fox hybrid trying to run back to his owner.

“Come back here, bitch! You think you can get away from this?”

Under a direct command from a human alpha, the omega fox hybrid had no choice but to stop moving completely. Joshua really wanted to know how the_ bad fox_ was going to be punished, so he tried his best to hold back his own sobs and focus on listening to all the sounds around him. Wonwoo did not move at all; only the fox hybrid went back to the position in front of the alpha, and Joshua could hear so many excuses. Nonetheless, he was somehow satisfied with the fact that the bad fox was no longer arrogant. He was evidently pleading, desperately trying to make himself innocent.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do anything bad to your cat. I just saw him crawling on the floor to get his fork and I tried to tell him to get back to his chair quickly because I was afraid that you would get mad at him and punish him! I didn’t do anything to h…”

“Liar!” Joshua croaked out, voice so broken but he still tried again without getting out of his safe position. “He lies! He lies!”

Frowning, Wonwoo could see the fox panicked.

“I’m sure this is a misunderstanding. Please! I beg you, alpha! I didn’t…”

What happened right after that was really quick.

Joshua heard someone running towards them, and in just a few seconds, hundreds of apologies were voiced out by a person who was probably the fox’s owner. Joshua could hear the man scolding his hybrid, and then there was a very loud whimper coming from the fox, informing Joshua that the _bad fox_ was being dragged out of the restaurant.

“It’s okay, Joshua.” Wonwoo murmured softly to his baby, sounding completely opposite to how he was in just a few seconds ago. One of his hands was still trying to soothe the cat by giving him tender stroke on his back and ears. Giving a kiss on Joshua’s hair, the alpha assured him. “I’m sorry. Things like that won’t happen again. I’m sorry, kitten.”

Among all of the things Wonwoo was doing for him now, what made Joshua warm in his heart most was his alpha’s apology. It was like a dream for him to hear his master saying _sorry _to him again, after all the overwhelming pain that the man had brought to him. Joshua wanted to hear more of it, but he was not stupid. He knew it would not happen, because Wonwoo would just apologize for not being able to protect him from other people. The alpha would never apologize for the pain he caused by himself.

Joshua thought that Wonwoo would bring him home right away, but the appearance of a few more people stopped them from getting their own peace. The boy guessed there were at least two people throwing angry words at his alpha, yet they were speaking so fast and furiously that the boy could not figure out all the words, since he was literally still crying and had not got over his fear yet. The worse thing was, he could sense the presence of an alpha who was being angry.

Was that Soonyoung’s alpha father?

What Joshua could hear most clearly was Wonwoo’s voice only.

“I don’t care. Joshua is mine and no one has the right to mess with him, even your son.” His voice was cold and stern, leaving no room for argument. “Try hurting Joshua and see how I am going to make you regret your whole life.”

Obviously, Soonyoung’s parents were mad because Wonwoo scolded their son for mistreating _a pet_.

“Remember this. I’m going to be your son-in-law and that doesn’t mean I will be your son and have to obey whatever you want me to do. Mind your own business. I’m the only one who has the right over my omega.”

Before walking away, Wonwoo left one last savage reminder.

“And please, don’t forget that _Soonyoung agrees with this by himself_. He has already committed to a marriage without caring about my omega. Is this clear enough for you?”

Putting a kiss on Joshua’s ear to soothe the cat one more time and also to annoy the other people, Wonwoo gently announced to the boy.

“Let’s go home, kitten.”

The boy nodded, still keeping his face hidden in his alpha’s shoulder, temporarily happy for being protected by the man he loves. Wonwoo had emphasized so many times in front of his future _parents-in-law_ that Joshua was _“his omega”_. Consequently, the boy would wholeheartedly try to live in this sweet little generosity the alpha gave him. Slowly moving his face to the crook of Wonwoo’s neck in order to make it easier for himself to take in his scent, Joshua started to dream of his future life. Was it stupid of him to think that it was possible for him to live happily with Wonwoo as his greatest alpha obviously only loved him and had no care about Soonyoung’s feelings?

Sitting in the car, Wonwoo did not rush starting the engine yet. Keeping Joshua on his lap as usual, he squeezed the boy’s tightly in his arms, kissing the red mark he left on the cat’s neck to send him some comfort.

“Don’t cry, baby. It’s fine.” Lowering his voice more, Wonwoo gave his kitten some kisses on his cheeks to dry the tears, making the boy melt under the sweet affection. He utterly loved the hands rubbing his back tenderly, and loved the voice his alpha was using to talk to him. “Next time when you see Soonyoung, just ignore him. You don’t have to listen to whatever he tells you. I’m sorry. I didn’t know he would do that to you. I’m sorry. I was late.”

Joshua nodded, feeling relieved to get an official permission. It was deadly hard for him to behave in front of Soonyoung. He wanted nothing but to snarl right to the omega’s face, or even glare at him, because he hated his enemy. He wished Soonyoung could disappear from this world forever, so that he would never lose Wonwoo. Wonwoo would always be his own, and he would be the alpha’s first - and maybe only - omega spouse.

It was painful for Joshua to suddenly remember that he would never be Wonwoo's first omega, since _another omega had already been biten _after being raped. The boy knew he was insane. He had lost his mind completely. He was wishing to have the man who assaulted his best friend and knotted him without his consent. The fact could never be changed. The damage Wonwoo had done would be there forever, unless Jeonghan could run away with Seungcheol in at least one year. On the other hand, it meant Joshua would not have the chance to see Jeonghan again until a year passed by and the unwanted mark disappeared. Joshua did not dare to think much more about it. Everything was painful. He disliked every single thought about what Wonwoo had done to Jeonghan, although his brain was forcing him to think of it over and over again. Joshua just wished for this pain to stop, wished to be able to do something to change something.

The fact was, he could not do anything, except for clinging to Wonwoo for the last hope of his life. He would never see Jeonghan again if he failed to survive his life of being with Wonwoo. He would make his alpha hate Jeonghan even more if he made a mistake of mentioning his best friend in front of his master, and that would be a great danger to the rabbit hybrid. Where was Jeonghan now? Was he really safe? Did Seungcheol take him far away enough? Would Wonwoo find them?

Nonetheless, what incredibly warmed Joshua’s heart currently was the way Wonwoo had apologized to him over and over again. The alpha was saying sorry because he failed to protect his kitten from Soonyoung’s rudeness. Of course, Joshua had never thought that the red-haired omega would treat him nicely, but it was unexpected for him to eventually know that Wonwoo would try to protect him from his fiancé. What the man had said was like a promise for Joshua, letting him believe that his alpha would never allow anyone including his fiancé to mistreat him or make him cry.

Still rubbing Joshua’s back and giving him kisses, Wonwoo did not want to start the car before his kitten stopped crying. The boy was clearly much calmer now, but his scent was not good enough to Wonwoo. What he could smell from the hybrid was not sadness, but fear.

“Are you still scared of the alphas, Joshua?” Staring at the boy deep in the eyes, he whispered a question in concern. The scene he had witnessed in the restaurant was like a nightmare. Wonwoo once thought that his kitten only reacted in that way towards Mingyu due to what the giant man had done. Nonetheless, things were so much different from his thought. When the manager approached Joshua, the boy reacted as if the said man was about to kill him, and the hybrid literally lost control in the blink of an eye.

One more time, Joshua nodded, shivering at the mention of that incident, making Wonwoo think of letting his omega see a psychiatrist for the first time. Mingyu had accidentally broken his process of healing and now Joshua was still the same as the day he had been brought to his new masters’ apartment. Nevertheless, when thinking of the boy’s mental condition, Wonwoo could not help wondering if the boy was scared of him as well.

It was difficult to assess this problem. There was an obvious constant fear in all of the boy’s words and actions, yet the way he reacted towards Wonwoo was considerably different from how he did towards other alphas. Should he believe that the magic causing this to happen was the great love his kitten had for him? Was the doctor they had met this afternoon right? That man said Joshua evidently trusted Wonwoo or at least _blindly loved him_. No matter what happened, the cat always ran back to Wonwoo, even after the lead alpha hit him, hurt him, threatened to rape and knot him, and even after he found out what his master had done to his best friend. His fear was more intense, yet he did not become any more distant to his owner.

At this moment, Joshua was melting under all of the gentle touch Wonwoo gave him, and the alpha did not expect himself to feel this satisfied to see his omega slowly calming down thanks to his presence. The boy was still sniffling, but he remained eye contact with his alpha, both hands gripping the front of his owner’s shirt tightly. However, Wonwoo was seriously caught off guard when Joshua suddenly begged him again.

“Master… Can you please… bite me again?” Biting his own lips harshly, the cat pleaded his master through his eyes as well, expectantly waiting for a positive answer. “Not… not the kind of bite you use to soothe me. Can you please do it like what you did this morning? Like… deepen the mark?”

Frowning in concern, Wonwoo began to have a bad feeling about this. When Joshua’s heat was near last time, the boy did not behave strangely like this. He had been considerably comfortable with all kinds of intimacy, but he had not desperately needed his alphas’ presence or the feeling of being owned and protected like this. His condition right now could not be explained by any hormonal reason. The problem could only come from his mind which seemed to have been ruined beyond repair.

“I have already bitten you five times today, baby.” He reminded the boy. “I’m sure you already reek of me a lot now.”

“Please, master. Just one more time.” Joshua still begged, looking as if he would burst into tears if his owner refused to bite him.

Wonwoo failed to resist his kitten when the boy wanted to be bitten so badly like this, and he wanted his baby to stop being frightened by the incidence in the restaurant anymore. If his bite could help Joshua feel safe again and forget everything horrible in that place, he should not hesitate any longer.

Wonwoo could see how much his bite hurt the cat, and he wondered how it was possible for the boy to desire something which could bring so much pain to him so many times within just a short day. During the first days, Joshua had always cried whenever Wonwoo bit him. Later, he did not shed tears anymore, but the sign of pain was still obvious. This time definitely was not an exception, yet the boy did seem much calmer afterwards, giving some relief to his master. Nevertheless, from tonight, Wonwoo could not think his kitten was normal anymore.

Joshua seemed to be so contented that he even fell asleep on Wonwoo’s lap although the way home was not long. The alpha understood how tired his kitten was, yet the worries in his heart were still torturing him. Bringing the cat out of the cat and walked into their new house, the man kept wondering how Joshua could keep on clinging to him like this after all. It was such a huge question which caused Wonwoo to wonder if his omega was _stupid_ or _broken_.

No. Joshua was not stupid at all. He might be naïve and silly sometimes, but not stupid. However, he was likely to be just as broken as Wonwoo had hoped him to be. The man knew he was the one who was determined to abuse his kitten until the boy broke and knew no one but his master only. In the end, everything did not turn out to be the same as what Wonwoo had expected.

Joshua slept in his alpha’s arms, regardless of the man’s movement. The boy only woke up when Wonwoo kissed one of his ears and whispered something to him to drag him out of his slumber. Opening his eyes, Joshua saw himself still straddling Wonwoo’s lap while his owner was sitting on the bed of their new bedroom. The place was strange but a little familiar since the hybrid had had the chance to visit it once, yet he felt quite uncomfortable. The boxes were scattered around the room, but left enough space for both of them to move around conveniently. Last time, the bed had not been here but now it was. In spite of the fact that Wonwoo had bought the bed without consulting him, Joshua was happy to have a proper bed to sleep tonight. He had been so silly when thinking that sleeping in the new house would be a huge problem today because they had not had enough time to buy any furniture.

He forgot that Wonwoo was a freaking rich man, and his money had the power to solve countless problems.

“You should take a shower first, baby.” The alpha gently told his kitten while Joshua rubbed his eyes lazily. “I have to open those boxes and arrange something.”

The cat obediently nodded.

“Yes, master.”

Silently sitting on the bed alone, Joshua observed Wonwoo taking out the necessary things for both of them. After a few short minutes, the alpha had finished a brief set up in the bathroom and then brought his kitten there as usual. Joshua was so tired that he did not even want to take a shower, but he knew he had to. Nobody likes a dirty cat. Wonwoo would not love to have a stinky cat on his bed.

Furthermore, how could Joshua go against his alpha’s command?

At least, in the restroom, the boy was contented to realize that the omega he hated most in this world would never be allowed to step into this bedroom, which was only Joshua and Wonwoo’s private space. Standing beneath the shower, the boy let himself drift away with the knowledge of Soonyoung forever being in a position that would always be lower than Joshua in this house.

Was he being deluded? With a hazy mind, Joshua did not think he was deluded at all. He was the one who was chosen to sleep in the same bed with Wonwoo, not Soonyoung. Wonwoo scolded Soonyoung for bullying him, but did not give Joshua any harsh words about the incidence in the restaurant.

Wonwoo said Joshua was _his omega_, so the boy would believe that he truly was.

Outside the bathroom, Wonwoo was waiting for his kitten to bring him back to the big fluffy bed. The hybrid had his bandage changed, had his hair dried by his master, and a glass full of water was brought to his mouth after his alpha had given him the pills for tonight. After everything was done, Joshua felt so comfortable and exhausted that he could not resist the temptation of his God any longer. Leaning all of his weight against Wonwoo, the cat buried his face in the alpha’s shoulder, hugging him loosely but intimately and even possessively.

However, Wonwoo was not feeling as comfortable as Joshua currently. With his hands on the boy’s back, the man could feel a strange heat all over his kitten’s body. The clingy cat seemed like having a fever, but not hot enough to be really feverish, and his scent did not resemble the smell of a sick omega. He was sweet, very sweet, alluring, and deadly irresistible.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? What's wrong with Joshua now? I guess you might know hehe :">  
Again, the final tragedy is coming soon. Right in the next chapter. I hope you will look forward to it ><
> 
> I'm really eager and even desperate to know how you think or feel about this chapter ;_; The number of views and comments have dropped drastically from the previous chapter, perhaps because of the virus crisis T_T Please take care of yourself, be careful, don't go out too much. If you go out, please remember to wear masks. I wish all of us will be healthy and safe after all!!! Fighting!!!!
> 
> Love you ^^


	62. Fate is unfair, and brutal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua's heat came.  
It was also the day he had to face his fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Take a deep breath before reading, and take a look at the negative tags for this fic again.
> 
> Writing this chapter is bad for my mental health ;_;

Joshua whined very loudly when Wonwoo pulled him away so that the man could go to the bathroom to wash himself. Wonwoo thought he even had just heard the boy yowling sadly and his ears clearly flopped, proving how bad he felt to be away from his alpha right now. The man shushed his boy by a tender kiss on his ear, encouraging him to rest since the day had already been tiring enough for him. Joshua nodded but he did not obey his master. Fidgeting on the bed uncomfortably for a while, he decided to get up, looking for the boxes which contained Wonwoo’s clothes, pulling it to the closet and then making some arrangements. Joshua’s head was spinning, yet he thought it was fine enough for him to do this, because putting clothes into a wardrobe did not require too much movement that may make him dizzier anyway.

Besides, Joshua’s mind was too chaotic and messy for him to sleep right now. He needed more time to calm down after everything happening in the restaurant, especially when Wonwoo was not by his sides.

However, sitting on the floor in just about five minutes did not seem to be as comfortable as what Joshua had thought. He started to feel a strange pain in all his limbs, as if he had just had a physical fight with someone and now his body was suffering from the consequence. It was a weird pain that did not subside even after he lied down on the bed. Tossing and turning on the mattress with a scrunched face in five more minutes, Joshua slowly realized a familiar cramp in his stomach. The moment the boy started to get frightened was also when he recognized a thin layer of sweat covering his whole body. Every inch of his skin was burning, itching, and just wanted to be touched, but not by himself. His underwear was slowly getting wet, but not just because of the sweat.

Joshua could smell the slick by himself, and Wonwoo’s scent in the closed bathroom attacked his lungs like the most attractive and virile one in this world. The heat was here. It came again, with its full force, and Joshua was here with no one to help him. There was no one the boy could seek for the help or the protection he wanted. The cat was literally locked in the same house with the monster that would not have any mercy for him today and would destroy him to oblivion.

Petrified, Joshua scrambled to get out of the bed, ending up falling on the floor since he could not walk to anywhere without the crutch. Nonetheless, the hybrid was no longer calm enough to think properly right now. All he knew was that he had to run, or things would end here. His life would end when Wonwoo walked out of the restroom and found him in heat, leaking slick and smelling more tempting than how he had ever been.

Fortunately, the crutch was already right next to the bed, so Joshua only needed to grab it and headed towards the door. He fell after just after moving not longer than one meter away from the bed, as his body was originally not healthy enough for this kind of hasty movement. He had never stopped feeling dizzy, and the heat burning him inside out was just worsening all of the bad conditions. The fall hurt the hybrid, making him whimper in pain and even desperately yearn for Wonwoo. Joshua was not sure if it was his true self or merely the biological side speaking on its own anymore. He wanted Wonwoo to hug him and soothe him but also wanted to escape the man at the same time.

Trying to ignore the pain, Joshua used both shaky hands to push himself up again, standing up on one foot with the help of the crutch and walking to the door. Slick trickled down his legs in his pants. His soul was screaming to him, yelling at him, telling him to stop acting so stupid and just go back to the bed to wait for his alpha to come and help him. However, Joshua’s brain told the opposite, but the boy’s brain had already been broken so long ago by the said alpha and whatever he was doing was not wise even a bit.

Joshua should have known that he was never supposed to run away from Wonwoo.

The boy almost reached the door, but all of his effort to run was gone when an arm sneaked around his waist and held him back. The crutch was instantly dropped while the hybrid’s whole body was pulled back to be pressed against another body and completely trapped. Panicking, Joshua kept thrashing to get out of those strong arms which were wrapping extremely tightly around him and turning all his movements into useless attempts. No matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to escape once Wonwoo had got him, and he was just adding more fuel into the man’s burning anger.

“Where are you going, Joshua?” Wonwoo growled and gritted his teeth, voice low and dark as a real Satan’s in Joshua’s ears, successfully scaring the boy without dropping a sweat.

“No… master… Please no… It’s… it’s not three days yet…” The cat replied in tears, breathing hard and fast as his heart was racing in his chest due to the intense fear he was forced to face.

He did not know it was a huge mistake to bring up the matter of contraception.

“So you take that as a reason to run away from me?” Mumbling in great fury, Wonwoo dragged his kitten back to the bed. “Yesterday who said he wanted to have my kids? And now it’s your reason to run away?”

Joshua lost all senses of direction after being thrown on the bed, and he only knew he was lying on his belly on the mattress at the moment Wonwoo’s weight crushed his whole body and the alpha’s breath was right by his ear. In such a close distance with his alpha, Joshua could do nothing to stop his hole from crying, as if it were begging to be devoured while the boy genuinely did not want it at all. He wanted nothing like that. It was only his physical body and the damn biological gene of an omega inside him that wanted an alpha’s dick right away.

“Please… master… no… not like this…” The boy kept begging in vain, voice broken and breathless. “I beg you… please… please don’t… It’s not… it’s not three days…”

_“Three days.”_ Wonwoo growled into the cat’s ear, making him shiver in utter fear. “That’s just a fucking limit for those pills. You know what? Right at the moment your heat comes, you’re ready to be knotted without getting pregnant. You think why the hell did I have to trigger your heat? Don’t you think that I know you will freak out? Isn’t this the best way to ease out some of your fear, Joshua? And now you’re begging _not to do it_?”

In such a condition, Joshua could not figure out what he might have done wrong to Wonwoo. As an omega who used to be abused, beaten, raped, and now was in heat, the boy was unable to make any single nerve in his brain to believe that it would be good for him to be near an alpha at this time. And it was definitely the worse to be with Wonwoo, who was ready to do anything to abuse him again, to break him, and force him to submit so that the alpha could get whatever he wanted. Wonwoo would not be able to control his inner beast as a whole delicious meal was given to him. The alpha would take all until there was nothing left for him to use, regardless of the victim’s feelings.

Instead of speaking, Joshua could only squirm in an attempt to break free, unconsciously whimpering and crying harder by seconds. Nonetheless, the more he panicked, the more he fought, and the more livid Wonwoo became.

“Don’t you hear me, Joshua? I did this for you. I wanted to make it less painful for you but this is how you pay me back? You chose all of this by yourself and now you beg me not to do it? I thought I should be nice to you, but do you think you really deserve it?”

All the words Wonwoo had just spitted out only drowned Joshua deeply in the greatest fear which he could never cope with. Sobbing pathetically, the cat tried to move, but his alpha’s body on his own did not give him any chance to do so, and he could only beg again while the tears kept cascading down his cheeks, wetting the mattress.

“I beg you… master… I’m scared… I’m scared… Please, don’t… Not when I’m in heat… no…”

Wonwoo did not answer him.

Sitting up, the alpha moved out of his omega’s body. In just one quick and brutal movement, he ripped off Joshua’s pants along with his underwear, leaving the boy half naked from his waist downwards.

The last piece of Joshua’s mind flew out of his head in the blink of an eye.

Screaming loudly in terror, the hybrid scrambled to get out of the bed again, but fell on the ground one more time, and he tried to crawl away from the monster. Wonwoo easily got his kitten back just by one arm wrapping around the boy’s thin waist, throwing him back on the bed and taking out from his pocket a silk tie, which Joshua had not known his master had already prepared for this to come.

Wonwoo had planned everything and Joshua was just an idiot moving on the arranged path, following whatever his owner had wanted him to do.

The hybrid wanted to fight and escape, but he was too weak to function properly. After being thrown the second time, he lost directions, and the dizziness was threatening to make his brain go numb. As a result, Joshua just lied there on his back, crying and sobbing while Wonwoo grabbed both of his already bruised wrists, tying them to the bedpost by his tie. The other end of the leash was taken off the cat’s wrist so as just to be pulled by the alpha’s hand when he wanted to show authority and power over the poor omega crying in vain.

“You force me to do this, Joshua.” Wonwoo snarled, eyes red with the anger of a betrayed wild animal. His kitten was crying, shedding so much tears, trembling violently underneath him. It did hurt the alpha incredibly, shattering his heart apart, but also putting his said heart on fire. He had prepared everything to reduce the pain and fear for his omega, yet Joshua understood nothing. The boy was crying and begging Wonwoo to stop, _“not when I’m in heat”_, while this was exactly what the alpha wanted.

Nobody ever understood that what Wonwoo had done for them was just because he loved them.

Wonwoo used to think that Joshua did. In the end, it turned out that the boy did not understand anything either. The cat chose this, agreed to this, decided to follow Wonwoo, and now he was begging as if Wonwoo was going to rape him. It could not be called _“rape”_ when both of them had already agreed on this, right? Was this a surprise for Joshua? No. Why the boy did not even seem to be attracted by Wonwoo at this moment? The heat had come fully, which the alpha could tell according to the omega’s scent and pheromones, and Joshua should be willing to give all of his body to his master right now, right here.

Wonwoo did not want to hurt Joshua. He did not want to tie his kitten. Yet, _the boy forced him to do this._ He could not blame anyone. He was the stupid one who did not understand Wonwoo’s love and had to pay for what he had done to his master. Joshua could get hurt then why Wonwoo could not? Had anybody ever thought that Wonwoo did feel the pain caused by what his beloved people had done to him? Like this moment, did Joshua even know how terrible and irritated and exasperated his alpha felt when the boy was crying as if he were about to be raped by a monster which was not less cruel than his previous owner?

Joshua could not stop his mouth from whimpering in agony when he could do nothing but watch Wonwoo tore his shirt apart, revealing his whole body to the man’s eyes. The hybrid’s skin was pale, which made the faded bruises still visible, but Wonwoo did not seem to care anymore. The man leaned over and ravished his omega’s neck and shoulders with bites and kisses, leaving hundreds of red marks on everywhere. The cat kept squirming and moving his legs, as the uncontrollable fear did not give up finding a way to escape. Unfortunately, that was what annoyed Wonwoo and caused the man to become even angrier.

For the second time in just one day, Joshua had to take the punishing bite. He screamed and squeezed his eyes shut tightly in the extreme pain his body was not capable of enduring. It was so terrifying and painful that the cat could not stop screaming even when Wonwoo had already detached his teeth from the slightly bleeding mark. Nonetheless, his body had stopped moving completely after the punishment wrecked it and destroyed his mind. Irked by the scream, the alpha covered his omega’s mouth by one hand, the other one gripping the hybrid’s hip with no mercy. Staring at Joshua directly in his watery eyes, Wonwoo growled again, more like a demon instead of a human.

Perhaps, the demon inside him had already eaten his soul and left nothing.

“I intended to be gentle to you tonight, but it seems like you prefer punishment.”

Not very slowly, Wonwoo moved his hand lower to the position between Joshua’s legs, sneaking further until it reached the boy’s leaking hole. It was really wet, as how a hole of an omega in heat should be, and Wonwoo could easily push his two fingers inside. However, Joshua still winced and jolted in pain. His mouth wanted to let out another the scream, but his alpha’s hand did not allow it to do that.

“_Be good, Joshua_.” Mumbling into the hybrid’s ear, Wonwoo gave him the direct command, causing the boy to shiver in fright. “If you’re good, I will be gentle to you. Or else, I will ruin you completely. Understand?”

Joshua nodded frantically as much as Wonwoo’s hand on his mouth allowed him to, but he was unable to help his body. It tensed up right at the moment the alpha’s fingers entered him, yet his hole was clenching and leaking more slick at the same time, as if begging to be violated more and more. The boy was having physical reaction to his master’s touch, but he did not like it at all. The fact that Joshua’s body yearned for Wonwoo did not mean he was enjoying this. In his mind, there was nothing except for fright and darkness. What he should do to be _“good”_ to Wonwoo? How could he stop his tears from falling? How could he force his body to stay still if later his alpha hurt him and he could not bear the pain or he was just too scared?

Without a care of the rising terror in the omega’s heart, Wonwoo left kisses on all over the shaking boy’s skin, giving him red marks and drowning him in his own scent, letting his possessiveness rise to its highest level and take control over all of his actions. Wonwoo had been holding himself back from claiming Joshua as his for a so long time. It was a huge struggle. It was torturous, painful, frustrating and dreadful as hell to restrain himself from eating his kitten alive. Now, it was time for Wonwoo to release his thirst for the boy to satiate his own desire. The alpha wanted his omega to smell exactly like him, to have his kissing mark on every spot of his body, and to submit to him as his good and obedient baby. Wonwoo was willing to give his kitten everything only if the boy agreed to devote himself without any complaint or objection.

Wonwoo might seem not to care at all about Joshua’s feelings but in fact he did. Although the fury was still combusting in his chest, he took his fingers out of the cat’s hole, using that hand to stroke the omega’s hard cock and roaming the other hand on the hybrid’s torso in an attempt to help the boy forget part of his fear. Taking Wonwoo’s kisses on his lips, Joshua closed his eyes, letting the tears fall as he tried to breathe. The boy’s heavy sobs turned into hiccups, and he hated his moans which were being muffled by his master. His body was on fire; his cock was unbelievably hard and leaking precum, but Joshua still could not find any part of himself that liked what was happening to him.

The moment the cat’s red cock squirted his cum in Wonwoo’s hand, he only cried harder and louder, feeling embarrassed and humiliated. He was being raped and he still cum. It was an embarrassment that made Joshua feel nothing but want to die. He wanted all of this to end, but Wonwoo had not even started yet. The tie around the omega’s wrist was tight enough to hurt him. Joshua wanted it to be taken off, but he knew Wonwoo would not set him free this easily, since the hybrid could not make sure he would not fight back either.

Although Joshua had just reached his “orgasm”, his cock did not soften and he felt nothing better. Nonetheless, hell was coming so close; Wonwoo had just taken off his clothes, which meant the end for the cat was about to happen in just a few more seconds. When the alpha spread the hybrid’s legs, Joshua found it awfully hard to breath. He was too scared to even know how to sob properly. Strings of painful whimpers escaped his mouth, yet the boy no longer begged his master to have some mercy for him. Joshua was hopeless, wishing to die right on the spot in order not to go through this hell again.

It could somehow become heaven if Wonwoo had waited until the day Joshua was ready. It could possibly become less painful and dreadful for the boy if Wonwoo had had sign of being gentle to him. Unfortunately, those were not what was happening.

_“If you’re good, I will be gentle to you. Or else, I will ruin you completely.”_

Joshua knew he would be ruined until there was nothing left.

How it would feel if his tears made Wonwoo angrier and the man decided to give him the punishing bite again? Was it possible to survive?

In a split second, Joshua wished he was just going through a nightmare again, and when he opened his eyes, he would once again see his gentle and considerate Wonwoo, who used to love him and adore him more than anyone else in this world.

This was not a nightmare. Only the beautiful images in his mind belonged to a long gone past which just seemed to be a wild dream now.

Joshua totally lost his mind after his alpha entered him, pushing the whole length inside in less than three seconds as the man could not resist the toxic temptation of his kitten anymore. Frightened, petrified, and hurt, Joshua opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. A violent tremor wrecked the boy’s whole body, and one second later, he lied limply on the bed, having no more will or strength to move a finger.

The most important thing was that, he did not dare to move, because he knew punishment would come to a hybrid who failed to please his master. His owner would hit him if he dared to fight back, scream or even just cry. Joshua had been beaten almost to death so many times but he still cried, cried, and called out for his savior to help him. That was how he was described as _a disobedient cat_ which the human alphas would not want to have. They wanted a good kitty that could devote their body willingly to please their sexual desires. Joshua knew he would be beaten again. He would bleed everywhere. All of the wounds which had not healed would break again.

Wonwoo saw the boy he loved crying so hard, sobbing so heavily. Part of him thought he should wait a little more; perhaps the cat would calm down and adjust to the intrusion in a few more minutes. Nonetheless, that was too long for the alpha’s patience and self-control at this fatal moment while Joshua literally had no sign of a possibility of becoming calmer. The young omega kitten was extraordinarily tight. His hole was wet, hot, and hugging Wonwoo’s cock so perfectly. It was painful for the boy, but for the alpha, this was purely heaven, which was inviting him to take, take, and take.

The aggressive grunts, groans, and the striking pheromones of the alpha effortlessly beat the hybrid to submission, scaring the hell out of him. Joshua was familiar with those kinds of sounds and pheromones, but this time, they were so much worse, so much more powerful, threatening to crush him to death, stealing his slightest wish to protest. However, the most obvious display of submission from the cat did nothing good to Wonwoo’s self-restraint. He could not stop. He could not resist this any longer. His beloved kitten was right in his arms, spread beneath him, having his rock hard cock buried deep inside him. Reacting to the alpha’s penetration, Joshua’s body even produced more slick, giving off an unexpectedly sweeter scent to drive the man insane, asking him to extinguish the fire in the omega in his heat, _asking him to mate_.

Wonwoo failed, and Joshua broke completely.

Wonwoo was not gentle. He was not slow, either. He had no care about the fact that he was a noble human alpha, while his partner, _his victim_, was just a sick young omega hybrid who was a hundred times weaker than him both mentally and physically. His thrusts were quick and powerful. If it had not been for the alpha’s hands holding the omega tightly, the boy would have had been jolted until his head hit the bedpost. The cat whimpered in utter pain, but what was clearer than the pain was his fear, his trauma. Joshua could not breath. He wished his God could come here to save him from this monster like how he had always done. Joshua did not want anyone. He just wanted his God. He could not think of anyone apart from that man.

“Master…” The boy opened his mouth to speak between the endless whimpers which were slowly becoming breathless.

Wonwoo thought the hybrid was about to beg him to stop, but the fact was different.

“Wonwoo… help… help me…” Joshua cried out, not looking at the brutal alpha in front of him at all. His eyes were unfocused, and Wonwoo realized his omega _did not recognize who the abuser was_ any longer.

“It hurts… Wonwoo… Wonwoo… help me…” The cat kept crying and begging in vain.

For a split second, the alpha was so shocked that all of his movements were halted. Breathing heavily, he stared at his kitten, hearing the boy calling his names a few more times in despair. Joshua was calling out for him like how he had done when Mingyu approached him in the hospital. At that time, the cat was too scared, and he just screamed Wonwoo’s name to seek for his protection. This time was not any different from that. Wonwoo could not fully understand what was going on in Joshua’s mind. Was the boy so ruined that he himself could not accept the fact the cruel alpha who was raping him was actually his greatest alpha, the man he had always loved and worshiped?

If Joshua currently mistook Wonwoo as his previous owner, it did not make sense either. If the boy had, he should have called out for Jeonghan, not _Wonwoo_ like that. No part of the hybrid was normal anymore. He was damaged, destroyed, and petrified beyond Wonwoo’s imagination.

Biting his lips harshly, groaning deeply in utter frustration, Wonwoo tried his best to fight against his own madness in order to stop moving. Nevertheless, it was incredibly difficult, especially when he was having to himself an omega in heat, an omega who was having the intense need to mate. In front of him, Joshua seemed like he wanted to scream again, but no sound could come out, and he was just gasping for air like a dying fish stuck on land. The boy could not breathe even when he tried to. He was not afraid of death; the cat was only afraid of being tortured by that monster over and over again but still unable to die. Then, he would pass out just to wake up to see himself being molested and hit again.

The next thing Joshua’s mind barely registered was that his both wrists were freed. Instantly, his first reaction was to use one hand to rub the bruised wrist of the other side, but he was not allowed to. Two different hands pinned them down, yet not with the force which had been used when they tied him anymore. Those hands kept Joshua in place, and slowly rubbed his bruised skin as well. The boy saw the demon leaning closer to him. By instincts, the poor omega squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered in terror. His already messed up mind thought the demon was going to give him the punishing bite although his previous owner had never put his teeth on him even once.

Joshua was dumbfounded when the monster placed a tender kiss on his sweaty forehead.

Those lips slowly moved down to one of his cheeks, and stopped at the boy’s lips to give him another gentle kiss. It was not until then did the cat dared to open his eyes and look at the person in front of him. The monster was staring at him with so much pain in his dark eyes. Why was a monster kissing him? How could a monster know how to treat him tenderly?

“I’m Wonwoo, kitten.” The alpha whispered to his omega, trying to make the boy recognize him again, wishing to gain even just a little bit calmness in him, or make him less frightened. “I’m Wonwoo. I’m here, Joshua. I’m…”

“No! NO!” Unexpectedly, Joshua screamed, shedding even more tears than before, and he started to squirm, even thrash. “NO! You aren’t Wonwoo! Don’t fool me! You aren’t Wonwoo! Where is Wonwoo! Master!!! Help me!!! Wonwoo!!! Wonwoo!!!”

The boy no longer recognized his greatest alpha. _His mind refused to believe that the man talking to him and raping right now was the God he had always loved and looked up to_.

The cat’s movements in his effort to escape did nothing good to him or Wonwoo. The alpha was in the state where he was extremely sensitive and easy to be irked by anything that was not _his victim_’s submission. Gritting his teeth, he tried to convince Joshua he was _his Wonwoo_ again, but to no avail. The boy kept shaking his head frantically, crying his eyes out and screaming for _his real Wonwoo_ to save him.

_“No! You aren’t Wonwoo! Liar! You aren’t Wonwoo! Wonwoo! Master! Help! Help!”_

The screams horribly irritated Wonwoo in the worst way, so he beat the omega to submission again.

The punishing bite was used one more time, and Joshua gave up completely after a hoarse and awful scream. A hand let go of his wrist but just to cover his mouth and prevented any other sounds from coming out. The boy had one arm free yet he did nothing except for taking the brutal thrusts and crying. Overwhelmed by the pain and the fear, Joshua passed out, earning for himself some moments of peace in the darkness, but it was impossible for that peace to last long. Another shock brought consciousness back to the hybrid, and that was when things came to the worst of the worst.

When the boy opened his eyes, he saw himself sitting on the monster’s lap while the monstrous dick deep inside him had just inflated to form the biggest knot Joshua did not know could ever exist in this world. His scream was broken just like his mind, his soul, and his heart. His cursed cock squirted cum for the second time of the night but brought him no joy or relief. All the boy could feel was pain and misery. He felt the alpha’s seeds filling him, perhaps too much but there was literally no room for anything to leak out because it was freaking tight down there. It was too tight, causing the cat to cry harder although he did not know he still had more tears to shed.

“It hurts… Wonwoo… Wonwoo… help…” Joshua begged between his sobs, forever unable to recognize the man he was facing at this moment. The boy only wanted his God to appear and save him from this tragedy, but the alpha did not show up. Even if he did later, it was already too late.

The trembling hybrid saw the monster leaning closer to him again, yet this time what the cruel alpha gave him was not the punishing bite anymore. The collar was thrown away together with the leash. The alpha’s sharp teeth dug deeply into his temporary mark, claiming him as an owned omega forever. The poor boy in pain screamed one more time, and Wonwoo’s name was lost in the hybrid’s longest and loudest scream of his life.

In his heart, Joshua wanted to apologize to his master, because he failed to save himself for Wonwoo. His God would not be the first alpha in this world to mark him, which also meant the cat’s dream was shattered into pieces. He felt the pain everywhere, in his lower body, in his heart, on his neck, and in his chest. The more he sobbed, the more painful everything became, and the harder for him to breathe. The hybrid fell limply on the monster who was holding his hips extremely tightly, leaving dark bruises on his tainted skin.

The whimpers and pain drowned Joshua in the darkness again, making him feel like this life was no worth living anymore. While consciousness slipped away from the omega again, he quietly mumbled his alpha’s name so many times, desperately using all of his last strength to wish for his master to come here and save him. Perhaps, Wonwoo did not come tonight; the alpha could not save him today, but tomorrow he would come. Joshua believed his God would take him out of hell, hug him and protect him in his warm embrace, give him solace, and love him again.

Joshua would wait for Wonwoo to bring heaven back to him. The boy went unconscious on the demon’s shoulder with the enormous knot still torturing his damaged body. Joshua knew he was pathetic, yet he still thanked fate for giving him such a weak endurance, allowing him to faint and temporarily forget what he was going through.

Joshua just wished when he woke up, he would see just Wonwoo and Wonwoo only.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry ;_; I myself even couldn't imagine that I would feel this terrible after writing this ;_;
> 
> Joshua broke completely now. You can see that he's far from "normal" now.  
I feel really bad for him T_T Poor my boy T_T  
I suddenly think of the part where Wonwoo assaulted Jeonghan and I think I should have written that part with more details... I should have done that ;_;
> 
> I'm eager to know how you feel after reading this chapter ;_; Please let me know in your comments ;_;
> 
> Please take care of yourself and be careful, everyone!!! If you have time (and you aren't SEVENTEEN'S fan), you can watch their Fallin' Flower MV. It's perfect I have watched it a hundred times TvT 
> 
> I don't know why but everyone including me is expecting to see Jeonghan in this fic again soon @_@ I'm really really really eager to post the chapter where he appears, but I have to be patient >< Aaahhhh >< You should just watch Fallin' Flower MV. The angel in white chained on the bed is Jeonghan my bias >< (just in case you don't know SEVENTEEN)
> 
> I'm sorry for ranting here. This chapter damaged my mind and I have the tendency to talk a lot about Jeonghan whenever I feel bad.
> 
> Love you ^^


	63. The day we both collapsed for each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo woke up, but then realized that things were not the same as what he had planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ I'm back with another chapter. It's quite sad to post these days because I know we are getting closer and closer to the end ;_; But anyway, I still post (of course I always love to TvT ) and I hope you will enjoy this chapter ^^
> 
> Warning: Let's check the negative tags one more time.

When Wonwoo woke up, the sun was shining brightly through the large glasses windows. He was alone in his messy bed with a bad headache and no clothes on his body. The alpha felt generally tired but he did not know why. Why was he feeling tired while all he did last night was having sex with Joshua and then knotting the boy to mark him? That could not take too much energy or leave him with a pain in his head like this. Groaning while turning to a side, Wonwoo reached out his arm towards the nearest nightstand to grab his cellphone, trying to check the time, but the screen was dark no matter how many times he pressed the button.

His phone was dead? Running out of battery?

How was it possible? Wonwoo was sure his mobile phone still had at least thirty percent of battery available last night, and he had not even set the alarm clock for this morning. It could not use up all the power through a night while he was sleeping and did not touch the phone.

Moreover, where was Joshua? All of the boxes were still here. Some of them were opened, but Wonwoo was sure his kitten had not taken out all he needed to possibly make a meal in the kitchen. The boy could not call for delivery either. His phone was here as well, right next to Wonwoo’s one on the nightstand, and the alpha was sure the omega did not want to face any stranger.

Pushing the comforter to a side, Wonwoo intended to leave the bed and search for his baby, but the sight on the mattress caught his attention, and he froze.

The bed was horrible mess, as if there had been a fight right here through the long night. Everything was messy, but that was not anything important in comparison with the liquid Wonwoo saw everywhere. Some of the stains on the mattress were obviously remnants of their sexual activities, but they were seriously much more than what the man had thought. Wonwoo knew Joshua had come twice while he had once, but inside the cat and even if his seeds leaked out all they still could not be this much. The white substance was mixed with another horrible liquid which was red, and littered here and there on the whole bed.

In horror, Wonwoo stared at the blood from his bed to the floor only to see the red liquid leading a whole long way from where he was lying to the already opened door and seemed to continue outside along the hall. Shaking his head frantically, trying his best to clear his mind, Wonwoo desperately sought for some ways to figure out what had happened, or might be happening. Quickly getting up and grabbing his pants on the floor, the alpha hastily wore it and took a glance at the wardrobe as well. It was opened, like the door. Some of his clothes were put in there, but it seemed like someone had rummaged through the wardrobe to look for something, and that person must be Joshua. The box containing the hybrid’s clothes were obviously untouched, still in the same condition as when Wonwoo opened it for his kitten.

Another messy box was the one which contained some mugs, bowls and glasses Wonwoo had bought for Joshua during the time they lived together with his cousins. There was pretty much blood covering the things in the said box and also on the floor around it, which meant the person who bled had stood there for a quite long time while looking for something in that box.

There was only one person in this place apart from Wonwoo. It could only be Joshua bleeding everywhere in the house.

All of a sudden, the truth flooded Wonwoo’s mind. The blood reminded him of everything.

_That night_, Wonwoo held Joshua in his arms while the boy was still unconscious after being marked. The alpha thought he should sleep since his knot would take pretty much time to slowly deflate and make it possible to pull out. However, he could not. He felt irritated, surprisingly anxious and uncomfortable although his own problem was already solved. Joshua was his now; he had already had his taste of the kitten and there was nothing else to worry about and there was no need to hold back anything either.

Wonwoo remembered that he just wanted to hold Joshua in his arms forever, as if his heart could never feel enough of his omega. The cat was obviously having a very bad nightmare, squirming and whimpering in his slumber, causing the alpha to feel incredibly annoyed and angry. The beautiful omega in his arms was undoubtedly still in heat and giving off his adorably alluring scent. Inside Wonwoo, there was a powerful desire to take care of this little omega, to satiate his needs during this difficult and vulnerable time. The slender boy lying on top of him was so lovely, so delicious, so weak, but so seductive at the same time. A very small movement of the hybrid could provoke the alpha, making him groan and even growl in frustration.

Wonwoo wanted more.

He wanted to mate with his beloved omega again. He wanted to breed his kitten, to knot him as many times as possible, and filling the boy up with his seeds.

Nonetheless, Wonwoo was still somehow sane enough to know he could not do anything while the knot was still in its full size. He would tear Joshua apart if he moved recklessly right now. Consequently, Wonwoo tried his best to control himself, using all of his self-restraint to prevent his hips from moving. His arms unconsciously tightened around the cat, squeezing the omega into his chest. Perhaps feeling the pain from the exceeding pressure from his alpha, Joshua whimpered more loudly, but he did not wake up. He was still unconscious when Wonwoo shifted to make him lie on his back and the man was above him. Whereas, they were still tightly connected, yet the alpha could not stand this any longer.

Wonwoo did not thrust into the boy’s body, but he let his mouth wander all over the hybrid’s pretty face, nibbling his jaw, his neck, his shoulders, and his collarbones. Joshua’s skin had already been blemished by countless red marks. Nevertheless, Wonwoo did not find them enough for him. His inner beast was screaming in the pressing need for mating and claiming his own omega over and over again. Wonwoo wanted no one. He only craved for his kitten, the boy he had always wanted to destroy from the first time seeing him in his territory. This cat was his. _This omega was his_.

Wonwoo had never known Joshua could smell this sweet, taste this delicious, and look this attractive in his life. His omega was the definition of the sinful perfection Wonwoo always desired to own for himself only. When the alpha kissed his omega’s plump lips, he wholeheartedly enjoyed the sweetest taste of strawberry candy. When Wonwoo’s nose touched his kitten’s skin on his cheek, the man inhaled deeply to take in the tempting scent of rose, feeling as if Joshua were a true flower, or a strawberry-flavored candy waiting for him to eat, to swallow.

_How was it possible for an omega to be this irresistible?_

Wonwoo knew he was crazy for Joshua to death.

While Wonwoo was devouring the cat’s lips, Joshua was dragged out of the darkness just to face another hell. The rough kisses did nothing to help him calm down after what had happened. Immediately frightened, the boy thrashed on the bed, trying to break free, but to no avail. The alpha was too strong for him to fight back. His whimpers were all muffled by his master, yet he had no idea about the fact that his movements were irking Wonwoo who was trying to hold back some of his mind for him. Annoyed, Wonwoo combusted in his greatest fury, and the beast was finally freed.

The kisses rapidly became brutal, and the alpha started to thrust into the cat’s supple body again, while he should not because the knot had not had enough time to fully deflate yet. Petrified by the horrible pain, Joshua wanted to scream, but the monster gave him no chance, even stifling his sounds by a harsh bite on his mark. Bursting into tears, Joshua was forced to submit one more time, lying limply on the bed to receive the merciless thrusts of the demon.

Wonwoo remember he saw blood on Joshua’s lips.

He remembered seeing blood oozing out from the boy’s swollen hole when he flipped his omega so as to enter him from behind.

Wonwoo remembered seeing blood on Joshua’s neck since the hybrid had received the punishing bites too many times.

He remembered seeing the endless streams of tears on the cat’s bruised cheeks, seeing the enormous pain and fear in his red eyes, and smelling the most seductive but most dreadful scent in the world at the same time.

Wonwoo remembered hearing his name being called by his omega over and over again while the boy desperately begged his master to come and save him.

Wonwoo realized, _Joshua’s heat had triggered his rut_, and he had just spent his whole rut with his kitten. The night Wonwoo remembered in his mind was not yesterday. It was at least two days, or even _three days ago_, which was also the reason for his cellphone running out of battery right now. Two days, or three days, were enough for Joshua’s heat to go away, and the boy was not in this bedroom anymore.

The rut was something that _had never been in his plan_ or even existed in his wildest imagination about the day he marked his omega.

Suddenly scared by the blood on the mattress and on the floor, Wonwoo ran out of the room without hesitation, heart racing crazily in his chest, threatening to jump out of his ribcage. Staring at the blood on the floor with wide eyes, Wonwoo traced along the small red drops scattered along the hall to the stairs. At this position, he started to smell Joshua. The boy’s health must be so bad now because his scent was mostly faded, or else Wonwoo should have been able to smell him from his bedroom.

Wonwoo had not seen the hybrid yet, but his heartbeat went a hundred times faster after another horrible and terrifying realization. He had never smelled this kind of scent from Joshua before. The boy no longer reeked of a sweet aroma. He smelled sour, bitter, and _sick_, almost unrecognizable. Wonwoo was accustomed to the sour and bitter part of his omega’s scent, since the boy had always been in that condition for days. However, he never smelled this sick, strangely sick with a slight hint of psychotic joy. The door leading to the living room was opened, allowing Wonwoo to hear the labored breathing of his kitten, and also the scent of another omega in the house.

_It was Soonyoung, the one who had bullied and treated Joshua badly in the restaurant._

Startled, Wonwoo instantly thought the rude human omega was hurting his Joshua again, and he bolted like a flash into the living room, where he saw the scene he had never expected to witness even once in this life.

Soonyoung was lying unconscious on the floor with a big wound on his head. As his hair was red, the blood could not stand out, but Wonwoo still realized the human omega was bleeding because of the small pool of blood under his head, and it was slowly spreading. Next to his wounded head was a pan which must have been brought here from his previous apartment. Meanwhile, Joshua was kneeling right next to not only Soonyoung but also countless pieces of broken glasses, which seemed to be like the consequence of the hybrid intentionally breaking something in order to get a small sharp piece.

Joshua was wearing nothing except for a white shirt belonging to Wonwoo, yet nothing could cover the blood dripping from all the wounds on his body. His hair was messy, but was just nothing in comparison with other parts of himself. His face, his arms, and his legs were all bruised and severely damaged while the mark on his neck was still oozing out a small stream of blood, which was the result of Wonwoo’s biting him over and over again. There was also blood on his lips, his wrists, and somewhere between his legs where the alpha had fucked and knotted him relentlessly for the past few days. How many times had Wonwoo tortured his kitten? He could not remember. He just knew he had done it, and now he was forced to witness the result of all of his brutal actions to the omega he loved most in this world.

Joshua looked absolutely insane and even psychotic while his trembling hand was cutting into Soonyoung’s skin on his arms. The poor hybrid was smiling and staring at his work with a lot of enthusiasm and happiness. His hand was weak, requiring quite much time to actually cut through his enemy’s skin and make the blood come out, but Wonwoo could see the determination and joy in his red but shining eyes. Joshua obviously loved what he was doing. After a cut was made in a way which was deemed acceptable enough for the boy, he giggled happily to himself, and moved to another unblemished position of Soonyoung’s skin to give more cuts.

Wonwoo had never been this horrified in his whole life. In the greatest terror, he ran to Joshua, hurriedly prying the piece of glass out of the boy’s hand and pushing him into his embrace in an attempt to drag the cat further away from the broken pieces of glass.

“Don’t do that, Joshua! Stop! You’re going to kill him! You will be…”

All Wonwoo wanted was to get Joshua out of this huge trouble right away, yet the boy did not understand him in that way. Screaming, thrashing and kicking, Joshua fought extremely hard to get out of his alpha’s arms. The smile and brightness had completely vanished from his face. Caught off guard by the strong protest, Wonwoo accidentally let the hybrid crawl away. He just wanted to scream when the boy had no care about the dangerous sharp pieces of glass on the floor, dragging his knees and legs on everything. His fractured leg was terribly damaged and Wonwoo could easily tell that the boy had not used his crutch while walking or running around the house. His whole leg was bleeding, yet the omega did not seem to know what physical pain was anymore.

Soonyoung must have come here to find Wonwoo. Joshua perhaps had gone to the door and let the red-haired omega in. The cat must have used the pan to hit Soonyoung’s head while he had not been paying attention.

Now, Joshua grabbed another large piece, putting it right on Soonyoung’s throat, scaring the hell out of Wonwoo when the man saw the glass cut into his kitten’s fingers. Joshua was trembling too violently; it was impossible for him to hold anything properly and the glass was making him injured before he could even hurt _his enemy_.

“You… you care about him that much? Don’t want him to die?” The hybrid asked, voice hoarse, shaking, and merely awful. His eyes were red, displaying the most enormous amount of pain and fear Wonwoo had never witnessed.

“No! Joshua, you can’t kill him! You will be in huge trouble!” The alpha rapidly explained, desperately trying to calm his omega down, but it was difficult, since he was not calm either.

If he failed to stop Joshua here, the boy would become a criminal, and the law of this country would have no mercy for a hybrid. He would have to take the boy to run away forever with no guarantee of him being able to protect his lover. Soonyoung’s family was incredibly rich and owned a big company with a lot of power in their hands. They could possibly traced Wonwoo very easily and he did not dare to make sure those people would just kill Joshua or do even crueler things to the hybrid.

However, Joshua did not trust his words even a bit.

“Don’t fool me! I know… I know you don’t want him to die!” The boy cried out, shaking his head frantically, digging the glass a little further into Soonyoung’s neck, and blood began to run.

“No, Joshua! They will kill you! You have to stop! No…”

The more Wonwoo begged, the more crazy and furious Joshua became. He screamed in tears, literally losing all control over his actions. His brain had stopped functioning normally.

“This bitch has to die! He steals my everything! He has to die! He must rot in hell! He must never see the sun or see you again!”

“Please don’t Joshua! DON’T!”

Wonwoo did not intend to command Joshua, yet his shout still effortlessly affected the hybrid and scared him. His hand did not move further to kill Soonyoung, but right at the moment the boy saw his master moving towards him, the boy immediately backed away. He scrambled to move backwards, using his both bleeding hands to drag himself away from the alpha until his back hit the wall. Too agitated by his kitten’s constant hurting himself, Wonwoo did not care about the fact that he was also moving with his bare feet on the broken glass anymore.

Nonetheless, he could not reach Joshua or touch the hybrid, since the boy had just put the piece of glass on his throat, pointing a finger directly at Wonwoo by the other hand.

“Don’t come here! DON’T COME HERE!”

Joshua actually did not need to scream in order to make Wonwoo hear or understand him, but he simply had no control over any of his emotions or actions. The boy was petrified, and totally ruined. Wonwoo was watching his omega falling apart right in front of his eyes. Joshua literally did not care about his own body anymore. Yet, he was still frightened when Wonwoo tried to approach him, too scared of being hurt by his alpha again, and using death to threaten the man not to touch him.

“Don’t… Joshua, don’t do that! Please… please don’t do that!” At this moment, it was Wonwoo’s turn to tremble, losing all of his composure. Joshua was frightened, and so was his alpha.

If Wonwoo had one wrong move right now, right here, he would lose the person he loved forever.

“Don’t… don’t come here…” Joshua did not scream anymore, but he was crying and sobbing painfully, gripping the glass extremely hard, and the stream of blood was running down his arm, wetting his shirt - _his master’s shirt_. “Please stop… stop this… no more… no more… not again… please… I can’t…”

Wonwoo understood. Joshua was thinking that the monster would torture him again, and he would rather die than enduring that hell one more time. Wonwoo’s eyes could not stop staring at the glass which was threatening to cut the boy’s throat at any time and currently cutting very deeply into the cat’s hand.

“I won’t hurt you, Joshua. Please believe me. Please, Joshua. Please put it down.” Wonwoo lowered his voice to beg, but he was unbelievably shaking so much that he sounded just like choking, desperate and pathetic. “Please don’t do that! I don’t care about anyone. I just care about you. Only you. Please, don’t hurt yourself…”

All of a sudden, Joshua laughed, despite the fact that his tears were still cascading down his cheeks. Wonwoo screamed, but the boy did not care, cutting a very long line on his own left arm, but showing no painful expression.

“This… this is nothing… what you did to me… this is nothing…” Joshua kept laughing to himself and cutting more. “You know… they don’t hurt at all… they really don’t…”

Shocked by the streams of blood, Wonwoo got up, trying to approach his omega again, yet the result was not any different. Joshua brought the glass to his throat again, pointing a finger at the alpha, his laugh ending for good.

“DON’T COME HERE!” One more time, he screamed in utter panic. Nonetheless, half a second after that, he only mumbled in madness. “You… you really want me to die? Right? Why… why do you keep coming here? What did I do wrong to you? Why… why do you hate me that much?”

Choking out a broken sob, Joshua asked, while the man in front of him began to shed tears as well. Everything became overbearing for both of them. The heavy and dreadful atmosphere was crushing their both hearts to death.

“If… if you hate me… why do you keep me? Why don’t you just kill me?” The boy kept asking, seeming thoroughly convinced that _Wonwoo hated him_. “Why… Why do you want that bitch, but… but not… not me… Why are you worrying about him… but not me? Why not me? Why don’t you care?”

“No. I don’t care about him! I don’t care, Joshua. I don’t care about him. I only care about you. I love you, not him, Joshua. Please, put it down. Please, I beg you, Joshua.” Wonwoo frantically tried to persuade his omega to trust him again, but it seemed like every effort was useless, since Joshua had already broken, and Wonwoo was in fright, panicking over the fact that Joshua could disappear from his life forever.

“Liar! Liar!” The boy sobbed, shaking his head crazily, refusing to trust. “Why do you hate me? Why do you keep lying to me? Why do you have to make me think you love me?... What do you want from me? What do you want?”

“I just want to be with you. I love you, Joshua. I love you. I won’t hurt you again. I swear I won’t. I will give you everything you want. Please, Joshua. Please.” Wonwoo saw no possible solution but to beg and speak out all of the most honest words in his heart. He loved Joshua. That was a fact, and it would never change, but he had never known it would be this difficult to make the love of his life trust his confession.

For a minute, Joshua stopped screaming and mumbling, but he never let go of the piece of glass, which meant Wonwoo could not feel relieved even a bit. It was cutting into the boy’s skin, making the blood leak out, and if Joshua pushed with a little more force, he would end his own life. Wonwoo had to think. He must come up with a way to stop Joshua from doing that. He must save the boy. Joshua seemed reluctant now, but with this ruined mind, he might snap and panic again in the blink of an eye. Wonwoo could not make sure of anything before he got those sharp things out of the hybrid’s reach and brought him to the hospital.

Wonwoo kept trying to convince, but Joshua kept shaking his head. The longer they stayed there, the more dangerous it was for the cat, because he was still bleeding everywhere. He could die of losing too much blood, or even countless of other problems due to being abused for days. The alpha was sure Joshua had not eaten anything. He might survive this, but an omega with weak health like Joshua could not. The maddening pressure was making Wonwoo crazy and even stupid. He was too terrified to think properly. His brain could not process a single thought while his eyes were staring of his love in pain and fright like this. Nevertheless, he did not dare to tear his eyes away from Joshua either, as he could possibly be too late when turning back to his kitten.

Joshua might be gone at any moment, and Wonwoo’s world was already falling apart.

Right now, right here, money meant nothing. This luxurious house meant nothing. The claiming mark on the boy’s neck meant nothing, either. None of them could help Wonwoo save the love of his life, because the hybrid just could not trust him any longer. Wonwoo saw darkness surrounding him, and the only shining light left for him to warm his heart was his kitten, his Joshua. This would be the end, if he failed to save Joshua. This could be the end of everything.

Frantically looking around the living room helplessly, Wonwoo tried seeking for the last resort, yet his sight was already blurred because of the tears, and Joshua’s sobs were attacking his ears continuously, stealing all of his ability to think. In desperation, the alpha risked jumping to his omega, but the result was just disastrous. The boy cried out loudly, shouting him to stay away again, pushing the piece of glass further into his neck, causing more blood to leak out.

Wonwoo froze right at his spot, tears running unstoppably down his cheeks. His confession meant nothing to Joshua any longer. The hybrid kept accusing him of being a liar, who Wonwoo had always been for the whole time. Part of Wonwoo knew that he actually had never told Joshua a single lie. He simply had not told the boy about his wedding with Soonyoung. Nonetheless, the alpha understood it. He knew the last chance for him to make his lover trust him had gone. He had gradually destroyed everything by himself, from the boy’s faith in him, to his will to live.

The only thing that was still strong and alive, was the silly cat’s love for his master, his God.

The omega did not know that in his God’s eyes, mind, soul, and heart right at this moment, there was nothing else except a hybrid named Joshua. If the boy disappeared from this world, there would be no Wonwoo in any more second, as the alpha had devoted all he had, all he could think of to own his kitten, to keep his love to himself, to make sure _the boy would be his forever_.

What had they done wrong to come to this ending?

Why did their beautiful and sweet love become such a tragedy of their deaths in agony?

Suddenly, a light shone through Wonwoo’s mind, giving him the final and only possible solution for him to hold onto right now. This tragedy should end at where it had all begun. Wonwoo could not go back to the past, but he used all he had and all his life to fix this, to make Joshua love him, trust him again and stay with him forever.

Wonwoo was totally unaware of his own stutter, and his hands were trembling uncontrollably in meaningless movements in front of Joshua’s face.

“I… I will-will call Soonyoung’s parents to cancel the wedding. No… cancel this whole marriage. I will never marry Soonyoung. I-I can announce to… to the press… I will tell everyone in this world that I won’t marry him… I will tell everyone that I will marry you only, right now… right-right here. Okay, Joshua? I will do it right now! Please wait… I will do it right away! Please don’t do anything! Please wait for me!”

Almost turning crazy, Wonwoo hurriedly jumped to Soonyoung who was still unconscious so as to fetch the red-haired omega’s cellphone. When the alpha came back to his previous spot, he saw Joshua staring at him in bewilderment, eyeing every single movement of his master. The boy never stopped shaking, yet his hand finally had the sign of staying still. At least for now, he was highly concentrating on Wonwoo’s action instead of thinking about committing suicide.

Fortunately, Soonyoung was not the kind of person who could be careful enough to set any kind of password to unlock his phone. Wonwoo could open it easily, searching through his contact list, quickly tapping on the one labeled as _“Dad”_.

Turning on the speaker, Wonwoo rapidly showed the screen to Joshua, letting the boy see who he was calling. While the cat was staring, the alpha took this opportunity to subtly move closer to his omega.

“I’m calling Soonyoung’s dad. I will tell him to cancel everything. And then… I-I will call everyone I know in his contact list. They… they will…”

Before Wonwoo finished, Soonyoung’s dad had already picked up his phone.

Wonwoo did not wait. There was no time to waste. He had never spoken that fast in his whole life.

“I won’t marry Soonyoung. Let’s cancel our wedding. No more contract between us. I will marry Joshua only.”

The old man at the other man began to shout into the phone in great fury, but Wonwoo only let him talk for about five more seconds so that Joshua could hear clearly how angry Soonyoung’s father was. He needed to prove he was not lying or faking anything. In hurry, Wonwoo called his own dad, making the same announcement, and did not let the man speak much either. Joshua’s eyes got wider and wider during the whole time, unaware of his own hand slowly dropping, which also meant the piece of glass was not threatening to take his life away anymore.

Not feeling enough to convince Joshua, Wonwoo scrolled through Soonyoung’s phone to call some more people. He had intended to look for people he knew, but in the end the alpha turned out not to be as calm as he thought. Wonwoo just frantically called everyone he saw in the contact list, shouting at them to announce this news to the public, to let the whole world know he was going to marry Joshua.

Marrying a hybrid meant that his life was turned to another page from now on. No human omega would like to share the same alpha husband with a hybrid. Wonwoo could never have any marriage for _business benefits_ anymore. This cancelation would automatically put him in the blacklist of countless people and companies, but Wonwoo had no care. The only thing he wanted was to convince Joshua how much he loved the boy, and he had always been ready to do anything to keep his lover. Wonwoo had no more to lose.

The alpha only stopped making calls when he saw Joshua’s hand touched the floor, and the piece of glass loosely fell out of his bloody hand. Wasting no more second, Wonwoo scrambled towards the hybrid, throwing the dangerous thing away immediately, crushing the boy into his chest.

He thought Joshua would panic. He thought the boy would scream, thrash and cry harder.

Nonetheless, Joshua burst into tears right at the moment Wonwoo’s arms closed around his body. The long whimpers came out of his mouth was utterly painful and awful in the alpha’s ears, but he could feel the weak and shaky arms trying to hug him back while the streams of tears were wetting his shoulder. Wonwoo’s brain eventually stopped controlling his words or actions. He was hugging Joshua too much more tightly than how he should have, but he knew he would die rather than losing his kitten. His mind cared about nothing but trying to make his omega trust him and trust his love again.

“I love you, Joshua. I love you. Please don’t leave me! Please stay with me, Joshua! Please! I beg you! I love you! Please don’t go! Please!”

Joshua did not know how many times Wonwoo begged him not to leave. It was like a mantra playing on loop forever, yet was at the same time the melody Joshua had always wanted to hear from his beloved God. The boy did not let out any word, just crying and whimpering in his alpha’s embrace.

“I will protect you, Joshua. You will be fine. I will protect you and love you forever. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. I promise, Joshua!”

Wonwoo literally could not stop talking to his crying and bleeding kitten on his way to the front gate of the house. The man intended to drive Joshua to the hospital, but quickly decided that he was not calm enough to do it. Instead, he ran like crazy to the street which were crowded with a lot of available cabs for him to go. Jumping to the nearest one, he yelled at the driver to go as fast as possible to the hospital. Whereas, in his arms, Joshua was slowly losing his consciousness. The boy’s sobs and whimpers were becoming weaker and quieter, and his arms were not capable holding onto his alpha any longer.

At the hospital, everyone was shocked to see an alpha running like a flash with an unconscious cat hybrid in his arms. The man screamed at everyone, but then begged anyone he saw to save his omega, creating a whole huge chaos that frightened all people around. Doctors and nurses were very fast to bring the terribly battered hybrid into the emergency room while countless staff members tried to calm to feral alpha down. The man never stopped shouting and yelling but then turning to begging, as if he had already lost his mind.

The news was fast. Someone at the scene told another one that they realized the crazy man as the one being mentioned in the latest news about a man breaking his planned marriage with his business partner’s son without reasons.

In the end, someone had to knock the noble alpha down, or else he would kill anyone in order just to get in the emergency room with his omega. Doctors and nurses rushed to help him, shaking his head when seeing how badly the alpha was also damaged.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, I told you things are going to get better soon.
> 
> I hope this chapter is satisfying enough for you. I had been waiting for the moment of writing this part for so long and it was just wonderful to finally write it!!!!!! It was wonderfully painful and I incredibly enjoyed this feeling! And I was listening to Seventeen's Fallin' flower while writing >< This is both Wonwoo and Joshua's breaking point (is this the right phrase????). They are both ruined but at least now they both get what they want. 
> 
> You're going to see JunGyu in the next chapter yay!!!!! And then, after that, Jeonghan is coming back really soooooooooonnnnnn!!!!!!!! Aaarghhh I'm eager to bring my bias back into the story. 
> 
> Besides, the situation about the virus is so serious these days ;_; In my country if the police officers catch you wandering around at public places without wearing masks, you will have to pay a fine of about 10 dollars... There has not been any dead case reported in my country yet, but who knows if that's the truth... ;_; Please take care and stay safe, everyone!!!
> 
> Also, I have just seen the photo cards of Seventeen's new single, and they're breathtaking >< I just want to take all of Joshua's cards because he looks so good in them ><
> 
> If you aren't too stressed about what's happening around you, I hope you could let me know how you feel or think about this chapter >< This is a very important chapter for me T_T 
> 
> Love you ^^


	64. Scenting the flower, helping it bloom again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minghao was unsure how to explain to Jun and Mingyu about what was mentioned in the news.  
Mingyu had his own way to cheer his lover up and make him feel more treasured than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for JunGyu now yeahhhh~~~ ^^  
A lot of fluff is waiting for you here, and also in the next chapter ^^ I hope you will enjoy it!!!

Jun did not dare to ask anything about Wonwoo or Joshua while Minghao’s parents and even his own parents were still there. He knew his two fathers would get angry right away after the topic about Wonwoo was brought up, but he wondered why Minghao’s parents did not talk about him either. He guessed their son had already told them not to do it right here. As a result, all Jun, Mingyu and Minghao were fidgeting restlessly in their seats during the whole time, wishing for the old men to leave so that they could talk. They did not want to make themselves seem so disrespectful towards the older adults, yet it was too hard to keep their minds calm. The news had spread everywhere and not only Wonwoo’s name but also Joshua’s one were both mentioned in every breaking news.

Jun was sure his fathers must have known about it too, but for some reasons they did not discuss it in front of him. The young alpha guessed they would do it later, even with Minghao’s parents. Wonwoo anyway was still their nephew, and Jun did not think his parents had stopped caring about him for good. Moreover, the news they heard was about a decision made by Wonwoo only but it also affected Wonwoo’s dad, who was also their brother. Jun was not a kind person just by nature. He had been taught and brought up by his respective parents. If he was described as a nice person with a warm and big heart, then his parents should be considered as perfect existence in this universe.

Luckily, Jun’s beta father soon realized how anxious his son had been feeling for the whole time. Subtly nudging his husband, he suggested them leaving and having dinner together while their young children could stay and talk a little more with each other. Minghao’s parents quickly agreed since they both seemed tired and food must be a nice idea for them now. Giving goodbye kisses to Jun, the gentle men gave some kisses to Mingyu as well, and some tender pats on Minghao’s head before leaving.

However, Minghao did not expect to hear a whisper from Jun’s beta father.

“Don’t tell them too much, Hao. Junnie can’t handle this.”

The young omega nodded with a smile, pretending as if the man had just told him a simple goodbye so that his friends would not suspect. Minghao did not know exactly how broken Jun was, but after seeing the bandage covering everywhere of Jun’s body, even though his skin was barely revealed, he knew Jun was not any better than Joshua. The alpha just stepped into this state sooner than the hybrid. Minghao should not worsen the situation by giving Jun horrible facts about the cat right now. He decided that he would talk about the positive things only.

Consequently, Minghao felt a little bit stressed when all of the attention was directed towards him.

“Please tell us what happened, Minghao.” Mingyu was the first one to speak, already begging, and he looked completely wrecked. “Why did the news say Joshua hit Soonyoung in the morning but then in the afternoon Wonwoo’s dad said it was just an accident? Wonwoo’s house was robbed? Why does Soonyoung’s family wants to sue Wonwoo? Why does Wonwoo suddenly announce he will marry Joshua? Why do they go to the hospital? What happened to Joshua?”

“Please calm down, Mingyu.” Minghao felt dizzy just by the endless chain of questions from the impatient giant alpha. Jun seemed to be about to jump at Minghao if the omega did not tell him soon as well, but at least he was calm enough to place his hand on Mingyu’s arm, squeezing gently in an attempt to soothe him.

Heaving a long sigh, Minghao felt the urge to find a more comfortable so as to make up a better story. So he just took off his shoes, bringing both his legs to the bed, folding them and sitting as if he were making himself at home. His friends had no problem with that since they had known each other for almost their whole lives. The only thing they wanted from Minghao right now was just information.

“You know… uhm… You should trust whatever Wonwoo’s father says. Soonyoung’s family just tells lies. The house was robbed, for real. Both Joshua and Soonyoung got attacked, but the robber escaped and of course Soonyoung’s family got pissed off and blamed everything on a hybrid. They surely hate Joshua. At that time, when Wonwoo woke up, he didn’t care about Soonyoung at all and only brought Joshua to the hospital. I guess… Wonwoo was too angry by how they mistreated and disrespected Joshua so he decided to break any relations between them. Wedding, marriage, contract. Everything. And, he announces he will marry Joshua only.”

Minghao seriously had no idea how to explain why Wonwoo all of a sudden made this kind of announcement, and he had not found out the truth either. Nonetheless, he knew his friend thought he had. If the story he told were true, then they would deem Wonwoo healthy and calm enough now to talk to Minghao. The omega did not dare to say how much wrong they were. Wonwoo was far from _“calm”_, and Joshua was just unable to talk since he was still unconscious.

Mingyu seemed dumbfounded, but Jun was eyeing Minghao suspiciously.

“Why were Soonyoung and Joshua at the same place?” Mingyu asked after a minute in silence, obviously angry. “Why the hell did Wonwoo let that guy come so close to Joshua?”

“They’ve just moved to their new home. You know… Soonyoung must have known it was where he was going to live, so he went there to take or look or something.” Minghao tried to find a proper explanation. “I do feel bad since Joshua got hurt, but let’s look at the bright side. Now we don’t have to worry about anything, right? Wonwoo’s already said it by himself. He will marry Joshua. After this announcement, no omega will ever come to him again, and he can’t marry someone for business benefits either. That’s perfect, right?”

“What about the past three days?” Jun asked for the first time, yet his question made Minghao’s face fall immediately.

“Oh, yes!” Mingyu grabbed that problem right away. “I couldn’t call Wonwoo for three days straight. Three days!!! Remember, Hao? What was wrong? Was Wonwoo sick or something? You said nobody answered you or let you in their house either. Why did Joshua suddenly let Soonyoung in then? Why was they robbed in the day time? Did he tell you anything about that?”

Minghao was not prepared for this.

“Uhhh…” He stammered, stressed by the curious and nervous looks his friends were giving him. “Wonwoo was too worried about Joshua. He didn’t talk much. Believe me. If you call him now, I think he won’t answer you either. He literally can’t think of anyone else except for Joshua.”

“That’s really weird.” Mingyu did not seem convinced. “Wonwoo’s a CEO. He can’t turn off his phone for no reason. There must have been something serious.”

“I don’t know… You might ask him later.” Minghao shrugged, trying to stay innocent. “He doesn’t tell me but maybe he will tell you. You’re his cousin anyway. He’s my boss. I can’t force him to open his mouth.”

Mingyu grimaced.

“Don’t say so, Hao. He’s your friend, too. Not just your boss.”

Minghao snickered.

“I really doubt that. I don’t think he actually thinks of me as a friend.”

“According to what I know about Wonwoo, he would have fired you when you mentioned Jeonghan and made Joshua cried if he only considered you as his worker.”

Mingyu intended to do nothing but let his friend know that he was a friend that they all appreciated, but he soon regretted his words. He had just mentioned Jeonghan and Joshua in the same sentence without thinking of Jun. It must be awful for Jun to listen about Joshua crying when hearing about Jeonghan right now, although Minghao had already assured them that the cat hybrid did seem extremely sad and upset after he was provided with more information about his best friend’s horrible condition.

Seeing Jun staying silent with his head low, Minghao scooted closer to his friend, holding his cold hand by his both hands, successfully making the alpha look up and stare into his eyes.

“I hope you will get better from now on, Jun. Let’s look at the bright sides. Wonwoo won’t marry Soonyoung, and won’t marry anyone for such kind of benefits anymore. He can only marry people he loves and who loves him wholeheartedly. Without love, other omegas would feel to be degraded to share a husband with a hybrid, and it’s seriously a humiliation to the whole family. I’m sorry I really don’t mean to say anything bad about Joshua or Jeonghan. I’m just telling the truth, and I’m pretty sure Wonwoo was well aware of this fact when he decided to announce his new marriage to the world.”

Jun did not take his hands away from Minghao, which was a very good sign for both Mingyu and the omega to notice, since Jun had been extremely uncomfortable when being touched by people who were not his giant alpha or his parents. However, no smile had appeared on his face yet, and he just sighed softly.

“I… I just wonder if it’s what Joshua really wants.” He spoke still slowly, but less soullessly, eyes filled with sadness and concern. “Joshua legally belongs to Wonwoo. He can’t make any decision on this.”

“Don’t worry, Jun.” Minghao said firmly. “If you had seen how Joshua clung to Wonwoo and slept on his lap for the past few days, you will know for sure that he definitely wants to marry his master. Seriously. I even think I will offend Joshua if I ask him this question.”

Gently squeezing Jun’s shoulders, Mingyu also lowered his voice, trying to cheer his lover up.

“I think he’s right, Junnie. Wonwoo is taking care of Joshua now, and he won’t ever betray again.” While saying so, the giant man seemed happy for his kitten, but Minghao could see worries and insecurities in his eyes.

He knew what Mingyu was thinking about right now. Therefore, he thought he should leave, so that his friends could talk to each other.

“You should start to take care of yourself from now, Jun.” Minghao scooted closer one more time, opening his arms wide. “Can I hug you? I’ve brought you out of hell twice and I seriously can’t handle seeing you in such conditions ever again.”

This time, Jun smiled softly to his friend, willingly leaning over and letting the omega close his arms around him. Minghao’s embrace was not big, but it gave him so much warmth, love, and protection, something Jun just had never expected to get from an omega, and now he knew it was a special gift he could receive from his only precious friend named Minghao. If it had not been for this wonderful friend, Jun would have lost his life, and he would not live in so much love and get so much help from a person who had no blood relation with him to get information about his kitten.

And about Wonwoo, also.

“Thank you, Hao.” Jun murmured softly to his friend, and Minghao smiled in happiness.

Not lingering there for too long, the omega left early so that his two alpha friends could have some time together. Walking into the parking lot, Minghao wondered how Jun was thinking about Wonwoo breaking his engagement with Soonyoung. If Jun wanted to go back to the lead alpha, then Mingyu would be the last one to get some happiness after all of this.

Minghao sincerely did not want that to happen. He thought Mingyu had endured everything enough.

Right after the omega left, it was Mingyu’s turn to scoot closer to Jun, but he did not expect to feel exceedingly happy when his lover smiled weakly at him and slowly leaned towards him. Wrapping his arms around the older alpha, Mingyu saw him closing his eyes, nuzzling into his chest.

“Are you tired, Junnie?”

Jun nodded without opening his eyes. The giant man could feel the exhaustion through his scent as well. He had thought that his mate would feel somehow sweet and gleeful now, but he was just overall tired.

“Maybe they’ve stayed too long and talked too much.” Jun mumbled quietly, sounding like complaining and Mingyu chuckled.

Jun was the kind of person who rarely complained about other people, so when he said this by himself, Mingyu understood how tiring the whole evening had been to him. It was very easy for Jun to get overstimulated now. He did not want to be surrounded too much even by people who he loved, and he got annoyed when someone talked continuously by his ears. Mingyu was proud and also not proud to be the only exception here, perhaps because of their bond. Jun always reacted the best to his mate, since his body just naturally needed his mate’s presence to feel better.

Mingyu knew if Wonwoo were here, the lead alpha could even do more wonder to his beloved Junnie.

Holding back a long sigh, the giant man asked while rubbing his lover’s back tenderly.

“Do you want to visit Joshua? I heard that Wonwoo had moved him to this hospital.”

He heard the alpha in his chest sighed.

“If you can make Wonwoo disappear, then I will.”

“Why so, baby?” Mingyu asked, placing his chin on the tip of Jun’s head. “I think… it’s all fine now, Junnie. He won’t marry Soonyoung anymore. I guess… there’s no more reason for him to do anything bad to you.”

Jun just shook his head again and stayed silent, which made Mingyu understand that he still refused to see Wonwoo, maybe simply because he genuinely did not want to. The younger alpha did not dare to feel sure if he should be happy or relieved about this or not. Therefore, he just sat in silence a little more, trying to process everything in his messy head.

Jeonghan was still nowhere to be found, but at least for now Mingyu could put down a burden from his shoulders, knowing that Joshua was being taken care of by the man he loved. Mingyu could try to look for information about Joshua in this hospital like what he had done to Jeonghan, but he doubted if he could. Although Mingyu had not said it out, he knew there were some lies in Minghao’s words, and he doubted if Wonwoo would let anyone else know the truth.

Mingyu wanted to visit Joshua, too, but this was even the bigger problem. The fact that Wonwoo canceled his wedding did not mean he would be glad to see him coming near his omega now. He lied to Jun, too. Mingyu had no reason to believe that Wonwoo would not do anything bad to his lover again.

No matter what, in the end, the truth was that, Jun was still here, melting in his arms, with no intention of coming back to Wonwoo. The temptation of seeing Joshua again could not beat his fear or his grudge towards the lead alpha. If Jun insisted staying here without thinking of paying a visit to Joshua, then Mingyu guessed he should only follow his lover’s wish so as to make him safe and happy. The man still felt like holding a flower in his arms while hugging Jun in his embrace these days. Consequently, he did not dare to risk any single thing, too scared of breaking his mate one more time.

Letting Jun take a short break, Mingyu sat there without saying a word, slowly rocking back and forth with his cousin on his lap and in his chest. Jun said nothing, either, causing Mingyu to even wonder if he had already fallen asleep or not. It had been four days from the morning Jun broke down, yet the giant alpha still felt like he was living in a surreal dream where he was allowed to protect his lover in his own arms again. From the first day Mingyu had recognized his love for Jun, he had never been able to imagine that there would be a day in which he could have Jun _in this way_.

Mingyu did not dare to tell Jun how fragile and vulnerable he looked in the past few days, since he knew this fact would make him terribly upset and hate himself even more. Nonetheless, whenever seeing Jun, Mingyu wanted to do nothing but to hold him, soothe him, giving solace, and giving his shoulders for his love to use as a firm place to lean on. Mingyu was never rejected again, but he did not know it would be this painful to get the person he loved.

Mingyu got this kind of affection from Jun merely because of the situation they had been both pushed into or his Junnie really loved him by his whole heart?

Jun was heartbroken, in bad health conditions, and Mingyu just luckily happened to be here in the most perfect time to protect him and heal his damaged heart by his unconditional love. What if this was the truth?

Lightly shaking his head to himself, Mingyu reminded his own heart to forget the truth one more time. In this case, it was not important to care about whether Jun truly loved him or not. It was so stupid of Mingyu to suddenly think of this problem and make himself sad. The giant man was willing to devote his whole life to make his lover happy and healthy, and this was the only truth he cared about most in this universe.

Giving a kiss to Jun’s hair, Mingyu murmured sweetly to his mate.

“Let’s get washed, baby. Then have dinner and you can sleep early.”

Every day, the big alpha always wondered if Jun would allow him to help in the bathroom anymore. Therefore, instead of bringing the older alpha to the said room right away, Mingyu waited a little bit to check his reaction. A smile spread across his face when Jun nodded and reached up a little in order to wrap his arms around his cousin’s neck. Kissing his lover one more time on his forehead, Mingyu happily brought his Junnie to the restroom like the other days.

Jun had stopped crying in the tub from yesterday, and today he did not cry either. His mood in the bathroom was always bad but it seemed like he was slowly accepting his inability to help himself pretty well. Jun got much better when he sat on his bed and had dinner with Mingyu and he did reply to the giant alpha’s talk. His speech was still awfully slow, yet Mingyu was forever patient for his mate.

The most painful thing was that, Mingyu felt like Jun was trying extremely hard to get back some of his will to live, and some reasons for him not to hate himself too much. Jun actually did not want to talk at all. He was trying to because he knew his parents and Mingyu wanted him to keep moving on. Deep inside his heart, Jun knew he did not actually want to die. It was just too difficult for him to enjoy this life, to wake up and be happy while he was aware of the fact that Jeonghan and Joshua were still suffering and he was at fault for their misery. Nevertheless, he would break the hearts of another three people he loved if he let go of his life. Jun would hate himself even so much more if he hurt his dads and his Mingyu one more time.

Trying to focus on the food, blinking away the tears, Mingyu all of a sudden was unable to taste any flavor from whatever he was putting in his mouth.

Jun would not be considered as _“healthy”_ in a few more weeks but at least now he gained a bit more strength to stand by himself while brushing his teeth. However, Mingyu still decided to cling to him, hugging him from behind, disturbing his lover in front of the mirror. It was quite annoying to brush his teeth while a giant puppy was closing his arms around his waist, resting his chin on his shoulder and whining silly things into his ears like this. Nonetheless, Jun could not help smiling and giggling feebly at his cousin’s action, knowing too well that Mingyu just wanted his attention.

Of course, Jun always forced Mingyu to brush his teeth first, and promised to kick the giant man right away if he dared to hug him before doing that.

Mingyu was happy to see this somehow sassy, slightly aggressive and demanding Jun back. Jun was only like this when he was being with people whom he felt comfortable with. Mingyu was happy to be involved in this special list.

At the moment Mingyu brought Jun back to the bed, the older alpha immediately grabbed the rabbit and hugged it tightly like a child holding his favorite toy, making the giant man almost coo at how cute his lover was. Handing Jun the remote, Mingyu suggested that he might watch TV a bit while waiting for him taking his shower, and Jun nodded, turning on the television. Mingyu just wanted to cry at his obedience.

He knew his cousin would not be able to sleep without his presence, so he certainly did not waste time asking Jun to sleep first.

However, after Mingyu disappeared into the bathroom, Jun did not pay much attention to the TV. Instead, he suddenly realized there was a strange box placed on the couch. Jun vaguely remembered seeing Mingyu bring it here, but the giant man came here right at the same time as Minghao’s family. As a result, Jun was busy in the middle of those people including his parents as well at that time, having no time to care about whatever his mate brought in. Jun almost forgot the box’s existence until now.

Curious, he went to sit on the couch so as to have a better look at the box, realizing that the thing inside must be a fragrance fumigation humidifier. That was what printed on the box. Having no idea why Mingyu brought this machine here, Jun guessed perhaps this was just a random box someone gave to Mingyu and what it contained was actually something else. Jun was seriously curious, but he knew he should respect his cousin’s privacy. He ought to wait until his alpha came back and ask him then.

When Mingyu finally stepped out of the bathroom, fresh and clean, he smiled at the sight of his lover staring at the box with a lot of attention like a kid examining something new. Nonetheless, Jun was such a good kid, since he did not touch the box, just staring, and the giant man almost cooed at him, again.

Mingyu thought he would die of Jun’s cuteness in the future.

Walking towards the couch, Mingyu scooped his mate up and then sat down with Jun sitting across his lap. The older alpha was not startled even a bit by the giant man’s appearance, making Mingyu feel happy with the fact that Jun was getting much more familiar with him now. They had made slow but wonderful progress, and he desperately hoped to make Jun feel even better and happier with the thing he prepared in this box.

“You don’t know what this is, Junnie?” Placing the box on Jun’s lap, inviting him to check it, Mingyu asked with a soft smile.

“Is it a fumigation humidifier?” Jun asked, very ready to open the box but he still waited.

“Yes. You’re right.” The giant alpha nodded and encouraged. “Do you want to open it?”

After a nod from Jun, Mingyu helped his mate unboxing the machine, taking out the small white humidifier. While Jun examined the machine thoroughly with numerous questions in his mind, Mingyu took out a tiny glass bottle from his bag, showing it to his mate with great excitement.

“Look at this, Junnie.” Beaming like a kid, Mingyu let Jun see clearly what was written on the package of the bottle, making the other male stare at him in utter shock.

Oblivious to the shock in Jun’s eyes, the giant alpha happily explained.

“This is peppermint essential oil. We just need to put some drops of the oil in the water tank of this humidifier and the oil essence will be spread along with the water vapor. If we turn this on while you sleep, I bet you will sleep more comfortably. I have done a research to see while you have trouble with sleeping, and it turned out that you’re longing for your mate. I know this can’t be as good as the real Wonwoo but I hope it will help a little bit. Do you want to try it right now? And… oh, I bought rose, lavender, and strawberry essential oils too. You can alter to these ones if you like. I also found some peppermint-scented shampoo and shower gel in the shop. Do you want to use them? I can go back there and buy them tomorrow.”

Jun was speechless.

He almost dropped both the humidifier and the bottle of oil.

He was seriously speechless. For more than a minute.

Jun could never imagine that it was possible for an alpha to do this.

Mingyu was giving him something to fill the air with the aroma of _another alpha_ without getting jealous even a bit. He was speaking about helping Jun feel some of Wonwoo’s presence as if it was something he was supposed to do.

Jun could not believe this. Even though Jun really wanted Wonwoo by his sides, he had never thought that it was Mingyu’s responsibility to take care of him in this way. Hit by a wave of guilt, Jun thought he could die for Mingyu right at this moment.

After a while staring at Jun expectantly, Mingyu started to get nervous, and his face fell.

“You don’t like it?” He asked, voice extremely anxious and much quieter. Jun swore that he had just seen his alpha looking like a giant cute puppy with his ears falling flat on the sides of his head.

“No! No!” Jun protested, but quickly fixed his words, afraid that Mingyu might misunderstand him. “I mean… I love it!”

Hurriedly putting all those things away on the couch, Jun leaned over to wrap his arms around the giant man’s shoulders, squeezing him extraordinarily tightly. Although Jun was on the verge of bursting into tears, he tried his best to hold them back, not wanting to destroy this happy moment with his alpha. Instead, he pressed himself extremely close to Mingyu, but then feeling that this position was not comfortable enough, he changed to straddle his cousin’s lap, so that it would be easier for him to hug his perfect man.

“Why are you so cute like this, Mingyu?” Murmuring into the bigger alpha’s neck, Jun asked, heartbroken but also floating in happiness as Mingyu closed his arms around him tightly and chuckled.

“I guess your taste is weird.” The huge man said and placed a kiss on his mate’s hair. “Nobody has ever told me that I am cute.”

“They’re too dumb to realize this.” Jun returned a kiss on Mingyu’s neck, smiling to himself when seeing the man’s ear turning red.

This was the first time for Jun to realize that he had never initiated any intimate action to Mingyu. Therefore, the younger alpha’s reaction was so new to him, and Jun could feel an explosion of happy pheromones in the air.

Apart from anger, Jun had never seen any alphas expressing their own emotions through pheromones so clearly like this.

“Do you mean that I’m silly, Junnie?” Mingyu questioned, not sounding like joking.

“No!” Jun slapped his back violently immediately, making Mingyu doubt if he was really still weak. “How dare you interpret my words like that? I know people can’t see that you’re cute because you’re only cute to me.”

Mingyu’s ear became even redder. The sound of his laugh only made Jun fall deeper for him.

“You’re the cutest in this world, baby.”

This time, it was Jun’s turn to feel shy, realizing that Mingyu had never called him _“baby”_ prior to the day he started to accept his younger cousin’s love. In the past few days, Mingyu had called him “Junnie” and “baby” so many times in the sweetest voice Jun had ever heard from any man in this world. The words came out of his mouth naturally and sincerely, bearing the invisible power to melt his heart and creep into his heart. Perhaps, in the near future, he would have the chance to hear _“honey”, “sweetheart”_, or anything like that coming from his alpha. Nonetheless, what made him feel shy the most was the fact that Mingyu was actually younger than him, and now the giant man was acting as if Jun was his little baby, obviously determined to spoil him rotten.

Nuzzling his face into the crook of Mingyu’s neck, Jun whispered, embarrassed but feeling the urge to say this.

“Why didn’t you buy me sandalwood essential oil? What should I use when you’re not here with me?”

However, he instantly felt bad and regretted his own words due to the way Mingyu stammered.

“I… I… I’m sorry, Junnie. I really didn’t think that you need it. I… I think that you will only needs the scents of people who aren’t here with you.” The giant man tried to explain, but Jun could not stand this. His alpha did nothing wrong; there was nothing to explain.

Pulling away from the giant alpha’s embrace, Jun gently placed a finger on Mingyu’s lips to shush him, and smiled sweetly. His smile was still weak, and everything happening between them was still like a movie in slow motion, but Mingyu could see evidently that nothing from Jun was fake. It could be his effort, but it did not mean he was not sincere. His voice was incredibly tiny but the determination to speak out was so obvious that Mingyu almost had a heart attack.

“I asked so just because I always want to feel your presence.”

“Really?” Mingyu asked with sparkles in his eyes, flipping Jun’s heart a few times.

Trying to fight against embarrassment, the older alpha nodded but ducked his head, unable to look at his mate in the eyes. Nevertheless, Mingyu had no problem with that, and he pulled Jun into his chest after a grinning brightly to himself, and then showered his lover with kisses on all over his hair.

“Okay, Junnie. I will go buy it tomorrow.” Tangling his own fingers with Jun’s ones, the giant man used the other hand to rub his cousin’s back. “Thank you for accepting this gift and talking to me, Junnie.”

“Why do you say thank you?” Squeezing Mingyu’s fingers, Jun asked while staring at their both hands. “The one who has to say thank you is me. And you’re talking as if I’m a bitch that refuses to talk to you.”

Lowering his voice, Mingyu was afraid of making Jun upset again.

“I was so worried that you would be like that day again. And… I was also afraid that you would get angry and throw away this machine…”

Jun felt terribly guilty to make his cousin have those kinds of thoughts. Mingyu was not wrong at all to have those worries, but it was definitely Jun’s fault for making him have the impression that he could snap and change attitude in the blink of an eye. Jun knew what had happened between him and Wonwoo was something piled up for a very long time, not just these days. The problem was that Wonwoo was the one who changed so fast in a surprisingly short period of time, making Jun shocked, broken, and damaged.

“But now I am very proud of you, baby.” The giant man continued to speak, having no idea about the growing guilt in his mate’s heart. His voice was so sweet, so sincere, so loving that Jun thought he might cry right on the spot. “You’re accepting the truth. Now I just wish that one day you open your heart to me completely and tell me everything in your mind. I want to share them with you. Please don’t take all alone anymore, Junnie. You’ve endured enough.”

Ending his saying, Mingyu placed another long kiss on the tip of his lover’s head again, and Jun closed his eyes, pressing his face deeper into the giant alpha’s chest to indulge in his love, his affection. In Mingyu’s arms, he felt nothing but calm, warm, and peaceful while he doubted whether he had even done anything for his younger cousin. Everything about Mingyu was good. Not a single thing was bad. If someone said that there was nothing called _“perfection”_ in this world, Jun would definitely object right away and bring that person to see his Mingyu.

“Thank you, Mingyu.” The older alpha whispered softly, nuzzling into the bigger man’s chest, causing Mingyu to combust in happiness. To clarify his saying, Jun added more. “For everything.”

“It’s not necessary to say so, baby.” The giant alpha was squeezing his cousin more and more tightly by seconds, but Jun did not mind that. He was still feeling very warm and comfortable, and the tightening arms around him only made him feel loved and treasured.

However, just one second after that, Jun struggled to hold back a loud whine when Mingyu pulled him away to grab the machine abandoned on the couch. Too fixated on the object, the huge alpha did not notice the slight pout on his lover’s face.

“Let me see how to use this. I will put the peppermint oil in this and…”

“I don’t want to sleep.” Jun sheepishly interrupted.

“What?” Surprised, Mingyu stared at his mate in confusion, and his partner lost a heartbeat. He was sure his cousin looked exactly like a confused puppy right now. “You aren’t sleepy yet?”

It was not typical of Jun at all to act shy or embarrassed, but at this moment Mingyu had the chance to witness a very shy Jun with pink cheeks. His voice became so much quieter, very hard to hear, and it required a lot of effort for him to look at his alpha in the eyes.

“No. I’m bored.”

No matter what, Jun was still not accustomed to acting lovey-dovey with Mingyu yet, and it was extremely difficult for him to initiate something or even ask for something he wanted. Mingyu had always been the one who did everything first. He actively hugged and kissed Jun so many times, yet the older alpha mostly only dared to hug and kiss back after that. Currently, there was one thing he desperately wanted Mingyu to do for him, but it was embarrassing as hell to voice out such kind of wish. Jun could feel his own face burning as if he were having a severe fever.

Fortunately and magically, Mingyu understood him enough to read the all the hints. It did not take him much time to come up with a brilliant idea. His eyes were shinning like two beautiful stars while the man shared his suggestion with his lover. Mingyu was excited by his own idea.

“Do you want to go out for a while? I will carry you around the hospital campus, if you like.”

Without hesitation, Jun nodded, not only once but many times in just one second, eyes sparkling in excitement. In utter happiness, Mingyu quickly realized that his mate was wishing to do the same thing as well, even though he had thought that as an alpha, Jun would not like to rely on another alpha too much. Nonetheless, in the end, besides his parents, Mingyu was the only one who was given the opportunity to spoil Jun with love and attention.

The giant alpha considerately put his coat on his mate so as to protect him from the cold outside, causing Jun to murmur a soft _“thank you”_ to him again. Only five seconds after that, the older alpha was on his cousin’s back and ready for an evening stroll. Closing his arms around Mingyu and resting his chin on the man’s shoulder, Jun contentedly let his own body relax to the utmost in the safest place of this world.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JunGyu's part is longer than what I expected @_@ So, there will be one more chapter for them before we go back to Wonwoo and Joshua. Maybe I was too excited about JunGyu while writing this :"> They're just too cute TvT 
> 
> Jun doesn't know much about the truth of Jeonghan's and Joshua's conditions now, but I think that's good for him, because he can't endure much. And our precious Mingyu... ;_; He made my heart melt T_T
> 
> Everything about Fallin' flower single is so perfect ;_; I've seen some scanned photos on the Internet and they all look perfect T_T I wish I had enough money to buy all versions ahhhh ><
> 
> About the virus... *sigh*... The government in my country finally officially asks us not to gather in groups of more than two people in public places. It's getting more and more serious everywhere ;_; Please stay safe!!!!! I hope we will be all fine!
> 
> Love you ^^


	65. Endless love, endless happiness, and endless misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu carried Jun around the hospital campus. The two alphas finally had the chance to spend a happy and sweet night together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is quite longer than what I thought... Maybe JunGyu is too cute and they've endured a lot so I wanted to give them a lot of happiness ^^
> 
> I think I should give some warning here but I will spoil if I do that so I think I won't give any warning here.... But this is like a warning anyway...
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

At night, there were only a few people going around outside; therefore, it was peaceful for Mingyu and Jun to enjoy their private moment. Mingyu was still a man with bright personalities as he was. He talked a lot, telling Jun about many things that had happened in his office, or reminded him of some funny memories they shared in their childhood. When Jun was a little kid, he was not very close to Mingyu, because to him, Mingyu was mostly like a younger brother. Meanwhile, Wonwoo was the same age as him, going to the same class with him. It was easy and natural for them to become best _friends_. _“Friends”_ or _“cousins”_ were really weird words to describe the relationship between him and the lead alpha, but in fact that was all they both thought at that time.

Today, while listening to Mingyu and feeling the warmth radiating from his body, Jun realized that for a long time, he had failed to notice how much his younger cousin had grown up. The giant man was mature in the most perfect way. He was a bit silly, but that was also what made him the most precious man in this world. Because Mingyu was silly, he would never hurt anyone in this world, except for when that person deserves punishment.

Jun was still more quiet than his true self, but Mingyu did not have any complain, since it was enough for him to receive some short responses and soft giggles occasionally, which meant his mate was clearly listening to him and having reaction towards whatever he was saying. Mingyu could not expect his cousin to be okay now. It was still too soon. He could only wish for Jun not to get worse anymore, since the older alpha deserved nothing but all the best of the best. It was wonderful to see Jun finally getting out of his room after many days of staying just in his small room.

“Tell me whenever you’re sleepy.” Mingyu gently told his lover, unconsciously startling Jun by how loving his voice was at this moment, making his heart threaten to jump out of his ribcage.

“Not this early.” Jun shook his head and whispered. “It’s too boring to stay in that room for days.”

“Why didn’t you ask your parents to bring you out? I’m sure they’re very glad to do that.”

Without giving much explanation, he just answered briefly. “Nope.”

Jun was not sure whether Mingyu understood what he meant or not, but the giant man let out a chuckle and craned his neck to peck his lover, turning his face into a tomato.

“I ask so because I hope we can spend time looking through some apartments before you sleep.” Looking back at the way, Mingyu slowly explained. “Like I told you before, I wish to design our own new house, but it’s quite urgent to move out now, so… I’m sorry I don’t have enough time for that. We will have to rent an apartment to live temporarily. Are you okay with that?”

There was an almost unbearable sting in Jun’s heart at the mention of moving out, but he managed to keep his voice calm.

“The only thing I am not okay with is you saying sorry for that.” Saying, he tightened his arms around his giant alpha. “You’re not at fault for this.”

Mingyu shyly chuckled.

“I’m sorry, but…” He hesitated a little while Jun just wanted to punch his cousin in the face for saying sorry _again_. “…this is not the best of what I want to give you, but it’s all I can do right now. Or…”

One more time, the giant man was reluctant, and it was obvious that he did not like this idea, even though he knew it was good.

“You can keep staying with your dads. I guess your home is the best place for you now while I work on our new house until it’s finished.”

Jun understood why living in an apartment was not good now, in Mingyu’s opinion. It was difficult to find a good flat which might meet all of their requirements in a short period of time. They might end up living in a place that was unpleasant in some aspects.

Jun’s heart ached terribly at his own realization of how much Mingyu was different from Wonwoo. The problem Mingyu was talking about was somehow related to money, but the way he thought about using his money was not similar to Wonwoo at all. Wonwoo thought of money as a means to keep people attached to him. Whereas, Mingyu wanted to make use of his money to bring all the best he could to people he loved.

Shaking his head, Jun replied in a slightly sulky voice.

“You think it’s the best but it’s not what I like.”

The younger man’s voice lightened up immediately.

“You mean you’re okay with living in an apartment?”

“Just choose any one that is most comfortable and convenient right now. Perhaps somewhere close to your company.” Nodding lightly, Jun did not know why but his voice suddenly got so tiny. “There’re only two of us. I think it’s easy to find a place with just one bedroom.”

Jun was dumfounded in a few seconds when Mingyu beamed after his saying, but when his brain finally recognized what he had just said, he blushed hard and just wanted to kill himself.

Mingyu had got the promise that he would be allowed to sleep in the same bed with his lover in the very near future. His Junnie did not have any rejection towards him at all, and nothing could make him happier than this right now.

Luckily, Mingyu was too excited about their future life and he quickly continued to discuss further about it. Jun was amazed to see how thoroughly his mate had been thinking about it. He was just sleeping and crying while his alpha was spending time considering hundreds of matters.

“I will hire a maid to help with the household chores. You need to rest for a while long time.”

“Is it that bad?” Jun asked sadly. If Mingyu looked at him, he would see that his lover’s face had just fallen. “I thought the doctors only said that I shouldn’t try to work in a few months.”

“They said you should refrain from any kinds of work that might take a lot of energy. I think housework is that kind of work.”

“Then I seem to be so useless.”

Realizing the deep sadness in his cousin’s voice, Mingyu turned his face to kiss Jun’s cheek again, but lingered there for longer and gave him a soft whisper.

“No, you aren’t. It’s very tough to deal with living far away from your mate.” Speaking while walking and watching his path, Mingyu always made sure to keep his voice low and tender to his lover, warming his lover’s heart even though the pain was literally stabbing through Jun’s soul. “It takes time to get used to living without your alpha.”

At least, Jun was relieved and contented to see that his cousin truly sympathized for him, and was even trying his best to help him get better. Mingyu did not have a single negative attitude towards his mate having another alpha’s bite on his neck. If he did have any, then it was directed towards _the devil_, not Jun.

If Mingyu was trying that hard, Jun would try hard for him too, so that they both could be happy together. Despite the fact that the world inside Jun’s mind was a million times darker than his cousin’s perspective, he decided to ignore it. No matter what, Mingyu had already understood him thoroughly. There was no need to let the giant man see how pathetic and miserable he was.

Until this moment, Jun knew Mingyu did not deserve suffering to see his mate longing for the _monster_ named Wonwoo after all of the crime that evil alpha had done to them.

“I want to do the housework by myself.” Jun subtly nuzzled into his lover’s neck, soothing himself by a deep inhale of his alpha’s scent. “I will get sick if I just stay at home and do nothing. If the apartment is small and I don’t have to go to work every day, then there’s not much to do.”

“Oh right!” Mingyu startled the older alpha again when his voice got considerably louder. Nonetheless, only a second later, the giant man reduced his own volume and turned to look at Jun one more time. “You can go to my office with me. Oh Junnie, I can’t wait to bring you to my place and introduce to everyone that you’re my lover.”

Jun did not need to ask for clarification. He knew Mingyu did not mean anything bad to say that he was eager to introduce his mate. The man was evidently just excited to show the world _his lover_.

“Okay. I’ll go with you when I’m healthy enough.” With a heart filled with fondness for Mingyu, Jun was not able to be subtle anymore. He squeezed his man tightly, rubbing half of his face into the man’s shoulder. “I don’t want to go there on a wheelchair.”

“Whatever you want, baby.”

When Mingyu craned his neck again and kissed Jun on his forehead, the older alpha could not help blushing, wondering why his mate kept kissing him over and over again like that, and in every time, Mingyu always effortlessly showed so much love, attention, adoration and happiness, giving Jun the strangest feelings that no one had ever given to him before. It was the pure love that only Mingyu had; it was the kind of love that made Jun blush in a pleasant and joyful embarrassment. It was the kind of love that made Jun shy like a teenager. It was the magic that made Jun feel like he was reborn to have a new life.

Mingyu almost crooned at how cute his lover was when he was being shy. One day, when Jun was comfortable enough, Mingyu would surely shower him with kisses and cuddles. It was still too soon for that right now; the giant man did not think his mate would appreciate too much affection. The only thing Jun seemed to enjoy most was cuddles, like this time. Mingyu knew his lover was holding him very tightly not because the older alpha was afraid of falling to the ground.

“I want to give you a pet name.”

The sudden announcement made Mingyu stop walking immediately, and he stared at his cousin in bewilderment, face heating up gradually. In this kind of situation, the giant man was still not sure if his mate was really being at ease and genuinely wanted to talk about this or he was just trying to distract himself from all of the pains which were still torturing his heart. Mingyu believed that both of them had done that a lot in the past two days. They would not manage to survive without their own desperate attempt to cheer each other up by some blatant lies and even many cheesy things.

“Why… why do you suddenly want to do so?” Mingyu stuttered, trying to keep his mind calm so that he would not be too disappointed, but to no avail. His heart began to race.

“It’s so bland when I keep calling you _Mingyu_. There’s no fun.” Jun’s voice revealed obvious shyness and he was speaking so quietly, but the giant alpha could not detect any lies under those sentences.

“You can call me _puppy_.” With a slight grimace, Mingyu answered, but also chuckled to hide his own anxiety.

“No!” Jun whined instantly, but tapping his mate’s shoulder and pointed at the nearest bench, which was placed next to a big tree and facing the lake.

Getting the hint, Mingyu brought his lover to the said bench, sitting down and then keeping Jun on his lap again like what he had done in his room fifteen minutes ago. Jun was evidently embarrassed, yet after looking around carefully, realizing that there were not too many people nearby, he relaxed a little and looked back at Mingyu expectantly. The giant man started to get nervous and confused.

“Only my parents usually call you _puppy_. I don’t want to be the same as them.” Jun protested.

“Oh!... Okay…” Still stuttering, Mingyu thought he was going to understand now. His cousin seriously wanted to find a pet name for him, but it must be a name that only and only Jun would use it to call Mingyu. “So… what do you have in your mind? Just call me as whatever you want.”

Right at the moment Jun started biting his lips and thinking hard to choose a good name, the giant alpha had averted his eyes away from his gorgeous mate’s face and fumbled with Jun’s coat in a poor attempt to fix it, making sure that his lover was warm enough in it. Mingyu was afraid that his cousin would bristle if he kissed him on the lips right here; they could do it in their room, but they had never done that in public places. The giant male did not want to destroy this moment, yet it was too difficult to stop staring at Jun’s lips.

Had anyone ever told Jun that the two moles near his lips unbelievably decorated his face so perfectly that it made him look stunning and cute at the same time? Mingyu doubted that chance, because everyone around them seemed to be too dumb to acknowledge Jun’s captivating facial features; otherwise, there must be so many people having a huge crush on him right now.

Thinking about that, Mingyu mentally punched his own face, admitting he was being stupid. Of course, no omega dared to approach an alpha who always reeked of a noble one, and Jun had had enough troubles with the arrogant and pervert alphas in the past. He forgot that not only Joshua but Jeonghan loved Jun too, and he was not the only alpha who wanted to have Jun.

It was surprising for Mingyu to know that it was possible for Jeonghan to fall in love with Jun so quickly despite the fact that his aggressive mate had always been there all the times they met. The huge man wondered if Jun had ever thought about this, but he personally thought that it was not just the sex that made them attracted to each other. In Jeonghan’s situation, he must have fallen for Jun deeply before the first time he asked the gentle alpha to help him through his heat, or else that would not have ever happened.

“Why do you hesitate?”

The sudden question caught Mingyu off guard, and he quickly looked back at Jun in the eyes, realizing that his mate was staring at him in confusion. Nonetheless, that was not the worst yet. The worst thing was that, there was not only sadness but also fright in the older alpha’s eyes. Mingyu failed to measure how much insecurities were revealed through his lover’s voice.

“He-hesitate to do what?” Asking, he began to get nervous.

“I can see what you are staring at.” Jun replied, voice slowly getting tiny, even though he was still quick in his explanation. “I didn’t mean I want to give you a pet name like… a name for a pet. I mean that I just want to give you a… a loving name instead of just Mingyu because everyone else calls you Mingyu already…”

“I understand that. Of course I understand that, Junnie.” Hurriedly pulling Jun into his chest, Mingyu used both hands to rub his mate’s back to soothe him, resting his chin on the tip of the other alpha’s head. “I’m just thinking… I’m sorry I made you misunderstand, Junnie. I’m not upset or anything. I swear.”

Pulling away, Jun asked again, with a hurt expression in his face, making Mingyu’s face fall as well.

“Then… then why are you just… staring?”

“Uhm… I…” Scratching his own head in embarrassment, the giant man totally did not expect his cousin to notice him staring at his lips intensely for more than a minute straight. “I… I’m wondering how should I ask for your permission…”

“When did you start to ask for permission?” Jun frowned, seeming to be mocking his mate. “You even scent-marked me many times before, and who is the jerk that left two hickeys on my neck when I was sleeping?”

Drowned in guilt, Mingyu rapidly apologized.

“I’m so sorry, Junnie. I’m really sorry. We had never been a couple before that but at least you used to be comfortable and close to me but then from _that day_ you didn’t allow me to have any skinship with even once and I became too desperate. I was too happy to have you in my bed again after months and I just… I just couldn’t contain my feelings.”

Listening to the long strings of words from his mate, Jun cooled down a little. It was true that Mingyu was wrong that time, for kissing someone without their consent, but Jun should not care about the past any longer. He had already agreed to live with Mingyu as his mate, not as his cousin. Perhaps a mention of such mistakes would make the giant alpha think that Jun was still mad at him and disliked intimate skinship.

“Then… youwanttokeepstaringlikethatnow?” Jun asked, face too red and voice too tiny and heart beating too fast to speak properly.

Trying to keep his mouth shut, Mingyu frowned and spent time thinking carefully to figure out what his mate might have just said. Since Jun had been so shy when speaking it out, the giant man doubted if his cousin would have enough courage to say again. Nonetheless, again, Jun unconsciously bit his lips extremely harshly, nearly chewing it, showing extreme worries and embarrassment, making the knit between Mingyu’s eyebrows become much deeper and his eyes were glued on those tempting lips again. It took the big alpha half a minute to successfully tear his eyes away one more time in, staring directly into Jun’s eyes.

“You need to stop that right now…” Mingyu was warning but he sounded much more like growling. “…if you don’t want me to kiss you.”

Jun shifted awkwardly on his cousin’s lap, not because he was scared. He was actually attracted by that deep and dominant sound although it was burning his face.

“I have never said you aren’t allowed to do that.” Until now, Jun was literally whispering in a very low volume, but Mingyu finally managed to catch the words.

“Are you really okay to do… intimate things with me?” Asking slowly, Mingyu was still deeply worried and wary of his own crime. “I… I don’t want to force you. I know it isn’t easy for you at all.”

“Then let me give you good news. I don’t remember very much about it.” Jun shrugged, sighing a little. “I know what you did… but I think I passed out right after you _really started_ it… I remember I screamed, and that’s all. I was already too weak at that time, you know.”

Mingyu’s attitude changed considerably right away. One of his hand came to squeeze his lover’s hand tightly.

“Really? Junnie?” Buzzing in excitement, the man failed to control his volume, speaking much louder. “Are you lying to me to make me feel less guilty?”

Smiling softly, Jun shook his head.

“When I woke up, I felt a second mark on my neck and a slight pain down there. I thought that if I spent a little more time thinking about it, I would remember everything, but I have tried very hard and nothing came back after that scream.” Tangling their fingers together, the older alpha stared at them while speaking, fiddling with Mingyu’s fingers by the other free hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I want to make sure that I really don’t remember much. I don’t want to make you disappointed by getting frightened of you one day if the memories come back.”

“Is this true, Junnie? Please tell me you aren’t joking with me.” Mingyu desperately begged, knowing that he would cry right on the spot if Jun told him that he was just lying. “Please… please just… don’t…”

“You know, after all that happened, I really hate lies.” Smiling fondly at his cousin, Jun reached up one hand to caress Mingyu’s cheek tenderly. “I was a liar and I’m paying for that. I hate liars. I hate myself. So… I’ll never do that again, especially to you, Mingyu. You’ve never hurt me, even once. This time doesn’t count either, because it’s not your fault.”

For days, Mingyu had not been able to hear Jun talked this much.

For days, all of the things they talked about to each other were so depressing and awful that their mood was terrible and dark as hell.

However, right now Jun was shining moonlight into Mingyu’s soul again, opening a whole new beautiful world in front of his eyes. Was it true that his Junnie was talking so lovingly to him? Was it true that his Junnie was smiling because of him? Was this a dream?

The combination of shock, confusion, misery and happiness in Mingyu’s eyes washed away the shyness and embarrassment in Jun, leaving only his fresh and peaceful love for his precious Mingyu. The older alpha gave the smallest hint by putting a little more force in his hand to pull his mate’s face lower, and Mingyu understood immediately. Without hesitation, the giant man leaned over and kissed Jun, squeezing his mate and drowning in the sweetest taste of his lover’s soft lips.

Mingyu’s action was so quick that Jun was slightly startled but a smile soon decorated his face and he contentedly kissed his alpha back, wholeheartedly enjoying the endless kissing session, never wanting to let it stop. The rhythm was not slow or fast; they just simply matched each other’s pace so well that everything was good and irresistible. Jun was still quite shy and nervous, but when Mingyu’s tongue touched his lips seductively, silently asking for permission to go further, the older alpha shyly welcomed his lover.

Actually, this was not the first time for them to kiss with their tongues involved. Jun was too embarrassed to admit this, but in their previous times, mostly when they were in Mingyu’s bedroom, Jun was so desperate for love that he was not really able to control his own actions. Nevertheless, he did not regret anything related to Mingyu. It was soothing to think of those dark days and find Mingyu in them. For the rest of his life, Jun would always have and see Mingyu, which was truly a blessing, and Jun was grateful that fate allowed him to be loved by this perfect man.

“I want to call you _baby bear_.” Whispering on Mingyu’s lips, Jun confessed, smiling at his own idea, earning a similar smile from his cousin.

“Why _baby bear_?” The giant alpha could not help asking, playfully biting his mate’s lips. “Because I’m big?”

“That’s one of the reasons…” Jun struggled to speak because his cousin did not seem to be willing to stop kissing. “I want to call you baby bear because you’re big, warm, and…”

Suddenly overly shy and embarrassed, Jun blushed adorably while looking into his lover’s eyes.

“…and nice to cuddle.”

Grinning brightly with sunshine radiated from his eyes, Mingyu gave his mate a big smack on the lips and a promise.

“It will be an honor for me to be your bear every night.”

“And day.” Jun added, smiling and giggling, voice sweet like honey in the giant alpha’s ears. “You’re my bear, Mingyu.”

“Yeah. I’m Junnie’s bear forever.”

Giving a confirmation, which was also a promise, Mingyu sealed Jun’s lips and did not let him speak anymore for the next fifteen minutes. They were only interrupted when both alphas heard a sharp and loud gasp from somewhere very close to them. Pulling away from each other, they looked around and found a girl standing away from them just about two meters. The girl seemed to be around twenty years old, obviously an omega, and she was covering her mouth with wide eyes, but in a good way. Her eyes were glittering with excitement, utterly shameless and not fazed even a bit by their stare.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” The girl exclaimed, voice slowly getting louder and louder. “Two handsome alphas together! Oh my God! I can’t believe it! This is too fabulous! Oh my God! AAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Screaming and wriggling her own arms crazily above her head, the girl ran away, leaving the two alphas staring at her in awe. Nevertheless, just three seconds later, the giant man both burst into laughter while Jun smiled sheepishly and blushed while Mingyu snuggled his mate closely into his wide chest.

“You see, Junnie. Not everyone feels disgusted of alphas couples. She even complimented your appearance.”

Smiling in the giant man’s arms, Jun realized that his cousin was right. This was definitely the first time for him to witness someone reacting to a couple involving two alphas in this way, but it turned out to be much more wonderful than what Jun had expected, and that person was even a girl, not a man. She did not have any negative attitudes towards them. Moreover, thinking more carefully about it, Jun realized that in fact he had met many people in the past three days, including the doctors, nurses, parents, uncles, and friends. None of them had any problem with him being mated to Mingyu now. His lover’s parents still loved him as always and happily approved of their relationship, and they even thanked him for not getting upset or mad at their beloved son.

There could not be any problem with him being together with Mingyu.

The couple spent twenty more minutes sitting there and then the giant alpha carried his cousin back to his room upstairs. Jun was sleepy now, yet he was awake during the whole way to listen to his lover’s voice, hearing him talk about countless nonsense things. Right before going to sleep, Mingyu set the fumigation machine on the table in the corner of the room, applying some peppermint essential oil into it and turning it on. It did not take long for the room to be filled with the aroma of peppermint. It was not exactly the same of Wonwoo’s scent, but it worked for Jun now, even though the alpha hated to admit that his body instantly had reaction towards that scent. All of his muscles felt relaxed; his mind was calm, and the anxiety faded a little, promising him a good sleep tonight.

Above all, the best thing was still falling asleep in Mingyu’s embrace. He had just done this in three nights straight, and then Jun was not sure if he could ever endure sleeping at night without his giant bear again. He was able to smell peppermint clearly in the air, but the scent of sandalwood was still the strongest as he pressed his face into Mingyu’s chest.

However, Jun did not expect his cousin to suddenly speak again after he had already closed his eyes.

“May I ask you something, Junnie? No…. I mean… tell you, not ask you.” Said Mingyu, voice low and quiet.

“What’s that?” Whining a little, Jun rubbed his eyes lazily, looking up to see his lover’s face in the darkness. The light was dimmed, a bit difficult to see things, but luckily Mingyu was close enough.

“I…” At first, the giant man was hesitant, but after seeing the tiredness in his lover’s face, he quickly changed his mind, thinking that this was not a good time for his intention. “Sorry. Never mind. You should sleep now. I’m sorry.”

“Hey!” Jun punched his chest right away, whining much more loudly, glaring at his mate. “Don’t do that to me! What the hell are you going to ask? Just ask. You made me curious and then don’t say anything? I will never let you get away with it like that.”

“I… I think it’s not suitable to ask this right now because you seem to be very sleepy. I think you won’t have the mood for it.”

Frowning, Jun tried to find the hint in Mingyu’s eyes, hoping to find out what plan his cousin might be having for him. If it was something that required a special “mood”, then it was impossible to be something normal. Furthermore, if this came from Mingyu, it could not be something that may hurt Jun.

Staring at another one in the same position – facing each other, with Jun’s head on his cousin’s bicep - for three minutes, neither of them said a word. Mingyu bit his lips anxiously, thinking hard if he should really ask Jun or not, while the older alpha desperately tried to read his lover’s mind, but to no avail.

“You can ask or tell me anything, Mingyu.” Murmuring softly, Jun assured his alpha, looking at him lovingly in the eyes. “As long as you don’t ask me to use energy. I don’t think I’m healthy enough for such kind of stuff.”

“Will you… get angry at me if I say it out?” Still nervous, Mingyu asked again, caressing his lover’s cheek.

“Why should I?” Jun enjoyed the feelings of his mate’s fingers on his face, because every single touch of the giant man was gentle. “You know me enough to understand what is good for bad for me right now. I believe that you aren’t going to ask if I can go out and run around the hospital campus for half an hour or go home and rip off Wonwoo’s head.”

The small joke successfully brought laughter to Mingyu, and Jun giggled at his own lame sense of humor as well. Ending his laughter, the giant alpha placed a kiss on his lover’s lips, whispering another question.

“Will you promise not to get mad at me?”

“Yes. I promise.” Jun nodded lightly, maintaining eye contact with his mate. “This is not like you at all.”

“I know.” Mingyu shifted closer to the older alpha, while Jun was focusing on the sparkling love in the huge man’s eyes, and also his attractive voice. “I’m sorry if you find me… too desperate again.”

Blinking his eyes, Jun asked, unable to hide his fondness for Mingyu.

“Why too desperate? All I know is that you love me so much.”

The bigger man smiled shyly. After a long inhale, he forced himself to say it out, knowing that Jun had to know about this so as to have some preparation for what might be waiting for him.

“The doctors said… sometimes you will have some kinds of a… stroke, or like a fever. That’s how you feel when you stay away from your mate for a pretty long time. Your body longs for him and… you will want sex. You can help yourself by some other ways but of course, nothing can really satiate you except for the mate you’re longing for.”

Now Jun thoroughly understood why Mingyu hesitated. After hearing, the older alpha knew he _hated_ this fact so much. He had been bitten without his consent, but that was not the worst yet, and now he would have to face some unwanted fevers because _that monster_ was not being by his sides.

Mingyu felt really bad to tell his lover about this, but he could not stop anymore. Once having started giving information about this important matter, he had to let his mate know all so that the older male could make his own decision properly. He could only hope Jun would not think that he was making use of this situation for his own needs.

“Especially when your health isn’t good… it’s more likely to come… I-I’m very glad to help you, but… but if you don’t want, I can buy some toys for you.”

Without thinking, Jun shook his head immediately with a frown.

“I don’t like them.”

“Oh… okay…” Mingyu stuttered, scratching his head anxiously. “If… if you allow, I… I can do whatever you want when you need… I-I’ll try my best.”

Surprisingly, Jun did not seem to get offended or uncomfortable with Mingyu’s eagerness to help. Instead, he heaved a long sigh before mumbling.

“So that’s why I’m feeling irritated now.”

“You… what?” Startled, Mingyu asked with wide eyes, almost raising his volume but luckily he held it back on time. “Are you… okay?”

“I guess not…” Sighing again, Jun answered in a low voice. “I really wanted to punch you in the face when you intended not to tell me.”

Mingyu was quite taken aback to hear this, but it did make sense. At that moment, Jun was really a little bit more aggressive and talked more than usual, saying a lot of things in order just to make the younger male speak. Mingyu tried checking his temperature yet felt nothing special. Perhaps his body had not heated up yet, and other signs were trying to tell them in advance that the real problem was on its way.

Unlike whatever Mingyu had ever imagined, Jun closed his eyes and shifted even closer to his mate, pressing his face into the giant alpha’s chest completely. However, before his face disappeared, Mingyu could see a deep frown and hear a soft whine, which made him feel extraordinarily depressed for his lover. Hugging his cousin tightly, Mingyu listened to his feeble complaint.

“How long will I have to live in this state? Why do I have to suffer because of a mark I didn’t ask for?”

If Wonwoo were not Mingyu’s cousin and if Jun did not love him so much - and maybe if Mingyu had not loved his _almost-like-brother_ cousin this much - that cruel alpha would definitely be killed.

“I will ask the doctors if there’s something that can help you.” The younger male rubbed his lover’s back tenderly. “I bet there must be some ways.”

One more time, Jun whined in frustration, but he nodded and replied to his alpha with a soft _“Thank you.”_ His mate did not cry, yet still effortlessly tortured Mingyu’s heart just by his two questions. Trying his best to give Jun some soothing sensation, the giant man caressed his lover’s fluffy hair and rubbed his back at the same time. Jun had always loved to be spoiled and treated tenderly while Mingyu was the best in giving all of his tenderness to the person he loved. Mingyu’s precious flower was in pain. He had to alleviate this pain for his little prince, and shared this misery with him by any possible ways.

Mingyu moved his head until his lips touched Jun’s neck, giving him a loving kiss before digging his teeth in the mark which had stopped bleeding forever. Jun jolted a little, surprised by the bite, but his body relaxed so quickly that Mingyu felt his heart dancing around in utter happiness. The older alpha was taking the soothing bite from his mate so well and peacefully. The giant man was pleased to have his lover melting in his embrace without a single worry about anything.

Mingyu knew he had succeeded in making Jun trust him thoroughly.

Nevertheless, he did not expect to feel his lover squirming. After a few seconds, Mingyu realized Jun was trying to rub his hips against him in a not very subtle way. Both of them were still fully clothed currently, but Mingyu could feel his own dick getting harder and harder by second just because of the unsatisfying friction brought by his cousin’s movement. Placing a hand on Jun’s hip, Mingyu held him tightly in place to stop him from moving but failed to prevent his own groan from escaping his mouth.

Jun whined again, due to Mingyu’s hand or Mingyu’s groan, the giant man was not sure. He only knew his mate was so embarrassed of his own action that he was unable to look at him, still hiding his face in the wide chest of the huge alpha. Looking down at his mate, Mingyu at first thought that it was good when he could not see Jun’s face since he knew he would be terribly wrecked by the sight of his lover right now, but just the image of the tip of Jun’s head was enough to mess up Mingyu’s mind. Groaning again, Mingyu seriously could not stand how cute his Junnie was.

One more time, Jun whined, even louder, when Mingyu pushed him out of his chest far enough to observe his face. Biting his lips harshly, Mingyu could not help growling, finding his cousin unbelievably adorable in this condition. Jun’s face was red due to pure embarrassment, but in his eyes there was a hint of aggression that was threatening to punch Mingyu in the face for real if the younger alpha pushed him further.

When Mingyu kissed him, Jun felt nothing but safe and comfortable, having the faith to think that his lover was going to give him what he wanted soon. Jun found himself surprisingly calm but eager at the same time. He was not frightened or reluctant, having no wish to protest and the urge to punch Mingyu finally vanished.

Nonetheless, his breath still hitched when he felt his alpha’s fingers touched his waistband, preparing to go inside at any time. A gasp escaped his mouth, and Jun quickly covered it to prevent any other sound from coming, but what caught Mingyu’s attention was the fact that his lover did not swat his hand away or tell him to stop. In fact, Jun was not showing any sign of discomfort.

Kissing his mate’s forehead, Mingyu continued to pour sweet-like-honey words into his ears.

“You believe that I love you. Right, Junnie?”

“Of course I do.” Jun replied, all of a sudden becoming breathless, feeling the man’s rough hand slowly snuck into his underwear.

“You will allow me to do this, right?”

Jun could not believe that he was so sensitive right now, moaning feebly right after Mingyu’s big and rough hand wrapped around his cock lightly. Smirking to himself, the giant alpha began to move his hand slowly, tightening his grip and bringing pleasure to his mate. Jun moaned through his parted lips, whispering while clutching both hands to the front of his cousin’s shirt.

“Why… why do you need to ask? You have already done this to me before.”

“Actually, I want to ask for another thing.” Mingyu kissed him softly, but the lust in his eyes were totally opposite to his gentle action. He was stroking Jun to full hardness, delightfully enjoying the feeling of holding his lover’s hard cock in his hand, squeezing it and teasing the tip to make his mate moan lewdly. “I’m just warming you up.”

“So… what do you want?” Jun stuttered. “That… that’s already too much for a warm up.”

“You’re too sensitive, Junnie.” Mingyu chuckled, not intending to tease his cousin, but saying the truth.

“Because we’re mated now.” The older alpha whined in embarrassment, biting his lips when his lover fondled his balls. “And you are being very gentle.”

Smiling at his adorable mate, Mingyu leaned closer to whisper in Jun’s ear, voice not only sweet but also seductive and alluring.

“Will you like it if I give you a comfortable orgasm, Junnie? It won’t be too much, just a nice one. I know you’re tired.”

Jun could not voice out any verbal answer, just nodded and kissed Mingyu back when the man kissed his lips passionately. Knowing they could not have any intercourse now, Jun wondered what Mingyu might do to him after this _warm-up_. It was actually an easy guess, but his mind was already gone too far for him to make his brain think carefully.

Mingyu did not dare to tease his cousin as he did not want to drain too much of his energy or his parents would kill him in the next morning. However, the giant man still spent not less than a minute ogling his Junnie’s lower body after his pants and underwear had been taken off. The blanket had already thrown away a long while ago, and the dimmed light was beautiful enough for Mingyu’s eyes to adore his lover’s body. The moment his own name came out of Jun’s mouth along with a breathless moan that sounded like a plea, Mingyu decided he would not care even a bit about the fact that he was doing this because Jun was longing for Wonwoo.

Jun had just called his name. The older alpha was lucid enough to know whom he was being with.

In fact, Jun did not and could not think of Wonwoo, either. There was only one man in his mind right now, and that was also the man he was staring at right here. That was the man who was caressing his thighs tenderly, gently spreading his legs further so that he could move to the space between them, and leaned over. It was embarrassing but arousing at the same time for Jun to have Mingyu staring at his private part like this, but he did not want to stop his alpha. He allowed his big man to take care of him in this way.

Mingyu was pretty sure he was the happiest one in this room, too satisfied to have his Junnie’s hard cock in his mouth for the first time of his life. He sucked and sucked with all of his love and eagerness, excited to the utmost to have a taste of his lover. Jun was crumbling underneath him, squirming, writhing and breathing heavily in great pleasure. If his lover were in a better mood, perhaps the giant alpha would love to tease him a little by giving licks all over his cock. That was a plan Mingyu was determined to carry out later, on a beautiful day where his lover was healthy enough for them to spend all night long making love with each other in freedom and happiness. For now, he would temporarily generously gave whatever Jun wanted right away, sucking hard and taking the whole length in his mouth to the limit of his ability.

Mingyu had not known which were Jun’s sensitive spots yet, but he loved to let his hands wander on his mate’s skin, and loved to give him more sinful pleasure simply because Jun deserved it. Eventually, Mingyu’s hands found the hard nipples, earning a sharp gasp from his mate who was already in ecstasy. Jun could see the giant alpha’s hands and fingers moving under his shirt, and he used both of his own hands to hold them, not to push them away, but to keep them there for him longer and longer.

Nonetheless, that was not what Mingyu wanted. Figuring out the sensitive spots of his lover, the giant man suddenly remembered he had not taken off Jun’s shirt yet, and he had never had the chance to see his upper body either. Letting go of the cock, Mingyu instantly heard a very loud whine from his mate, but he just smirked and forcefully took back his both hands to undo the buttons along the front of Jun’s shirt.

Although Jun did not like the fact that his cock was being neglected now but he did not stop his mate, only whining and staring at his lover through hazy eyes. Revealing Jun’s chest and stomach, Mingyu once again spent time ogling his Junnie’s body, circling an index finger around his navel just to tease him a little bit. Jun immediately arched his back and mewled, letting Mingyu know he was being super sensitive now and every single touch would bring a lot of sensation.

Looking at the wet eyes staring at him like pleading, Mingyu was amazed to see how submissive Jun was in sex. He did not know how it had been when Jun had done these things with Joshua and Jeonghan, but right now Mingyu was ready to ravish his pliant lover who was also ready to take anything he gave.

Mingyu did not just suck Jun’s cock tonight. He could not resist the temptation of those rosy nipples, and his mouth quickly got addicted to them, licking, sucking and biting them both thoroughly and enthusiastically while one of his hands found its way back to his mate’s cock. Jun kept moaning and calling Mingyu’s name, but when he seemed not to be so coherent anymore, the giant man knew his lover could not last much longer.

Understanding, Mingyu left Jun’s chest and went back to his cock, sucking it harder and harder, twisting and pinching the nipples between his fingers, determined to get them swollen and give Jun an intense orgasm. The older alpha was so lost in pleasure that he had no idea about his incoming climax, and he just held both of Mingyu’s hands because he wanted to. He did not stop the giant man; he just held them, as if desperately begging the younger alpha not to stop toying with his nipples.

It did not take long for Jun to really feel his climax coming. Already holding Mingyu’s hands, the older alpha did not have to frantically look for his partner’s hands anymore, simply letting himself go without worrying about anything. Jun nearly made no sound in his orgasm, but his body had told all by itself. Mingyu felt relieved to have his hands capable of holding his cousin in place instead of letting him convulse uncontrollably. Happily swallowing the white and thick substance, the big alpha attentively got his lover through the whole orgasm, sucking him dry till the last drop, drinking and tasting everything he could.

It was quite embarrassing to admit, but Mingyu thought he had already cum in his pants just by the pleasure of sucking his Junnie off and tasting him for the first time. This would be a memorable moment he was willing to keep forever in his mind, to remember the day Jun accepted him without mistaking him as Wonwoo even once. Mingyu guessed, perhaps he could reach his climax thanks to hearing his own name being called in the middle of Jun’s high.

Totally spent and exhausted, Jun still looked stunning in Mingyu’s eyes at this moment, with a thin layer of sweat covering his whole perfect body. When the older alpha calmed down, the fondness in his eyes while they looked at the man in front of him made Mingyu smile instantly, shining sunlight to his mate. The moment they kissed each other right after that was a heaven for them both, allowing the two alphas to drown in each other’s love and affection. Jun was so tired that he found it difficult to wrap his arms around Mingyu, but at least he had enough energy to kiss his alpha back, and nodded with a weak smile when his lover asked for his permission to bring him to the bathroom.

Jun was barely awake when Mingyu brought him back to the bed, yet it was fine. Staring at his lover sleeping peacefully in his chest, the giant alpha pecked him tenderly, caressing his soft hair one more time, and closing his eyes in euphoria.

The air was filled with the aroma of peppermint, but it was fine for Mingyu, and even helped him feel calmer. No matter what happened, he had been living under the same roof with Wonwoo for seven years long and he had already been used to this scent, which reminded him of his powerful and reliable older cousin. Mingyu had a plan to find him in the next morning. He was worried, thinking that something must have happened to Wonwoo during the days he was unable to contact the lead alpha. Mingyu would not forgive himself if something serious had happened to Wonwoo and he had been able to sense it but had not come up with any brilliant idea to interfere or help.

That night, in his dream, Mingyu saw himself and Joshua in the villa by the beach on the day the made a short escape together. Everything had been so sweet and perfect with the giant man having his kitten soft and smiling in his arms. Joshua had loved him so much then, trusted him so much and they had done a lot of sexual activities together, and neither of them regretted a single thing. The dream was beautiful and heavenly, but when the alpha was forced to wake up, he felt miserable again, and understood that Joshua would haunt his mind forever while he would never be able to approach the boy since Joshua now only thought of his as a violent monster who almost raped him and tore him apart.

And now, his beloved kitten ran away from him to live with another monster. How was Joshua now? Mingyu desperately wanted to know, to see him again.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry but Mingyu will still be sad ;_; It's really heartbreaking but it's impossible for him to stop being sad now. This Mingyu could not be happy while his Joshua was still in agony like this ><
> 
> I'm still not sure about the smut... If it has any problem, please just tell me ;_; I hope there's something about it for you to enjoy. 
> 
> I'm really eager to know how you think and feel about this chapter >< Please let me know in your comments!!!!! ^^
> 
> Please take care of yourself and be careful! I hope you will be safe and healthy!! Love you a lot ^^


	66. When the strongest ones broke down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu went to see Wonwoo and Joshua.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder why so many people seem to stop reading my fic now ;_; The number of view didn't change much after I posted the previous chapter and it got very few comments ;_; I hope your life isn't too stressful these days, and I also hope you guys didn't lose interest in my fic T_T It's going to be brighter!!! I bet you all can see that most of the problems are going to be solved soon. Or... is that the reason why you feel the story not tempting anymore? ;_; 
> 
> I hope you like this chapter, if you do read it ;_; If this chapter is not better than the previous one, I guess I should delay this fic until the pandemic is over.

The next day started peacefully. Jun was still sleeping when his parents came, but none of them minded. They all let him sleep, but the parents scrunched their noses right at the moment the scent of peppermint attacked their lungs. Mingyu understood they were still mad at Wonwoo for what the alpha had done to their son.

Consequently, before leaving, Mingyu decided to change the essential oil in the machine into the lavender one while the old men eyed him suspiciously. They had never heard that their son loved this scent, and they both quickly got the hint that there must be a whole story underlying their nephew’s choice. However, they did not ask, just thanking Mingyu, giving him a tight hug and considerately asking him to take a good rest at home before coming back here. They even persuaded him to go back to work since they could spend their whole day staying here with Jun and Mingyu’s career should not be harmed while he was able to make it better. Nonetheless, the giant man smiled and shook his head, determined to be here with his Junnie every day until he was healthy enough to get out of this hospital.

The only thing they did not know was that, Mingyu did not go home right away. He tried looking for Wonwoo, which turned out to be easy since they were blood cousin; the hospital gave him information about the older noble alpha without any question. However, apart from the room number, he could not get any further information about his cousin or the cat hybrid, but it was fine. Mingyu hurriedly walked to the room as he was told, but spent more than a minute outside taking a deep breath to calm his mind down. He could not face Wonwoo with an angry or impatient attitude; he would ruin everything by his reckless action. Joshua must be inside, sleeping or not, and Mingyu might possibly scare the hell out of the omega again.

It was eight in the morning and Wonwoo had never slept past seven o’clock, so Mingyu guessed it was suitable for him to knock the door now.

It did not take long for the door to open, and Mingyu was certainly not surprised to see Wonwoo as the one opening it. Nonetheless, the giant man was shocked by the appearance of his cousin, who looked as if he had just got out of hell and even gone through a battle. There was not wounds or bruises on Wonwoo’s face, but in general, he was a whole mess. His usually neat hair was incredibly messy, face dark, eyes tired, and reeking off a strange smell. He smelled depressed, which definitely shocked Mingyu since he thought Joshua just had some not very serious injuries, according to what Minghao had said. Moreover, Wonwoo had bandage wrapping around his both hands, and Mingyu could see he was not comfortable with standing at all. It was obvious that his legs or his feet were also wounded.

On the other hand, Wonwoo had no emotion when seeing Mingyu outside the room.

“What… what happened to you, Wonwoo?” Mingyu asked after a gasp, eyes wide. “Are you okay? Do you… do you need to sit down?”

Wonwoo stared at his younger cousin in silence, suspecting his intention, and then finally stepping aside, gesturing the taller alpha to come in. However, Mingyu hesitated.

“Uhm… Is this okay? I… I don’t want to scare Joshua.”

The lead alpha shook his head, frightening his cousin by how hoarse his voice sounded.

“Just come in.”

Mingyu was still not sure, but he did not want to force Wonwoo who seemed to be in pain to stand any longer either. As a result, he obeyed and stepped in, instantly paying all of his attention to the small figure lying in the bed. Joshua was sleeping, tucked thoroughly under the thick blanket, but Mingyu still could see the bruises on his face and bandages on all over his revealed arms outside the blanket. The cat’s scent was horrible beyond Mingyu’s wildest imagination. The giant man almost failed to smell his kitten in this small room, which proved the boy’s evidently bad health condition.

A sharp gasp escaped Mingyu’s mouth when his eyes caught the bandage on Joshua’s neck.

He intended to turn to Wonwoo and asked a hundred questions before realizing that the lead alpha had sat down on the sofa and stared at the sleeping omega like a soulless person. Unable to throw harsh words to his cousin who looked like being on the verge of breaking like this, Mingyu quickly walked towards the sofa and took a seat next to Wonwoo.

“You… marked him already?” Mingyu asked, trying his best to keep his volume low so as not to wake up the hybrid, yet nothing could ever hide his bewilderment. “That’s why he’s like this now?”

If Wonwoo looked satisfied and smug right now, Mingyu might want to punch him in the face to break his jaw immediately. However, he had never expected to see his cousin’s expression to be sad and stressed like this after the lead alpha had got what he wanted. Furthermore, Mingyu had thought that Wonwoo would never allow him to step inside this room, but in fact he was sitting here now right next to his older cousin, staring at their omega on the bed. Unable to stay calm, Mingyu fidgeted on his seat, already on fire while waiting for Wonwoo’s respond.

“It’s… complicated.”

It was the first time for Mingyu to hear this from his cousin but he already hated it to death.

“Seriously Wonwoo, there’s no need to hide anything from me.” Mingyu became more and more impatient, and his eyes were observing Wonwoo’s hands while he spoke. “I won’t leave until you tell me what happened.”

What annoyed the giant man was that the lead alpha began to talk so slowly just like Jun now, and was not looking at him.

“I bet Minghao told you already.”

“I don’t believe that story.” Mingyu stated firmly. “I’m sure you lied to him, or he intentionally lied to us. You can’t fool me like that, Wonwoo. I understand you much more than Minghao does.”

Wonwoo sighed, and even his sigh sounded extraordinarily tired.

“I don’t have much to tell you.”

“Whatever it is, just say it.” Mingyu really wanted to grab Wonwoo’s shoulders to shake him and wake him up, making him understand that as cousins, they definitely could trust each other. Well, perhaps it would be risky for Mingyu to trust the lead alpha, but in the other way, Wonwoo could put all in faith in Mingyu. Had Mingyu ever hurt him for no reason? Of course not.

The only reason for Mingyu not doing such violent action to his cousin was that he was afraid of making the man faint right on the spot. He looked exhausted.

“Have you eaten anything? I guess not. Okay, wait for me here, Wonwoo. I will buy something for you. Wait here.”

Wonwoo wanted to protest, but Mingyu had already bolted, leaving no room for argument. The lead alpha could only sigh again, staring back at his omega, wishing the boy would not wake up while Mingyu was still here.

Mingyu went back after fifteen minutes with two packages of food, letting Wonwoo understand that his younger cousin wanted to have breakfast with him. Sighing again, he moved to the table at the corner of the room with the bigger man, sitting down and looking at what the other alpha had got for him. Wonwoo would not deny the fact that his stomach had just growled, which was not regular for Mingyu to see at all. Trying his best not to grimace, the giant man knew his cousin must have been starving for a pretty long time.

If Joshua’s health could keep Wonwoo’s attention away from the need of taking care of himself like this, then it could not be just like what Mingyu could see or what he had heard from Minghao.

Opening the box of food, Wonwoo saw some fried rice with pork, which was also what Mingyu had bought for himself as well. Turning to look at the package again, the lead alpha realized this meal must have been brought from the store he liked. Mingyu had never loved fried rice. There was a sting in Wonwoo’s chest, but he tried to ignore and started to eat slowly, not remember very well when was the last time he shoved something into his mouth.

Oh right. It was the time Joshua got bullied in the restaurant. Wonwoo guessed he could not make it until now if the doctors had not given him some special injections.

Mingyu was conflicted during the whole time watching Wonwoo ate in silence right in front of him. The giant man had completely lost all of the wish to punch his cousin or growl at his face for what the lead alpha had done to Joshua like how he had done in the past. No matter what, marking Joshua was still a horrible thing to do because Mingyu knew the boy was not ready. Wonwoo might have done it while the hybrid was unconscious and had no idea what was happening, but Mingyu could not believe it was a good choice either. What would Joshua think after that? Would Wonwoo refrain himself from having sex with his omega later?

What Mingyu hated most about himself was that he always wanted to take care of everyone around him, especially whom he had a lot of love for. That was also the reason why he was the best in cooking and doing household chores among the three of them. Perhaps, that was also why Mingyu had never dated anyone. He had always been busy at home taking care of both Wonwoo and Jun. How the hell had he had time for anything else?

Was Mingyu partly at fault for making Wonwoo become such a horrible person? Perhaps he was.

If Mingyu had taken Jun to move out with him right after the night his Junnie found out the truth about Wonwoo’s wedding, everything could have been better. However, Mingyu had been too weak then. It was impossible for him to leave Wonwoo behind alone in the apartment they used to share together. Furthermore, Mingyu was at fault for letting Wonwoo have Joshua in the beginning, and this huge mistake had broken the boy terribly.

Observing his older cousin now, Mingyu was absolutely sure Wonwoo was sick too, and he should be lying on bed like Joshua as well. The giant alpha really wanted to ask, slowly losing his patience, but he did not know where to start. There were hundreds of things that made him curious currently, and he wished Wonwoo could tell him all from the beginning till the end. Would Wonwoo trust him enough to tell him about everything?

In the end, Mingyu began the conversation in a way he himself found quite stupid.

“Don’t you want to ask about Jun?”

Did Mingyu want to annoy Wonwoo or something? Seriously not. He just could not contain his feelings. He was actually pretty mad about the fact that Wonwoo had not come to visit Jun even once or ask about him through the phone from _that day_. Surprisingly, Wonwoo did not seem to feel attacked by that question, still eating soullessly.

Perfect. Mingyu was facing another soulless person.

“I don’t need to.”

“Why?” He asked, eyes narrowing in slight annoyance.

“I know how he is.”

“You know?” Mingyu asked again, starting to feel amazed. “Are you… serious? You didn’t even ask me or Jun’s dads.”

Putting his hand down on the table, stopping eating for a moment, Wonwoo looked up to stare directly into his cousin’s eyes. The way he answered was so blatant that Mingyu suddenly felt guilty.

“I know you don’t want to talk to me. They don’t want either. Why should I ask you guys? Will you tell me if I ask?”

Mingyu began to stammer at this point, voice lowering a little bit.

“Then… how do you know about him?”

Going back to eating, the lead alpha answered.

“I asked Minghao.”

“What???” The giant man gasped, suddenly raising his voice but then toning it down instantly, glancing at Joshua nervously before staring back at Wonwoo. “He betrays us!!! I can’t believe it!”

“See. You don’t even want your friend to talk about Jun. Then what do you expect from me?”

Things were still too hard for Mingyu to accept.

“But… but why did Minghao tell you? I thought he was on my side!”

“He always has the powerful wish to fix everything. He thinks this is the way to do it.”

“You’re taking advantage of him!” Mingyu accused. There was a bit of whine in his voice.

Nonetheless, until now, Wonwoo had run out of patience and he was already close to getting angry, very angry. Mingyu was the one who insisted buying food for him and eating with him without asking for his opinion but now the big alpha was also talking to Wonwoo in such a disturbing and annoying way? He really wanted to kick his younger cousin out right away.

“If you keep talking to me like that, I would like to be alone now. Don’t disturb me anymore.”

Mingyu’s face fell immediately.

“I’m sorry.” The taller alpha lowered his voice, sincerely apologizing. “I… I don’t intend to offend you or something… I’m just too surprised.”

Wonwoo shook his head without looking at the person in front of him.

“Just eat.”

It was impossible for Mingyu to hold back his sigh, hating himself even more. Wonwoo was seriously more manipulative than whatever he had expected. The one who had done countless horrible things here was the lead alpha, yet now Mingyu was feeling bad for making him upset as if it were really his fault.

Maybe it was really Mingyu’s fault. Wonwoo was in a very bad condition right now, and it would be very mean of the giant man to make him more depressed with his harsh words. He should only give solace to his cousin, not make the situation worse.

“Can you please tell me what happened?” Mingyu could not help speaking again, too curious and too anxious to keep his mouth shut. “I tried to call you but I couldn’t. What was wrong? I know you never turn off your phone for no reason.”

Wonwoo mumbled, only staring at his own food.

“I won’t talk about it when you’re still impatient like this.”

“I… I promise I won’t go nuts or anything inappropriate.” Mingyu tried to say as sincerely as possible, but the more he said, the faster his speech became. “At least… at least you have to tell me why you look this terrible. Are you in trouble with anyone? Soonyoung’s family did something to you? You must know that you don’t look much better than Joshua or even Junnie. I think you should get another bed in this room for yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You never trust me.”

“You have to stop this before I punch you, Wonwoo.”

“No matter what I say you won’t even trust me.”

“I can’t trust you right now because you’re obviously lying.”

“You don’t know anything but still feel sure I’m lying to you?”

“Why don’t you look at the brighter side, Wonwoo? Don’t you think that I know you’re lying because I understand you enough and I’m worried?”

Wonwoo snickered.

“Now you’re worrying about me? After you decided to take Junnie to move out with you?”

Mingyu felt guilty again, but he knew he had to protest.

“I hate you but it doesn’t mean I don’t care about you at all!” The giant man knew he sounded terribly conflicted but it was the truth. He was very mad at Wonwoo, yet he could not stop thinking of him for good. No matter how hard he tried, the lead alpha would still come back to his mind. “And I didn’t leave for no reason. I left because I wanted to keep Junnie safe and happy. I’ve never said I wouldn’t talk to you or visit you again. We still called each other, right? Why can’t you just share your problems with me? I swear I won’t tell anyone about them if you don’t want. I know there must be something very hard for you now. Maybe… I will try my best to help. You can’t keep the burden to yourself forever, Wonwoo. I’m a grown man. You can share those things with me.”

Mingyu could not believe that Wonwoo looked incredibly stubborn at this moment, and the lead alpha even looked like a sulky kid refusing to do what he was told to. It seemed like he was partly beaten, but something inside him was still asking him not to say the truth. The younger man did not understand why it was so difficult for Wonwoo to think he could rely on someone even just a little bit. It did not make him weaker or more pathetic; it was perfectly normal for anyone in this world to mentally rely on another person in some occasions.

Reaching out his arms towards Wonwoo, Mingyu only intended to hold one of his cousin’s hands, but did not expect the lead alpha to flinch like that. Even Mingyu was taken aback by that reaction, too surprised to see that Wonwoo was not comfortable with anyone’s intention of soothing him at all. It was not until then did the giant man realize that his eldest cousin had never come to anyone to seek for their help. He only helped other people whom he loved without asking for anything back. The only thing Wonwoo demanded was that _they stayed with him_. Wonwoo paid for most of the apartment, and paid for most of the price to bring Joshua home, while Mingyu and Jun only had to spend a small sum of money.

Mingyu forgot the fact that Wonwoo was also the one who tried to find Jun on the day he left their apartment without prior notice. Mingyu had had no idea how to do it; only Wonwoo spent a huge deal of money to track the missing alpha.

After taking his both hands out of the surface of the table, Wonwoo began to realize what he had just done, and what Mingyu had intended to do as well. There was a long awkward moment right after that, causing both of them to look away, confused, and sad. Nonetheless, Mingyu felt extraordinarily awful about himself. He had always thought it was enough for him to cook for Wonwoo, to clean the house, to give him some medicine whenever he was sick, but it turned out that he had never thought there were moments in which Wonwoo was weak and broken, too. Wonwoo was older than him, was the cousin Mingyu looked up to, but he was also a human being who naturally went through all kinds of feelings and emotions.

Inhaling deeply, Mingyu tried again, lowering his voice to the utmost, literally pleading now.

“Please, Wonwoo. Just tell me everything. I swear I won’t judge you. I won’t tell Junnie or anyone else. This will be just a secret between two of us. Please! I know you must be in trouble with Soonyoung’s family now. Please tell me! Then I may try to do something to help you. You have to be here to take care of Joshua. You can’t go out to do much.”

Wonwoo was still hesitant, staring at the giant alpha with tired but doubtful eyes. He knew Mingyu was right in some ways; he was stuck here while there were hundreds of troubles waiting for him, but he really doubted if his father would help him this time, since the broken marriage irritated the old man. Moreover, it was too difficult for him to process anything in his brain before Joshua woke up. It had been nearly a day since the boy fell into this condition, and nobody could make sure when he would gain back his consciousness. The doctors said he might wake up today, but also maybe a few days later, if he was too weak. Nobody could predict how the cat would react to Wonwoo when he saw him again.

Slowly going back to eating for the second time, Wonwoo began to tell the real story.

Mingyu’s eyes grew wider and wider by second. He was shocked by everything, completely speechless and just staring at his cousin with his mouth hung open. Even after Wonwoo finished, Mingyu still did not know what to say to him. He just kept sitting there, staring at the alpha at the opposite side, and then turning to look at Joshua who was still unconscious on the bed.

Mingyu was pretty sure he had told Wonwoo something later, but he only got his mind back when he was sitting on the chair placed right next to the bed while his cousin was taking a nap on the couch. It was a real struggle for the giant man to persuade his cousin to rest for a short while, but when Wonwoo lied down, he closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep instantly, causing Mingyu to even doubt if he was just sleeping or had fainted. Staring at Joshua for a minute, Mingyu drifted his eyes towards Wonwoo, deciding to take off his own coat to cover the sleeping man, remembering that his cousin was not in good health.

When Mingyu sat back down, his tears automatically started to fall uncontrollably. He had already failed to save Joshua out of hell. Although the boy had already been taken out of there by the Satan who had drowned him in misery, Mingyu did not dare to think this damage could ever be erased completely. There would be a deep wound staying inside Joshua’s heart forever, since no matter what happened, he would never forget things Wonwoo had done to him. Mingyu could not imagine further, and now all he could do was sitting here and crying uselessly. He could not hold his kitten’s hands or hug the omega he loved in his embrace, because he would just make Joshua more frightened if he woke up.

Would Joshua be able to face Wonwoo? If he got too scared of the lead alpha then, who would be here to help him? Who else could the boy rely on? Would he allow Minghao or Jihoon to take care of him instead of Wonwoo? Was it possible for Mingyu to wish that the hybrid had forgotten all of the horrible incidents and would cling to Wonwoo like how he had always done previously?

Mingyu wished, if the cat woke up right now, he would scream when seeing the giant monster, screaming for Wonwoo to help him, and then when Wonwoo came to him, he would fling himself into the older alpha’s arms immediately. Mingyu had never desperately wished for that scene to repeat right in front of him like this moment. He no longer wanted Joshua to leave Wonwoo. He just wanted the cat to love Wonwoo till the end of his life and feel safe in his cousin’s embrace without thinking of the past three days again.

Although the tears kept cascading down his cheeks, Mingyu did not forget to check the clock, reminding himself to be careful so as to go back to Jun on time. Jun’s parents would be here until seven in the evening, but Mingyu had always come back around eleven to have lunch with them and spent the rest of his day in Jun’s room. They would be all worried if he did not return around that time today. Nonetheless, Mingyu wanted to cry in exasperation, terribly wanting to stay here till the end of the day even if he was only allowed to look at Joshua without touching him or talking to him.

Unable to control himself, Mingyu ended up taking one of the boy’s hands, holding it gently between his two ones, and nuzzling his face to the wounded hand wrapped by white bandage. Joshua was not aware of his own hand being touched by anything, still asleep, or unconscious, breathing steadily under the thick blanket. Wonwoo had said that yesterday the cat had been connected to so many machines that the lead alpha even did not have enough strength to think of them again now. It was a great luck to see only one machine left right now.

Moreover, Wonwoo said Joshua had gone through a blood transfusion yesterday, and the blood had been taken from nobody else but Wonwoo only. Mingyu had heard from long ago that a human noble alpha could give his blood to anyone without causing any harm to the recipient, and this was seriously the first time for the giant man to feel extremely happy and relieved to have the noble blood in his family. However, that “donation” made Wonwoo even weaker than previously. His rut had been too intense, leaving him in a feral condition for three days straight. Joshua had not been given any food. Wonwoo had not, either.

It was already a magic for the boy to still survive until today. In Mingyu’s opinion, Wonwoo seriously needed to be taken care of as well, but there was literally _nobody _else here for him anymore. Could Minghao help taking care of Wonwoo for a few days? That was possible, but Mingyu was not sure whether Joshua would have positive attitude towards another omega lingering around his alpha. No matter what, the cat was mated to Wonwoo now. The bond was new, and Joshua could be very aggressively possessive of his alpha.

At half past eight, Mingyu’s wet eyes widened right at the moment he felt the cold hand in his hands twitching slightly. At first, the alpha thought it might be just a false alarm, but it turned out to be true. Joshua was slowly shifting on the bed and opening his eyes. Frightened, Mingyu hurriedly put the boy’s hand down, running like a flash to his cousin, shaking his shoulders crazily.

“Wonwoo! Wonwoo! Wake up! Joshua… Joshua… I have to go!”

Only waiting for the lead alpha to open his eyes and gain back some consciousness, Mingyu bolted, hiding his whole tall figure behind the wooden door of the room, peaking inside a little bit to secretly watch his kitten. It did not take much time for Wonwoo to realize what was happening, and he ran not any more slowly than Mingyu, moving from the couch to the bed in less than two seconds. Sitting at the edge of the bed, Wonwoo nervously held his omega’s hand, leaning over to observe the hybrid carefully through his horrible eyes. His sight was so blurred, but Wonwoo would not let it hinder him in his efforts of taking care of his kitten.

Behind the door, Mingyu had to cover his mouth tightly to prevent his sob from coming out too loudly.

Joshua panicked right after his mind had the first grasp of his own condition. Frantically throwing everything that was connecting him to the machine, the boy burst into tears and crawled towards Wonwoo without the slightest hesitation. However, Joshua was too weak to move, but Wonwoo was quick to understand what his omega wanted and acted right on the spot. Being squeezed in his alpha’s embrace, the boy tried his best to wrap his limbs around the man, burying his face in Wonwoo’s shoulder and crying out painfully as if he was scared of something that would hurt him right away if his master let go of him in just a second.

Mingyu could not know what Joshua was thinking. He could only hear the boy calling Wonwoo’s name over and over again with a voice which the giant man thought he would only hear in hell. It was so much worse than how it had been on the day Joshua tried to escape from Mingyu and sought for Wonwoo’s protection.

Wonwoo’s tears came out immediately after Joshua called his name the first time, and they just kept falling more and more while the cat was clinging to his master as if the man had never hurt him before. Lifting up the omega in his arms, the alpha began walking slowly around the room, soothing his kitten by gentle strokes on his back and his hair. It was too difficult for Wonwoo to speak normally, but he still tried, knowing Joshua would be more petrified if he kept staying silent for too long.

“You’re safe now, kitten. I’m here for you. I’m your Wonwoo. You can recognize me, right? Joshua?” Wonwoo tried asking, desperately hoping for some consciousness to be left in his kitten.

The cat did not voice out any respond, only hugging his owner more tightly and pathetically trying to take in his alpha’s scent. Before Wonwoo collapsed because of his health, he knew his soul would be killed by Joshua first.

Mingyu’s wish had come true, but he had not known it would be this painful and disastrous. Breaking down behind the door, the giant man cried alone on the floor, hands fisting his own hair furiously in the utter hatred for his own uselessness. He was here, strong and healthy, but unable to do anything to help the people he loved, only watching them crumbling and dying.

“Did he go? Wonwoo… Did he go?”

The frantic questions were thousands of knives stabbing through Wonwoo’s heart, forcing more tears to gush out of his eyes, threatening to wet the hybrid’s clothes.

In the end, Joshua’s mind still refused to recognize Wonwoo as his abuser. Somehow, the boy obviously believed he was assaulted by a stranger, a monster which was certainly not his master, not his God, not his Wonwoo. The alpha thought Joshua had already got his mind back after the heat was gone. Wonwoo could remember clearly how the cat cut his own arms while laughing crazily and said those wounds were nothing in comparison with what Wonwoo had done to him. Nonetheless, when waking up again in this hospital, he did not seem to remember anything any longer.

“He’s gone. Only me here with you. Don’t be scared, Joshua. I’ll protect you. Don’t be scared. I’m here.” Biting his own lips harshly in the unendurable pain, Wonwoo assured his lover, desperately giving kisses on the boy’s hair, helping him feel his presence, his love, and his protection again. “Nobody can touch you. Don’t cry, kitten”

In such a state, neither of the alphas were able to stop a person from storming into the room abruptly. Startled, Mingyu was dragged out of his agony right away, on high alert, staring at the old alpha facing Wonwoo, ready to jump in at any moment.

Mingyu could realize that was Soonyoung’s alpha father.

“I’ve been waiting for this so long!” The old man pointed directly at Wonwoo’s face, growling in great anger. “Now he’s up! I’ll throw both of you into prison!”

Frightened by the appearance of an alpha, Joshua whimpered loudly and held onto Wonwoo more tightly, trembling as if he were going to have an epileptic seizure soon. Irritated by the intrusion of the rude man, Wonwoo growled back at him, voice stern and cold.

“Are you fucking crazy? Don’t you see how Joshua is right now? You think he’s capable of hitting your son? He was cut, beaten, and even raped, while your son is still safe. What the hell do you fucking want from us?”

Mingyu was angry at the old man, but he was also amazed by Wonwoo’s ability of improvisation. His whole saying was a string of lies that could convince anyone. The house was new and no camera had been installed yet. There was no other witness. Joshua was hurt and damaged much more terribly than Soonyoung, and it would be very unreasonable to accuse the hybrid of hitting the red-haired omega although that was what had truly happened.

On the other hand, making an enraged father believe in these lies was not easy.

“Don’t fucking joke with me, Wonwoo! You think I’m stupid? A robbery came to the house and made you decide not to marry my son anymore? You think I can believe this?”

“Soonyoung just got injured a little bit but you’re already like this, then how was I when I woke up and found Joshua in this condition? How the hell could I stay calm?”

Now Mingyu understood why Wonwoo looked this tired and horrible. His older cousin must have spent a lot of time making up a so perfect story that other people would not be able to suspect anything. Of course, Soonyoung’s father was angry, but it was just unavoidable, because this man was a father in distress because of his son’s injury and his huge business contract had broken. Wonwoo seemed devastated and totally wrecked when taking care of Joshua, but when facing Soonyoung’s father, he was much more collected and prepared than what Mingyu had expected. The lead alpha did not lose his composure in front of the older man, talking as if he were the one in authority here.

“Now get out of here before I call the security. You have no rights to yell at me or my omega.”

“Wonwoo you bastard…”

The man yelled, making Joshua whimper particularly loudly in fright, and Mingyu could not stand this any longer. Running inside, the giant man dragged the old man’s collar and pulled him outside in the blink of an eye, ignoring all of the annoying and offensive words. Wonwoo was surprised but did nothing to stop his cousin, feeling relieved about the fact that Joshua was still burying his face in his shoulder and was absolutely unaware of Mingyu’s appearance. The door was closed, and the lead alpha knew his younger cousin could deal with Soonyoung’s father, so he temporarily decided not to care about that old man anymore. The person needed his attention most right now was Joshua and Joshua only.

“Don’t be scared, baby. The security guard’s just dragged him out.” Rubbing the boy’s back, Wonwoo poured kisses on all over his head. “It’s fine now. I told you. Nobody can touch you.”

The cat nodded, but still crying and clinging to his alpha desperately. Despite the endless streams of tears, Wonwoo still knew he had to call the doctors so that they could check Joshua’s health right away. The boy was not in a condition where it was suitable to delay such an important thing like this. After pressing the red button, the man kept walking slowly around the room while waiting, but it seemed to take Joshua an eternity to calm down. He was crying so hard that Wonwoo was sure the boy must have a lot of difficulty in breathing now.

As Joshua had no control over his own feelings, his cat ears and tail were there, but they only made Wonwoo more frightened and heartbroken to see the tail shockingly stiff, wrapping very tightly around the alpha’s arm. Joshua did not purr at all while Wonwoo stroked his ears; he only whimpered much more loudly when his master stopped touching them, helping Wonwoo know this kind of action did help his kitten even just a little bit right now.

Wonwoo had been extremely careful when demanding that only omega nurses and doctors could take care of Joshua, but there was no positive result. The scene in front of his eyes when those people appeared in the room was merely tragic. Joshua instantly screamed, clutching particularly hard to Wonwoo, begging his master to protect him. However, he was coherent in his speech in not longer than ten seconds. As those strangers did not disappeared and his master did nothing to make them leave, the hybrid panicked, and screamed uncontrollably.

Even Wonwoo could not control him any longer.

Joshua thrashed and kicked with all the strength and energy left in his damaged body, trying in vain to get out of the hands of anyone who was trying to restrain him. The poor boy did not recognize anyone. He was trying in vain to find a way to escape, to drag himself to a safe corner where he did not know if it ever existed in this world. At this point, physical pain coming from the wounds scattered all over his body meant nothing to him. The only thing Joshua knew he had to do was running away from people, or they would _torture him to death_ again.

Biting his own lips until they bleed, Wonwoo forced himself to hold Joshua extremely tightly in his arms, trapping the boy completely, unintentionally drowning him in the worst terror. An injection was used to take away the hybrid’s consciousness while Joshua cried and screamed in utter agony. His alpha was murmuring _“I’m sorry”_ by his ears perhaps a hundred times, but no sounds made sense in the cat’s mind. His broken soul thought he was going to be sent to hell, and when he woke up, he would only see the monsters. Wonwoo would not be there. He would never see Wonwoo again.

Unable to endure this longer, Mingyu ran away before Joshua passed out in Wonwoo’s chest, before the lead alpha fell unconscious on the messy bed with the cat still being wrapped securely in his arms.

In his own car, Mingyu cried like a kid, whimpering and even screaming to himself and just himself only. There was nobody here, so he would just let them all out. His hands clutched to his own chest, sobbing at the incredulous pain in his heart. Mingyu hated himself for being the one who had never got any harm after all of those disasters happening to the people he loved. He just stood there, watching them struggling in agony. It was Jun first, then Joshua, then Jun again, then Joshua, then Jun, and now Joshua again, which was just like a vicious circle where Mingyu had already got stuck in and he could never know if there would ever be a way out for him.

If killing himself could reduce the pain for Joshua and Jun, Mingyu would not regret anything and just cut his throat with no hesitation. However, he was forced to live, for his parents, for his Junnie, for Wonwoo, for Joshua. He needed to stay alive and healthy, being a reliable person for Jun to rely on, giving Wonwoo all of the help he could so that his older cousin could spend all of his time not only getting healed but also taking care of Joshua.

Mingyu had to stay strong.

Mingyu promised to himself, he would only cry now, perhaps fifteen more minutes at most, and then he would go home, get washed, change clothes, and then go back to the hospital, smile to his Junnie as if nothing had happened. His life must go on, and then while his lover fell asleep, he would go check on Wonwoo and Joshua again.

For now, Mingyu would cry his eyes out in his own car, and this tiny place had surprisingly become his most private space where he could lay out all his heart these days. His car could not get sad or hurt; it would not break down when seeing him breaking down, and it would not tell anyone about this.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I hurt Mingyu again, but I have no choice ;_;  
And I hope you guys do feel bad for Joshua here ;_; Our poor boy lost his mind completely. 
> 
> Pleae take care of yourself and stay safe!!! I really hope to see your comments again T_T It's too depressing when I posted a chapter and got just a little reaction from some of my lovely readers ;_; I'm seriously eager to know how you feel or think about this chapter ><
> 
> I love you all ><


	67. Two different kinds of love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people started to live with the truth, while one got lost in illusions and lies as his soul wanted to.
> 
> At least, they all felt happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I don't want to spoil so I will just write "Warning" here...
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

Wonwoo only realized he had fainted after a minute long staring at the ceiling from his bed. His brain came back to function so slowly that it took him one more minute to register that he finally got his own bed and got treated as a real patient. His left wrist hurt, which brought Wonwoo to the realization of himself getting some fluids transmitted into his body through a needle. His head was spinning and he found it pretty hard and even painful to move the left hand so he decided to stay still and just keep his hand there.

However, Wonwoo soon realized his right arm could not move either, and there was some strange but familiar sounds somewhere near his ears.

Turning to the right side, Wonwoo felt his heart stopped beating as his eyes captured the image of his kitten right on the same bed as him. Joshua was next to him, fully awake, resting his head on no pillow, hugging the alpha’s arm tightly while pressing his face to Wonwoo’s bicep. All the man could see was the hybrid’s hair, but he heard the sniffles, and felt the wetness on his sleeve. The boy was crying, but seemed to be much calmer than previously.

Outside, the sky was dark, which meant Wonwoo had slept for so long. How long had Joshua been awake and lying there crying like this? Had he got anything to eat?

“Hey, kitten…” Wonwoo croaked out, startled by his own horrible voice.

The cat’s ears instantly twitched when hearing the voice of his master, and he looked up to stare at his alpha immediately. Choking out a sob, the omega quickly scooted until he could place his head on Wonwoo’s chest, trying to use his weak and wounded arm to drape over the man’s torso to form a hug. Since his right arm was freed, Wonwoo could use it to hug his kitten, running his fingers through the boy’s hair to soothe him.

“Don’t cry, Joshua. It’s okay. We’re all safe here. Don’t cry, baby.”

Wonwoo wondered if the terrible scene in this room in the morning was real or actually just a scary and dreadful dream, but Joshua shattered his wish in a split second.

“That… that monster hit you, right? The… the monster…” The boy kept stuttering, unable to speak normally, as if he was even frightened by the thought of that _monster_.

The hybrid did not know he was hugging _that monster_ right here, right now.

The short question effortlessly opened Wonwoo’s floodgate, destroying his heart one more time.

“Yes… but I kicked him out.” Wonwoo lied, lied, and lied, but he had no other choice. This was the only way to make Joshua happy. He could never make the boy happy again if he let his kitten know what had truly happened. “I’m sorry, Joshua… I couldn’t save you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

The cat did not know his master was apologizing to him for a different reason which his mind had refused to remember. He would mistake his abuser as his savior till the end of his life.

Joshua shook his head, as he did not agree to take this apology. In his opinion, Wonwoo had no fault over this tragedy. The more his alpha said sorry, the more he shook his head vigorously, until the man was forced to accept the truth that his kitten did not want to hear it anymore.

Uncomfortable with this position since it was too hard to hold Joshua, Wonwoo softly asked the boy to help him sit up. The pillow was put up against the headboard for the alpha to lean on and sit comfortably. Waiting no more, still in tears, the cat climbed over his master’s thighs, straddling his lap and resting his whole body against his alpha. Wonwoo’s left hand still could not move much, but he could use his right hand to rub his lover’s back and press kisses on the tip of his head.

He realized, Joshua would just keep crying in a terrifying silence if he did not ask the boy anything. Looking at the boy at this moment, Wonwoo did not dare to recall what had happened in the morning, when his kitten lost his mind completely, being downright crazy. Letting his tears fall to the cat’s hair, Wonwoo knew he could not lie to himself any longer. Joshua had to undergo serious mental treatment in order to become normal again, or else the boy would never be able to step out of his house. Was it possible for him to live as a normal person one more time in the future? It was possibly not. Wonwoo was scared to admit that he thought no magic could perfectly heal all of the deep wounds that had carved deeply into the hybrid’s soul and destroyed him permanently.

Wonwoo would not have triggered Joshua’s heat if he had known that the omega’s heat would trigger his rut.

He would not have done whatever he had done to abuse Joshua if he had known that the results of everything were just tragedy and misery. There was no satisfaction, no happiness, no relief, or any other kind of positive emotions.

Wonwoo had never been able to predict that Joshua would automatically make up a whole new story in his mind, totally believing that he was raped, and Wonwoo became his hero one more time, saving him out of the monster and bringing him to the hospital.

All of a sudden, the boy spoke, cutting the chain of his master’s painful thoughts.

“I’m sorry, master…” The more he talked, the heavier his sobs became. “I’m… I’m sorry…”

Wonwoo understood nothing. Shocked to the utmost, he carefully pulled the boy to sit up so as to look at his face, feeling a knife stabbing through his heart when Joshua could not look at him in the eyes. The boy was obviously trying to avoid his gaze, hands gripping tightly the front of his alpha’s shirt. Joshua tried to hide his face in Wonwoo’s chest or shoulder again, but the man did not allow him to. Keeping the cat still by two hands on his waist, Wonwoo asked, sounding much more desperate than the hybrid, making the boy shed even more tears.

“Why are you saying sorry?”

Since the cat had been trying to avoid Wonwoo’s eyes, he had not known his alpha was also crying until he heard the man’s broken voice. Looking up in bewilderment, Joshua trembled violently at the sight of his master’s tears, and it just made his sobs a hundred times louder. Reaching up both hands to cup Wonwoo’s face, tracing his shaking thumbs along the streams of tears, the omega stared at his God for a few seconds, and then could not endure anymore. He shook his head, and ducked it again. His own tears were damaging the bandage on his face, but Wonwoo could not make his kitten stop crying. Joshua was already so weak, but his constant crying made him weaker and weaker, yet there was still no solution for either of them to get out of this pain.

“Please… please don’t say sorry, Joshua. You didn’t do anything wrong to me.” Wonwoo literally begged his omega, ready to do anything to make this stop. He wanted to make the boy stop crying, stop being scared, and stop saying sorry for whatever reason. “Don’t cry… Don’t cry, baby. You’re safe now.”

Joshua still shook his head, but eventually spoke, obviously depressed and frustrated.

“I’m sorry… I… I couldn’t keep myself… for you…”

Wonwoo grimaced as this pain crossed his limit.

The hybrid was startled, thinking that his master was having a heart attack, and he was even more frightened, pouring a hundred questions into the man’s ears to check his condition, shifting restlessly on his alpha’s lap due to the intense worries in his heart. However, the movement caused him to wince in pain, since Joshua was now in the condition where he should only sit still on a comfortable surface without moving much. Wonwoo had damaged him too much in the past three days and now just like Jun, he was not allowed to have any kind of intercourse in at least one month.

The more pain he felt, the more Joshua cried, and Wonwoo turned out the be the one who hurriedly pulled the cat into his chest and hugged him tightly to soothe him. Pulling the blanket up cover the hybrid thoroughly, the alpha kissed his fluffy ears tenderly, and they both twitched when feeling the man’s tears dropping on them.

“No… No. Don’t say so, Joshua. You’re still fine. You’re mine, not anyone’s else.” Wonwoo tried to lie, making up a whole new story to fool his silly kitten again, trying in vain to make his voice more cheerful. “That bastard didn’t bite you. The bite is mine. It bled because you got cut… He… he didn’t bite you.”

Wonwoo thought this lie was awfully bad, but it caught Joshua’s attention right away. Sitting up abruptly, the boy frantically wiped his tears and rubbed his eyes so as to look at his alpha more clearly. His both red and wet eyes widened, lower lips quivering as he stared at his master.

“Are… are you sure? I’m… I’m still only yours? He didn’t bite me? Please… please don’t lie to me…”

The pain in Wonwoo’s chest was real, making him think of asking the doctors to give him some painkillers so as to survive, to be healthy enough to take care of his kitten.

“It’s true, Joshua. I never lie to you.” The man used both hands to caress his omega’s cheek and helped him wipe the tears at the same time. He tried to smile, hoping that this would make his words more reliable. “I’ve already marked you before. Don’t you remember?”

Joshua almost beamed, but he frowned, and was drowned in confusion. The pain in Wonwoo’s heart had no chance to subside, since now it was suffering again to see the boy happy at the thought of being claimed by his master. _Joshua wanted to be his_. What he did not want was only being raped and knotted. The boy had no problem with becoming his master’s omega, even having sparkles in his eyes when hearing that he had already became his alpha’s mate officially. The poor hybrid spent time thinking extremely hard, trying to rummage through his memory to find something but failed.

His voice was utterly naïve, innocent, with the greatest faith in his owner.

“But… but how??? You… you have never had sex with me. How is it possible?”

Wonwoo continued to lie.

“Remember the pills I gave you, kitten?” He asked, quickly receiving a nod from his omega. “They were actually specially made for us. They helped me mark you as mine without knotting you. They were made of some of my blood, and then… you just took them. After a few days, I just needed to bite you as how we usually do, and then it’s done.”

“R-Really? Master, you aren’t joking with me. Right?” Joshua asked, on the verge of bursting into tears again if he found out Wonwoo was just lying. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? You… you said they were contraceptive pills!”

“Seungkwan wasn’t sure they would be effective.” Wonwoo lied further and further, knowing that there would never be a way out for him anymore, but he had no choice. “So… I didn’t want to disappoint you. Remember our second day? You’ve asked me to bite you many times. That was how your body reacted to the special pills. They made you want to become mine.”

Joshua did not doubt his master’s story anymore. Beaming like a kid for real this time, the boy burst into tears again, but in extreme happiness, and leaned over to wrap his arms tightly around his alpha. Wonwoo was afraid that such movements would hurt his wounds scattered along the arms but the cat did not seem to care about them at all. He just sniffled and whimpered into Wonwoo’s neck, voice weak and tiny but revealing a lot of emotions.

“I… I was so scared… I thought… I thought that…”

Knowing the boy would not be able to finish his saying, the alpha just shook his head and caressed his lover’s hair gently, kissing his ears again, one more time letting his tears fall onto the cat’s brown fur, but Joshua could not care about them any longer. He was overwhelmed already by the realization of himself belonging to Wonwoo and only Wonwoo. His body might have been tainted, but it still had only one bond connecting him and the man he loved. Moreover, his God was still here, hugging him and adoring him as if nothing had ever happened. Joshua was finally convinced that Wonwoo loved him. He would never have to doubt it again. His master used to sound so cruel, but the alpha had thoughtfully found a safe way to make Joshua without terrifying him. The hybrid had nothing more to ask for. This life was already too perfect for him and all of a sudden, his mind did not remember his own tragedy anymore, at least for this moment.

“Don’t worry, Joshua. I will protect you.” Wonwoo promised to his baby, carelessly throwing away the needle on his left hand so that he could hug Joshua thoroughly and securely in his embrace, determined not to ever let the boy slip out of his life again. “We’re going to get married soon. The whole world has already known you’re mine. Nobody will ever dare to touch you.”

Once again, Joshua pulled himself away from his master, looking at him with wide eyes.

“Wh-what?” He asked, dumbfounded, losing a few heartbeats, yet did not dare to trust what he had just heard. “You… you mean you’re getting married with Soonyoung, right?”

Wonwoo shook his head, placing a soft kiss on the omega’s forehead.

“No, kitten. I broke it. I won’t marry him.” Staring into Joshua’s eyes, the alpha could see pure happiness in them, realizing how much the cat truly hated Soonyoung, or hated any omega Wonwoo might marry apart from himself. His kitten was seriously possessive, not any better than him.

The hybrid kept staring at his master in the eyes, holding his breath and waiting for the man to continue.

“I’ve already made an announcement. Let me show it to you.”

Knowing that a specific proof would help Joshua trust this completely, Wonwoo grabbed his phone on the nightstand and searched for the news about his announcement. It was still new so it was easy to find, and it did not take him a lot of time to see what he needed. Giving the phone to Joshua, Wonwoo let him read it by himself, watching the boy scanning every single words on the screen with his eyes gradually becoming wider and wider.

The last thing Wonwoo expected was that Joshua would faint right after finishing reading the news article. Dropping the phone, the hybrid fell limply on his alpha, scaring the hell out of his master. Taking this opportunity, Wonwoo pressed the red button to call the doctors. They came in quickly, checking not only the alpha but also the cat thoroughly. Wonwoo was told to stay in bed in at least two more days while Joshua might take a little bit longer to be discharged. They said the hybrid was fine and perhaps he had just passed out due to shock.

This fact hurt Wonwoo even more.

Anyway, if he looked into the bright side, then he might consider this as a good chance for the doctors and nurses to change his bandage. They kindly pulled the two beds closer to each other in order to merge them as a doubled one, which was much more convenient for them both to rest without staying one meter away from each other or getting stuck in a too small bed together. They even asked Wonwoo if there was anyone they could contact and ask them to come here to take care of him and his omega, but he just shook his head, stating that they were fine enough to have each other. The doctors were not happy with this, but there was nothing else they could do.

Lying back down, Wonwoo pulled Joshua into his chest, letting the boy rest his head on his bicep, and falling asleep again. It was not difficult although he had though it would be. The alpha was still too tired to keep himself awake for too long, and he did not even remember that he had not eaten anything for tonight.

The second time Wonwoo woke up, he saw Joshua awake, still in his embrace, but the cat was not crying anymore. He was scrolling through his master’s phone, reading through many articles, all of which were about Wonwoo’s announcement of breaking his engagement with Soonyoung and marrying Joshua in a very near future. The more he read, the wider his smile grew, but that smile could not make Wonwoo feel happy or relieved anymore. One of the reasons was that, he even heard Joshua giggling when he saw an article talking about Soonyoung’s injuries. He still hated the red-haired omega so much. It was surreal for Wonwoo to think of the cat having negative feelings towards someone.

He knew the boy must hate his previous owner, but he had never seemed to react towards that man in this way. Outside the window, the sky was still dark, yet Joshua’s emotions had changed so drastically. Wonwoo had not thought it would be possible for a crying and sobbing boy from just two hours ago to smile brightly now. According to what the alpha knew about his kitten, Joshua was not the kind of person who could stop crying this early after being raped by a stranger. Last time, Wonwoo only spanked the cat and then he cried the whole afternoon. Also, Wonwoo knew Joshua was not good in enduring physical pain, and the doctors said he was too weak to take much painkillers. However, the boy did not seem to feel those painful wounds all over his body even a bit.

Joshua was _completely crazy_. The worst adjective to describe him now was undoubtedly _“normal”_.

Wonwoo was terrified to admit this awful truth.

Joshua was startled when the phone in his hand was snatched away, but he instantly grinned at the moment his alpha moved him to lie on top of the bigger body. The cat nuzzled into his neck immediately, obviously happy and contented to be in this position. While one of Wonwoo’s hands was rubbing his back, the hybrid’s tail came to wrap around his arm as if he was afraid that his master would leave him at any time. The alpha was drowned in constant pain and misery, forced to acknowledge all of his kitten’s actions as sick possessiveness and fear of losing him. Somewhere in Joshua’s mind, he was still thinking that he would lose Wonwoo soon, although he had heard and also seen that they would become legal spouses after a very short time.

“Why don’t you sleep?” The man asked, stroking the cat’s ears, making him purr. “You’re still weak. You need to sleep. It’s already late.”

“I want to read the news again.” Joshua murmured softly, pressing his ear to Wonwoo’s chest, listening to his master’s heartbeat to feel calm and peaceful.

Kissing the tip of his omega’s head, Wonwoo whispered back to him, luring the boy to sleep.

“How long did you read?”

The cat’s head moved a little when he tried to look at the clock on the wall, and then rapidly went back to his comfortable position.

“I think… an hour.”

This was too shocking for Wonwoo’s heart to handle.

“You see. I didn’t lie to you, baby.” Swallowing his tears, the man tried his best to talk to his broken kitten about the good and beautiful things only. “I will marry you. If you get well soon, we can get married soon, and maybe…”

Surprisingly, the boy whined, lifting up his head and placing his chin on Wonwoo’s chest so that his eyes could see the man’s face. Joshua’s expression was revealing not only frustration but also deep sadness and insecurity.

“Why… Why do we have to wait that long? You can finish the paper without my presence, right? You’re my master.”

“You want to do it right away?” Wonwoo was still shocked, and even scared by the boy’s eagerness. “I don’t want to make it seem like… I force you to marry me.”

The alpha was startled to see his kitten’s face fell.

“You… don’t want me?” He asked, eyes wet and just about to shed tears again, breaking his owner’s heart.

“No! No! That’s not true!”

Feeling that this was not good at all, Wonwoo quickly sat up and let Joshua straddle his lap while he hugged the boy’s tightly in his arms, desperately trying to let the cat know how much he loved him and wanted to be with him forever. Joshua had started to sniffle, but he willingly wrapped his arms around his master’s shoulders.

“If you want, I will do that right after I get out of this hospital.” Wonwoo decided to follow whatever his omega wanted, and that was also what he wanted as well. He would be selfish one more time. Wonwoo would ignore the fact that Joshua was broken and probably unable to think as normally as other people.

They both wanted to marry each other. Wonwoo was not doing anything wrong. He was not taking advantage of Joshua. He was just trying to make the boy’s dream come true. They loved each other, and shared the same dreams.

“I intended to make it special for you.” As Wonwoo lied again, his tears began to fall one more time. “I intended to take you with me and we will do the paper work together. I didn’t know you wouldn’t want to wait that long.”

“I don’t want to wait at all!” Joshua croaked out, obviously crying at this point. “Do you… do you really want to marry me?”

Wonwoo pulled his kitten away just to shower him with kisses all over his face while murmuring the words coming from deep down his heart.

“Of course I do. I want you to be mine. I want you to stay with me forever. I will do anything to keep you by my sides forever. I will give you everything if you agree to be mine till the end of my life.” The alpha spoke like playing a mantra to his lover, desperate to give out his whole heart to Joshua so that the boy could understand his love. “If you agree to be mine, I will do the paper immediately. I don’t want to wait either.”

“Please, master… please do it!” The cat looked at his alpha in the eyes, pleading, holding both of his master’s hands which were cupping his face. “I’m yours. I will be with you forever. I… I’ve always tried to tell you about this… Don’t… don’t you understand me?” Joshua asked while his eyes were displaying the most obvious hurt expression Wonwoo had ever seen, knowing that he had been terribly wrong when unconsciously ignoring the fact that Joshua wanted to be with him more than anyone else in this world.

“I understand now. I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry.” It was the alpha’s turn to beg his kitten for forgiveness. Leaning over to let their foreheads touch, Wonwoo saw Joshua closing his eyes while the streams of tears kept flowing down his cheeks. The man’s fingers wiped them away, but the cat still did not open his eyes again. Begging one more time, Wonwoo tried to lower his voice as much as possible. “Can you forgive me, Joshua? If you can, please… please call me Wonwoo. Don’t call me master anymore. I will be your husband. Can you just call me Wonwoo? Please, Joshua. Please!”

Joshua might be insane now, but there was only one thing that had never changed, and it was definitely his love for Wonwoo. Without thinking, the boy sobbed and called out his alpha’s name loudly. Magically, that was also the moment Wonwoo had the chance to smell the cat’s sweet scent of strawberry candy again, realizing the true happiness in his kitten’s heart even though he had thought that it was impossible for him to smell this until the boy became healthy and normal again.

Like two psychopaths who were craving for each other’s love, they made out passionately, giving all and taking all from the other one, regardless of the fact that they both had just woken up from a long slumber. It might be gross, but they were already crazy; nothing mattered to them any longer. Joshua even did not bother to ask for permission when he left a hickey on Wonwoo’s neck with great determination. The boy just wanted all of the omegas in this world to stay away from his alpha, and wanted them to know that this man belonged to him only. He did not agree to share Wonwoo with anyone. Nobody was allowed to take his God away from his life, and he was ready to kill anyone who dared to touch his alpha.

That night, Joshua sat between Wonwoo’s legs and leaned against the man’s chest while the alpha used his phone to look through various styles of wedding rings for him and his omega. The cat smiled brightly the whole time, already excited to think of seeing the shining rings on his and Wonwoo’s fingers. Joshua would never have to feel jealous of anyone anymore, because he was the happiest omega in this world now. He was loved by his God. His greatest alpha would be with him forever, and they would become legal husbands in just a few more days. Joshua would have the opportunity to sleep in his alpha’s embrace every night, and would give him the cutest babies – their sons and daughters.

Joshua did not know when he fell asleep, but he felt safe and happy to wake up and see Wonwoo at the beginning of the next morning. His alpha smiled to him tenderly, talking about their marriage and the rings again, letting the boy know that all the sweet things he had heard and seen were all true. He was not dreaming. _He was going to be Wonwoo’s official and legal omega forever._

\-------------------------------

**Six weeks later**

“I hate you Mingyu… I hate you!”

Mingyu was not sure if Jun was trying to scream or he was just literally moaning, but no matter what he was doing, it sounded hot and erotic in Mingyu’s ears and he was determined not to relent even a bit.

“You’re too loud, Junnie.” Grunting while breathing heavily, the giant man bit his lover’s ear seductively, holding his hips even more tightly. “The security guard will hear you! Do you want us to be interrupted by a knock on the door, huh?”

Jun did not know why but his alpha seriously sounded extremely dominant here and his instincts were being forced to submit to his huge alpha. In fact, what else could Jun do now? He was already half-naked now, facing the glass window with his arms supporting his head on the transparent surface while Mingyu was behind him, fucking him like a maniac. Hearing his lover’s sexy voice, Jun could not help letting out an even louder moan, causing his mate to quickly bring one hand up to cover his mouth.

“Shhh, baby. Don’t let us be heard.” The younger alpha murmured to his cousin’s ear, thrusting continuously in a fast pace. “I won’t fuck you in my office again if you keep screaming like that.”

Jun immediately whined, but Mingyu could see that his mate was evidently trying to control his sounds, and this fact made the giant man grin in satisfaction. His cousin might have protested this at first, but now he was enjoying this quick sex in Mingyu’s office too. Perhaps they had just found out a mutual kink, and Mingyu was sure he would try this again many more times in the future. This time, which was also their first time in this setting, was less thrill than what he had expected since there were almost no people left in the company. There was nearly no chance of them being interrupted by anyone except for the security guard, and there was no need to make it fast. They had all the time for each other in this small office. Mingyu had never had the habit of staying here after his working time, but other people in the building did, and nobody would try to kick them out of here soon.

Sensing that Jun would not moan too loudly again, Mingyu released his mouth, hand slowly moving to his back, caressing along his spine, from his lover’s nape to his tailbone, then squeezing one cheek hard. Once again, Jun moaned, but he managed to keep his voice at an acceptable volume this time, yet this struggle was adding more pleasure to the sinful heat inside his body. Jun’s breath hitched when Mingyu’s rough hands left his hips, opening his unbuttoned shirt wider and fondled his erected nipples. It was terribly difficult for Jun to stop himself from moaning in a high-pitched voice now, calling out his alpha’s name in an extraordinarily lewd way.

Hissing at the tightening muscles around his rock hard dick, and also at the alluring sound of his name coming from his Junnie’s mouth, Mingyu fucked him even harder although Jun had not thought it would be possible. Surprisingly, Jun did not feel any pain at all. Was he hallucinating about Mingyu’s strength and speed? Perhaps he was. Jun did not like rough sex, yet he was enjoying everything happening right now and nothing seemed wrong at this moment. Then why was he feeling like he was being fucked so intensely? This pleasure was unmatched, even feeling like he was being cleansed by making love with his giant alpha.

Jun could not remember the reason for this sex anymore.

Struggling to hold back moans and mewls in just about fifteen seconds, Jun could not handle this any longer, and he croaked out again, voice almost breathless.

“I hate you… I hate you, Mingyu!” He repeated, squeezing his eyes shut as feeling that the dick inside him was hitting his prostate with no mercy.

Mingyu laughed, and his voice sounded utterly dark and sinful in Jun’s ears, driving him even more insane. However, one of the giant alpha’s hands moved down rapidly, and suddenly gripped the base of older alpha’s cock tightly, preventing his orgasm from coming, successfully eliciting a very frustrating whine.

Pressing Jun’s whole body to the glass window, Mingyu did not slow down in any second, still hitting his lover’s prostate precisely and powerfully.

“I’m not the one who forced you to be like this, baby.” Whispering to his mate, the bigger man wanted to tease Jun a little. “You’re the one who suddenly has a stroke in my office and kept grinding on my cock. I’ve already told you to wait until we got home, but it didn’t seem like you could wait any longer.”

Too desperate, Jun did not bother to bicker with Mingyu anymore. He just begged, voice cracking and shaking.

“Please… please let me cum, Mingyu… Please…”

Amazed by the plea, Mingyu instantly melted at his lover’s submission, even though Jun had just said he hated him a few seconds ago. The giant man found his mate so cute to claim his hatred over and over again while he was just _feeling too good_. Understanding Junnie, Mingyu would take all of those _“I hate you”_ as _“I love you”_.

The giant man was surprised by his own ability to multitask, but he was glad he could bring this intense pleasure to his lover. Pinching Jun’s nipple, stroking his cock fast, and thrusting into him in a mad pace, Mingyu finally let his prince get it all. He whispered one more time.

“Taint my window, Junnie. _Paint it with your cum_.”

This was too much for Jun, and he could not last any longer. As always, he went completely breathless while the orgasm wrecked his whole body. His mouth opened widely but no sound came out, yet the strong tremor of him and his clenching hole told Mingyu all.

Jun thought that was the end, but he forgot one important fact, which was that Mingyu had not come yet.

Jun was shocked when Mingyu abruptly pulled out of him, leaving him empty in an annoyingly fast movement. He whined loudly, very ready to punch his alpha, but the bigger man turned out to have another plan. As Jun was already exhausted, it was easy for Mingyu to pull his lover to lie on his back on the couch. Spreading Jun’s legs quickly, the giant alpha leaned over and entered him again, causing his cousin to gasp. Mingyu pounded, with no hesitation, and no mercy. The older alpha’s mouth hung open while he wanted to tell his mate that he had just come and perhaps he could not handle one more time, but he was almost immobilized. He did not voice out anything or do anything either.

Mingyu was pleased to see how receptive his Junnie was, still taking his cock well after an intense orgasm. His lover even seemed to relish in being taken like this longer and much longer. The giant alpha growled, utterly satisfied at his pliant and submissive lover. This attitude proved how much Jun was worked up by his alpha, and he looked terribly wrecked. Mingyu’s hand did not stop stroking his mate’s cock as he did not allow it to soften, and Jun was effortlessly hard in his lover’s hand again. Despite seeming to be so ruined, Jun still looked effortlessly breathtaking in his mate’s eyes, making Mingyu wonder how it was possible for a perfection like this to exist in this world, and even in his own arms, allowing him to pound into this delicious body.

Knowing that Jun was in a daze of sexual pleasure, Mingyu tried testing his reaction by stopping moving. The older alpha scrunched his face and whined, frantically trying to buck up his hips so as to continue the onslaught of pleasure in his hole, but Mingyu kept him in place by his strong and muscular arms.

“Call me _oppa_, Junnie.” The giant man whispered on his mate’s lips, excited by his own idea, wishing to hear it from his stubborn Junnie.

On the other hand, Jun was far too gone to be stubborn now. He was just obedient, good, all for his superior alpha. The older alpha gasped, trying to breath between the deep kisses Mingyu were giving him, and his muscles were clenching more and more tightly around his lover’s dick. The giant man was not sure if he could last like this until he could hear what he wanted or not, especially when Jun was trying to use both of his shaky arms to hug him, pull him closer and kiss him back.

“Oppa…” He called, voice tiny but enough for Mingyu to hear every single sweet word. “I love you, oppa… Please… Please fuck me…”

Growling fiercely, Mingyu devoured his lover’s lips and pounded like crazy, fucking Jun to oblivion. That had not been their plan at first, but now the younger man was sure it was just going to happen, because his adorable Junnie had ruined his mind thoroughly.

_“Does oppa’s cock make you feel good, Junnie?”_

_“Yes… yes… too good… Ah… Aaaah…Mingyu… oppa…”_

_“Oppa’s Junnie is so good.” _Knowing that Jun loved to be praise, Mingyu generously gave him various compliments, from the nice one to the dirty ones. “I bet no omega could be as tight as you, and no one can make oppa feel as good as you do. And you know what’s the best? I never have to use condom with you, and I’ll always cum inside you, fill you with my seeds, and watch them slowly leak out from your little hole.”

Jun was seriously loud now, but Mingyu did not care about his volume any longer. His Junnie’s eyes were twinkling due to the pleasure he was taking and the dirty talk of his alpha. However, what Mingyu had just told him was not true. The best thing was not that they never need to use condom; it was that right now Jun was babbling nothing but only _“oppa”_ and _Mingyu_ over and over again, and the giant man was one hundred percent sure his lover was not capable of faking or telling any lie in this state.

Eventually, Mingyu’s sincere confession in the middle of the unbelievably hot moment brought Jun to his climax one more time.

_“I love you, Junnie.”_

The older alpha reached his orgasm right after that, and felt his alpha coming inside him as well, feeling filled up to the utmost. The feeling was still strange to him, but it was sweetly comfortable and satisfying. At the moment Jun had ridden off his orgasm after Mingyu fucked him through it, he knew the fire inside him had vanished completely, and there was nothing left in his mind except for happiness, exhaustion and his alpha. His Mingyu.

Mingyu could not ever tell fully how much he loved the way Jun smiled to him after they did some sexual activities together. It had always been a very important proof for Mingyu to hold onto in order to believe that his Junnie loved him and enjoyed the moment they shared with each other. The giant man could not help kissing his lover deep and intimately, cuddling with his little prince on the couch regardless of the mess they had made. Mingyu had found out his Junnie really loved cuddling after sex, and he also found out he enjoyed hugging his Junnie in his embrace after sex as well. In the sweet and peaceful atmosphere, he heard a feeble voice coming from his chest, and a hand pulling his shirt weakly.

“Can you help me wash, _oppa_?”

Mingyu thought he was about to die of a heart attack.

Giggling and grinning like a kid, he enthusiastically stood up with his lover in his arms, bolting to the restroom while the older alpha smiled shyly and hid his face in the wide and warm chest of his giant bear.

That evening, Jun was too tired to sit in a restaurant, so Mingyu brought some food for them to have dinner at home. The apartment was not big, just the perfect size the alphas couple needed to feel cozy and happy. Sitting together by the round table, they ate while watching a movie on Mingyu’s tablet. The giant man knew this was a bad habit but since Jun liked it, he was ready to spoil his mate. Moreover, the next day was Saturday, so they would not have to care too much. Everything would be fine. This moment was heaven, and they would wholeheartedly enjoy it.

However, in the middle of their meal, Mingyu’s phone suddenly rang, which rarely happened around this time. Since the phone had already been placed on the dining table, both of the two alphas glanced at the screen, and they froze. After a few more seconds, Mingyu tapped on the tablet to stop the movie, and glanced back at his lover. Jun was staring at the phone unblinkingly, but then he grabbed it hastily, tapping the button to accept the call and hand it to his cousin immediately. Mingyu was startled but still took the phone in his hand, quickly greeting his friend who had not contacted him even once in the last six weeks.

“Hey, Seungcheol! How are you doing? We haven’t seen you for so long.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Mingyu.” Seungcheol replied, voice surprisingly much better than the last time Mingyu had heard him. It was not until now did Mingyu remember to turn on the speaker so that Jun could hear the conversation too. Their friend still sounded pretty awkward, but he was evidently in a much better condition. He did not sound tired or angry anymore. “Like I told you long ago… I was really busy and I wanted to do nothing but taking care of Hannie…”

Jun instantly fidgeted in his seat at the mention of Jeonghan, yet Mingyu was not surprised at all. He was super eager to ask about the rabbit hybrid too, but he knew he should not risk or else he would destroy this rare chance of talking to Seungcheol. Instead, Mingyu decided to ask about his friend first.

“So… uh… Are you good now? You still aren’t in Seoul now, right?”

“Actually I’m in Seoul now.”

“What?” Jun could not hold back anymore, jumping and asking in the greatest shock. “You’re back in Seoul now?”

“Oh, hey, Jun.” Seungcheol was obviously quite startled to hear the second’s voice from the other end of the line, but he still sounded nice. “How are you now?”

“I’m fine.” Jun rapidly skipped that topic, totally forgetting that Seungcheol was the one who had pushed him into the horrible condition. He could not stay calm when hearing that Seungcheol was being so close to them right now, which meant that Jeonghan might possibly be here too. “I’m sorry but… but you’re really in Seoul now?”

Realizing Jun’s excitement and anxiety, Seungcheol laughed lightly, yet Mingyu was amazed to acknowledge that his friend did not seem mad or crazy at all.

“Yes. I’m in Seoul now. Do you two have free time tomorrow? Around nine? I want to see you.”

Shocked, Mingyu and Jun had to spent not less than one minute staring at each other with wide eyes, unable to believe that Seungcheol was asking them out for a small meeting. Was this seriously true?

“I’m… I’m sorry. I know I’ve done very horrible things to you guys but please, I really need to see you tomorrow.” Seungcheol thought their silence meant they were still mad at him. He was trying to make his voice as sincere as possible, and also emphasized some important information in his saying. “Both of you. It’s mostly about Jun but I need Mingyu too. If Mingyu didn’t change to another new job then I guess you still don’t work on Saturday, right?”

“You’re right. I don’t work on Saturday… Uhh… but why do you need me too?” Mingyu was confused. “If you just need to talk to Jun then it’s fine. I won’t disturb you two.”

“No. It’s mostly about Jun but it’s related to you, too. I know you guys are living together now, not with Wonwoo anymore.”

The giant man tried his best to ignore how Jun’s face fell when the lead alpha was mentioned, because he did not want to feel heartbroken by his older cousin’s love for Wonwoo anymore.

“You’ve been spying on us?” Mingyu questioned.

“Uh… yes. I’m sorry but I had to look for information about all of you before coming here.” Seungcheol sighed a little, lowering his voice one more time. “So do you have free time tomorrow? Please, I really need to see both of you. You can punch me if you want, but we need to talk, face to face, not through the phone like this.”

Sighing one more time, Seungcheol felt the need to reveal a bit of the truth to make his invitation more tempting to his friends.

“I need to talk to you guys about Hannie. He will be there tomorrow too.”

In the end, they all agreed to meet each other at nine in the next morning at a coffee shop not far from this apartment.

That night, neither of the alphas could sleep. Mingyu could not believe it. He had known from long ago that Jeonghan had been staying at Busan with Seungcheol but he had never expected to see the rabbit hybrid again right in Seoul like this. Moreover, he had never dared to imagined that Seungcheol would be the one who brought the omega here to meet them. His Junnie was going to see his love soon, and Mingyu thought he himself was even more excited than his lover. Jeonghan’s had been haunting not only Jun’s but also Mingyu’s minds in the past six weeks. Now, it was surreal to think that the said hybrid would be right in front of their eyes in fewer than twenty four more hours.

Jun tried to sleep, knowing that his health had never allowed him to stay up too late, especially when the doctors had not allowed him to go back to work yet, but no matter how hard he tried, he just failed. It was embarrassing to admit, but Jun was really buzzing in excitement. It was too soon to think what Seungcheol might be going to tell them and why that was related to Jeonghan, yet Jun was happy enough with the fact that he would see his bunny again. He would see the rabbit by his own eyes, checking his health, watching his face to see if he had been living happily with Seungcheol or not. It could be a chance for him and Mingyu to kidnap Jeonghan and run away forever.

Jun was already desperate and he thought he would really do that tomorrow.

Surprisingly, when Jun turned to face Mingyu in their bed, he saw the giant man awake like him as well. Scooting closer and placing his head on the bigger man’s bicep, the older alpha whispered under the dimmed light.

“Do you think we should kidnap Jeonghan?”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about that.” Mingyu grinned brightly, eyes shining. “Glad to hear you want to do that too.”

Giggling gleefully, Jun decided to get rid of the plan of sleeping and started talking to his lover to kill the long night. It was the first time for Mingyu not to tell his mate to sleep soon, since he knew it was useless to do such a stupid thing in this situation. For the first time, again, Jun finally opened his heart wider and told Mingyu about the secret between him and Jeonghan, letting the giant man know thoroughly how much they loved each other, how much comfort and happiness they found from the other one’s presence, and that he had never been able to forget any single thing about Jeonghan, as if he had really been intoxicated after the short period of time they had spent together.

Hypnotized by the story his Junnie told him, Mingyu wished that the man who had seen and picked Jeonghan up on the street in that long gone day in the past had been him, or Jun, or even Wonwoo, not Seungcheol. If things had had happened in that way, perhaps everything would be perfect today. Joshua would have met his best friend right after being brought to their shared apartment, and then there would never be any _cheating or betrayal_. No one would interfere with the love of Jun and Jeonghan; they would be happy together forever.

Since Jun was still quite weak, he ended up falling asleep around two o’clock, but Mingyu stayed awake until the sun rose, watching his lover sleeping in peace in his embrace. If tomorrow they really kidnapped Jeonghan and ran away, perhaps Mingyu would not be able to sleep with his Junnie again because Jun would definitely want to share his bed with Jeonghan and the giant man was sure the rabbit would not feel comfortable when sleeping with a stranger. Nonetheless, that was fine. Mingyu would not mind even a bit. As long as Jun was happy, he would do everything to make his lover’s dreams come true.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended to post WonShua part only but then i realized it was too short so I added JunGyu sex part but then I thought it would be so ridiculous to show you their smut and then end the chapter so I decided to add the dinner part and also their talk in bed. Therefore, it's so long like this :">
> 
> This is cruel for my WonShua but I guess JunGyu's part here has got most of your attention ;_; And I think you've already known, JEONGHANNIE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!
> 
> But seriously, poor Joshua baby ;_; He's really crazy now. He isn't thinking or acting normally anymore. At least he's happy now T_T It's not a good thing but he's really happy in this condition. He doesn't remember what Wonwoo did to him and only thinks that fate finally treats him nicely. 
> 
> Wow I realize I'm very cruel to my characters...
> 
> I am super super super super super eager to know how you think or feel about this chapter >< AAaaaaaahhhhh I hope there are numerous emotions for you to feel now ><
> 
> I hope you stay safe, healthy and happy in these chaotic days!! I love you all ^^


	68. We were all broken in all ways. Together, we shared the pain.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun and Mingyu had never been able to expect the meeting to be like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JEONGHAN IS BACK!!!
> 
> Let's brace yourself for this painful chapter...  
Jeonghan is the kind of character that will wreck all of you whenever he shows up...
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

Jun was so nervous that he and Mingyu left home very early. It was just half past eight but they had been present at the coffee shop, quickly finishing two cups of coffee and they knew they would definitely need to order another two drinks. Mingyu was nervous too, because he could not imagine how Jun would react when Jeonghan appeared. The giant man was a little sleepy at first, but right now, watching Jun fidgeting in his seat, he suddenly did not feel sleepy anymore. They both ended up looking around anxiously together.

In an attempt to calm his lover down, Mingyu held Jun’s hand gently, and gave him an assuring nod, smiling tenderly. Staring back at his cousin, Jun took in a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of sandalwood, hoping it to help himself feel more comfortable. It did work, as always, just like Mingyu’s presence in his life these days. If Mingyu were not here today, Jun guessed he would jump around this coffee shop like a crazy dog.

As usual, people still stared at Jun, an alpha with two marks on his neck, when he first stepped in the shop and Mingyu had to used his powerful noble alpha’s pheromones to warn them not to mess with his lover, but that was the last thing Jun could care about at this moment.

Finally, the people they had been waiting for appeared.

Not only Jun but also Mingyu almost had no care about Seungcheol. As long as he did not lose a limb or an eye, then there was nothing else to worry about their alpha friend, and their eyes only landed on the hybrid following his alpha into the coffee shop while holding his hand. Jun was not aware of himself standing up like an idiot, staring at the rabbit he had been longing for unblinkingly. Time seemed to stop around him, and everyone else did not seem to exist in his mind any longer.

Although Jun had already seen everything about Jeonghan, and had seen him at his most alluring state, he had to describe the scene in front of his eyes now as _breathtaking_. He had never known it would be possible for a perfection like Jeonghan to become even prettier in all ways, despite the fact that there were obviously some things which hurt his eyes. It was amazing to see how much the hybrid’s hair had grown in just about two months. His blonde hair now had gone past his shoulders in the most beautiful way Jun had ever seen in a male who grew long hair. Jeonghan did not look girly. He just looked stunning, and even the girls available in the shop had to stare at him.

Jeonghan was simply dressed in just a blue loose long shirt and white pants, but what caught Jun’s attention most was the right fabric choker around his neck. When had the rabbit start to wear a choker like this? Jun was sure it was not a collar for no apparent reason, but he found the thing surprisingly good on Jeonghan. The choker made him a hundred times softer and Jun seriously wished he could touch that silky hair, hold that omega and watch the choker more carefully. The object was irking his curiosity, making him felt like the hybrid was hiding something under the thin fabric.

Nonetheless, both Jun and Mingyu realized a problem in horror. While Jun was still contemplating the trouble, the giant man had already felt a hint of familiarity from Jeonghan’s scent. _He smelled almost like family_. Mingyu was severely puzzled, having no idea how the rabbit could make him feel this way. He should only have this kind of feeling towards his relatives who was carrying inside them the noble blood of his ancestor.

The horror was slowly eating Mingyu alive while Jun had not recognized the trouble yet, still staring with his mouth hung open. The older alpha only stopped when his mate nudged him, and the giant man also stood up to shake Seungcheol’s hand.

“Long time no see, Cheol.” Mingyu smiled awkwardly, still stealing glances towards the omega.

He found Jeonghan staring back at him as well.

He guessed he was right. There was really a huge problem here.

Certainly, no matter what the reason was, Jeonghan only stared at Mingyu in a short while because Jun had taken most of his attention. When their eyes met, Jun thought his heart stopped beating in a moment, which might possible be the longest minute he had been through in this whole life. Jeonghan was right there, only one table away from him, real and alive in front of him, looking at him through his beautifully shining eyes. The outburst of their both scents was being stronger than ever, revealing their striking emotions in their hearts better than anything in this world.

Jun wanted to jump over the table, take Jeonghan’s hand, and then run out of this coffee shop forever, so that no one would separate them ever again. He wanted to pour a thousand of confessions from deep down his heart to his bunny, painfully regretting his stupidity of two months ago. He should have confronted Seungcheol, telling him the truth, asking him for permission to start an official relationship with Jeonghan. If he had done that, if he had been more determined, if he had not been a coward, his beloved omega would not have to suffer in this whole long time. He would have been able to take care of Jeonghan, to shower him with love and give him everything he had.

On the other hand, Jun’s heart was shattered into countless pieces as he watched Jeonghan more carefully. Why did he seem so pale? Why was he so much thinner than before? Why were the bags under his eyes so dark? Jun felt the terrible urge to ask about everything related to Jeonghan’s health, but Mingyu’s hand had just gripped his arm strongly, reminding him of his and Seungcheol’s presence. Startled, turning to look at his friend, Jun said with a little embarrassment, reaching out his arm towards the older male.

“Hi, Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol had intended to sit down, but he suddenly moved out of his seat to come to Jun and pulled him into a very tight hug.

“I’m sorry, Jun. I know what I caused to you was terrible and…”

“It’s okay, Cheol. You don’t need to worry about it.” Jun laughed lightly, still awkwardly stared at the rabbit and did not miss the way he flinched when the waitress approached their table.

Seungcheol was extremely quick in recognizing the problem of his mate. Turning back to receive the menu from the said waitress, he whispered something to Jeonghan and the omega nodded. Then, Seungcheol turned back to the server, telling him their orders, and peace was soon given back to the omega again. In horror, Mingyu and Jun tried their best to hide their grimace, realizing that Jeonghan was not any better than how he was in the past. He was even worse now, extremely uncomfortable with strangers even though that was just an omega. Jeonghan only seemed less scared of Seungcheol, but that was not enough for the other two men to feel relieved.

Mingyu could only wait until all of them had finally sat down to ask.

“I’m sorry if I’m being impolite now, but…” He knew he should not ask like this, but he could not resist the urge to find out the truth. “Is Jeonghan pregnant?”

It was not until now did Jun realize the change of scent he found in the rabbit was _his pregnancy_. His mind had been so clouded by mixed feelings about this reunion that he barely managed to make his brain figure out what this change mean until Mingyu mentioned it. He knew his cousin could not be wrong. This was the scent of a pregnant omega, and his breath instantly hitched.

However, Jeonghan lost his comfort right away after the topic of pregnancy was brought up. Seungcheol glanced at him and then looked back at Mingyu, then at Jun, and stammered a little. Seungcheol was stammering, which the alphas couple had never seen in the past. It was shocking for them to see how much confidence and even arrogance the eldest alpha had lost in just less than two months.

“Can we… can we talk about this later? I mean… yes, it’s true, but it’s just not suitable to talk about that right now. Can you please understand this for us?”

“Oh yeah, of course.” Mingyu quickly agreed, trying to hide the pain in his chest by clearing his throat. “I’m re-really glad to see you again, Cheol. I’ve tried to call you so many times.”

Seungcheol smiled sheepishly while Jun and Jeonghan had not broken their eye contact in any second. Worried, Mingyu had to hold his mate’s hand tightly to prevent him from jumping towards the hybrid. At the same time, the giant man was also observing his friend, surprised by the fact that Seungcheol must have lost weight. It was normal to see Jeonghan still sickly pale and skinny, but it was definitely strange to see the alpha becoming somehow uglier.

Mingyu knew he was being mean when considering his friend to be ugly, but he guessed he could not help having some grudge towards Seungcheol. This was the guy who had broken Joshua’s ankle and drugged Mingyu anyway. Was he feeling a bit satisfied to know that Seungcheol might have suffered as well? Of course he was.

“I’m sorry. We’ve been in a very bad condition and I really can’t face you or Jun. I don’t know how many times I should say sorry about everything.”

The giant man shook his head and smiled, still able to feel the pain of the past but glad to see his friend again, and to know that they still could be friends now.

“It’s okay, Cheol. Don’t say sorry anymore. I’m happy to see that both of you are still… good now.”

At this point, Jeonghan finally stopped staring at Jun to look at Mingyu and his face fell, unconsciously letting the youngest alpha know he must have said something wrong. Seungcheol did not seem to agree with his statement either.

“Actually… I won’t say we’re good…” Seungcheol stammered, again, which was not typical of him at all. “And… that’s why I need to talk to you guys today.”

Over the table, both Mingyu and Jun could see Jeonghan gently squeezed Seungcheol’s hand and gave him a tender look which had some special meanings the other people could not understand. However, Jun knew he was selfish but he could not help feeling jealous now. He wanted to touch his bunny too, just to hold his hand, or stroke his hair, or caress his cheeks lightly, but he could not.

Nonetheless, Mingyu could see a hint of excitement in the rabbit’s eyes, as if the omega was happy with what Seungcheol was going to say but still trying to hide his true emotions. Seungcheol’s moment of silence was very short but both of the other alphas were already impatient.

Somehow nervous, Seungcheol shook his head and sighed.

“Anyway, let’s wait until we all get out drinks first. Should we?”

“Oh… yeah… Okay.” Jun nodded, unhappy but he agreed. If Seungcheol did not talk now, so he would not hold himself back anymore. He seriously had to ask questions. “How have you been?”

While saying this, Jun literally only looked at Jeonghan, but the alpha soon realized his mistake, and he clarified in embarrassment.

“I mean… both of you. How is your new life in Busan?”

When Seungcheol started answering, Jeonghan turned to stare at Jun again with discreet and indescribable fondness in his beautiful eyes, and Jun was sure his heart had lost a few heartbeats. It was terribly difficult for Jun to look at his friend now so as to make himself not too impolite.

“It’s quite inconvenient to control my company from afar.” Seungcheol grimaced a bit. “You know, things are always better when we’re right there and observe everything, but Jeonghan’s been in a very bad health condition and I seriously can’t leave him at home alone.”

“Why don’t you bring him to your office with you?” Mingyu asked. “You’ve done that in the past many times.”

“Hannie doesn’t really like to go out these days.” The oldest alpha said with a sad tone in his voice. “I don’t want to force him either. So… we just stay at home together.”

The giant man grinned in pride.

“I’m so glad to hear that you’re staying at home for him now, Cheol. You’ve changed.”

Seungcheol laughed dryly.

“I’m the one who brought this whole tragedy to him. This is the only way for me to make up for what I’ve done to him.”

“What tragedy?” Jun suddenly asked suspiciously, knowing his friend was not talking about what he had already known.

“Hannie will let you know when he’s ready.” Seungcheol looked at his lover, smile becoming sweeter. He soon looked back at Jun. “I think I should tell you about this but he stopped me so… I will respect his choice and let him tell you later.”

“Why so, Hannie… I mean… Jeonghan?” Jun hurriedly changed the way he called the hybrid, wary of Seungcheol’s presence here.

Nonetheless, there was horror on Jeonghan’s face when a question was directed towards him for the first time. Jun was taken aback, but Seungcheol explained very rapidly.

“Ah… I’m sorry but… Hannie doesn’t talk anymore now… So, if you want to ask him something, you should wait for him to write the answer down or he will tell me and then I’ll tell you. I’ve already learned the sign language to communicate with him. I can understand what he wants to say.”

Not only Jun but also Mingyu could not believe in what he had just heard. They spent a minute frowning, staring at the other two at the opposite side in bewilderment, and then Jun was the first to open his mouth.

“What?”

“You aren’t joking with us. Right?” The giant alpha gave his friend a warning look.

“Of course I’m not joking.” Seungcheol lowered his voice and sighed. That was also when the server came and they all got their own drinks.

Jeonghan immediately took his glass of strawberry smoothie and took a sip, avoiding the other two men’s eyes boring holes on his face. His mate sighed one more time, taking one sip of his coffee like what his omega had just done, and decided to wait for his friends to do the same. Getting the hint that Seungcheol wanted them to drink and calm down first, Jun and Mingyu had no choice but to start drinking, trying their best to pretend to be calm and patient. However, Jun felt the dreadful pain in his chest when seeing that Jeonghan’s choice was a drink of _strawberry, _but there was something from his glass that was getting Jun’s attention.

Nevertheless, trying to calm down, thinking that he was just too attentive to Jeonghan, Jun darted his eyes towards the staff area and saw the menu written on a big chalkboard on the wall. Just to make his mind busy, he tried looking for Jeonghan’s drink in the menu, and realized that there was no strawberry smoothie in the list. There was only strawberry mint smoothie, yet Jun was confused, since he had never known that his bunny enjoyed this kind of drink. Like Jun, Jeonghan was not the kind of person who usually changed his order whenever he stepped into a coffee shop, and he had always ordered strawberry smoothie or strawberry milk in the past.

Had he changed his taste in the past six weeks?

“How are you now, Jun?”

The sudden question dragged Jun out of his thoughts, and realized Seungcheol was asking him with a lot of eagerness in both his voice and his face expression. His friend really wanted to know if he was still good.

“I’m fine.” Jun faked a smile, fiddling with his straw in his own glass of milk tea. “I moved out with Mingyu, and we live together in a one-bedroom apartment.”

“I feel bad since it’s pretty small, and maybe not very convenient for Jun but…” Mingyu scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. “In a short period of time that’s the best we can get with a medium price, so that we can save up money for our real home in the future.”

Jun slapped his mate’s shoulder while protesting.

“I actually have no problem with it. It’s very close to Mingyu’s office so I think it’s great, and it’s not small at all.”

Seungcheol laughed lightly, and continued to ask further.

“Only close to Mingyu’s office? What about Jun’s?”

“He isn’t healthy enough to work yet.” Mingyu replied after taking a quick sip of his second cup of coffee. “And he’ll look for a new job.”

“Oh…” Seungcheol’s voice got weaker, and he looked guilty. “Is it because… what I’ve done to Mingyu…”

Jun shook his head without looking at his friend, just staring at his own milk tea, completely missing how Jeonghan suddenly shivered and Seungcheol was draping an arm over his shoulder to calm him down. Only Mingyu saw it, and he thought he understood.

“It’s not all your fault, Cheol. I had already been in a very bad state before I got home and saw Mingyu.”

Seungcheol could not help taking a quick glance at the two marks on Jun’s neck.

“It seems like I’ve missed something. I’ve already made an investigation about you two before coming here but I guess there’s still something I don’t know.”

Jun snickered bitterly, still not looking at anyone.

“Yeah. Of course you can’t know. There’s probably no record about it.”

“Can you please let me know?” Seungcheol decided to turn to Mingyu, eyes wide but nervous. “What happened to Jun? Who did _that _to him?”

The giant alpha knew he was cruel when doing this, but he desperately wanted to check Jeonghan’s reaction so as to confirm his guess.

“Wonwoo.”

That moment, Mingyu knew what he smelled from Jeonghan was definitely the blood of his family, the gene of the noble from his ancestor.

Jeonghan instantly took out of his pocket an inhaler and brought it to his mouth without hesitation. His action was so quick and smooth that Jun heard nothing, and Mingyu registered this as the hybrid’s habit. Jeonghan must have been used to doing this over and over again so many times. Was it a kind of medicine that helped the omega calm down? Was that a way to help him cope with his trauma? After using the inhaler, Jeonghan was still breathing pretty heavily and Seungcheol was rubbing his back nervously, but Jun was too deep in his own past to recognize any trouble going on.

Shaking his head to his alpha, Jeonghan turned back looking at Jun, and slowly reaching out his hand to gently touch Jun’s one, successfully making the man lift up his head. There was not much being told through the omega’s melancholy eyes, but Jun understood his bunny was giving him the softest solace through his tender action. Jun wanted to squeeze that pale and cold hand, but still worried about Seungcheol’s reaction.

Obviously, Seungcheol did not seem to be comfortable with this, so Jun decided not to hold Jeonghan’s hand, too afraid that he might cause the omega to be hit later again. Whereas, Mingyu knew there was only one reason that could make Jeonghan ignore his mate right here to hold Jun’s hand like this. It was that, the rabbit sympathized for Jun’s sadness, as he knew how the struggles had been.

Still aware of Seungcheol’s burning gaze, Jeonghan soon took his hand back and focused on his drink again.

“I’m not sure if it’s good to ask you this but…” Seungcheol took in a deep inhale and asked again, but literally sounded like pleading. “How is Joshua now? I… I know I hurt him, but… I really can’t come to see him now. And Jeonghan really wants to know about Joshua too. Can you please tell us? Has he recovered? He’s married now, right?”

Mingyu tried to hold back a sigh, and lied one more time. At least, this time there was some truth in his story.

“I actually haven’t seen him… but I heard that…” He had intended to say _Wonwoo told me_ but luckily stopped himself on time and changed to a better way. “…after the robbery, Joshua was like… he was traumatized. He got severely hurt and he was in the hospital in a quite long time. Of course he’s at home now. Minghao said he had just been able to come in and talk to Joshua five days ago.”

Jeonghan looked exactly like someone had just shoved him into hell, obviously in despair because of his best friend’s suffering. Neither of the alphas felt surprised, but it was still heartbreaking to see how much the rabbit still cared about the cat. Knowing that Jeonghan must desperately want to know more, Mingyu kept on speaking.

“Minghao said Joshua can walk normally on his own now, and yesterday he was able to go out of his house. He’s been staying in his own room at the hospital and at his home for the past six week. It was his first walk outside yesterday.”

“I…I don’t understand it!” Seungcheol stammered, again. “He… he’s like this not because of what I’ve done to him, right? I thought… he still sounded very normal when I talked to him through the phone.”

“It’s not your fault, Cheol.” Mingyu shook his head and sighed. “I bet you both have heard a lot about that incident through the media. I know it looked like a messy and chaotic drama and the result was not publicized but please believe me. What was stated through Wonwoo’s sides was all the truth.”

Jeonghan took out the inhaler again, and Jun almost panicked while staring at that object. As if reading his mate’s mind, Seungcheol asked in shock.

“You mean… Joshua was raped? By the robber? I… I thought that was just a made up story because Joshua had hit Soonyoung!” Seeing the confusion in his friends’ eyes, Seungcheol quickly explained. “Jeonghan said he believed there was a possibility of Joshua hitting Soonyoung for real. Joshua was thrown back to the pet shop because he used a pan to hit his previous owner when that man was hurting Hannie.”

“Really?” Mingyu and Jun gasped simultaneously in disbelief with wide eyes.

“You guys have never asked Joshua why he was thrown back to the pet shop?” This time it was Seungcheol’s turn to feel shocked.

“He always panicked whenever we mentioned his past. We seriously couldn’t ask anything.” Jun explained, and Jeonghan nodded to his mate, supporting the other one’s idea.

Seungcheol let out a small _“Oh” _and then continued to talk.

“Hannie told me that was why Joshua was described to be _“disobedient”_. Therefore he said it was very likely for him to hit Soonyoung again, still by the pan. Do you guys think so?

“I don’t know but… If that’s true, then what about Joshua being raped by the robber? I don’t know what you think but I don’t believe this story.” Jun frowned and even gritted his teeth. “I’m sure Joshua was raped but _not by the robber_.”

Mingyu did not try to correct his lover, only saying more to Seungcheol.

“Anyway, please just trust what had been said from Wonwoo’s side. The robber came into the house, knocking Soonyoung down by a pan, and raped Joshua. No fingerprints of the fourth person were found in the house, so Soonyoung’s family suspected that Joshua hit their son…”

“They suspected?” Seungcheol asked with a frown. “I’m sorry for asking so much but the information about this was a whole mess on the Internet and I really don’t understand anything. Hannie really wants to know about Joshua. So can you please help us understand?”

The giant man nodded, slightly turning towards the hybrid, as he knew Seungcheol was only speaking for his mate. The alpha might not care that much.

“Soonyoung didn’t remember anything. He knew he came to the house, then Joshua let him in, and that’s all.”

“Then… there was anything left on Joshua? I mean… if he was raped, then there could be something left on him. It could prove who committed the crime.” Seungcheol could not stop asking, since he found so many problems in the story. He was not much interested in Joshua’s trouble, but he wanted to know because he knew Jeonghan might have the same questions.

Mingyu felt lucky that he had learned this made up story by heart.

“When Joshua was brought to the hospital, he was in a very bad condition. At that time of course the priority was to save his life so the doctors just went on with what they had to do. There was nothing left. No fingerprints, no semen. Nothing.”

“How could Wonwoo sleep through the entire chaos like that?” Seungcheol cocked his head, keeping on questioning. His sense was so much sharper than Jun’s that Mingyu began to feel nervous.

Jeonghan took out the inhaler one more time, but Seungcheol stopped him right before the object could reach his face. However, the omega fought back, pulling his arm away from his alpha’s grip with a deep frown on his face, frantically bringing the inhaler up. Mingyu had no more to doubt; Jeonghan obviously panicked whenever Wonwoo was mentioned.

The worse thing was that, Seungcheol got angry due to his omega’s attitude, which caused Mingyu to grab his arm instantly to prevent the man from doing something violent to the rabbit. Jeonghan had no care about his mate’s fury; all he wanted was just seeking for comfort from the medicine he seemed to abuse now, and Seungcheol seemed to know this, yet he was “helping” in the wrong way.

Surprisingly, the man was evidently aware of the fact that he was about to mistreat his lover after Mingyu tried to calm him down. The giant man had never been able to calm his friend down when the older male got enraged. He still remembered, when they interfered with the way Seungcheol treated Jeonghan in the past, the man rudely attacked Jun with harsh words.

Jeonghan was oblivious to his alpha’s attitude, frightening Mingyu by how lost he was in his own trauma. The rabbit was even more scared of Wonwoo than how he had been scared of Seungcheol. Mingyu could not imagine what kind of conflict might be occurring in Jeonghan’s mind right now. He could smell the scent of peppermint from the drink the rabbit was having. The omega clearly needed Wonwoo’s scent to feel better, but a simple mention of the said alpha could freak him out easily.

In utter concern, Jun just wanted to come to squeeze Jeonghan in his arms and pour soothing words into his bunny’s ears to let him know he was safe here and no one would hurt him. Unlike Mingyu, Jun could not figure out the reasons for the omega to act in this way. Unable to endure this, Jun reached out his hand to hold Jeonghan’s hand which was being placed on the table and trembling visibly.

“Breathe, Hannie. Breathe.” The alpha whispered to his bunny, looking into his eyes. “I’m here with you. You’re okay. Don’t worry. Breathe, Hannie. Just breathe.”

Seungcheol’s eyes immediately flamed up with fierce fire, and one problem led to another bigger problem. Jun was so fixated on Jeonghan that he barely noticed his friend’s attitude ; Mingyu was the one who had to stand up to stop Seungcheol from attacking Jun.

“What the hell is this, Cheol?” The giant man growled at his friend, impatient. “Can’t you focus on the fact that Jeonghan isn’t fine now? Jun is just trying to help. Why don’t you try to help your mate instead?”

Seungcheol huffed, obviously irritated and angry, but he sat down and turned to Jeonghan again, trying his best to ignore the alpha who was holding the rabbit’s hand. However, it was undeniable that Jun had managed to help the hybrid gradually feel better and better, or it was just simply the effect of the medicine. Jun only began to realize Seungcheol’s death glare when Jeonghan looked calm and normal again. Slowly retreating his hand, Jun shifted awkwardly in his seat, glancing at his giant alpha, waiting for him to continue with the story.

Mingyu went back to answer Seungcheol’s question, and did not miss the way his friend held Jeonghan’s hand gently in his both hands to make the omega feel safe.

“He was sick.” He lied, over and over again. “He was very weak, and Joshua panicked. He didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t contact my cousin or Joshua in those three days so I didn’t know either.”

“You couldn’t contact him but you didn’t bother to find him?”

Mingyu frowned, annoyed.

“Hey, Cheol! Why do you assume us to be horrible people like that? He had just moved to a new house in just like two days and we barely talked so how the hell could I know where he was living? Soonyoung knew where it is because he was going to live in that house. So he came, and Joshua let him in.”

Seungcheol’s face looked apparently unsatisfied with the story like a person who was being forced to believe a bullshit thing. Mingyu felt uncomfortable with the eyes boring holes in his face, yet he just tried to ignore and finish this topic.

“Anyway, Joshua isn’t very good now but at least he’s in good hands, and Minghao can come to play with him now. I think he’s making progress. He’s never been left alone at home since that day, so it means he is being taken care of thoroughly now. He also has mental treatment.”

Jeonghan still made no sound, and Mingyu was not sure when he started to cry, but right now he was wiping tears by his sleeves. Jun was staring intensely at his own drink, saying nothing, yet his cousin knew he was not less depressed than the omega about Joshua’s condition. The physical wounds could never sound as terrible as a mental pain as Jun and Jeonghan were both had gone through a lot to understand fully how awful it was to deal with troubles in their own souls.

The giant alpha knew Jun was still upset about his inability to visit Joshua and also about his doubt towards the tragic story. Mingyu did not dare to reveal the truth to him yet, too afraid that his lover would be even more upset and depressed. At least, for now Jun was just doubting and no one could confirm to him that Joshua was brutally raped by Wonwoo. There was still a little hope for Jun to think that Wonwoo had not hurt the cat that much. Mingyu planned to tell Jun the truth only when his mate could see Joshua in a healthy and happy condition and see that Wonwoo was loving him with all his heart.

When Joshua was finally good, perhaps Jun would not be too enraged with what Wonwoo had done to their little kitten. Mingyu did not want anyone to get hurt any further, and he did not want anyone to throw more harsh words to Wonwoo either. It had already been enough. At least, that was what he had thought yesterday. Currently, Mingyu was not sure he could resist the temptation of punching Wonwoo in his face when they met again. His cousin was downright an asshole who deserved getting hit a thousand times.

However, what worried Mingyu more right now was that after wiping tears, Jeonghan was observing him doubtfully, as if the omega had already sensed something abnormal. The hybrid did not keep looking when Mingyu looked at him, but the alpha was sure this rabbit was much more sensitive and sensible than not only Jun but also Joshua. It was not wrong at all when he and his cousins had all thought that Jeonghan looked just a bit older than Joshua but seemed to be considerably more mature. Was it his life full of hardship and pain that gave him this personality?

A few seconds of silence passed by awkwardly before Jun opened his mouth again, evidently running out of patience.

“So can you talk about your main topic today now, Cheol?”

“Oh, right.” Seungcheol looked as if he was caught off guard. “I almost forgot.”

Until now, Jun was not the only one who felt nervous. Mingyu was, too. Surprisingly, Jeonghan did not seem better. In fact, he looked _excited_. The rabbit began fidgeting in his seat, unable to stay still, and Mingyu for a split second thought that the omega would take out his inhaler again, but he did not. What Mingyu was watching was like a battle where Jun and Jeonghan were competing to see who would lose their composure and jump at Seungcheol to choke him first.

Fortunately, Seungcheol did not wait longer. The alpha looked evidently sad and even depressed now, but he was also determined. It was easy for the cousins to realize that their friend was not being reluctant to talk about whatever he was saying. He was just being awkward when talking to the friends he had harmed and run away from more than a month ago.

“Okay… As you both can see, Hannie is pregnant now, but he isn’t fully healthy yet. He needs special care and I do want him to live with someone who wholeheartedly loves him and willingly takes care of him no matter what. I’ve been doing that for almost two months. I thought I love him so I would try my best to help him heal and protect him, but things weren’t that simple…”

Sighing, Seungcheol expressed his disappointment through every single movement of his face’s muscles.

“Hannie isn’t healthy. I should only treat him tenderly and carefully, but I can’t control myself well. I once went to my company and then came back home in anger. When I saw him, I failed to resist, and I… raped him again.”

Mingyu immediately turned to Jun and luckily grabbed his mate’s arms on time before he could stand up and punch Seungcheol right in his face. Jeonghan was obviously scared by the outburst of anger from the two alphas on the opposite side, but he was highly aware of the fact that they were angry only because they wanted all the good things for him. Therefore, the rabbit also stood up and ran to Jun’s side, running a soothing hand along his back to calm him down. Mingyu was also in fury but luckily, this time he was much more collected than his older cousin.

Jun had thousands of reasons to be angry, while Mingyu was angry not only because he knew what Jeonghan had had to endure in the past with his abusive owners. He also knew what might have happened to the hybrid before Seungcheol took him to run away from Seoul.

The shop’s manager hurried to their table and politely asked them to calm down for the sake of the other customers’ in the shop. Mingyu was not the most enraged one here but people’s attention was all directed towards him due to his noble’s striking pheromones. If something happened, he could be the first one to be invited out of here.

“I swear I would break your jaw if we were somewhere else, Choi Seungcheol!” Jun pointed directly at his friend’s face.

Mingyu was amazed by how calm Seungcheol was while someone was talking to him in this way. The man was even slightly ducking his head, and after a very tired sigh, he looked up at Jun again. The giant alpha could see the sadness, desperation, and guilt in those eyes when Seungcheol watched Jeonghan successfully calming Jun down without saying a word. Seungcheol evidently knew he deserved being yelled at or punched. He was not trying to defend himself for anything.

“Please sit down so that I can talk, Jun.” He spoke slowly, in a low voice. “This is why I bring Hannie here to see you today. Please, let me say it all.”

It took Jeonghan another half a minute to silently persuade Jun to forget what Seungcheol had said previously and sit back down. Mingyu also helped, relieved to see his lover staring at him to find some more reasons to cool down his temper as well. Jun was not just looking at Jeonghan; he was seeking for comfort and calmness from Mingyu too. At the moment he really sat down and had his hand squeezed in the bigger alpha’s hand, he also tightened his hand around his cousin’s one. Rubbing the other free hand on Jun’s back, gently massaging, he felt the tense muscles slowly relaxing and returning normal again.

For now, Mingyu was happy to believe that he did have influence on his Junnie, without giving orders or pushing out pheromones. This was simply the influence between the two people who loved each other.

Seungcheol only talked again after each of them had already taken a sip of their own drink.

“After that time, I really regretted what I had done to him, but also, I started to think… is there something wrong with me? Why am I such a horrible person? I had always thought that I didn’t treat Hannie nicely in the past because I was oblivious to his past, I didn’t ask his feelings, and I’m too possessive and demanding… Yeah that’s my personality. However, now… there’s nothing for me to defend myself anymore.”

He sighed again, enough to make other people tired just by listening to his sighs, but he turned to Jeonghan, and looked at him fondly while keeping on talking. Mingyu did not say it out, but he was relieved to see that Seungcheol finally registered his fault. It might be hard for Jun to understand how that incident could make a person like Seungcheol change his mind drastically like this, but Mingyu had no difficulty.

Jeonghan could not be pregnant through a consensual sex. Wonwoo must have raped him, and Mingyu was sure Seungcheol felt extremely terribly when he himself raped his beloved omega after such a tragedy. The giant man could not help clenching his fist, trying his best to hide his anger and suppress his pheromones. Recalling the day Jun frantically called Jeonghan and hurt himself because he thought the rabbit got into misery because of him, Mingyu did not dare to imagine how worse his lover could have even been if he had found out the truth then.

“I decided to see a psychiatrist.” Seungcheol smiled bitterly to himself. “The result wasn’t surprising… I really have trouble, and I need treatment if I want to become someone who can bring happiness to Hannie.”

“What kind of trouble is it, Cheol?” Jun asked curiously and also nervously.

However, the man just skipped that question.

“And now Hannie is pregnant, while he isn’t healthy yet… I really hate to say this but I know he won’t be safe by my sides in this state. I’m possessive, and I can become even more aggressive when he’s pregnant.”

Seungcheol unnecessarily repeated _“Hannie’s pregnant”_ over and over again.

“I thought you would protect him much better because he’s pregnant now?” Jun asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion, but Mingyu had already known the answer.

Seungcheol sighed, again, while Jeonghan ducked his head, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

“That’s not my child. I won’t be aggressive in a good way. I may hurt the baby.”

“You’re kidding.” Jun accused without hesitation.

Nonetheless, Seungcheol just shook his head.

“No, I’m not, Jun. It’s the truth. His baby isn’t mine.” The man was fast to skip this problem. “If you do care about Hannie’s feelings, please don’t ask any further questions about this right now. He doesn’t want to talk about it, and I only mention it now so that you can understand our situation.”

All of them were taken aback when Jun abruptly stood up and walked out of the coffee shop. He could not endure this anymore.

Mingyu rapidly explained to his friend, feeling concerned of the expression of panic on Jeonghan’s face.

“Please understand for Junnie. He doesn’t mean anything bad. He’s just… Junnie also has trouble. Last time when I called you, he was screaming and hurting himself because he thought he couldn’t protect Jeonghan.” The giant man was not sure if it was advisable to let the hybrid know about this, but he had no other way to make them understand each other’s strange behavior right now. It was heartbreaking to acknowledge that they were all messed up and insane these days. “And now this just… proves him that he was right. Sorry, I need to go there with him. We will go back in soon.”

Not saying more, Mingyu bolted out of the shop and quickly caught the image of his lover standing soullessly right in front of the door, staring at nothing. Nonetheless, after a few more seconds, he began to hyperventilate and shook uncontrollably. Mingyu was downright frightened, feeling as if he was having a nightmare where the tragic past replayed in his mind. Jun’s eyes turned red in less than three seconds, and the pain in those watery eyes were so painfully familiar that the younger alpha instantly felt a real pain deep in his heart. Hurriedly running to his cousin, Mingyu did not waste any second, just hugging him tightly.

Mingyu did not know what he should do except for trying to tell Jun that nothing was his fault, since he had never done anything wrong. Instead of pulling the older alpha into his chest, the giant man only let Jun rest his chin on his shoulder, since he wanted it to be convenient for his lover to breathe. However, it never took just a little time for Jun to calm down, and Mingyu felt tears dropping on his shoulder. His ears started to hear restrained whimpers, which let him know his beloved Junnie was trying pathetically to hold back his own sounds. This horrible effort successfully controlled the whimpers, but it made his tears double, and the struggle to breathe had never been this difficult.

Mingyu was petrified when Jun attempted to push him away, yet he tried harder to keep Jun still in his arms. Nevertheless, the giant man got no relief when his mate stopped trying so early, and he was soon not being pushed anymore, while Jun did not seem any calmer. This time, Mingyu pulled away by himself, only to realize new bleeding scratches had just appeared on his cousin’s arms again as he had been able to touch his own arms behind Mingyu’s back. This was happening again. This was not the first time. In horror, Mingyu had no choice but to admit that Jun needed special therapy or he would just repeat this action of hurting himself whenever his own hatred for himself grew up again.

Mingyu tried to stop his lover, and he panicked, losing all of his ability to control himself in this public place. This scene was not any better than what the giant alpha had witnessed in the hospital. It was a thousand times worse, because Jun finally knew _Jeonghan got hurt_. Mingyu could not make sure whether Jun figured out Wonwoo was the rapist or not, but this was bad enough. Only the idea of Jeonghan being raped by a bastard and getting pregnant out of his wish was more horrible than their worst nightmares.

Some people wanted to interfere while the two alphas were getting more and more attention but Mingyu did not let anyone do. He only let his guards down when Jeonghan ran out of the coffee shop and jumped at them with tears cascading down his cheeks. Mingyu might be invisible in Jun’s eyes right now, but he knew the rabbit would never be, and the situation proved him right. Jeonghan only needed to run towards Jun, and the alpha opened his arms right away, even pulling the omega he had always been longing for into his embrace.

The blood on Jun’s arms quickly got on Jeonghan’s hair and shirt but neither of them cared. The alpha continuously apologized to his bunny while the omega just kept shaking his head and tightening his shaky arms around the man he loved. Mingyu saw Seungcheol standing not far away from them, staring at the couple through sad eyes which were holding countless mixed feelings. The man definitely did not seem comfortable while watching his omega hugging another alpha, but Mingyu guessed jealousy felt better than uselessness.

Right here, for the first time, Mingyu felt himself useless in his attempt of helping Jun calm down and believe in himself again. Jeonghan was the only one who had this magical strength without saying a word or moving a muscle to restrain Jun. His appearance was more than enough to make Jun stop hurting his own body, as his mind automatically got the hint that he had to be strong and tough so as to protect Jeonghan, so that those horrible things would not happen to the hybrid again. This was a reunion of a couple who had loved each other and had been separated cruelly in almost two months that seemed like two thousand years long.

Yet, it was too hard for Mingyu to watch this. It was too painful for him, although he had never participated in any parts of Jeonghan’s suffering. It was like looking at his own failure. Mingyu had tried so hard in the past two months, doing all he could to make his Junnie happy, but he was wrong by being oblivious to the fact that his lover needed special therapy to overcome the wound in his heart. Today, the wound broke again, and Mingyu was just standing here, useless, while Jeonghan was like a magical existence coming back to Jun’s life, giving him sunlight and warmth one more time.

At some point, both Seungcheol and Mingyu knew they had to pull the couple away from each other, because no matter what, they could not stand here like this forever. Seungcheol had the real urge to finish his talk. It was very important and directly related to this couple.

However, it was extremely difficult to make Jun let go of Jeonghan again, especially when he had lost his mind for now, as the panic had not gone yet.

Jun was like a feral alpha right now, growling and baring his teeth at anyone who wanted to take Jeonghan away from him. Mingyu did not dare to touch the hybrid, because Jeonghan was obviously petrified even when the giant man had just grabbed Jun’s shoulder and persuaded him to go back inside. The rabbit was not comfortable with the presence of any alphas near him, except for Seungcheol and Jun only. Nonetheless, that was enough to make Jun even more aggressive. He did not growl at Mingyu, but he was determined to keep Jeonghan away from everyone. Neither of Jun nor Jeonghan was in their right mind now. Surrounded by too many people, being stared at by numerous strangers, the omega nearly freaked out, pressing himself closer and closer into Jun’s chest and starting to tremble. This reaction did nothing good but wake up the alpha’s protective instincts.

Eventually, Jun carried Jeonghan on his arms, and ran away, shocking Mingyu and Seungcheol to the utmost. Before they could do anything, the couple had vanished into a taxi cab, and it quickly disappeared at the corner of the street.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whenever Mingyu appears, his pain is built up to another level...  
This is really painful ;_; but please don't hate me ;_; If you say "I hate you" I will just take that as "I love you" like what Mingyu did T_T
> 
> You feel bad after reading this chapter? Then let's go watch the newest episode of Going Seventeen. If you don't feel bad, then go watch it too if you haven't :"> 
> 
> You all have anticipated for Jeonghan's comeback so I'm extremely eager to know how you think and feel about this chapter >< 
> 
> Also, may I ask you to do me a favor? Can you please introduce this fic to someone who might like reading SEVENTEEN's fanfic? I barely know anyone whom I can introduce this to so this fic seriously lack "advertisement". Thank you a lot ><
> 
> Please take care and stay safe and happy!!!! I love you ^^


	69. Depressed and crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They didn't realize how broken they all were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome all of you to another level of pain.
> 
> Please remember this: I'm not creating any new tragedy to them. These are literally just the consequences of what they've done ;_; 
> 
> I can see the numbers of views and subscribers dropping through each chapter, so I guess people don't like how this is going... But anyway, I will just keep going on with my plan T_T

The couple felt as if their past was replayed, as Jun was sitting in the taxi with a crying Jeonghan on his lap. This time, the hybrid was not wounded anymore, and there was no promise of them being separated from each other again but Jeonghan could not stop crying. He was not sobbing, just sniffling feebly into the alpha’s shoulder, yet using all his strength to hold Jun as tightly as possible. Jun desperately wished just to be able to hear his name coming from the rabbit again, but all his bunny could let out was weak whimpers and the melancholy scent that was threatening to kill him at any time.

When the cab stopped by the sidewalk, right after paying money to the driver, Jun was surprised to see the omega jumping out in the blink of an eye and dragging him out at the same time. He followed without asking, and intended to head to the nearest park which was also his chosen destination. However, Jeonghan pulled him towards another direction. He was weak, but determined to make the alpha follow him and Jun could only walk along with his bunny. He tried to ask and then remembered that Jeonghan could not answer him, which gave him a true pang in his chest.

What exactly had happened to Jeonghan? How horrible had it been? Jun could not imagine what kind of hell in this world could make the hybrid lose his ability to talk like this. That slim and fragile figure walking in front him still looked angelic and perfect as he had always been, yet how could he believe that his inner soul was already damaged beyond repair? Would it be possible to make him talk again? Who was the bastard that had raped his Hannie? How could he find that guy and beat him to death?

Jeonghan pulled the alpha into the nearest drugstore. It was not until then did Jun realize that the bunny had seen this place right at the moment the taxi stopped, so he wanted to come here to buy some things to take care of Jun’s wounds. Without talking, the hybrid took out a small stack of blue note in his pocket and also a small pencil. He quickly scribbled down something, and then handed the piece of paper to the pharmacist.

When Jeonghan turned his head around, Jun had the first chance to see what was hidden under his long hair, and he was literally frightened. Under the rabbit’s choker, there was a white bandage covering a not very small area of skin. The choker helped the bandage look not very visible, but Jun could see it. Freezing on his spot, Jun stared at his bunny with wide eyes, unable to force his mind to believe, that Jeonghan had been bitten without his consent.

The hybrid now belonged to not only Seungcheol, but also another asshole Jun had not known yet.

Jeonghan almost gave money to the pharmacist but Jun woke up just in time to stop him and pay by himself instead. Grabbing the bag containing what they had just bought by one hand, Jun used the other hand to hold Jeonghan’s one tightly and took him out of the drugstore immediately. The rabbit followed him with no question or doubt. He just squeezed the alpha’s hand back, and walked together with him to wherever the angel of his life wanted.

In the park, Jun took Jeonghan to a wooden bench right next to a big old tree and sat down. However, the omega became active right after sitting down, taking back the bag from the alpha’s hand and placing it on his other side on the bench. Still like a person with his head floating on the clouds, Jun only stared at his beloved bunny while Jeonghan got a bottle of water out of the bag. Jun was surprised at first, and only remembered he had bleeding scratches along his two arms when the rabbit started to use his water bottle to wash them gently.

Jun did not wince or grimace, but Jeonghan was, as if those wounds were being on his body. Having all he needed in the bag, the omega applied antiseptic on every single scratch on the man’s arms, having no need to ask for permission. To Jeonghan, it was never necessary for him to ask for permission to take care of people he loved, especially when this particular person got hurt because of nobody else but him. Jeonghan had not directly caused these wounds to Jun, but he knew he was the reason, and he thought it should never have happened in this way. Jun was his savior and his angel; there was nothing that sounded reasonable for him to think that Jun deserved getting all of these pains.

The injured person did not feel hurt, but the one taking care of him was in great pain, which forced his tears to fall once more. Since the omega was lowering his head so as to have a better look at the wounds and his hair was long, Jun could not see the tears on this face. He only started to figure out his bunny was crying when Jeonghan let out a soft sniffle. That was also when the task of taking care of the scratches was finished. Startled, the alpha hurriedly used one hand to lift up his lover’s face, heartbroken by the sad eyes shedding streams of tears on the pale cheeks.

“Don’t… Don’t cry. Hannie, please don’t cry.” Jun stuttered, desperately trying to caress the hybrid’s face with all of his tenderness, yet his hands were trembling terribly.

Jeonghan shook his head and wiped the tears by himself, but did not expect the alpha to make use of this chance to slowly pull some of his hair away in order to see the bandage. What Jun had seen in the drugstore was not wrong at all. Seungcheol’s mark on the omega’s neck was normal, and the bandage right here must be covering something else, which was possibly the rapist’s mark. Knowing what Jun was staring at, Jeonghan failed to hold back his tears, letting them fall more as he pulled Jun’s hand away and ducked his head.

What hurt the alpha most was that, the rabbit frantically took out his inhaler again, and Jun thought he had seen Jeonghan using this thing at least three times in less than half an hour. He could not find any reason to think that it was good for a person to use any kind of medicine this frequently. However, at least it was just Jun’s prediction, yet the most dangerous thing happening right now was that Jun began to see something red behind Jeonghan’s hair, somewhere on his neck.

Seriously petrified, Jun ignored the hybrid’s protest, pulling his long hair away only to see the bandage starting to get soaked with blood. It was a claiming mark without consent, and Jeonghan had never accepted being that man’s mate. As a result, it could not stop bleeding. In less than a second, Jun understood his bunny must have taken a lot of medicine and maybe other kinds of medical help to stop the blood from killing him.

Jeonghan could feel it, feel the blood oozing out of his wound again, yet he did not let Jun say a word. Reaching out two arms towards the alpha, he did not voice out his wish, but still successfully making the man know what he wanted. Already in tears, Jun scooped up his bunny and let him sit across his lap. In this position, the alpha could easily wrap his arms tightly around his omega, overwhelmed with pain just because of holding his bunny in his embrace. Jun did not dare to think this was the body of a pregnant omega. His health was too bad; Jun could barely smell his scent, and Jeonghan in his arms now was just like a boneless person. All of the rabbit’s weight was using only Jun as his support, and he did not want to move anymore.

“Who did this to you, Hannie?” Jun was sobbing, scared by the fading scent of his lover. Did he just kill Jeonghan by giving him too many emotions while he had already been broken enough with all this pain and trauma? The alpha began to beg, on the verge of panicking again if something wrong happened to his bunny. “Please, Hannie. Don’t… don’t cry… Don’t leave me again…”

Jeonghan was fatigued and sleepy, but he still tried to pull out his stack of notes and his pencil, slowly writing his massage for the frightened alpha.

_“I won’t leave you again. But please, can we not talk about that? I don’t want to.”_

“Okay. Okay. I won’t talk about it.” Jun did not wait, quickly giving a promise. “Whatever you want, I will do it. I will do it.”

Jeonghan had never seen Jun like this, as right now, the man was holding him tightly and crying as if it were the end of the world. He was unable to stop shedding tears while the alpha he adored was still crying, and his hands were shaking so much when he wrote something again.

_“I didn’t leave you, and I won’t leave you. You’re the one who left me. Remember?”_

The last part of the message could kill Jun a million times, or even more, and it made him sob harder, drowned in agony as the omega looked at him fondly, tenderly, lovingly and smiled weakly.

_“I was so scared, but you listened to him and leave. I thought you had had enough with me.”_

That day, Jeonghan did not beg even once when he knew Jun was about to leave him in the hospital with Seungcheol. The scene of that day was not different from any of the hybrid’s experience in the past. His owners, good or bad, they just played with him, and when they got bored, they would bring him back to the pet shop, and walked away. Pleading had never helped. The more he begged, the angrier they became, as if they just considered him as a burdensome creature. How many times had the same thing happened in his life? Jeonghan did not remember. Seungcheol had asked him how old he was so many times, but he could not remember either. The year he was born? Jeonghan was not sure, because he had never really had the chance to check. The first time he had some official paper for his existence was when his parents sold him to the pet shop.

Jun walked away from him, not really alike those people, but he did. He walked out, and at that moment, Jeonghan was convinced he would never have the chance to see Jun again no matter how desperately he wanted to be with the only alpha who seemed to treasure him.

Jun’s apologies in panic were almost inaudible, but Jeonghan understood what the alpha was trying to say. The hybrid was not sure why he told Jun those cruel things, perhaps simply because he wanted to hear _“I’m sorry”_ from the man who had really left him behind in that day. If Jun had taken him to run away, or if he had confronted Seungcheol instead of running away like _someone had told him to_, Jeonghan would not have been raped. He would never have been thrown out of the car like a piece of trash, and he would not have to carry a little existence in his cursed body without any physical or emotional ability of abandoning it.

Jeonghan wondered if he should tell Jun that he had lost some teeth due to being slapped over and over again by too much violence.

Shaking his head lightly, the omega tried to focus on his note, feeling his hand weaker and weaker by second.

_“I’m very tired, Junnie. Can you please call Seungcheol to come and get us?”_

“I… I can’t do that, Hannie. I can’t! I can’t!” Losing his mind, Jun nearly screamed, holding the rabbit’s hand tightly in his own. “I can’t lose you again! I won’t… I won’t let him take you away from me again!”

_“I want to sleep, Junnie.”_ Jeonghan wanted to squeezed the alpha’s hand back, but he could not. _“Please call him here, and let him tell you. I promise, I will be with you forever.”_

The omega had already dropped his pencil down, but Jun was frantically crying and shaking him to keep him awake, yet Jeonghan seriously could not handle this longer. Using his little energy left to pick up the pencil one more time, the rabbit slowly drew a shaky circle around his last sentence.

“_I promise, I will be with you forever.”_

As the alpha was still crying, Jeonghan wrote one more, hoping to calm Jun down, even just a bit.

_“Please don’t cry, Junnie. I’ve cried enough. You shouldn’t cry more.”_

This time, Jeonghan dropped the pencil for good, and he could only look at his beloved alpha, smiling at him in three seconds. Jun stared at his bunny in shock, in utter pain, and in hell, unable and unwilling to believe that his Jeonghan had never changed. No matter what happened, he would still smile, and used his last strength to cheer up people he loved.

When the omega’s head dropped on Jun’s chest, his hand was still in the man’s hand, and his hair was the only thing still moving lightly along the tender wind in the air. Jun was so scared that he hurriedly checked if Jeonghan was still breathing. Getting the slight relief of the hybrid being alive, he cried harder and harder, unable to do what the omega had told him to. Jun had taken his phone out, but he could not do anything more, because he was unable to control his own emotions over the omega he had already owed his whole life to.

The last consciousness in Jun’s brain forced him to worry about the blood on Jeonghan’s neck. He was forced to admit, that Seungcheol was the only one who knew exactly what to do to help the rabbit; prolonging the time would only do more harm to the hybrid. It was all Jun’s fault. If he had not lost his mind and recklessly brought Jeonghan to run away like that, the omega would not have lost so much energy in such a short amount of time and passed out. Jeonghan was not sleeping. He had fainted; no matter how many times Jun tried calling his name, he would not open his eyes.

Looking at his phone screen Jun realized there were a hundred of missed calls and texts from not only Seungcheol but also Mingyu.

Mingyu.

Jun was hit by a wave of guilt instantly.

…

When Seungcheol came to stand in front of the couple, Jun had stopped sobbing, but the streams of tears were still cascading down his cheeks. For a split second, Mingyu could see a fight about to happen when Seungcheol ran to the bench in fury and Jun’s facial expression changed drastically. Frightened, the giant man hurriedly dragged Seungcheol away, trying to calm his friend down before he could get any closer to his mate. Neither of them were calm now, since Jun had taken Jeonghan away without saying a word, while Seungcheol had just told them that in the past six weeks he once raped the omega again. It was reasonable for them to be mad at each other right now, and Jun had all reasons in this world not to give the rabbit back to his brutal alpha.

Mingyu did not know why but he hated the fact that he was usually considered as an impatient person but right now he was calmer and wiser than anyone else here.

The giant alpha could only let go of his friend when the aggression in Seungcheol’s eyes subsided. His contemplation was not wrong; Seungcheol did not try to attack Jun when he was freed. The man growled mostly to himself, and threw a fist with an extreme force to the nearest tree. Mingyu tried to stop him, but Seungcheol kept hitting the tree, venting his anger on the rough surface which was causing his own fist to bleed.

“I ruined everything by myself.” He gritted his teeth and growled in utter frustration. “I can smell Hannie’s blood from here, but I can’t come to talk to Jun…”

Turning back to face his friend, Seungcheol suddenly begged, shocking the bigger man.

“Please, Mingyu, help me tell Jun that I can’t take care of Hannie anymore. Not when I haven’t learned to control myself. Please tell him, I need to take Hannie home today, but please, as soon as possible, tell me when it’s suitable for me to bring him to your place.”

Seungcheol kneeled down, frightening Mingyu even more. Unable to watch his friend kneeling in front of him like that, Mingyu also dropped his knees to the grass, staring directly into Seungcheol’s red but pleading eyes.

“Please, Mingyu… I’m sorry. I know this is too much for you. I know I’m destroying your private life with Jun… but please… please help me take care of Hannie. He doesn’t have anyone else except for Jun. It’s too dangerous for him to stay with me. I can’t… Mingyu… I can’t… I have to let him go, or I will lose him forever. This is the only way to keep his love for me. Please, Mingyu. I beg you!”

The giant alpha was literally shocked, unable to believe in his ears. Seungcheol had just stated that he wanted them to take care of Jeonghan instead of him, which meant he was giving his own mate to them so that the hybrid could live with Jun and Mingyu from now on. Seungcheol had no need to beg Jun because Jun would take Jeonghan right before the man could finish his sentence. His biggest problem was only Mingyu, since Seungcheol could not make sure if Mingyu would agree to take in a stranger who almost had nothing to do with him or not. In this case, Mingyu was the host of the house, as he was Jun’s superior alpha and no matter what he would be the one in authority. If he objected, Jun only had two options - running away or obeying his mate.

This turned out to be the reason why Seungcheol had already done an investigation about them before coming to Seoul, because he could only give Jeonghan to Jun and Mingyu if they were not living with Wonwoo.

“Please, Mingyu, please!” Seungcheol kept pleading while his friend was still staring at him in bewilderment. “I’ll give you everything you need to take care of Jeonghan’s health. I’ll pay for all of his medical fee. I can’t risk hurting him again. I can only come back to him after I finish my treatment. I know I was wrong to you. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Gyu. Can you please help me this time? Just this time only. You want Jun to be happy, right? If not for me… can you please do this for Jun?”

Mingyu wanted to answer but he could not even interrupt his friend. Seungcheol was talking uncontrollably.

“The doctors said Hannie was showing sign of having wish to commit suicide. He lost Joshua. He lost Jun. And now he’s having a baby he didn’t plan to. He’s extremely depressed. This is the only thing I can do for him. Please. I beg you, Mingyu! Please keep him. If he has Jun, he will be much happier, and he will have enough strength to live again. I’ve never seen Hannie that lively before today. He brightened up right after seeing Jun in the café. This is the last hope I have for him. Please, Mingyu! Please please please please…”

Mingyu had never been able to imagine that there would be one day when his friend frantically and desperately begged him like an insane person like how Seungcheol was doing currently. The cost for Seungcheol to realize his mistakes from the beginning was too much. Jeonghan was terribly damaged, and Mingyu could feel shivers up and down his spine at the moment the word _“suicide” _was mentioned. Joshua was crazy, and now Jeonghan had depression. None of them was normal any longer.

This was just an unavoidable result after all. Through what Mingyu had ever heard about Jeonghan, he would be surprised if the rabbit’s mind was still alright now. He looked fine, even less sad than how he had been in the past, but it was not until now did the giant alpha register the bright light on his face was brought by Mingyu’s mate - Jun and only Jun.

Mingyu had thought of kidnapping Jeonghan so many times so that Jun could live happily together with his beloved omega. Mingyu knew he had prepared himself for a life of sharing his home and his mate with another person, and he knew he was perfectly fine as long as Jun would feel happy. Jeonghan could not be a burden. Mingyu could work to take care of both of them.

Nonetheless, right now, Seungcheol was begging the giant man continuously, all of a sudden making Mingyu feel awful. It was horrible to feel as if he were a real trouble in this situation; if he did not exist, Seungcheol and Jeonghan would have nothing to worry about. The rabbit would not have to be scared when coming to his new home. He definitely would be scared of Mingyu, like how Joshua had felt in the past, and even now.

“Calm down, Cheol.” The bigger man forced out a smile on his face, even though he knew it looked terrible. He wrapped his arms around Seungcheol, wishing he could do this to Wonwoo as well, if this small action of affection could help his older cousin know he had always been loved without doing anything. “You don’t have to beg. I will tell Jun right now. You just need to ask. Don’t beg like that.”

Mingyu tried to let out a chuckle to ease out the anxiety in Seungcheol’s heart, and his friend held him even more tightly, despite the fact that Mingyu was much stronger.

“Thank you, Mingyu. I owe you… I… I really don’t know how to…” Seungcheol babbled and sobbed, hurting the giant man by his own saying. “I owe you everything… I-I drugged you… I know I destroyed your life, but now… but now I’m asking too much again… I’m sorry, Gyu. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”

Mingyu had never known how much his life had been ruined after that day until Seungcheol pointed that out.

His friend was right. Seungcheol destroyed his life completely. Right at the time Mingyu had almost got all of Joshua’s trust, he broke the boy again, unintentionally pushing him towards Wonwoo and then everything ended up in tragedy. Joshua’s whole life was also ruined, too. He was crazy now, and Mingyu had never been able to see him face to face again, because the cat was too scared of anyone who was not his husband.

Wonwoo was now Joshua’s spouse. And Mingyu was still here, with Jun in his house, with Jeonghan about to move in, and no more promise. Would Jun ever marry him? Would Jun feel comfortable to let his omega live near Mingyu forever? Mingyu was not sure. He literally had nothing in his hands. Jun could leave at any time, and nobody could tell when Joshua would be calm enough to face him again. Even then, would Joshua forget what had happened in the past and forgive Mingyu?

If that day Seungcheol had not drugged Mingyu, and the giant man had not raped and bitten Jun, would Jun ever agree to become Mingyu’s mate?

Perhaps not.

In the end, Mingyu had to blink away his tears, reminding Seungcheol’s of a bleeding Jeonghan so that the older alpha could let go of him. Moving his heavy feet towards the couple still sitting on the bench, Mingyu saw Jun staring at him, unmoving, but nervous and glancing towards Seungcheol continuously. Jun did not flinch or become aggressive when his cousin approached them and kneeled down in front of him. Observing the hybrid in a few seconds, Mingyu was sure he had fainted, not sleeping. The smell of blood was much clearer here, and he guessed Jun could smell it, too.

“Junnie ah,” Mingyu began, already finding it hard to talk, feeling a lump in his throat. “Seungcheol said he couldn’t take care of Jeonghan during the time he takes his mental treatment. He said he hoped we can keep Jeonghan and take care of him. He won’t separate you two ever again. He would just visit sometimes and maybe have a date with Jeonghan, but not living in the same house with him anymore. He just needs to bring Jeonghan with him now to take care of his wound. You can smell his blood, right? Are you okay with this, Junnie?”

Mingyu was not surprised to see the obvious shock in Jun’s eyes while his mouth hung open.

The giant man repeated what he had just said one more time, afraid that Jun was too shocked to process all at once.

“Please, Junnie. You have to give Jeonghan to Seungcheol now.” Gently persuading his mate, while waiting for a respond, Mingyu darted his eyes towards the note on Jeonghan’s lap, slowly taking it so as to read what had been written.

Thankfully, he got more reasons to tell Jun to give the rabbit back to Seungcheol.

“See, Junnie. Jeonghan also told you to call Seungcheol so that he could come to help. And he promised to be with you forever. You trust Jeonghan, right?”

Jun still did not give him any verbal answer, but he nodded. Mingyu was always scared of times like this, when his lover refused to say anything to him and just stared at him deeply in the eyes. Was Jun seeking for some trust and comfort from his alpha? Should Mingyu think that his cousin only did this to him, not to anyone else, because Jun trusted him with all his heart?

“If you calm down, Seungcheol will come here and talk to you directly. He’s just asked for my permission and I said yes.” Mingyu smiled tenderly to his mate and reached out his hand towards Jun. Seeing the bigger hand coming, the older alpha willingly held his alpha’s hand, squeezing tightly and turning back to stare into his eyes again. Mingyu was being careful in every of his words and actions, as if he was facing a spooked animal. “He wants to discuss when it’s suitable for us to let Jeonghan in. I’m always ready, but I guess he will need some time to return to Busan and pack up. What do you think, Junnie? Want me to come get Seungcheol here for you?”

Finally, Jun nodded again without hesitation. He did not look calmer, yet he did not show any intention of starting a physical fight with Seungcheol anymore. To Mingyu, that was enough. While Jun was still in shock because of this sudden announcement, it was better to let Seungcheol talk to him directly.

When Seungcheol sat down next to Jun on the bench, Mingyu went back to his previous position in front of his mate, relieved to see his Junnie trying to find his hand and hold it tightly again. Catching Seungcheol’s exhausted and nervous eyes, Mingyu nodded with a light smile on his face, encouraging his friend to go on.

“Hannie doesn’t want to let you know, but I have to say this.” Seungcheol started, and sighed, while Jun was staring at him unblinkingly. The atmosphere was strangely intense, even though Seungcheol’s voice was low and calm. “You see his long hair and his choker? He uses all of them just because he wants to hide his second mark. And it’s still bleeding now. We always have to put bandage on it and he has to take medicine every day so as to control the blood and to sleep well at night. It will bleed again when he feels not good. I guess, today he’s overwhelmed by feelings when seeing you again. He’s too weak to handle too many emotions all at once.”

Jun stayed silent, but seemed to understand, and want to hear more. Seungcheol also knew this fact. He would not be able to proceed with all he needed to say until he let Jun understand thoroughly about everything.

“I guess you’re wondering why Hannie’s still keeping his rapist’s child. Actually… we considered abandoning it once, but… Hannie had been forced to go through abortion too many times in the past.” The alpha could not say this without a grimace. “The doctor said it might harm his ability to conceive permanently if we abandoned the baby again, and I seriously never want that to happen. It’s so much worse than keeping this baby. Hannie doesn’t want, either. He already cried a lot on the way we went to the doctor. So, he’s going to give birth, and I really want to find someone who can take care of him while I undergo my treatment. We can’t make sure if this baby can be born or not, but… no matter what, Hannie needs a lot of rest and love.”

At this point, Seungcheol began to shed tears again.

“He needs you, Jun. I’ve been denying this truth for so long, but now… I can’t do that anymore. You’re the last hope for him.” The alpha reached out his hand towards Jun to hold his one, sincerely pleading. “Please take care of him without worrying about anything. I promise, I won’t take Hannie away from you when I’m done. I won’t be a bastard like that. If he agrees, you two can get mated. I understand that you both love each other, and I know you love him maybe even more than I’ve ever done. I won’t have any problem if you make yourself the baby’s father in official paper.”

Mingyu grimaced, unable to endure the future of Jun becoming the fake father of Wonwoo’s child. This baby would undoubtedly be a noble, omega or alpha, and everyone would be able to tell Jun was not the real father. This truth could be easily found out.

Unless Mingyu became the “fake father” instead.

“So… do you need time to prepare?” Seungcheol asked hesitantly and worriedly. “I don’t want to delay this too much… The sooner he comes to live with you, the better it is for him.”

Jun answered abruptly.

“Tomorrow.”

“Uhm… Junnie ah,” Mingyu had to interfere. “Please understand for Seungcheol. He has to bring Jeonghan back to Busan and then come back here later. They can’t do everything in just one day. Can we wait till Tuesday or Wednesday?”

“Tuesday is fine.” Seungcheol eagerly replied with a grin although his tears were still running down his cheeks. “Is this okay, Jun? I will bring him to your house at seven on Tuesday morning. Okay?”

Jun looked unhappy, but nodded.

“So… we will keep in touch then. I will call you regularly before that day to discuss more about how to take care of him.” Seungcheol continued, starting to show signs of wanting to get Jeonghan back. “I need to deal with his bleeding mark now.”

Seeing the trouble coming, Mingyu quickly stopped Seungcheol from trying to take Jeonghan away from Jun. Although Seungcheol had finally realized his mistakes and wished to fix things, he still could not fix his habit; he did not ask, just recklessly trying to pull the omega towards himself, causing Jun to get aggressive again and growl.

“Please, Junnie, you have to let him go. You’ll harm Jeonghan if you keep him like this for too long. He’s bleeding.” The giant alpha held his mate’s shoulders, not too tightly, yet enough to keep him in place. “Try to endure two more days. Just two more days.”

It was a real struggle for the two big alphas to peacefully take Jeonghan out of Jun’s embrace without causing a fight to occur. Mingyu had to hold Jun in his arms while Seungcheol walked away with the hybrid in his own arms. Hearing the sniffles coming from his chest, Mingyu squeezed his mate tightly and let him cry his eyes out. Jun croaked out his mate’s name once, and then he was crying and sobbing while clutching at the giant man’s shirt and murmured _“I’m sorry”_ a hundred times.

Smiling in tears and in relief, Mingyu left a kiss on the tip of his lover’s head, and soothed him with his sweet and tender words as always.

“It’s okay, Junnie. I understand. You’re okay now. We’re all okay.”

Deep down his heart, Mingyu knew, only Jun and Jeonghan were okay.

Or, perhaps, they were not okay either.

\-----------------------------

“What if he runs away when he sees me?” Jihoon worriedly asked, shifting restlessly on his seat. “I… I really don’t want to see that happen.”

Draping an arm over the shorter omega’s shoulder, Minghao replied with a smile.

“Don’t worry. I told you I let him know you would come to visit one day and he said he wanted to see you too. Remember?”

“But…” Jihoon sighed, face sad. “You’ve already known him. Nobody can predict anything about his behaviors anymore.”

“Don’t let those thoughts upset you.” Minghao squeezed the other one’s shoulder. “You’ve come here already. Let’s just see how things go.”

“Hey don’t touch me! Just focus on driving.” Jihoon whined with a scrunched face, huffing.

The other omega laughed and patted his head once before taking back his arm, receiving a punch from Jihoon on his bicep.

Jihoon felt strange when Wonwoo came to the gate to let them in, but he guessed there could not be any other way for this now. The alpha did not hire any maid because Joshua hated strangers, so of course Wonwoo would have to do this. This was honestly Jihoon’s first time coming to this house, yet he did not need much time to realize the place was chosen according to Joshua’s opinion. It had nothing seem like Wonwoo at all. He knew the alpha had sold the house where the cat had been raped so that the hybrid would not have to see the tragic place one more time, but now he was still surprised by how much Wonwoo was ready to do to spoil his spouse.

However, all those facts did not make Jihoon feel more comfortable when facing the noble alpha, as he was still effortlessly scary, ready to kill anyone who might frighten his Joshua. Gulping, the short omega knew he had to be extremely careful. They came to play with Joshua, but every single action would be watched by an intimidating man named Wonwoo.

The two omegas came to sit in the living room awkwardly while the alpha went into the other rooms to get Joshua, which had never happened in the past while they still lived in the apartment. Jihoon felt bad for the cat already, wishing that he could hug Joshua when they met since he missed the boy and he sincerely wanted Joshua to be happy again. He missed the days he drove the hybrid outside to buy groceries in the supermarket and then maybe helped him cook or clean the house.

If it were not for the scent of strawberry candy, the human omegas would think that Wonwoo came back alone. The cat was actually hiding behind his man, both hands gripping Wonwoo’s arms very tightly, not peeking out even a bit to look at whoever came to the house. Following Minghao, Jihoon stood up, but did not move towards the couple. He waited for Wonwoo to walk to them and watched the alpha turning around to talk to his omega.

“Minghao and Jihoon are here. They come to play with you. Do you remember them, kitten?” The alpha looked into Joshua’s eyes, gently patting his hair and rubbing his back, shocking Jihoon by how tender he sounded.

Trying to move to a better position, Jihoon got a good angle to see Joshua’s face, and he instantly felt a pang in his chest. The hybrid looked really scared, extremely reluctant to even just take his eyes away from his husband. Joshua’s face, hair, clothes, and his whole body were all normal, but his facial expression was not. Jihoon was sure Joshua had not looked at him yet, but the knowledge of “strangers” inside the house was enough to make him uncomfortable. What hurt even more, was the way Joshua nervously asked Wonwoo, hands still clutching at the man’s arms, tail tucked between his legs.

“Minghao… Jihoon?”

Minghao had not told Jihoon about this, but the shorter omega was not surprised to see Joshua’s cat ears and tail. The boy definitely had no ability of controlling the appearance of those things now. He was not having control over anything of himself.

“Yeah. Minghao and Jihoon. Do you remember?” Slowly and carefully, Wonwoo led Joshua to move forward a few small steps so that the boy could see his guests, yet the cat was still very afraid and kept holding his alpha’s arms by shaky hands. “Minghao came here to see you two days ago. Jihoon used to drive you to the supermarket in the past. He misses you a lot, and loves to play with you.”

When Joshua directed his eyes towards Minghao, the human omega waved at him with a smile, a little awkward.

“Hey, Joshua. I bring some ice-cream here for you. We can eat together. Do you like that?” He pulled up the plastic bag containing three big boxes of ice-cream for the cat to see, happy to see sparkles in his eyes.

“Ming… Minghao?” Joshua asked again, looking back and forth between Wonwoo and the omega he was trying to clarify identity.

“It’s me. I’m Minghao.” The said omega nodded, grinning more brightly, and Jihoon observed him intensely, trying his best to memorize how careful Minghao was when talking to Joshua. His feet had not even moved. “We used to go to the convenient store and have ice-cream together. Two days ago I brought you some sunflowers and ice-cream to. Do you remember me?”

The cat’s eyes began to brighten up as his ears twitched and his tail began to wave idly.

“Minghao?” He asked, voice clearer and much less shaky, earning an eager nod from Minghao.

“Yes yes! I’m Minghao! I’m your friend, Minghao!” Just waiting until this moment, Minghao reached out his arm and pulled Jihoon closer to himself immediately, seeing how Joshua was eyeing the shorter one curiously and also cautiously. “Do you remember Jihoon, Shua?”

The hybrid instantly looked up at Wonwoo with a lot of confusion and also fright in his face. Jihoon was frightened by that expression, but Minghao soothed him, telling him that it was normal of Joshua now. As long as he did not run away or burst into tears, they were still fine.

Receiving an encouraging nod from Minghao, Jihoon tried making eye contact with Joshua, and smiled to the hybrid.

“Hey, Shua. I’m Jihoon. I… I really miss you.” The omega wanted to sound natural but he failed, just because he was too nervous. He did not want to ruin his first chance of talking to the cat again after the tragedy. “I brought some culinary books and things… We can make a house figures with furniture and play together. Does that sound fun to you?”

Joshua’s eyes obviously lightened up at the mention of culinary books, but he did not try to find what might seem to be those books in the bags Jihoon was carrying. He was still just looking at the omega’s face, cocking his head slightly, turning to glance at Wonwoo again, asking for a confirmation.

“Yes, baby.” The alpha gave him a kiss on his fluffy ear. “He’s Jihoon, your friend. The three of you can eat and play together.”

Joshua spent one more minute staring at the short guy while all of the other people held their breath. Wonwoo was worried too. He sincerely and even desperately wished his kitten could recognize Jihoon and feel comfortable with him. That was not much of a step of progress but still considerably better than just staying still. Joshua needed those friends, who had always cared about him and kept asking Wonwoo about his health.

Eventually, the hybrid smiled, letting go of Wonwoo’s arms and walked towards the two omegas. His attitude changed so fast that Jihoon was shocked even though he had just wished to be able to see a friendly Joshua again in less than one minute ago. The cat hugged him and chirped happily, calling his name a few times before turning to Minghao and doing the same things. They were all taken aback but in a pretty nice way, at least temporarily happy to see that the boy was cheerful right now.

Like a real kid, Joshua held both of the omegas’ hands and pulled them towards his play room. Passing by the kitchen, the cat did not forget to stop to get three spoons.

Jihoon had been warned about this but he was still shocked by this room, which was literally a play room. This phrase might sound dirty since there was no kid in the house, but it was seriously a true room for playing. Jihoon immediately gave up counting the number of stuffed animals placing on countless shelves and couches. There was a big book shelf with so many books that the short omega could not bother to care what the main topic of them might be. On the floor, there were Joshua’s toys everywhere. They were the little cooking tools made for the young children to explore some cooking activities. Wonwoo obviously did not dare to let Joshua cook while he was not watching. The alpha must be afraid that the cat would burn the house down.

Jihoon remembered that Joshua loved cooking, so maybe those toys were very good for him.

The door to the balcony was opened, allowing the fresh air to come into the room. However, there were two other things that still shocked Jihoon again. There was a carton box which seemed to be big enough for Joshua to curl inside. Cats tend to love the boxes, but Jihoon was sure he had never seen Joshua prefer acting like a cat. He was much more like a human being. Moreover, this play room was also Wonwoo’s working place. There was a desk in a corner of the room with a computer on it.

Jihoon could not believe it. How could Wonwoo focus on his work while Joshua played with the whole mess in this room?

Anyway, it was inappropriate for Jihoon to call this room a mess. He just guessed it would be a mess when Joshua truly displayed all of the tiny cooking tools on the floor to play. Right now, it was actually very tidy. Everything had its own suitable place, and Joshua took out a small table from a corner to put it in the center of the room. It was colorful and looking exactly like any table that could be found in a kindergarten. While Jihoon was still staring, Minghao had already sat down on the floor by the table and pulled him to sit as well.

Joshua was squeaking while Minghao took all of the ice-cream boxes out of his bag and placed them on the table. Jihoon kept staring in horror, unable to believe this was truly the cat hybrid he knew. Minghao was opening the boxes but Joshua could not wait. He grabbed the strawberry-flavoured one by himself and hastily opened it. Chirping a soft _“thank you”_ to the other omegas, he quickly used his spoon to scoop up a little ball of ice-cream and enjoyed his favorite food in pure happiness. Minghao was looking at the hybrid tenderly with a gentle smile while his fingers gently scratched Joshua’s ear, making him purr in comfort.

The boy could never understand the pain he was unconsciously giving his two friends. They were all so sweet and loving to him, but inside, they were both crying for their miserable friend.

Of course, Joshua no longer knew what kind of pain he himself had been through.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You think you've already known all about how crazy Joshua is? No... Not yet. Not that early.
> 
> Some of you guess that Seungcheol wanted Jun and Mingyu to take care of Jeonghan, and you were right ^^ That's why I said "things are getting better". This is truly a way to a happy ending for Jun and Jeonghan. Yet... it still hurts as hell when Jeonghan "talked" to Jun ;_;
> 
> But Mingyu... ;_; ;_; ;_;
> 
> Please feel free to tell me how you think and feel about this chapter >< I'm exceedingly eager to know >< 
> 
> I know I may seem like I don't feel bad for Mingyu but I swear I do feel bad for him a lot >< It's really painful to write his part and IT'S A REAL PAIN IN MY CHEST T_T
> 
> As always, please stay safe and healthy everyone!!! Everything is still so dangerous out there. I hope we will be all fine. I love you ^^


	70. God and baby bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon and Minghao was shocked by their realization about the "new Joshua".
> 
> Meanwhile, Jun was enjoying his happy and peaceful life with his baby bear, and his little bunny who was about to move in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm a little late this time. The two previous chapters were quite heavy, but I guess this one is much lighter.  
And there is a warning for this one :"> I'm such a bad writer for never writing in details what the "warning" is... 
> 
> I'm sorry if the title sucks ;_;
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this chapter ^^

The atmosphere between the three omegas was joyful and comfortable for all of them. After five minutes, Jihoon was used to the new Joshua now, and he slowly opened up to talk normally to the boy again. Since he had not met the cat for the past six weeks, Jihoon had a lot to ask him, mainly about how his life had been recently. Joshua said that he never left home except for walking to the park with Wonwoo a few days ago. The boy just spent time at home playing, cleaning the house, and cooking. They bought everything through the Internet and Wonwoo never left home either.

Minghao subtly let out a sigh in relief for knowing that Joshua had no idea about how his alpha had snuck out of the house. In some emergency, when Wonwoo specially needed to come to the company or show up to deal with Soonyoung’s family, he had no choice but to drug Joshua, making the boy sleep in a few hours. Minghao and Jihoon used to take turn to come here and watch the hybrid to prevent anything from going wrong. At those times, all they could see was just a sleeping Joshua. It was not until today did Jihoon witness how the boy behaved differently from how he had done in the past.

“Why don’t you like going out, Shua?” Minghao asked with a cheerful voice to hide his sadness and awful curiosity.

“What for?” The boy asked back while scooping up another spoon of ice-cream. “I have all I want here. Wonwoo is always here with me.”

“Of course Wonwoo will still go with you. There are many places for two of you to play out there.” Minghao kept trying. “Your husband can take you to some different stores to try many kinds of ice-cream, and you can go to the shops to choose some new plushie toys by yourself. You can touch them and look at them directly, not just through the screen anymore.”

Joshua’s eyes lightened up in a split second before his face fell.

“I hate alphas. Too many alphas out there. I’ll go if Wonwoo can kill them all.”

Jihoon choked on his ice-cream and coughed, causing Minghao to turn towards him and pat his back.

“Do you need some water? I’ll get some for you.”

Not waiting for any responses, Joshua left and then came back quickly like a flash. The hybrid thoughtfully brought inside a tray with a big bottle of cold water and three colorful plastic mugs. These things looked incredibly cheap and contrary in comparison with how rich Wonwoo was. Joshua used to use much more sophisticated and fancier mugs or glasses, yet the two human omegas could understand the reasons. Wonwoo certainly could not make sure that Joshua would not break the objects. He had to treat Joshua like he was a real kid.

Jihoon was drinking the water when Joshua suddenly sighed with a very sad expression on his face, and his ears flopped. Like a mother watching the child in distress, Minghao reached out his hand to scratch the cat’s ear again, yet he did not expect the hybrid to dodge. Before the omega could feel shocked, Joshua had abandoned his empty box of ice-cream to scoot closer to Minghao and leaned against the human omega’s chest.

This was seriously too painful for Minghao. He could realize, Joshua did not forget everything. It took him quite much time to recognize people, but his mind definitely remembered what they had gone through together in the past. Joshua must remember he used to rest his chest on his friend’s chest like this on the day he was tired and Minghao was there to soothe him and give him some tender comfort. How was his brain functioning now? What did Joshua remember? What did he forget? Perhaps, he had let all of the sad memories drift away and kept the beautiful ones with him only?

In this position, Minghao could use one hand to stroke the cat’s ears while his other hand was being played with by the boy’s fingers.

“Why doesn’t Hannie come to play with me?”

Poor Jihoon choked one more time, spitting out a lot of water and making the other two jump. They both hurried to help the short omega, one giving him some tissue, and one patting his back again.

Only waiting until Jihoon stopped coughing and started to drink more water, Joshua dropped himself back on Minghao’s chest again, and the omega asked him.

“Did you try texting or calling him?”

“I think he’s changed his number. I can’t contact him.” Joshua sadly said, a little whiny.

“Why don’t you ask Wonwoo? I think he might help.”

The cat shook his head instantly.

“Wonwoo doesn’t like it when I talk about Jeonghan.”

It was confirmed. Joshua really remembered a lot. He knew Wonwoo did not like talking about Jeonghan or Seungcheol in general. However, the two human omegas did not expect the boy to continue talking about his husband.

“Wonwoo hurt Hannie so I guess he doesn’t want me to see Hannie ever again.” He said, voice getting more and more tiny, as he was still fiddling with Minghao’s fingers.

“He what?” Jihoon gasped in utter shock. “What did he do to Jeonghan?”

Joshua ignored those questions as if he had not heard anything. The two omegas exchanged a horrified look with each other, but they both knew they would never be able to get this information from Wonwoo. Minghao still remembered how angry Wonwoo had been when he made Joshua cry by trying to talk to him about Jeonghan. Nontheless, he assumed that if Joshua really knew his alpha had hurt Jeonghan, he should be angry towards the man at least a little. In fact, the hybrid did not seem to care, or he unconsciously ignored it.

Joshua got nothing good from getting mad at Wonwoo.

“I guess… He’s sick or something… You two can meet again when he’s healthy.” Minghao cheered his friend up by telling a blatant lie.

The cat sighed, lifting his head up to look at not only Minghao but also Jihoon through his adorable sad eyes.

“You two will come back to play with me again, right?”

They knew Joshua would cry right away if they refused to come back.

“Of course we will!” Jihoon smiled and scooted closer to his friend, reaching out his arm towards Joshua and the cat held his hand instantly. “Minghao can only come during weekends but I have a lot more free time to play with you.”

“That’s right.” Minghao agreed with a bright grin. “We’re very excited to play with you.”

“Promise?” Joshua held out his pinky finger to the taller omega, eyes twinkling with hope and happiness.

“Promise!”

The two omegas took turn to make a pinky promise with Joshua, feeling their heart shattering because of the boy’s desperation for a promise of them not ever abandoning him. They were not sure what was the reason, but the hybrid was seriously scared of losing someone now. He was abnormally happy just because of their promises, and they knew his heart would be definitely broken if they would not come here frequently.

Joshua was super clingy nowadays.

Very cute but too childish.

Unnecessarily possessive.

And showing signs of violence.

Minghao suggested bringing Joshua out with him one day so that they could come to a café where there were many cats together, but the boy shook his head and whined.

“I told you. If you can kill all of the alphas out there, I’ll go.” All of a sudden, the hybrid sat up and asked eagerly. “Does our country allow guns? Can I buy one and bring it with me wherever I go? I can use it to shoot right into any alpha’s head if they approach me.”

“Oh no no no no!” Jihoon rapidly shook his head vigorously in fright. He thought that he was the worst omega who usually kicked the alphas’ ass when they tried to hit on him. “You can’t own a gun, Shua!”

Minghao was calmer while explaining to the cat.

“Not only you but also Wonwoo will go to jail if you get a gun, and you won’t ever be with him again. Do you want that to happen?”

Joshua shivered and murmured _“No”_. Pulling him back into his chest, Minghao spoke while stroking the hybrid’s ears.

“You don’t have to worry, Shua. Your husband and your friends will always protect you. Nobody can hurt you.”

Jihoon was quite frightened when the cat’s tail came to wrap around his arm, but he tried to stay calm and sit still, forcing himself to acknowledge this as Joshua’s wish to keep him by his sides.

“I know, but…” The boy mumbled, and then abruptly sat up one more time, frowning, shooting fire from his angry eyes. “What about the omegas? I want to gouge out their eyeballs! They’re all sluts!”

“What?” Minghao thought he was doing a good job when talking to Joshua calmly, yet in the end he still could not help feeling shocked, eyes widened. “Why… What’s wrong with them?”

“They always stare at Wonwoo!” The cat was growling as if there were really an omega staring at his alpha right now. “No omegas can come near my husband! He’s mine! They mustn’t touch him!”

“Don’t… don’t worry, Shua.” Jihoon stuttered, but still trying. “They’re just staring. They don’t do anything. Everyone knows Wonwoo is your husband. Nobody will take him away from you.”

The boy huffed before dropping himself back on Minghao’s chest.

“The only omega I allow to be near my Wonwoo is Hannie.”

“Jeonghan?” Jihoon repeated in confusion.

Once again, Joshua ignored him.

In horror, the two human omegas knew they needed to be extraordinarily careful around Wonwoo, or else they would automatically get into the cat’s blacklist. Maybe one day, when they were careless, Joshua might hurt them. It was not good to think of a friend in this way, but Minghao thought they had no other choice.

The three omegas sat in silence in at least three minutes because Jihoon and Minghao were still drowned in fright, and Joshua just kept giggling while playing with Minghao’s fingers, totally oblivious to the fear and pain in his friends’ hearts. 

The guests were confused when Wonwoo stepped inside the room, since they did not think that the alpha would be here while they played with Joshua, but the cat did not look surprised at all. He was exceedingly happy to see his husband, standing up in the blink of an eye and running towards the man to jump into his arms. The two human omegas had to check their own watches to see if they had been in this room for an hour or even longer or not.

Joshua not only ran but also squeaked when moving towards Wonwoo, while the other ones were sure the boy had never had the habit of letting out squeaking sounds like this in the past. The cat gleefully nuzzled into Wonwoo’s neck while the omegas stared at him with many questions in their eyes. Minghao had seen some hybrids acting in this way to their owners, but for Joshua, a cat who used to hide his cat ears and tail so as to be treated like a human being, it was too strange for them to witness this scene. Keeping the hybrid securely in his arms and not seeming to be annoyed even a bit by his clingy behavior, Wonwoo politely told his friends.

“May I ask you two to help us one thing?”

When the alpha said _“us”_, they instantly nodded, knowing it was something related to Joshua, so that thing must surely deserve getting some help. Observing the couple, Minghao was sure Wonwoo was keeping Joshua extremely tightly and there was no way the cat could get out of those arms. That was not a normal hug.

“Seungkwan’s just come here. I wonder if your presence can make Joshua calmer…”

The omegas did not need to wait to thoroughly understand what Wonwoo was thinking or planning. Right at the mention of the omega doctor, Joshua began to thrash crazily in a desperate attempt to escape from his alpha’s hold. Wonwoo showed no sign of surprise, just calmly restraining the hybrid in his both arms and walking out of the room with the other ones following him right behind.

Seungkwan was obviously used to this situation but Jihoon and Minghao were certainly not. Wonwoo had already got his answer; nobody could make his kitten feel better. Even when the alpha had sat down on the same couch as the doctor, Joshua was still screaming and thrashing uncontrollably to escape. He was crying now, like a real baby running away from a doctor, and Jihoon fully understood why Minghao said that as long as Joshua did not burst into tears or run away then he would be fine.

However, Wonwoo scared the hell out of the two observers when he suddenly commanded the cat after a minute of using sweet words to soothe him.

“Stay still, Joshua. Let Seungkwan check your health.”

Joshua obey immediately. He stopped moving, only sitting still on Wonwoo’s lap now and hiding his face in the crook of his alpha’s neck. The hybrid kept whimpering and sobbing heavily, yet at least he was not fighting against his husband any longer. Wonwoo could rub his both hands along Joshua’s back to give him more comfort and the cat would not make use of this chance to run. It was extremely scary to see that although Joshua seemed to barely remember the tragic events, he was very scared of Wonwoo. Since the boy was evidently in panic, nobody expected him to still have some consciousness left in his mind to comply with his alpha’s words.

Seungkwan still looked like he was accustomed to Joshua’s behaviors but the doctor could not help but grimace at the sight. He did not like the idea of Wonwoo giving commands to the hybrid but they had no other choice now. It was anyway so much better than using ropes to tie the boy or drugging him to make him sleep like a log. It was undeniable that an alpha could order an omega, especially when Wonwoo officially and legally owned Joshua in all ways.

Seungkwan did not do much. He just checked Joshua’s temperature and got some of his blood. Wonwoo had to hold his arm tightly while the doctor did that, since they were both afraid that the cat could snap at any time and hurt himself. Luckily, Joshua just cried a lot in Wonwoo’s embrace without moving, and when his arm was released, he quickly used it to wrap around his alpha again. While Wonwoo carried the hybrid into their bedroom to calm the boy down, the two human omegas sent a tired Seungkwan to the gate.

“Is he always like that whenever you come here?” Minghao asked, unable to resist his curiosity.

“Yeah.” The doctor answered with a sigh. “I don’t know why but he seems to hate me so much. I guess it’s the same as how kids hate doctors.”

“He isn’t scared of the needle at all.” Jihoon commented. “According to what I know, the kids really hate it.”

“We can’t use normal ways of thinking to judge Joshua’s behaviors anymore.” Seungkwan shook his head, feeling sad for the boy. “You know… at the first time I came to this house, Joshua even didn’t listen to Wonwoo and he cried until he passed out. This… I consider this as an improvement. He’s been able to obey his alpha in the past two weeks.”

“But why do you still have to check his health like this?” Minghao asked in confusion. “I thought he only has mental problem now.”

“Well… his health is bad and I have to frequently make sure that his heat suppressant is still suitable for him. He will literally freak out if his heat comes now.” The doctor shivered at his own thoughts. “I don’t dare to think of that.”

Talking about the heat, Seungkwan suddenly turned to face the shortest omega, cocking his head with a little joy in his face.

“Has your heat just gone?”

“What?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow, stuttering a little. “Uh… yes. J-just yesterday. It was only two days. How do you know?”

“I’ve been giving heat suppressant to hundreds of people and of course I can tell it.” Seungkwan said proudly with a smile. “But how did you break your heat that fast? I don’t see any mark on you.”

Minghao chuckled lightly.

“He doesn’t need any alpha when he already has me.”

Jihoon bristled with a deep red face.

“I will kill you Xu Minghao!!!”

The two omegas were asked to send Seungkwan to the gate but the doctor ended up leaving by himself while Jihoon chased the taller omega around the yard of the huge mansion.

Busy chasing and punching Minghao on his bicep over and over again, Jihoon did not notice Joshua’s appearance until the boy spoke up.

“What are you two doing?” The boy asked excitedly, as if he had not cried just five minutes ago.

“Ah… Nothing special… Just running around… Playing tag.” Jihoon luckily found the most suitable word after a while of stuttering. He smiled and held out his hand towards the cat. “Do you want to play, Shua? You have a very big yard. I think this place is super cool for playing tag.”

“That sounds fun!” Joshua took Jihoon’s hand immediately with a big smile on his face. “I want to play with you two.”

It was not until now did the two human omegas figure out that Joshua had no idea how to play tag properly. The hybrid had spent his childhood as a slave in his own family, having no opportunity to live like a real kid. His friends felt painfully bad for him, and they were both determined to make the boy happy at least in this delusional world, where all of his pains had never occurred.

The three omegas only went back inside when they were all tired and bored of playing tag for about half an hour. As they had already made a plan of having lunch with Joshua and Wonwoo today, with the alpha’s approval for sure, Jihoon and Minghao helped the cat cook. It was much more like playing with each other than just cooking, which made the hybrid keep smiling all the time.

The human omegas were relieved to see that Joshua did not seem to be different from how he had been in the past when cooking. He was careful enough to do everything in the right way, and they even thought that the boy had improved a lot in his skills. The dishes were not only good looking but also delicious.

Jihoon and Minghao knew Wonwoo and Joshua were married now but they did not expect the couple to be this cheesy during lunch time. The alpha repeatedly fed his omega through his chopsticks and the hybrid obviously enjoyed this kind of attention and affection. The worse thing was that, everyone could see how Joshua was trying to resist the temptation of climbing onto Wonwoo’s lap. He could not sit still, fidgeting restlessly on his chair. Jihoon imagined, that when there were no guests, perhaps the couple really had lunch in that way - Joshua sitting on Wonwoo’s lap.

According to what the human omegas knew about Wonwoo, they thought the man would scold Joshua because of those behaviors, yet nothing happened. The alpha did not look any less happy than his omega. The couple was frankly shameless. Joshua once fed Wonwoo something by his fingers, and the alpha was not subtle even a bit when he intentionally sucked the cat’s fingers after the piece of food was taken in his mouth. Jihoon tried to hide his grimace, knowing that he was being quite rude in his thought since he was evidently the intruder in this house right now, but everything was just unbelievable.

Was Wonwoo already crazy too?

This question was unavoidable.

After lunch, Jihoon and Minghao helped Joshua clean up although the boy had told them not to. Later, they went back to the playroom together, not to do anything special, but just to talk to each other. Joshua was shocked to hear that Jihoon and Minghao was living together in a small apartment now, yet he soon began to clap like a seal, purely happy to know his friends had become a couple. They were both omegas, but that did not seem to be a problem.

This kind of relationship made the boy’s mind dream of Jeonghan. Where was his Hannie now? How was Jeonghan doing? Would they ever become an omegas couple like Minghao and Jihoon now? What should he say or do when he saw Jeonghan again?

The human omegas decided to leave when they started to see Joshua’s lack of energy. Thinking that the boy should get some rest now, they politely told the boy they needed to go home and promised to come back soon. Joshua hurriedly ran to his kitchen to get some cakes he had made and give them to bring home. He hugged both of them tightly, feeling his heart warm to the utmost when they both squeezed him back lovingly, telling him that they had missed him a lot and had always been waiting for the day he was healthy enough to visit him like this.

The house became peaceful again after the two omegas left. It did not mean that Joshua did not enjoy their presence, but he was just a little tired and overstimulated after playing with them. He could not wait until he and his husband went back inside. The cat stood on tiptoe to wrap his arms around Wonwoo’s neck, and the man got the hint instantly. Lifting up the hybrid, Wonwoo let Joshua straddle his waist and held him tightly in his arms, slowly walking back to their room.

“Wonwoo.” The boy called him, voice tiny and weak, but sweet and a little whiny. “I’m sleepy.”

“Just sleep, kitten.” The alpha put a kiss on his omega’s ear. “I will wake you up around five.”

“Do you sleep too?” The cat asked while lazily nuzzling into his alpha’s neck and shoulder, inhaling deeply to fill his lungs with his God’s scent.

“No, baby. I have a lot of work to do now.”

Joshua pouted sadly, but Wonwoo certainly did not see. The way seemed to be so much longer because the alpha was walking slowly so as to give his kitten a peaceful atmosphere, and the cat had nothing to complain. Sleepy but not asleep yet, the boy murmured quietly while his tail came to wrap around his husband’s arm.

“I hate doctors.”

Giving Joshua’s head another kiss, Wonwoo rubbed one hand along the hybrid’s back.

“Don’t worry. Nobody will come get you while you’re sleeping on my lap.”

However, that was not the end of him yet.

“I hate monsters.”

“No monster can step into our house, kitten.”

“I hate alphas.”

“I’m an alpha too, baby.”

“You’re my husband.” The cat closed his arms more tightly, shaking his head and nuzzling into Wonwoo’s neck at the same time, making an emphasis on his last words. _“Mine.”_

In his mind, the boy wanted to let Wonwoo know that he was not just his husband or his master; Wonwoo was his God, the one he always looked up to and wished to own with all his heart. Nonetheless, Joshua felt it would be weird to tell someone _“You’re my God”_, so he decided to just keep it for himself now. Wonwoo would understand him. Wonwoo always understood him, and always loved him more than anyone else. Wonwoo protected him from the doctors (except for some times) and also the monsters. Joshua was having all of Wonwoo’s attention, and he felt that his life was fulfilled now.

He was living in heaven with his alpha, his love, his husband, and his God.

\----------------------

Mingyu felt like he was being tortured from Saturday to Monday night. He did not know why but he thought he was even more nervous than Jun. His older cousin was already much calmer now, yet he literally could not sit still. Jun kept walking around and wondered if he should buy some more things for Jeonghan. Mingyu tried his best to soothe him by saying that they should only do that after Jeonghan came here, because Jun would have a lot of free time to spend with the hybrid and they could go shopping together. That would be much easier to get exactly what the rabbit needed and wanted. For now, it was enough for them to prepare all of the most necessary things.

While cleaning up the apartment, Mingyu realized this place was not small. He actually underestimated it. It was totally possible to place on more wardrobe in their bedroom and one more chair in the kitchen. The bathroom was spacious enough to fill it with more stuff for a third person to use without feeling too crowded. The living room, where Mingyu usually chilled out in the evenings, the sofa was big enough for all three of them to enjoy, even with one of them lying on it and the other two sitting. The shoe rack had a lot of space left, as well. Moreover, this apartment had two bathrooms, so there was no problem for them.

Mingyu deemed everything perfect (except for his heart) but Jun did not feel the same. As a result, he could not sleep, staring at nothing while lying in his alpha’s embrace.

“If you want to be healthy enough to go out with Jeonghan tomorrow, you need to sleep now, baby.” The giant man whispered, leaving a kiss on his mate’s forehead.

Looking up at his cousin, Jun whined and pouted.

“I don’t want you to sleep on the couch!”

“It’s not a big deal, Junnie.” Mingyu smiled and shook his head. “Our couch is super big. It’s very comfortable, not different from a bed.”

“But it’s still not a bed!” The older alpha protested, but then suddenly whined again, burying his face in his lover’s chest. “Why is it so difficult like this? I want to sleep with you!”

Mingyu’s heart melted right away.

“Really, Junnie?” He asked, caressing Jun’s hair tenderly while the other hugged him tightly.

“I want my baby bear in my bed every night!” At this moment, Jun was like a petulant kid, shifting continuously. He only stopped when he was lying on top of Mingyu, chin on the bigger man’s chest, having eye contact with him.

Mingyu wanted to slap his face a few times to check if he was just dreaming. His Junnie was showing so much sadness and disappointment in his face, evidently unhappy with the idea of being unable to sleep with Mingyu every night like how they had done in the past few weeks. It never took much time to get used to a happy and peaceful life. Jun had had so many sweet things in his new home in a short period of time. He had a mate who loved him so much and took care of him considerately day by day. He had a cozy apartment where there was no one but him and his lover only. Every night, he did not need to worry about anything, just jumping into bed and sneaking into Mingyu’s embrace to sleep through the whole night until his alpha woke him up for breakfast.

Mingyu never let Jun wake up early to make breakfast, since he always said that the older alpha should sleep a lot to become healthier. This scenario was painfully familiar at first, but now Jun was already accustomed to being spoilt and also to the warmth of his lover in his bed every single night. Even when Mingyu had to go on a business trip, he took Jun with him.

Mingyu did not know what to say, just staring at Jun while rubbing his back soothingly. Sighing, the older male used his finger to idly draw something on the giant man’s chest.

“What should I do to make Hannie agree to sleep with you as fast as possible?”

“What?” Mingyu could not help asking, eyes widened in shock. “What did you just say?”

“This room can fit a bigger bed, right?” Jun ignored the shock in his mate’s eyes, determined to go along his intention. “We can change to a bigger bed later, so that it can fit all three of us. The only problem is how to make Hannie comfortable enough to let you in the same bed with him.”

Suddenly, Jun realized he forgot one thing.

“You… don’t have any trouble with that, right?” He nervously asked his cousin. “If he doesn’t complain anything, then… do you agree to do this?”

“Uhm…” Mingyu was hesitant not because he could not comply with his Junnie, but because he was still very surprised. “I’m the one who should ask you this question. You feel okay to let your omega sleep in the same bed with me? I mean… another alpha?”

Jun began to frown and pout.

“You’re talking as if you’re a stranger to me. Hey, you’re my alpha, but I haven’t even bitten Hannie yet.”

“Are you sure, baby?” Mingyu was worried. “I never have trouble with anything. If you can tolerate it, then of course I’m willing to… but…”

“No but.” Jun shushed him by a finger on his lips, sulking. “How can you say so to a person who wants to sleep with you?”

“I’m just worried about you, and Jeonghan, also.” The giant man tenderly caressed his lover’s cheek, looking at him lovingly. “Of course I will be very sad if I can’t sleep with you again, but I’m just one person, while you and Jeonghan are two. You guys must be prioritized.”

Jun shook his head, using his two hands to help himself sit up and then sliding down towards his alpha’s legs.

“You’re so bad today, Mingyu. I have to give you a punishment in the last night of us owning this apartment for ourselves only.”

“Hey… hey baby… I didn’t do anything.” Mingyu panicked but did not stop his mate, stuttering. “It will still be ours later!”

“But the feelings won’t be the same anymore.” Jun kept moving and only stopped when it was convenient for him to take off his lover’s sweatpants. “I want to make use of this last night.”

“What do you want, Junnie?” The giant man asked, a little more frightened as his cousin took off his underwear along with the sweatpants. “Baby, I won’t allow you to fuck me…”

Jun giggled softly to his mate, leaning over to leave a quick kiss on Mingyu’s lips, whispering seductively.

“I won’t do that. I only love to get your big fat cock in my ass.”

That night, Mingyu thoroughly understood that his lover did not like sleeping without him at all, and the older alpha was trying his best to make use of their last private night together. Even if Jun and Mingyu could get in this bed together again in the future, the mood and atmosphere would be different.

Mingyu had never dared to ask Jun to give him a blowjob since he did not want to make his cousin upset by such requests, yet today Jun willingly did it by himself without being told even once. He did not ask for permission either. Just simply nudging Mingyu’s legs apart, he moved to lie between them, on his stomach, supporting his weight on his elbows, and then used both hands to adore his alpha’s dick. Still worried, Mingyu tried to check if Jun was forcing himself to do this, but he got nothing. There was no sign of a struggle on the older alpha’s face, while he had never been good at faking his attitudes. He was doing this attentively with a comfortable expression on his face, and as if he himself could not wait any longer, Jun soon opened his mouth to take his mate’s whole length in.

Mingyu thought he was going to pass out. Even after having the chance to have sex with Jun, the giant man had never imagined this would happen one day without him begging or making Jun uncomfortable somehow. It was wonderful to be on the receiving end of pleasure brought by the love of his life. There would be no fun if Mingyu had to ask Jun to do this. It was perfect because Jun wanted to do this by himself. The bigger alpha was shocked by his lover’s ability of doing a deep-throat, but he was already too lost to care, starting to sweat all over his body and groan in ecstasy.

Mingyu wondered if Jun was doing this because he felt pity for him, but after hearing a giggle from his mate, the giant man threw that thought out of his mind immediately. It was not necessary to wonder if Jun was having a “stroke” and wanting to mate with Wonwoo or not, since Mingyu had got used to all of the changes in his mate whenever it came, and he knew this was not one of those times. Jun was normal, lucid, and staring at him lovingly through his big alluring eyes.

The whole night was blissful for Mingyu, as Jun enthusiastically sucked his cock with all of his eagerness, but did not let the giant man reach his climax soon. Stopping halfway, Jun got out of the bed to take off his own clothes thoroughly, and went back to his lover with a bottle of lube. Lying on top of Mingyu to kiss his alpha, Jun handed the lube to his mate, and Mingyu got the hint instantly. Making out with his Junnie eagerly, the giant man silently applied the lube on his fingers and quickly slid them into Jun’s hole, making him moan and mewl, already excited just by having those fingers moving in and out of him slowly and carefully.

Jun knew everyone was terribly wrong when thinking that Mingyu was aggressive or impatient. His big alpha was just the opposite of those ugly adjectives. Mingyu was gentle, tender, patient, and extremely thoughtful. Jun did not know how, but no matter how roughly Mingyu fucked him, his actions just never brought any pain. His alpha was excellent in reading his partner’s feelings, knowing perfectly when his lover was ready for a further step. Jun felt bad for thinking of Wonwoo in the middle of those moments, but he could not help making a comparison between the two men.

Mingyu had forced Jun to give him a safe word from the first time they had done this together, and Jun ended up choosing a not very appropriate word - _rabbit_. Nonetheless, until now, Jun was one hundred percent sure about the fact that he would never have to use this safe word. He was already safe when being with Mingyu. Mingyu was trustworthy, and Mingyu loved him so much.

Jun thought he was supposed to feel that his alpha was so sexy and attractive at these moments, but all he could focus on was how cute his baby bear was. Of course to Jun, Mingyu was handsome; he loved those firm muscles and his beautifully tanned skin, yet the giant man was just effortlessly cute. Jun thought that was so unfair. How could Mingyu have everything like that?

After covering his whole rock hard dick with lube, Mingyu intended to flip Jun over, but the older alpha shook his head with a soft smile. Once again, without asking, Jun took control of everything, and decided to ride his alpha tonight. Mingyu had not fainted, yet he believed he was going to have a heart attack soon.

In awe, Mingyu watched his little prince bouncing on his dick with a blissed out expression in his face, eyes hooded and lips slightly parted. The giant man could not describe well, but he had to admit his Junnie during sex had the look which could make anyone desire to devour him and fuck him to oblivion. Jun was an alpha but it was already bad enough; all alphas and omegas were attracted to him. If he were an omega, Mingyu knew Jun would be the most fatal wine in which all alphas in this world would be willing to get drunk and drowned.

Jun was having his both hands on Mingyu’s chest and his mate’s hands were on his hips so as to help him move better. However, when one of the giant man’s hands came to his cock, he just swatted it away and shook his head without stopping moving. Circling his hips while bouncing at the same time, Jun moaned and whined, sounding utterly wanton, yet he still somehow looked unsatisfied. Mingyu groaned in frustration, but asked his lover.

“Don’t want me to help you, baby?”

Jun shook his head again, struggling to talk.

“I want… with your… your dick only…”

“Oh fuck.” Mingyu growled loudly, hands starting to grip his mate’s hips more tightly. He did not need his Junnie to speak out a proper sentence to understand his intention.

“I… I can’t find it…” The older alpha suddenly whined much more loudly, eyes wet, as if he were about to cry in desperation. “I can’t…”

Mingyu could not endure this any longer.

In just one quick move, he maneuvered his lover to lie on his back, spreading the tired alpha’s legs apart widely, slamming inside him in one smooth go, leaning over to cage him in his arms and starting to fuck him for real. Jun cried out, but the smile on his lips were obvious and drove his alpha insane right on the spot, because Mingyu knew he made his Junnie feel good; he understood his Junnie even better than Jun himself. Jun completely relished in the feelings of having Mingyu’s dick fucking him relentlessly and intensely.

Mingyu loved how Jun babbling _“I love you”_ to him over and over again.

Jun thought he had the longest orgasm he had ever known when his giant bear bit his mark after hitting his prostate precisely a hundred times.

The night was long, and Jun did not care if tomorrow he appeared limping in front of Jeonghan. There was nothing to feel ashamed of. Jeonghan had to know that Jun had an alpha and had to accept that fact, as well.

When Jun succumbed to his exhaustion, he knew he would by no means walk normally tomorrow, but he did not regret it. Perhaps, Mingyu’s sandalwood scent on him would scare off any omegas, as if he were a true noble having that strong and warm scent. Jun just loved it. He fell asleep in his alpha’s embrace, lungs filled with the scent of his man.

The scent of _home_.

He was determined to make Jeonghan love this scent too.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing JunGyu smut is surprisingly easy and comfortable for me >< I guess I love their relationship so much >< They're so cute!!!!!!!
> 
> But still... I love WonShua most :"> I really wish to have a man who I can look up to like how Joshua worships Wonwoo ;_; If I have the chance, I'll just cling to my man just like how Joshua does it T_T 
> 
> Sad thing is that I can't write more WonShua smut ;_; You guys will want me to kill Wonwoo if he does that to Joshua now, and their smut seriously doesn't make sense at all now.
> 
> Jeonghan is going to move in the next chapter ^^ I hope you will look forward to that ><
> 
> As always, I am extremely eager to know how you feel about this chapter >< It's been 70 chapters already but I have never felt less excited whenever I see a comment >< So please don't ignore me T_T I will cry T_T
> 
> The pandemic is getting better is my country currently but still have to be careful, and in other countries things are still dangerous ;_; I hope you will be healthy and safe!! Please take care of yourself and be careful!!!!
> 
> I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!


	71. Carrying the little Satan into heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan finally came to live with Jun and Mingyu.  
Some things were unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of fluff is waiting for you ^^ I hope you will like this chapter!!!!
> 
> But please let me know how you feel or think after reading T_T I really want to know your opinions and feelings ><

Jun and Mingyu waited for Jeonghan and Seungcheol at the hall of the apartment building, planning to lead them to their place instead of letting them find the way by themselves. Mingyu had already asked for his boss’s permission to come to work late today, so he could comfortably stay with his lover to welcome the rabbit. Actually, at first Mingyu thought his presence was not necessary, but Jun insisted on keeping him here. The older alpha was not sure what was his true reason, but he knew he could not accept welcoming another person into his home without Mingyu being here with him. It was too inappropriate, making him feel like he was having an affair behind Mingyu’s back, while that was definitely not the truth.

Overall, Jun could not do anything without Mingyu now, always feeling like he was doing the wrong thing if Mingyu did not tell him that everything was okay.

He did not know that Mingyu had always been feeling insecure just like him from the beginning until now.

Mingyu himself was unaware of the fact that he always pathetically looked for the simplest sign that showed whether Jun truly loved him or not. Right now, he was happy just because, although Jun was very anxious, he kept holding his alpha’s hand tightly, and still talked to him a lot. The older alpha was much calmer than how he had been a few days ago, more attentive to his lover’s feelings.

Was this true love? Mingyu could only hope so.

At five to seven, Seungcheol appeared at the large door leading to the hall of the building with a big suitcase. Following him and holding his hand, Jeonghan walked right next to him, catching all of the two alphas’ attention. To Mingyu, it was still too surreal for him to look directly at Jeonghan these days, since he had never done that in the past. Seungcheol had always been hostile and possessive about his omega; Mingyu did not want to mess with his friend by staring at his mate. Nonetheless, now, it was too difficult to resist the urge to stare, because the giant alpha knew this hybrid was having _his nephew or niece_. Would it be possible for them to hide this secret away from Wonwoo?

Mingyu was afraid that they could not. If he wished that in the future Jun could make up with not only Joshua but also Wonwoo, the lead alpha would definitely face Jeonghan directly one day. Wonwoo would find out the truth right at that moment, yet Jeonghan would be extremely frightened, never agreeing to have any kind of contact or relationship with the man who had raped him. Jun would be enraged and wish to kill Wonwoo right on the spot. They would become a huge mess, almost impossible to resolve, unless at least one of them could sacrifice their own feelings for the sake of others.

Until today, Jeonghan was no longer able to hide his true emotions. He was smiling during the whole way from the door to where Jun was standing, making the two alphas facing him forget their own worries instantly. Right now, they knew this was the perfect decision. Jeonghan was obviously happy; Jun was undoubtedly happy; therefore, Mingyu was happy as well. There could not be anything wrong when all three of them were sharing this happiness.

There was a little sign of tiredness in Jeonghan’s face, but he stilled looked unbelievably breathtaking. Not used to the long hair yet, Mingyu and Jun were both amazed to see how it suited the rabbit perfectly, and the temptation of touching that hair was almost irresistible. The omega was wearing while shirt with light blue jeans today, reminding them of Joshua on the first day they brought the cat out, giving them a severe pain in their chest, but they tried their best to push it away. Today would be the first day for them with Jeonghan, too.

Holding back a sigh, Mingyu wished Wonwoo could be here with them. The scene would be so familiar, warm, and happy.

In the middle of the way, Jeonghan turned to look at his alpha, as if asking for some permission. The man whispered something to him, and nodded, letting go of his omega’s hand. Not wasting any second, Jeonghan ran towards Jun. Simultaneously, Mingyu took his hand away from Jun’s and slightly pushed him forward. Getting the encouragement, Jun immediately ran to meet his bunny and squeezed him in a very tight hug. Mingyu was quite startled to see his cousin lifting the hybrid up from the ground in excitement, warily glancing towards Seungcheol to check his reaction.

Seungcheol was obviously not happy at all. He could control his action, but his eyes were filled with anger and jealousy. The anger was expressed through his scent and pheromones as well, and right at the moment Jun realized the problem, he carefully put Jeonghan down to look at his friend, smiling in a pretty awkward way. Jeonghan was embarrassed and nervous too, but Jun held his hand securely, waiting for Seungcheol to approach them for the last farewell. Mingyu also stepped towards the couple, not missing the way Jeonghan tensed up a little bit at the closing distance between him and the giant noble.

Mingyu knew this was a huge trouble. He seriously had no idea how to make the rabbit believe that he was harmless. To Joshua, he had had the rights to give him a lot of affection and attention, but to Jeonghan, everything was considerably different. Mingyu seriously had no idea how to treat him appropriately.

Seungcheol still looked angry but he did not have any other actions. The man handed Mingyu the suitcase, saying in a calm voice.

“Everything Hannie needs is inside here. I’d noted everything in the emails I sent to you two but if you have any questions, just call me at any time, even at midnight.”

“Thank you, Cheol.” Jun and Mingyu said at the same time, genuinely grateful for their friend’s will to provide them with anything to help Jeonghan live healthily and safely.

“Do you want to…” Mingyu politely offered, but Seungcheol cut him off.

“Actually I have to go now. I shouldn’t linger here too long or I’ll change my mind.” The man spoke abnormally fast without looking at his friend’s eyes, very ready to leave right away.

Jeonghan’s face fell, which meant that the omega evidently did not know he would have to say goodbye to his alpha from here. No matter how happy he felt to live with Jun, he did not like being separated from Seungcheol. This reality stabbed a knife in Jun’s heart, making him realize that Jeonghan was not much different from Joshua. Even though those alphas had done numerous horrible things to the hybrids, they still wished to be with those men regardless of their possibility of getting hurt over and over again.

Thinking that the rabbit must want to say goodbye to Seungcheol, Jun stopped holding Jeonghan’s hand, allowing him to move freely. Immediately, the omega closed the distance between him and his mate, hugging the man tightly as they all heard his sniffles.

All of a sudden, Mingyu and Jun felt bad, as if they were stealing Jeonghan away from their friend, while in fact Seungcheol was the one who gave his mate to them by himself. Seungcheol looked like he was in great pain in this moment of saying goodbye to his omega whom he had always loved in a wrong way. He had hurt Jeonghan too much, both mentally and physically, and nothing could ever make him forgive himself if today he did not give his omega to the people who could take care of him in the best way. Seungcheol hated this. He wanted to bring Jeonghan back home, yet his brain and his heart still knew what was wrong or right at this point.

Staying away from Jeonghan for a few months, or a few years, was so much better than losing him forever.

“Just announce us in advance one day when you want to take Jeonghan out for a date.” Mingyu tried to ease out the situation. “You two still can meet frequently.”

“Mingyu’s right.” Jun nodded, agreeing with his lover. “Or else you can come to have dinner with us, Cheol, like how we did in the past. We’ll always welcome you.”

Seungcheol’s eyes were watery when he smiled to them. His teeth were shown in a bright grin as his tears started to roll down his cheeks, yet his friends thought they had not seen such a happy Seungcheol in a very long time. How had time changed him? Why was they unable to identify his changes? Why did they feel so sad just by looking at their friend’s sincere smile like this?

“Yeah. I really love that.” Seungcheol gently pulled Jeonghan away and wiped his tears, then his omega’s tears. “This isn’t the end for us, right? Don’t cry, Hannie. I’m not going to die. I’m not abandoning you forever. I swear I’ll come back here to see you in just three days.”

“Yeah. Three days is good.” Mingyu nodded. “You can come more often. It will be very difficult for you two at first.”

The giant man definitely did not expect his friend to suddenly jump at him and squeeze him tightly. Seungcheol was still crying, yet those were not the tears of weakness. They were the tears of regret, and the proof of an improvement, which made Mingyu want to cry for his friend and feel proud of him, because of his self-sacrifice.

“Thank you, Mingyu. Thank you.” Seungcheol said and patted his friend’s back. “I’m sorry. I can never pay back…”

“That’s fine, Cheol.” Smiling, Mingyu hugged his friend back, able to feel the pain, but still able to hide it and ignore it. Seungcheol did not deserved being blamed of his fault forever, even though what he had caused was almost impossible to fix. Mingyu could not hate Seungcheol, and he would not make the man feel any worse after all he had tried to do for the better of everyone. “I’m eager to have dinner with you again.”

“Definitely.” Seungcheol chuckled a little, pulling away. “I’ll come. I still want to talk to both of you about many more things.”

Right after that, it was Jun’s turn to be crushed in the oldest alpha’s embrace. Jun was surprised but happily soon hugged his friend lovingly, listening to his apologies attentively.

“I’m sorry, Jun. I’m really sorry… I know… I humiliated you, and hurt you a lot.”

“Oh no don’t be cheesy like this, Cheol.” Smiling, Jun saw Jeonghan desperately wiping his tears while staring at his mate continuously. “I wouldn’t let you hug me like this if I held any grudges about that. But… You really have to go back here to visit Hannie soon. I’m sure he’ll miss you so so much.”

In silence, Mingyu handed Jeonghan a handkerchief, and the hybrid took it with both hands, bowing to him instead of saying _“thank you.”_ Well, Mingyu would admit that this interaction was super awkward. He would die soon if the rabbit kept bowing to him like this. The giant man never wanted to treat Jeonghan as a hybrid. To Mingyu, he was simply an omega who loved Jun and was going to give birth to his niece or nephew.

The farewell was full of tears but things went smoothly and the tears all meant positive emotions. Seungcheol did not snap or change his mind. After a few minutes of hugging a crying Jeonghan, he left, saying that he needed to go back to his company to work normally from now on. The hybrid kept sniffling while watching his alpha walking out of the building, and only turned to Jun when the man had already disappeared. Jun tried to soothe him and help him wipe his tears, and then three of them headed towards their apartment.

Things started to get more awkward from here.

Walking towards the elevator while holding Jeonghan’s hand, Jun felt uncomfortable, feeling as if they were treating Mingyu like a carrier as the giant man was pulling the suitcase along without anyone holding his hand. Jun could see that Jeonghan was not comfortable with this either, since the rabbit kept turning back to glance at Mingyu, extremely anxious when making an alpha do this for him. Quickly catching the thoughts of the two other people, Mingyu grinned brightly.

“You two are thinking too much. It’s fine. It would be much more weird if Jun walked in the middle, hands in hands with two people, right?”

Jun wanted to protest, but Mingyu kept smiling and shook his head, forcing the older alpha to believe that it was really fine in this way. Perhaps his cousin was right. When an omega was being with two alphas like this, people could easily think that this was an omega who had two alphas. It would be extremely strange to see an alpha being the center of attention from another alpha and an omega.

Holding back a sigh, Jun decided that he would have to find some ways to make this normal at least to the three of them later. He seriously wanted to walk on the street with Mingyu’s hand on his right and Jeonghan’s hand on his left. Or he and the rabbit could be on two sides of Mingyu. It would be great to put Mingyu in the center of attention.

Previously Jeonghan had not noticed Jun limping, but now he did. Trying to watch the way his alpha walked, the hybrid was more aware of the fact that his gentleman was now a man who had a superior alpha for his own. It was strange to think of the fact that this man had been fucked in his ass by another alpha last night, yet after a few more seconds of thinking, Jeonghan found it a good thing. He had known Mingyu loved Jun a long time ago, and now it was great to know that Jun had been taken care of by someone who loved him without being too possessive.

If Jeonghan could have sex with Joshua, then it was normal for Jun to do that with Mingyu, too. This was even better. He knew Jun would never be betrayed by a man named Mingyu, unlike how he had destroyed Joshua’s faith in him by keeping this relationship away from him.

If Jeonghan could talk now, the alphas would hear a soft _“wow”_ right after he entered the apartment. Hearing Mingyu’s complaint about giving Jun a too small flat, the hybrid did not expect this place to be this wonderful. He had no idea what a person could complain about this apartment; it could only be Mingyu worrying too much about his lover. To Jeonghan, his new home had a very cozy atmosphere. It was not big but not too small either, and it obviously looked like a home of two people who loved each other so much. He could not tell exactly why, yet he could feel their love in the air of this place.

Judging Jeonghan’s scent, Jun realized that his bunny was much more relaxed here; the omega evidently disliked being outside where he had to face too many strangers. While Jun took the hybrid to the bedroom, Jeonghan kept looking around, unlike Joshua, who was so scared at first that he barely dared to let his eyes wander anywhere. Mingyu was still following behind them with the suitcase, helping his cousin introduce everything about their home to the omega.

“This will be your bedroom, Hannie.” Jun led his lover to the bed, letting him sit down on the edge. “If you do agree to…uhm… share, I… I will be very glad to be here with you.”

It was not until now did Jun suddenly remember that he forgot to think of Jeonghan’s feelings. What if the rabbit did not want to sleep with him? He might be traumatized after being raped and he would not like to sleep in the same bed with any alpha.

Jeonghan blushed, giving Jun a heart attack by how cute he was, and taking out his note.

_“Of course I want to, but what about Mingyu?” _He showed the note to both of the alphas, eyes full of concerns.

“I will sleep on the couch in the living room.” Mingyu answered, scratching his head nervously. “But… I’m sorry I have to disturb you and Junnie sometimes… This is the only room we can fit the wardrobes in, so… all my clothes are here and I’ll need to come here to get them.”

Jun accidentally skipped a few heartbeats, frightened by his own lack of consideration. Would Jeonghan freak out if he opened his eyes in the morning and saw Mingyu walking in to get his clothes to prepare to go out? It was unbelievable that Jun had been sickly worried and sad about leaving his mate sleeping on the couch without thinking of Jeonghan in any circumstances, while the rabbit was not in the condition where it was easy for him to accept anything. Jeonghan needed special care, and he was even more broken than how Joshua had been in the past.

Jeonghan gasped in shock, shaking his head vigorously, and hurriedly writing down something on his note again.

_“I will be the one sleeping on the couch. This is your home. I’m just added.”_

“Oh no, don’t say so. You aren’t just added.” Mingyu shook his head and smiled gently. “You should know that I’ve been planning to kidnap you for months and this is exactly what I’ve prepared myself for. You need to be here with Jun, for you and for him too.”

Jeonghan kept shaking his head but Jun quickly sat down next to him and wrap an arm around his slender body.

“I know this isn’t a perfect way but… this is all we can do now. We can only find a way to fix this later. Do you understand, Hannie?”

Staring deeply into Jun’s eyes, the hybrid tried to figure out what he meant by saying _“find a way to fix this later”_. Thinking hard, Jeonghan knew moving to a bigger apartment with two bedrooms did not seem to be really related to _“find a way to fix this later”_. It could be done soon, without trying to find any solution. Observing the perfectly normal marks on Jun’s neck, the rabbit certainly knew Jun did not like letting Mingyu sleep alone in the couch.

Gulping, Jeonghan thought he had just found out what Jun meant. He tried to hide his own shiver, yet it was too difficult, and the two alphas did not miss it. The hybrid did not know when “later” would be, but definitely not now, not this week or this month, or maybe not this year either. Mingyu was not completely a stranger, yet surely a person Jeonghan barely knew anything about. He was feeling extraordinarily guilty for causing the giant man to lose his bed and to end up sleeping on the couch but it did not mean he would kill this feeling by letting this alpha in his own bed.

Mingyu, wise and cautious, could understand what Jun meant as well. Frightened, sensing the tension in the omega, he rapidly helped themselves out of this situation.

“Overall… You don’t need to feel bad at all, Jeonghan.” Saying, Mingyu kneeled down on the floor so as to make it easier for him to talk to the blonde omega, in an attempt to reduce the invisible distance between them. “We’ve never considered you as a hybrid. To us, you’re an omega, and now you’re pregnant. You need to be taken care of. We definitely won’t ever let you sleep on the couch or anywhere except for the best bed in this place.”

Nodding in agreement, Jun took the omega’s cold hand in his own, making the rabbit turn to look at him.

“You shouldn’t be the one to worry about anything, Hannie. If there is something we must consider, then we will do it together. Don’t worry too much.”

Mingyu was glad to see that Jeonghan was not a heartless person. He was obviously extremely uncomfortable and guilty by taking the giant man’s spot in his own bed, so the alphas thought everything would be okay. As long as they were all attentive to each other, everything could be solved in peace. However, Mingyu decided that if he wanted things to go smoothly, he needed to reign his authority and prove his leadership in this home. 

“To make us comfortable, the first thing we need to sort out is that, I will sleep on the couch, while you and Junnie sleep here. No more discussion about this, okay?” Mingyu said tenderly and slowly but firmly, and Jeonghan could only nod.

He was not stupid. He knew Mingyu was the leader here, and it was always bad to mess with an alpha, _especially a noble one_.

“You don’t need to worry about Mingyu.” Jun gave a kiss on Jeonghan’s forehead, leaving the omega’s heart warm and fluttering in his chest. “He’s super nice. If one day I tell you that Mingyu hit me, you must know that I’m surely lying for some suspicious reasons. That just won’t ever happen.”

The hybrid stared at Jun unblinkingly in awe, quickly turning back to look at Mingyu. He knew Jun loved Mingyu but he did not know it would be up to this level. Jun trusted Mingyu with all his heart, leaving no room for suspicion. Meanwhile, Mingyu loved Jun so much that he could easily take in a stranger.

The guilt in the omega’s heart rose up again, threatening to kill him at any time. This was seriously too much; he was invading this private space. He forced Mingyu to sacrifice and he literally had nothing to pay back. What could Jeonghan do except for being good? That was already a very abstract notion, yet he surprisingly felt himself a little more relieved at the same time. In Jeonghan’s life, he had always wanted nothing but to be surrounded by nice people who would treat him tenderly without any kinds of violence. His future was so promising now; Jun was sweet and gentle in every single word and action, always making his heart melt and soft to the utmost. Moreover, the said trustworthy alpha stated that Mingyu was trustworthy too.

If Jeonghan could not trust Mingyu yet, then he thought he could trust Jun’s ability of judging people. He sincerely wanted to trust Mingyu, but his experiences with the brutal men in the past did not allow him to.

“I hope you will understand that I’m someone you can rely on.” Mingyu continued with a smile. “I know you and Jun are like… a whole package. And it’s a happiness for me to have you here, because Jun is happy, so I’m happy too. Please don’t ever feel like you’re disturbing me or something like that. Everything is fine. Okay?”

Jeonghan nodded one more time and picked up his pencil to write.

_“Thank you so much.” _The omega showed the note to the giant man, genuinely thankful for what Mingyu was doing for him and for Jun. The smile on Jeonghan’s face was not bright but it was not fake either. He was a good hybrid and he knew he would be good to not only Jun but also Mingyu.

Now Mingyu believed that _this was bad_.

Jeonghan had just stepped into this house for at least five minutes but he already looked desperate to please the giant man. Mingyu tried to hold back a grimace, really worried about the idea of the hybrid feeling that he owed him and had to find some ways to pay back. No, Mingyu did not need anything. He only wanted Jun and Jeonghan to live happily since that was what he had always dreamed of.

The two alphas stayed silent while waiting for the rabbit to write down something again.

_“I’m sorry but I have some weird habits that I can’t fix. Please forgive me if you dislike them, and please tell me if you want me to change.” _

“Weird habits?” Jun asked in surprise, but a gentle smile appeared on his face. “What can be weird? Our habits can be weird to you too… You don’t have to worry about it, Hannie.”

“That’s how we live together. We all need to get used to each other. I’m pretty sure you can’t be any more weird than us.” Mingyu also reassured the rabbit, but Jeonghan did not seem convinced.

The omega shook his head and wrote something. This time, he spent quite much time writing, yet the two men were extremely patient. They had been waiting so long to get this particular bunny named Jeonghan in their home; they would by no means lose their patience now.

_“I used to hear about how you treated Joshua. His life is very strange to me, so I guess I’m weird to you, too.”_

The two alphas immediately understood, unconsciously staying silent in a whole minute. The realization hit them hard - Jeonghan had never lived the life of a free hybrid. The omega was used to being owned like a pet, or a slave. Mingyu, Jun, and Wonwoo had treated Joshua as their omega, and sometimes they barely remembered the fact that he was a cat hybrid. They thought Jeonghan might envy his best friend, but now hearing that the rabbit found his friend’s life _strange_, they were shocked, and heartbroken.

Jun remembered that Jeonghan once told him, he had been sold and thrown back to the pet shop over and over again for at least ten years straight. Seungcheol was his last stop, yet Jun doubted that this man had treated Jeonghan poorly just like the other bastards.

Now, going to a new home of two alphas, Jeonghan had already found the first weird thing: he was allowed to sleep in bed while the alpha who seemed to be the leader of the place had to sleep on the couch in the living room. This problem made the hybrid considerably guilty. He felt like he was being bad, and punishment might be waiting for him at any time.

Trying to control the pain in his chest, Jun brought Jeonghan to place on his lap and wrapped both arms around his bunny, cooing at his lover while the omega willingly leaned all his weight onto his beloved alpha’s chest, listening to his sweet and tender voice.

“We’ll all get used to each other. We’ll be all fine. Don’t worry, Hannie. You’re safe here with us.”

Mingyu moved to sit on the spot where Jeonghan had just sat previously, adding to his cousin’s words. For the first time, the giant man failed to control his action and started to stroke the hybrid’s long silky hair.

“Don’t think that you’re weird. If you have any difficulty with anything, just tell us. We will figure out a way to solve things together. We'll take care of you. You don't have to worry about anything alone.”

Jun stared at his mate unblinkingly, amazed, but saying nothing, happy to see that Jeonghan did not dodge or flinch. The omega only stared at the giant man like how the older alpha was doing, but Mingyu was sure he had just seen the twinkles in those beautiful eyes. Right at the moment the alpha saw Jeonghan tilted his head, even almost unnoticeable, he was hypnotized by the sight in front of him. In awe, and in pain at the same time, Mingyu was cruelly forced to acknowledge that, Jeonghan desired a lot of attention and affection just like how Joshua had always been craving for those things.

Joshua had just been sold half a year before Mingyu, Jun, and Wonwoo got him, but he was already used to the notion of being owned. Consequently, Jeonghan must be so much worse. He definitely had no idea how to live independently even though he did not seem to be as dependent as Joshua. Why had he promised to Joshua that he would take the boy to run away with him? The cat once told Mingyu about this in an extremely happy and excited voice, completely believing that his friend would keep this promise if one day they had the reasons to leave. How could Jeonghan take care of Joshua? That was impossible. He made such a promise to the younger omega because of nothing but his tremendous love for the boy.

Jun suddenly cleared his throat, interrupting Mingyu’s chain of thoughts, making he nearly jump. Sighing and taking his hand away, the giant man shook his own head lightly, guessing that he was just overthinking. Things might be better than what he imagined. Everything in his mind right now was simply his own visions and he should not estimate Jeonghan according to his own imagination.

“Uhm… So… I think it’s quite good now, and we should go out to have breakfast.” Mingyu hurriedly changed the topic, slightly blushing. 

“Agree.” Jun nodded, worriedly glancing at the clock. “I guess if we leave here soon you will have more time to relax with me before your work time comes.”

Mingyu’s heart jumped around in happiness, knowing that Jun want to spend more time with him. Grinning brightly like an adorable idiot, the giant man stood up and walked towards the wardrobe, explaining on the way.

“I need to get dress. You can show him around our home while waiting for me.”

“Oh Gyu, you change like a flash.” Jun chuckled. “I might just show him the balcony.”

Mingyu laughed but argued no more, soon disappearing into the bathroom. Now, Jun had the chance to give all of his attention to his bunny, yet he was startled to see Jeonghan leaning against him like a boneless body again. Utterly scared, Jun lowered his head to look at his lover more carefully, quickly catching the rabbit’s eyes. Looking at him deeply in the eyes, Jeonghan smiled weakly as his cheeks became incredibly cute in a light shade of pink. Sitting up a little, the hybrid wrapped his both arms around Jun’s shoulders, pressing his own face into the crook of the alpha’s neck. This action was so similar to what Joshua had usually done that Jun got a painful heart attack instantly, yet he was still drowned in the happiness of having Jeonghan in his embrace again.

They did not need to hurry, because his bunny would be here with him as long as he wanted.

“Are you tired, bunny?” Jun asked while rubbing the omega’s back.

Smelling the change of the lavender scent in the air, the alpha smiled to himself, knowing that Jeonghan must be blushing right now due to the loving pet name. The hybrid nodded, allowing himself to get drunk in this beautiful and unmatched reality of peace and comfort. He missed being asked so many questions by Jun. He loved how Jun always asked him as if he were a real human, as if he really mattered. Jeonghan loved it when Jun stroked his back tenderly, slowly luring him into sleep while whispering to his ears by his low but sweet and gentle voice.

“Do you need to sleep? You might eat later.”

Jeonghan was tired, but he definitely did not want to sleep now. Pulling away, he used his pencil to write some words, face sad as he showed the note to the man.

_“I’m very hungry. I want to eat.”_

Laughing lightly, Jun pecked his omega and stroked his hair.

“Okay so let’s eat first and then we will go back home, then you can sleep. Okay?”

The hybrid obediently nodded, eagerly turning to his note and his pencil one more time. Jun was still keeping him on his lap with no intention of putting the omega down soon. He tried to read while Jeonghan was writing, yet the rabbit suddenly seemed hesitant. Running a hand soothingly on the hybrid’s back, Jun encouraged him.

“Please just tell me what you want to say. You don’t have to feel worried, Hannie. Nobody would complain or punish you for anything. We’re a family. We aren’t your master. Agree?”

Jeonghan could not hide his nervousness while staring at Jun in the eyes, searching for some more comfort and assurance. In that moment, he was reminded that he used to ask Jun for much more, and the alpha had never rejected any requests. Furthermore, their relationship was no longer similar to how it had been in the past. Now they were a couple. They did not need to keep everything as a secret anymore, and Jun kept his promise. He used to say he would be always ready to take Jeonghan at any time, and now the time came; Jun did not hesitate. He was more eager and enthusiastic than whatever the hybrid dared to imagine about their reunion. Jeonghan had never thought it would be possible for Jun to become even more gentle and sweeter than before, as if he was truly an angel sent from heaven to give the rabbit the taste of happiness and peace.

Hoping that the alpha would understand, Jeonghan shyly bared his neck to him, showing not only submission but also the wish to be claimed. He had heard Joshua talked so many times about how his masters always gave him temporary marks on his neck at the beginning of every day. Today, Jeonghan risked his own chance, wishing to get this opportunity just once, to be bitten and given a temporary mark by the alpha he loved. Jun instantly understood what his lover was expecting, and he was mesmerized right at the moment his hand carefully pulled some of the omega’s hair away to show the skin on his neck.

“Can I take this off?” Jun whispered to his ear, fingers tracing along the white fabric choker, making his bunny shiver. “I want to scent mark you, too, but this thing is in the way.”

Jeonghan blushed but nodded, hands gripping more and more tightly to the man’s arm and shoulder, sincerely anticipating for anything to come. He was not scared. He was exceedingly excited and eager, peacefully closing his eyes as he felt the choker being taken off from his neck. Jeonghan felt embarrassed when a kiss was put on his neck, unconsciously pressing his own face deeper into the alpha’s shoulder, emitting the gracefully sweet scent Jun loved with all his heart. Having been with the rabbit in his most stressful situations, Jun was able to tell how Jeonghan was feeling through his scents, and he knew at this moment, they were both happy and contented.

While waiting for the bite to come, Jeonghan did not expect to hear a sweet confession by his ear.

_“I love you, Hannie. Miss you so much.”_

Right after that, Jun dug his teeth into the omega’s skin and tightening his hold around the hybrid’s body to keep him in place, preventing him from jolting too much because of the pain. Jeonghan did seem to be in pain, whimpering a little, but things did not seem to be too serious. Jun did not know he still could whimper like this, so this was a quite joyful realization for him. Jeonghan did not cry, and the bite did not scare him in any ways. The omega’s scent bloomed beautifully in its sweetest state of happiness and satisfaction, letting his alpha know how much his heart desired this bite, even just temporarily. Giving light kisses on the marks and around it to alleviate the pain slowly, Jun smiled to himself, wondering if Jeonghan was fine enough to be marked permanently soon or not.

Jun did not want to wait more, but if Jeonghan needed more time, he would be patient for his little bunny.

When Jun pulled away to look at Jeonghan’s face, he almost crooned right on the spot, feeling his heart melting at how sweet and lovely his omega looked now. His face was pink, and a beautiful smile was on his face, shining the most tender and gorgeous lights into Jun’s heart, making it flip a few times. As gently as always, the alpha put the choker back on his lover and talked to his bunny.

“I can touch this mark but you can’t. Please be careful, okay?”

Jeonghan nodded, wrapping both arms around the alpha to hug him intimately, nuzzling into his neck. No words were said, but Jun knew this was a way of him to say _“thank you”_, and he did not ask for more. Squeezing his lover, he stayed silent, waiting for his big mate to get out of the bathroom.

Jun guessed Mingyu intentionally gave them more private time with each other, because the man was staying in the restroom for a surprisingly long time. Jun even had enough time to ask Jeonghan after a minute of hugging him without saying anything.

“Do you want to wear my clothes, bunny?”

Jeonghan nodded with no hesitation. Gleefully standing up, the alpha led his omega to the wardrobe, letting him choose for himself whatever he liked to wear, hoping that this would help him feel safer when going outside. Jun took the hybrid to the second bathroom of the apartment so that he could get changed there, while the alpha went back to look for his cousin.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you all can guess what is going to happen...  
If you can't, then it's still fine, we will see soon ^^  
Mingyu is still sufferring now but at least things are better ;_;  
I am so so so sad that this fic is going to end T__T I can cry a river about this >< I hope I can post a new fic soon!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I'm eager to know how you feel after reading this chapter ^^ Some parts are so awkward that it was even difficult for me to write but I still love them :"> 
> 
> I hope you stay safe and healthy!!! Please be careful!! Love you ^^


	72. The bunny was finally freed and loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slowly, Jeonghan realized his new life would be full of love and happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is quite long, with some light angst, and mostly fluff ^^

Knocking on the door, Jun asked, a little nervous, afraid that something might have happened to Mingyu.

“Hey, Mingyu, are you still okay there?”

Fortunately, the giant man appeared immediately after the door was opened, and he greeted Jun with a bright grin. Sighing in relief, Jun punched his mate right on his chest, pouting and whining.

“You’ve been there for so long! I thought something wrong happened to you!”

“I’m sorry, Junnie.” Mingyu leaned over and squeezed his lover tightly. “I just think that you might want a private moment with Jeonghan.”

Smiling, Jun knew he was right. His generous and considerate baby bear really had had the intention of giving them more time for each other. Rubbing the giant alpha’s back, Jun lowered his voice subtly nuzzled into his cousin’s chest.

“Thank you, Gyu. You’re the best man of this world.”

“Thank you, baby.” Mingyu replied with a joyful chuckle. “But I have to tell you that your best man forgot to bring the tie to the bathroom with him.”

Laughing at his mate, Jun pulled away and turned to the wardrobe.

“Let me get it for you.”

“By the way, where is Jeonghan?”

“He’s in the ba… Oh, there he is.” The older alpha said right after seeing the slender figure entering their bedroom again. “You’re really quick, Hannie.”

Saying, Jun absentmindedly handed the tie to his lover, busy focusing on how cute and fluffy Jeonghan looked in his clothes, since the omega’s body was obviously smaller than his. However, the rabbit evidently was concentrating on something else, and he rapidly walked towards Mingyu.

Now both of the alphas knew what the _“bad habits”_ he had talked about were.

Without asking, the omega just naturally proceeded to tie the tie for Mingyu, as if it were really his duty to do this. The giant man watched him in awe, mouth hung open, surprised and hurt at the same time. It was obvious that the hybrid had always done this to his previous owners and he was just used to it now. Whenever seeing an alpha in his house preparing to dress up to go out, he knew he had to assist without being asked. Jun might be his lover, yet Mingyu was much more like his master, and Jeonghan failed to realize he was acting unconsciously, following nothing but only his instincts and habits.

Joshua used to help them with this too, but just because the boy wanted to, not because he was used to it.

“Uhm… Thank you so much.” Mingyu said with a smile, a little awkward, but still sincere. “Oh wow… You did it so much better than me. I’ve never tied such a nice knot by myself.”

Jun was not less shocked than how his mate was, but he turned back to the wardrobe to close the doors right at the moment Mingyu failed to control his action for the second time and risked his own chance, using one hand to stroke his long blonde hair like an added compliment and encouragement. The giant man only realized what he had just done when his hand left the alluring beautiful hair, embarrassed to admit that he was terribly attracted by it. What the hell was he thinking? No more than half an hour had passed and he had already stroked Jeonghan’s hair twice, while he was almost like a stranger to the hybrid.

Nonetheless, Jeonghan did not seem to feel uncomfortable or scared even a bit. At the compliment, his eyes twinkled again in happiness, unintentionally making Mingyu’s heart skip a beat. Jun did not see the action but he definitely heard what his cousin had said, and he was amazed to see how much his bunny loved to be praised. A soft smile began to spread across the rabbit’s face, as his cheeks turned slightly pink in delight. This characteristic made Jeonghan incredibly adorable but it hurt the two alphas as well, since it proved how badly the hybrid had been treated in the past and how much he was used to the life of being a servant. He loved and needed to be praised; he needed someone to tell him that he was being good. It was a reassurance for him to know that punishment was not about to come soon.

“I think Mingyu will love to have you tie the knot for him every day.” Jun suggested while walking back to the other two. “He’s never been good at this.”

Jeonghan obediently nodded with no hesitation, not because he was eager, but simply because he did not consider Jun’s saying as a question. To him, that was a command and nodding only meant that he had heard and would make sure to do what he had been told to do. The alphas had not realized this trouble yet, but before they left home, Mingyu remembered one more problem.

“Oh, we forgot to give you this.”

Neither of the alphas could escape the pain brought by the thing the giant man took out from his wallet, but they had no other choice. The omega was obviously tremendously shocked when Mingyu gave him a credit card with an explanation.

“Please take this, Jeonghan. This is your money. You can use it to buy whatever you want. We’ll transfer more and more money to make sure that you have more than what you need to buy groceries and any other things.”

Smiling tenderly, Jun held the rabbit’s hand and closed his fingers to make sure that the card would not fall out of his freezing hand.

“Please take it, Hannie. There’s nothing wrong with this. We’ve told you, you’re our omega, not our pet. We both have tried asking many friends, and they all said that they gave credit cards to their omegas if they didn’t have a job. This is what you deserve to get and also what you’re supposed to have.”

When preparing this card, the alphas had already guessed Jeonghan would be shocked, like how Joshua used to be, but they had never been able to imagine the hybrid would be so emotional that he ended up bursting into tears.

Startled, both men hurriedly crowded around the rabbit, pouring thousands of soothing words to him. While Jun hugged Jeonghan warmly into his chest, Mingyu stayed close to both of them but not too close, using one hand to caress the rabbit’s hair in an attempt to give him some comfort. Until now, they did not need to ask any further questions.

Jeonghan used to feel so happy when Seungcheol took him to his home, taking care of him and treating him as if he were his omega. Nonetheless, it was not until now did he begin to feel eventually _freed_. He was being given money, like how human omegas out there were, unlike how his whole life of being an owned hybrid had been. His new alphas, Jun and Mingyu, told him that he could use the money to buy anything he wanted. They said they would make sure he always had spare money to spend on things that they did not ask him to buy for them.

They were giving him money without asking for anything back. They were scared of making him scared. They gave him so many questions. They told him _“please”_ so many times. They both promised to take care of him and protect him, as if he was really an important person. Neither of them were angry because of his tears. Nothing could stop their tenderness; no matter what happened, their words and their actions were always sweet and gentle.

They literally did not ask for anything from him.

This was the most beautiful dream which Jeonghan would forever refuse to wake up from. He was willing to drown in here till the last day of his life, since he was given the first chance to live peacefully with the man he loved without worrying about anything else. Jun understood him. Jun had already known what he had been through in the past. Jun had no problem with hybrids. Jun would not hate him because of his identity, and his superior alpha would not, either. If Jun could resist the temptation of biting the omega while knotting him, then Jeonghan believed his beloved gentle alpha would be able to do everything for him.

Jeonghan no longer had to live in fear or pain. He would never be raped, hit, thrown back to a pet shop, or thrown out of a car anymore.

The three of them eventually had to spend fifteen more minutes at home sitting on the bed, with Jeonghan on Jun’s lap, and his legs draped over Mingyu’s lap. To this point, the giant man could not care about the fact that Jeonghan was not his anymore. All he wanted was to make the omega stop crying so that he could enjoy this happiness in peace.

Jun was heartbroken to see that, even though Jeonghan was leaning against his chest and being in his embrace, the hybrid was burying his own face into his two hands, as if he were crying alone, as if he had been forever used to the state of crying without receiving any kind of comfort from anybody. Those tears were supposed to be the sign of happiness, yet they hurt both of the alphas, leaving them devastated. The only relief they could get was that Jeonghan’s body was slowly getting more and more relaxed under their gentle strokes and rubs on his back, his hair, and his legs. Mingyu was barely touching the omega’s legs. He was just leaning closer and closer to Jun, together with his cousin stroking the rabbit’s hair and cooing sweet words to his ears.

When feeling that the sobs had subsided a little, Jun gently pried the omega’s hands away, using his own hands instead to cup the crying boy’s face, wiping his tears and giving him a bittersweet smile. Jeonghan was looking back at him through his wet and red eyes, shivering in his embrace, sniffling softly and letting out small whimpers from time to time, yet his scent was not dreadful. The two alphas could easily detect the happiness in the sweet aroma of lavender, and it just became better while Jun kept caressing his cheeks and Mingyu continuously stroked the tempting long hair.

“It’s okay, my silly bunny.” Jun whispered, leaving a kiss on the tip of his lover’s nose. “Do you know you will destroy my heart whenever you cry like this?”

“I begin to feel bad now.” Mingyu also said, getting the hybrid’s attention. Jeonghan was completely lucid to know what was happening, but he did not flinch, doing nothing to avoid the giant man’s touch, and showing no sign of fear. He was listening attentively, worried about why he suddenly made the alpha feel bad.

Mingyu also smiled, for the first time giving Jeonghan the sunlight that Jun and Joshua had had the opportunities to see from the precious giant man who had a giant heart.

“I think we will make you cry so many more times. We seriously don’t know what else to do to prepare you for all of this… I didn’t know that it would be this shocking to you.” Mingyu said in a voice that made Jeonghan feel guilty because the alpha sounded obviously guilty even though he did nothing wrong. “Please don’t cry, Hannie. You can enjoy your life from now on. We will give you everything. Please be happy. Please don’t think of the past anymore.”

The chain of the _“please”_ words even made Jeonghan’s tears fall more, since he was highly aware of the fact that he had never been this treasured in his whole life. These two alphas respected him so much, using all of their most gentle and polite ways to talk to him, giving no command or threat. Nevertheless, with the cascading tears, Jeonghan still took his notes and pencil out, trying to write by his trembling hand. Jun considerately helped him stable the stack of notes on his lap, and Mingyu stopped stroking his hair so that the omega could focus on writing.

The sentences shown to the two men broke their hearts one more time. To emphasis that he wrote this not for Jun only, Jeonghan let his eyes linger on his gentle alpha in a few seconds and then darted them towards the bigger man, staring at him in the same amount of time, as tears were still rolling down his cheeks.

_“I heard Joshua talk about how you soothed him when he cried. Can you please do the same to me? I beg you.”_

Their guess from the beginning turned out to be correct. Jeonghan did _envy _the cat for how he had been treated by his alphas, and now the rabbit was begging them to treat him similarly. They could not imagine how much pain Jeonghan had been through when hearing Joshua talking about his happy and peaceful life while they were all the things the blonde omega had never had in his whole life.

Waiting no more, Jun closed his arms more tightly around his bunny, and slowly showered him with kisses on all over his hair and his face. Previously, he had been wary of the fact that Jeonghan had been raped not too long ago, so he was afraid that the omega could be very nervous and uncomfortable when being crowded with too much touching from alphas, yet now he knew he was wrong. Jeonghan might be scared of alpha strangers, but Jun was not one of them, and even Mingyu was not a stranger anymore.

Mingyu was hesitant, afraid of scaring the hell out of the hybrid, but Jun pulled his arm towards the omega, urging him to join. Trusting his lover’s ability of judging Jeonghan’s attitude, the giant man stopped controlling himself for good. It was surprisingly frustrated to just sit and watch the fragile rabbit crying without doing anything to help him feel better. Mingyu was not sure if his ministration helped or not, yet he would try his best, so as to make this heartbreaking scene stop and the little bunny could feel loved, pampered and protected.

Mingyu felt bad for admitting this, but he thought Jeonghan’s condition was so much worse than Joshua’s at the time he and his cousins bought the boy from the pet shop.

The giant alpha put Jeonghan’s legs down on the bed in order just to move to sit on the other side of his cousin, staying as close as possible to the couple, pressing his chest to the hybrid’s back, carefully placing a hand on Jeonghan’s shoulder. Lowering his head, he put the first kiss on the omega’s hair, allowing himself to keep his lips there longer and longer before moving to another spot, on the rabbit’s temple this time. Jeonghan turned to look at him, slowly batting his wet eyelashes, and the giant alpha stared back into those eyes, looking for a sign of protest or discomfort.

However, there was nothing like that in the omega’s eyes, except for the desire of more love, more attention, and more affection. Mingyu felt like air was knocked out of his lungs, as the sight in front of his mind brutally reminded him of Joshua, of how the naïve boy had been during his first days in his new home. Slightly alike Jeonghan now, his kitten used to look at Mingyu nervously, wary of his big hands, big body, but asking to be loved at the same time. And then, in the night Joshua ran away from Wonwoo to come to Mingyu and Jun, he was not scared anymore, trusting his giant alpha so much, and at that time, Mingyu had thought that he had got all of the faith from the broken boy he loved.

Unlike Joshua, Jeonghan just skipped the whole phase of doubting and being wary of his big size. His anxiety only lasted in three seconds, and then, he was melting in the two alpha’s embrace, allowing both of them to give him the most soothing kisses he had ever received in his life. The faith came from his faith in Jun, but Mingyu could not care much. All he knew was that, Jeonghan needed him to protect and take care of. If Mingyu had been able to make Joshua happy, feel loved and protected in even just a short period of time, then he was determined to make Jeonghan feel the same again, and this time, he would make sure not to ever destroy his omega’s trust anymore. Jeonghan was Jun’s omega, then the rabbit was practically Mingyu’s too.

That was a quite selfish way of thinking, but Mingyu did not want to let go. For what he had done wrong to Joshua, he wanted to fix all of his mistakes by giving Jeonghan all the best he had.

Jun gently scooped up the hybrid to place him on Mingyu’s lap, switching position. This time, Jeonghan’s back was pressed to the older alpha’s chest, while he was facing the giant man. Jeonghan flustered a little, face flushed pink adorably, but he did not fight back. The rabbit was still sniffling softly, but he was shedding tears not too severely anymore. Jun lovingly rubbed his back and cooed sweet words to his ears, repeating the confession of _“I love you”_ to him over and over again. Jeonghan wholeheartedly relished in the melodic confession he loved, and in the warmth radiated from the giant man who was staring at him endearingly while kissing him on his cheeks and his forehead.

With a hand placed on the man’s chest, Jeonghan could feel Mingyu’s heartbeat. With Jun’s chest being so close to his back, he could feel his beloved alpha’s heartbeat as well. With Jun’s face being so close to his ear, the omega could feel his warm and steady breath ghosting over his neck. They all were lively enough to make Jeonghan believe that he was still living; this was heaven for the death. This was not a dream either. Both of the alphas had been stroking and rubbing his arms, his back, his hair, and his shoulders so many times, but neither of them tried to touch him at any spot that might make him uncomfortable. Mingyu almost did not say anything; only Jun repeated the mantra of _“I love you”_ to the hybrid but that was enough for him to feel warm and happy.

When the giant man spoke, he did not forget to give his omega a warm smile on his face.

“Okay, Hannie. I think we should leave so you can eat now.” Saying, the alpha tenderly wiped the last drop of tears on the hybrid’s cheek, having his own natural way to cheer people up as always. “I can hear your stomach growling over and over again.”

“Yes I’ve heard it too.” Jun chuckled lightly, making Jeonghan blush in embarrassment. “Didn’t Seungcheol feed you anything before coming here?”

The blonde omega used his pencil to write an answer.

_“He did, but that was a few hours ago.”_

“Don’t worry. We will make sure to give you a lot of delicious food this time.” Jun pecked his cheek, wrapping his arms around the hybrid’s waist from behind, a little contrast to his own words. “Can we go now, bunny?”

Sandwiched between the two alphas, Jeonghan still comfortably wrote another sentence on his note.

_“Can you please give me one more minute?”_

“As long as you need.” Jun replied, resting his chin on the omega’s shoulder, as his lips were finding their way to his newly formed mark on the rabbit’s neck.

Jeonghan barely noticed what his alpha was doing, and he was pretty shocked when the man dug his teeth in the mark again. However, the feeling came right after that was not painful even a bit. Surprised but in a good way, he immediately relaxed his whole body under the impact of the soothing bite, receiving the sweetest sensation coming from his beloved alpha. Jeonghan had heard Joshua’s endless stories about how his alphas had all tried to make him feel better at any times by giving him this kind of bite, but now it was his own first opportunity to have this experience.

From this moment, Jeonghan knew he would die rather than going back to his previous life ever again. Joshua might not know, but the rabbit knew, that the comfort could only be sent to him through the bite when there was true love in the heart of the person who was trying to soothe him. There was no pain. Jun’s embrace was not tight enough to restrain Jeonghan completely. If he wanted to escape, he totally could, and he knew his alpha would not complain.

The important thing was that, Jeonghan had no intention of escaping. He felt free, safe, and loved. This was the sweetest freedom he was finally allowed to have, and Jeonghan was glad his life had not ended before he could get this little beautiful piece of the world.

Watching the sight in front of him, Mingyu felt like he was invading their private moment, but when feeling the omega’s hand on his chest gripping his vest lightly, the man did not feel so anymore. Jeonghan was not trying to seduce anyone; he literally did nothing here, but Mingyu could feel the urge to protect this omega. Once an alpha’s protective instincts rose up, the first thing he wanted to do was definitely to give a bite. It was an easy way to scent-mark the omega, to let everyone know they should not mess with this person, and to make his omega feel safer.

Mingyu wanted to protect him, especially when he knew he would go to work and he would not be with Jeonghan until the evening came.

Realizing his mate’s intention, Jun pulled away for a second, so that they both could lift Jeonghan up and let the omega straddle the giant man’s lap, his two hands on the man’s chest. The rabbit blushed really hard now, but he did not protest, simply staring at Mingyu nervously, but there was anticipation tinting in his eyes. As Jun returned to leave light kisses around the mark, the younger alpha carefully snuck one hand under Jeonghan’s hair, gently pulling them away to reveal his neck. Leaning closer, he whispered, asking for a permission.

“Can I?”

The omega shivered and nodded, unable to know where he should focus on now. Mingyu was reluctant in a second because of the white choker, but Jun just quickly took it off and tossed it to aside on the bed, giving his cousin the freedom to leave a bite on wherever he wanted. For another second, the giant alpha was worried if there would be something wrong when Jeonghan had to take four marks on his neck at the same time or not, but right at this moment, the omega titled his head, showing his submission, intentionally or unintentionally, yet that was enough for Mingyu’s worries to fly away in the blink of an eye.

The first thing which attacked Mingyu’s mind and destroyed him was that, Jeonghan smelled so good; he almost cursed and growled just because of the temptation of this scent. Mingyu had met him so many times in the past, and even detected his upcoming heat, yet the alpha had never considered Jeonghan as anything except for his friend’s mate at those times, so he did not let his mind care much about anything related to the hybrid. However, today, the notion of having this omega for Jun and for his own was doing wonder to his heart, allowing his mind and his heart to adore all the best things of the rabbit named Jeonghan.

Mingyu knew it would be heavenly comfortable to go home and be welcomed by this sweet scent of lavender after a long and tiring day of work. He knew the lavender essential oil he had bought for Jun was nothing in comparison with the real scent of this living flower.

Mingyu now had two flowers in his life to treasure, and to take care of.

Helping his lover, Jun held Jeonghan more tightly around his waist, afraid that the hybrid would jump and thrash because of the pain. The omega was aware of the fact that he was completely stuck between the two men who were both bigger than him but that did not seem to be a problem. He knew a noble alpha’s bite would be more painful, yet he believed what Jun was doing to him would considerably alleviate that pain, and made him feel that things were not very bad. Nothing would ever be bad, since he knew neither of them wanted to hurt him or do anything harmful to him even once.

It seriously hurt a lot, making Jeonghan shed more tears although he thought that he had just stopped crying in a few seconds. In fact, he might be mentally stronger than Joshua but he was certainly physically much weaker as how an omega hybrid who had been through so many years of abuse was supposed to be. Therefore, his ability to endure pain was terrible, yet this fact would not make him change his mind halfway. Biting his lips, the rabbit tried to bear it, focusing on how Jun was kissing him gently and Mingyu was rubbing along his sides to calm him down and help him forget the pain.

In a few seconds, Jeonghan’s mind was dragged back to the day he was locked inside a car, slapped, raped and bitten, unable to do anything except for crying. He thought he would die in the middle of the road where the demon had thrown him on, but he did not. At the moment that monster’s teeth dug into his neck and marked him permanently, all Jeonghan could think of was death. He wanted nothing but to die right on the spot, since his life did not seem to be worthy anymore.

Nonetheless, the bite and the kisses today gave him more strength to keep going on, to give birth to his first child, no matter who the baby’s alpha father was. Jun needed Jeonghan to be happy. Mingyu needed Jun to be happy so as to be happy, as well. And the rabbit knew, he was responsible for not only his own life but also other people, including the little baby inside him. His child had done nothing wrong. It would be so cruel and selfish of him to kill his child _again_. How many of his children had been killed? Jeonghan could not remember, yet he would not let it happen again. This baby had to be born.

The hybrid did not know when he began to forget his own pain and was amazed by the scent of happiness surrounding him thoroughly. Both of the alphas around him now were happy, satisfied, and contented, as they were kissing him tenderly. Mingyu had already left his neck and went back to pay attention to his hair and his face, scattering small kisses everywhere. By his ears, Jun was giving him some praises, telling him that he was fine. Jeonghan was overwhelmed, feeling as if someone had thrown him into an ocean of honey and drowned him in it, yet he would not die.

Jeonghan would never forget the fact that Jun had hurt himself because his inability to protect the person he loved. Jeonghan knew he would live for Jun from now on. He would continue to live, and perhaps the demon’s words were wrong.

_His existence did matter to someone. _

Even Mingyu literally cared about him. Jeonghan knew he was still judging human in a not very good way, but he sensed that, Mingyu just wanted to protect him and take care of him, not to own him or use him. The amount of respect the giant man gave him was considerable. Jeonghan had thought that the big alpha would kiss his mark like how Jun had done previously and he was actually uncomfortable to think of that, but Mingyu was a true gentleman who knew which was his limit. In a safer way, which was also the way that Jeonghan had asked for by himself, the younger alpha only left kisses on the omega’s face, causing him to feel treasured and comfortable. His lips were not less soft or gentle than Jun's, and for now, Jeonghan did not feel like there was much distance between him and the big alpha anymore. Would he ever want to let a stranger kiss him like this? Certainly not.

It was new for Jeonghan to experience the feeling of being surrounded by so much love and protection. With four bites on his neck, even though one was them was unwanted and still bleeding, the rabbit felt like he would be the most spoilt omega in this world, as his alphas would never allow anyone to hurt him or even just make him sad. The feelings of being taken care of were so clear and intense with all those marks, and Jeonghan realized he totally loved to be cherished in this way. He no longer had any masters. He just had his alphas, who were all the best men in this universe.

Wiping the rabbit’s tears together, Mingyu and Jun were glad to see that Jeonghan was not affected too badly by the bite. He cried just a little, and they patiently spent more time sitting here with him to wait until he felt much better. They switched position again, letting the hybrid sit on Jun’s lap and straddle his waist, leaning against him while Mingyu was behind him, rubbing his back soothingly. As time went by, the scent of lavender slowly got sweeter and calmer, while the growls of his stomach got embarrassingly louder.

They all laughed lightly at the sounds, and Jeonghan shyly pulled Jun’s shirt, silently asking him to feed him. Jun almost had a heart attack at his bunny’s cute eyes staring at him, pleading and whining for food. Jeonghan could only be this needy when things were really serious, so they did not wait anymore.

However, right before Jeonghan could stand up, he suddenly saw the cute objects being placed at the corner of the bed. They were the rabbit and the kitty Mingyu had bought for his cousin almost two months ago. Without asking, the omega climbed out of Jun’s lap and leaned over to grab the kitty, holding it with both hands lovingly as if the toy were his real friend, giving the two men another pang in their chests.

“Mingyu bought them for me.” Jun slowly explained while his bunny was still staring at the kitty and stroking its smooth hair by his slender fingers. “I always hug the rabbit when I sleep. I can share you the kitty.”

Jeonghan instantly looked up at his alpha, eyes full of the expectation that nobody could ever resist. How could Jun refuse to give his bunny what he wanted? He would never be such a cruel person. His Hannie must have this kitty by all means.

“Of course, Hannie. You can keep it. It’s very cute, isn’t it?”

The rabbit nodded, stabbing another invisible knife into Jun’s heart. Squeezing his lover’s shoulder lightly to cheer him up, Mingyu murmured, also watching Jeonghan who was still adoring the little kitty.

“I guess you don’t need the rabbit toy anymore. You’ve already had your real bunny now.”

“Of course I need it!” Jun elbowed his cousin with a smile on his face. “It’s your gift for me! I’ll always need it!”

While the two alphas silently exchanged some light and quick kisses, Jeonghan carefully placed the kitty back on the bed again, making sure that there was no distance between it and the rabbit plushie. The two small and cute stuffed animals leaned against each other on the fluffy mattress embed in the scents of Jun and Mingyu. For a few seconds, Jeonghan allowed himself to dream, to visualize himself and Joshua lying on this bed together, cuddling and giggling to each other, like how they had done with each other on a beautiful day in their long gone past.

Jun came to hug Jeonghan just in time for the omega to subtly rub his own face against the alpha’s shirt to wipe his tears. Nonetheless, he soon pulled away, not wanting to make the two men wait any longer. When they both asked him if he was okay, Jeonghan nodded, eager to go with them and begin their first day of this new life together.

They all headed to the parking lot, getting into Mingyu’s car to go have their breakfast.

Mingyu and Jun both thought that it would be too painful for them to cook a welcoming meal for Jeonghan at home and their hearts just could not handle this. Consequently, without exchanging any words or planning anything properly, they both made up their mind, naturally bringing their bunny out to have a good breakfast somewhere. If Joshua had told Jeonghan about so many things of his own life, perhaps the rabbit also understood their reasons for doing this. They could only wish for the bunny to forgive them for not giving him a proper homemade meal to welcome him into their place. They just could not endure more.

Knowing where the best café shop for breakfast was, Mingyu and Jun both agreed on one destination and Jeonghan followed them without asking anything. Unlike Joshua, the rabbit had had the chances to visit those places with Seungcheol quite many times, so he could sit comfortably and choose the food and drink by himself. The alphas would recommend something delicious they had already tried and would also let Jeonghan freely pick whatever he wanted.

Mingyu tried his best to hide a grimace when both Jun and Jeonghan ordered mint strawberry smoothie. They had the same reason for their choice, yet the giant man knew his cousin was still oblivious to the truth. It would be hard for someone to imagine such a tragedy on his own. If Mingyu were not Wonwoo’s blood cousin, he would never be able to predict this either.

Since Jeonghan could not talk, the alphas let him eat and did not ask him anything. Instead, they talked about themselves. They let the omega know about their daily routine, and told him some small stories about everything happening around them. Certainly, nobody talked about Joshua or Wonwoo. They intentionally avoided this topic to prevent more pain to come this morning. This was the first day for them to have Jeonghan; the mood should only be bright and happy.

Mingyu had never seen Jun smiling so much like this in the past two months, and the giant man just automatically smiled when seeing the love of his life being so happy with the rabbit he had always been longing for right by his sides. However, in his own dreams, Mingyu had never thought that his cousin would still stare at him lovingly and listen to him attentively like this when Jeonghan was here. Jun had not changed even a bit in his ways of treating his baby bear. He still cared, and still loved Mingyu so much, or at least that was what the giant man believed.

Jeonghan was certainly fond of Jun the most, but he was evidently trying to give the other alpha the same amount of attention, since he knew it would not be fair to treat the kind man poorly while Mingyu had already sacrificed so much for his and Jun’s happiness. Moreover, the rabbit was able to recognize that Jun would not be happy if Mingyu was not happy. He still remembered, that Jun sounded very unsure when talking about them sleeping together while Mingyu slept on the couch, although that was a plan the two alphas had discussed in advance. The only one who seemed to be determined was Mingyu only.

After breakfast, Mingyu drove the other two back home, and even escorted them to their apartment door. He needed to wait until they disappeared behind the closed door to feel relieved enough to leave and head to his company. With a light heart full of faith in the future, the giant man cheerfully skipped on his way back to the parking lot, humming a favorite melody during his way to work. His Junnie was not lonely anymore. Jeonghan would always be there for him, and all of them would be happy. Everything was finally almost fine now.

Almost.

Or frankly, just fewer than half of them were actually fine.

Jun carefully showed his set up in the two bathrooms to Jeonghan, telling him in details what was his and which place was still empty for him to fill in with more stuff. Before the rabbit went to one of those rooms to brush his teeth and get changed, Jun helped him open the suitcase, and the alpha was literally shocked. Despite the thorough guidance Seungcheol had sent to them a few days ago, Jun still could not help feeling surprised with the amount of medical help Jeonghan needed to function normally these days, and he suddenly felt extremely terrible.

Jeonghan might look so normal on the outside, yet not only his soul but also his body was just broken and ruined. The rabbit always had to use bandage to cover the bleeding mark, and the number of pills he had to take every day was insane. Jun had to print for himself a handout so as to memorize all those pills better. The schedule of health check was crazy, too. He needed to bring Jeonghan to the doctor at least three times a week, or even more, if something suddenly went wrong. In horror, Jun was forced to admit that, perhaps his omega would not have the chance to give birth to the baby he was having with this awful health.

Jeonghan took his first dose of medicine of the day, and then Jun helped him change the bandage since the omega said that Seungcheol had done this for him more than five hours ago and it needed to be changed every five hours. Carefully peeling the bandage away, Jun was honestly a little bit scared to see the mating bite red and vulnerable as if the omega had just been bitten today. If it were not for the painkillers, Jeonghan must suffer a lot then, and Jun tried his best to be gentle so as not to bring any further pain to his bunny.

The hybrid seemed to trust Jun so much that it hurt the alpha terribly, and he just wished he could squeeze Jeonghan and kiss him until he passed out in love. Seeing to be under the effect of the painkillers, the rabbit did not feel much of the pain; he was just a little embarrassed when showing the wound to his lover, yet Jun tenderly talked to him in order to distract him from any bad thoughts about it. The moment turned out to be intimate, sweet, and comfortable for the omega, making him believe that it would always be good for him to have Jun take care of him in this way.

While Jeonghan was taking his pajamas out of the suitcase, Jun turned on his humidifier and applied the peppermint essential oil into the machine, which caught the hybrid’s attention immediately. Surprised by the scent suddenly filling the air, Jeonghan turned around to look for the source and then his eyes caught the sight of the machine Jun was using. Curious, he slowly moved towards his alpha, staring at the object giving out the exact scent he needed in awe.

Seeing the rabbit’s wide eyes, Jun smiled and explained, pulling him closer to show him his box of essential oil bottles.

“Mingyu bought this machine for me to help me cope with my difficulty. He’s so considerate that he bought lavender oil for me too. You can use this too, Hannie. We also have strawberry and rose oils here. It’s very easy to use.”

Jeonghan carefully examined all of the bottles in the box, and he could see that the one of lavender scent was almost empty. The bottle of peppermint oil seemed to be quite full, but the omega guessed this could be Jun’s second or even third one since he knew the alpha must love this scent most. This was stupid. Jeonghan just wished he could hate it, yet his heart was literally jumping around in his chest, promising a very good sleep when he was drowned in the air filled with this aroma. Jeonghan hated this, hated this so much.

“How did you manage to sleep, Hannie?” Jun asked, lowering his voice a little, afraid that this might be a sensitive topic to his bunny.

Putting down the bottles, Jeonghan took out his notes and pencil.

_“The pills help me sleep.”_

“I’m sorry to ask but…” The worse Jun felt for his lover, the more he wanted to know, and his arms just could not resist the urge to hug around his bunny’s waist to give him more love, more warmth. “I think you must have looked for a way to help yourself… Why didn’t you ask Seungcheol to get this for you? Do you… hate it?”

The hybrid leaned against his alpha a bit when he wrote.

_“I want to, but Seungcheol hates it.”_

Jun instantly allowed his mind to imagine himself punching his friend right in the face for his selfishness, and this fact only made him love his baby bear so much more, because no man in this world could be as good as his mate. Mingyu literally did not seem to have any problem about this. Jun had been spoilt so much that sometimes he even forgot the fact that he was using this machine just because of the unwanted mark he was forced to take on his neck.

“Do you want to use it now? I can buy the oil of the scent you need for you.” Jun kindly suggested, hoping to reduce the number of pills for his lover.

Surprisingly, Jeonghan shook his head without explanation, causing the alpha to stare at him in bewilderment. The rabbit was aware of his lover’s attitude, but he had no intention of saying anything more. He just stood there and watched the machine giving out the scent of peppermint he had longing for in the past two months. It was so relieving to breath in this air right now, but Jeonghan did not know when he would be ready enough to tell Jun the truth.

He never wanted to talk about it.

Understanding that it would never be good to push the hybrid, Jun held back a sigh, giving his bunny a kiss and urging him to go to the restroom. Obediently, Jeonghan nodded, bringing his clothes with him and then he soon disappeared into the bathroom while Jun went to the other one to do the same thing. While they left, the machine was still working, slowly filling the whole room thickly in the scent both of them loved. They used to have sex, but now Jeonghan was not even comfortable to change his clothes in front of him, so Jun knew he could not ask for too much now. His bunny needed more time to gain back some of his trust and comfort, and then, they would be good again, even more perfect than how they were currently.

When Jun returned to the bedroom, he was welcomed by one of the softest scene he had ever seen in his whole life.

Jeonghan was in his bed, already sleeping, hugging the kitty tightly in his arms, tucked under the thick blanket which only revealed his head and a little bit of his shoulders. The omega was wearing pink and white pajamas, and Jun just wanted to croon at his bunny, unable to describe how much Jeonghan truly resembled a rabbit right now. Drawn towards his lover by the most powerful temptation, Jun quickly walked to the bed, sneaking into under the blanket to cuddle with his fluffy bunny, and Jeonghan’s reaction meant everything to the alpha.

Without even the slightest sign of fear or startle, the omega willingly pressed himself closer to his man, relaxing completely in the embrace of the most gentle alpha of his life. Jun was not really sure if Jeonghan was awake or not, but he decided that it was not too much important. The best thing he needed to know was that his bunny felt safe here, and he would truly consider this as his home soon. Leaving the last kiss on his lover’s forehead, Jun whispered quietly, to himself mostly.

“Sleep well, bunny.”

This was like a beautiful dream Jun forever refused to wake up from.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my Jeonghan >< He's so soft and cute and I love him so much ><   
Aaaaahhhh I hope you enjoy this chapter because I like it a lot ;_; Hannie needs to be loved!!!!!!! Hannie needs to be happy!!!!!!
> 
> I'm very eager to know your reaction towards GyuHan >< How do you think??? Aaaahhh I just want to see your comments right away I'm getting very impatient ><
> 
> As always, please stay safe and be careful!! Our country is going to reopen everything soon and the students are going to school tomorrow (Monday). I hope this situation won't make the pandemic unexpectedly become worse in my country ;_;
> 
> I love you ^^


	73. Satisfied psychos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo's whole day, or whole life now, was all about Joshua.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're back to our toxic couple. I still love them a lot and to me, they're always interesting ><

Wonwoo was exhausted. The constant pain his heart had always been forced to endure was being too much for him.

Trying to help Joshua improve, he persuaded the boy to come to the office with him. The cat ended up crying a lot and yowling sadly continuously as if Wonwoo were about to push him into hell. The boy clung to his alpha and cried on his shoulder, begging him not to bring him out of this house, but Wonwoo was determined this time. Joshua would never be able to go anywhere if he kept treating the boy softly all the time.

In the end, Joshua was still an obedient cat, and no matter how much he cried, he got dressed as his husband had asked him to, and did not say a single protest anymore when the man brought him to his car. As always, the cat sat on Wonwoo’s lap, burying his whole face into his alpha’s shoulder even though there was no one else in the car. Wonwoo was pretty sure that although he did not have any chance to go to the gym, he must have gained a lot of muscles in the past six weeks thanks to carrying Joshua on his arms to everywhere and having the boy on his lap every day.

Joshua definitely could walk normally now, but it seemed like he did not like to walk. Whenever he had an opportunity, the boy would cling to his husband as if his whole life depended on Wonwoo.

In Joshua’s mind, his life seriously depended on his God, and he did not dare to imagine how he would survive one day without his Wonwoo.

Joshua cried during the whole way from the parking lot to his alpha’s office. The boy insisted on hiding his face into his master’s shoulder, as he was able to sense the presence of so many alphas around here. The cat tried his best to just breathe with his husband’s scent only. Except for Wonwoo’s, he hated all of them. Joshua could not understand even a bit of why the man forced him to come to this place, but there was nothing he could do to change his mind. What Wonwoo wants, Wonwoo gets. The boy would never disobey. No, he did not want to be a bad kitty. He never wanted to receive punishment. Wonwoo would hit him and let him starve for half a day. Or worse, Wonwoo would leave him alone. Joshua had to do all he could to keep Wonwoo by his sides, or he would die.

Wonwoo had occasionally gone back to the company but this was his true first day to go back to his work normally, and as he had expected, people kept staring at him and his kitten, but this time he decided to just ignore all of them and care about his baby only. However, what surprised Wonwoo was that not everyone was giving him a nasty look. Some of them were just simply curious, while some of his quite close colleagues came to welcome him with bright smiles. They politely kept a distance, very wary of the crying cat since they had already heard about the tragedy happening to the hybrid.

Overall, things were not too bad. The only worst problem was Wonwoo’s crying kitten.

In his personal office, it took the man fifteen more minutes to finally make his kitten stop crying. His new secretary walked in with the intention of having a short discussion about today’s work, but Wonwoo just shook his head, gesturing the beta to leave now and come back later. Thankfully, the beta’s appearance did not affect Joshua as much as how an alpha could do, so the boy did not seem to be too scared. He just flinched and then relaxed again at hearing the door closing. Joshua looked around warily while gripping his alpha’s shirt tightly, as if he had never been to this place before. Wonwoo tried to soothe him by scratching his ears tenderly and giving kisses on his head, but the boy just turned to bury his face in the crook of his man’s neck and purred softly.

“Do you need anything, kitten?” The alpha asked, rubbing his baby’s back slowly.

“Need you!” The cat whined and Wonwoo could feel Joshua’s not only lips but also teeth on his neck. The boy was trying to “mark” him again.

Wonwoo let his kitten do it, feeling a light sting as his omega was biting him with quite much force. A few weeks ago, Joshua only left kissing marks, but now he was obviously trying to bite, and Wonwoo was sure his neck would get bruised or even bleed soon. If the hybrid kept doing this over and over again in a long period of time, maybe one day the alpha’s skin would be scarred enough to make it look like he really had a mark on his neck.

“I don’t get it, Wonwoo!” The boy whined one more time, wriggling a little to find a better position on his alpha’s lap, his tail waving idly. It was not good for the man’s feelings, but Wonwoo could endure it. He would manage to, as how he had always dealt with this for the past six weeks of having a childish cat who could not sit still on his thighs. “Why do we have to come here? Why don’t you work at home as usual?”

Wonwoo decided to lie. A kid like Joshua would never accept the fact that he was sick. And maybe he could not understand it either.

“My father threatened to fire me if I work at home even one more week. I have to work to feed both of us, or we will both die. You don’t want that to happen, right?”

The hybrid instantly shook his head but still whined softly, evidently unhappy with the idea of leaving home. Wonwoo tried to hold back a sigh, feeling terrible to see that no matter what happened, Joshua was still such a good kitty, or he was just scared of his alpha too much. The boy might cry or panic but he never disobey Wonwoo’s words.

When thinking that Joshua was pretty fine, Wonwoo called his secretary back inside to talk. This was the same man who had been a replacement for Jun before the alpha eventually officially resigned from his position. At least, the good thing about this beta was that he had already known about Joshua and he did not care even a bit about the fact that his boss was having a hybrid on his lap while talking to him. He only concentrated on his work, while the boy was extremely stiff in Wonwoo’s arms, obviously tensed due to a stranger’s presence in the room.

Until now, Wonwoo felt that his first day of coming back was not bad.

It was not until the secretary left did Joshua’s body go back to its soft and smooth state again. From that moment, the cat stayed on his master’s lap, fiddling with his vest, playing with his own phone, or sleeping. He only got out of that position when there was a need of going to the bathroom or drinking some water. In utter pain, in agony, Wonwoo realized, his kitten was just too scared. His scent was dreadful, and even though he was not crying or trembling now, the cat reeked of fear and anxiety.

Joshua was being extraordinarily clingy simply because he was too scared. This place was not his home, and he could not feel safe or comfortable even a bit. He only felt so whenever he was on his alpha’s lap; therefore, the boy was determined not to ever leave his husband. What if someone came inside when he was not in Wonwoo’s arms? This was not his home; anyone could walk in and maybe kill both of them. This room did not smell much like his husband either. Joshua hated it. He needed to stay as close as possible to Wonwoo, so that the scent of peppermint would always fill his lungs and made him happy.

Although Joshua was sleeping, he could easily sense the intrusion of a stranger into this office, especially when that was an alpha. His ears twitched as he opened his eyes, yet what startled the boy most was that Wonwoo suddenly put him down on the chair and stood up.

“Wait for me, kitten. I’ll be right back.”

Joshua wanted to protest, but no word came out of his mouth. His husband was leaving him, while he could only stare at the man unblinkingly in fright. An alpha had just entered the room, and Wonwoo was walking towards the sofas and invited the guest to sit down so that they could talk. The stranger did not look at Joshua, but the boy was still frightened, feeling like he was being choked by his own fear. There was an alpha in his space, and Wonwoo was not with him. Joshua hated this. He hated this.

Not only Wonwoo but also the guest was concerned by the dreadful scent in the air, but when Wonwoo turned to look at his working corner, he was confused, because he could not see Joshua anywhere. The boy could not have left or gone to the restroom because those doors were both in his sight and he did not see the boy passing by. Staring at his own executive desk, Wonwoo doubted, that his kitten might be hiding under the table, and it was just impossible for him to see the boy from this side. The cat would not be able to see the reason of his fear either.

One more time, Wonwoo had to fight against the pain in his heart to focus on his conversation. Joshua was the center of his attention, but the boy could not be all. He needed to feed his kitten. He needed to feed his kitten. He needed to work, in his office, or at home. He needed to focus.

When his guest finally left, Wonwoo closed the door and then quickly walked towards his desk, coming to stand right next to his own chair. His guess was correct; Joshua was sitting under the desk, curling up like a little ball, doing nothing except for staring at the chair in a very tensed composure. Nonetheless, the cat was snapped back to reality right at the moment his alpha came into his sight, and he jumped into the man’s arms immediately.

Joshua did not cry this time, but the boy was squeaking and them whimpering while wrapping both his arms and his legs around his husband, mouth nibbling the alpha’s neck again. Wonwoo was more and more worried of the cat’s behavior day by day, because Joshua was just getting extremely possessive. Wonwoo was sure that, although he was a noble alpha who had striking pheromones and scent, his kitten’s sweet scent was everywhere on his body, and all omegas around him surely could smell this. Moreover, everyone who had eyes - or even one eye - would be able to see the kissing marks Joshua left on his husband every single day. The boy started this right at the beginning of the day, as if mimicking the way his masters had bitten him in the past.

Wonwoo no longer needed to bite Joshua every ten hours, since the mark on the cat’s neck stayed there permanently.

“My good boy.” The alpha whispered to his baby, sitting back on his chair with the clingy cat on his lap. “We will get some more toys for you on the way home. Agree?”

Wonwoo thought the boy would be happy with idea, but Joshua pulled away with a sad expression on his face, ears dropping.

“On… on the way home? So we… don’t go home… but go somewhere else again?”

“You’ll love the toy store, kitten.” The alpha stroked his mate’s back tenderly, giving him a sweet smile, for his baby only. “You might find out something very interesting. I’ll take you to the biggest store in Seoul. You can pick whatever you want.”

The omega pouted and hugged his alpha tightly, whining while his fluffy tail wrap around the man’s right arm.

“I don’t need any new toys. I just want you!”

Wonwoo was so stressed that he ended up taking out a cigarette and lighting it up before continuing to persuade his baby to follow his plan. Joshua’s eyes just lit up right at the sight of the cigarette in his master’s hand. With eyes full of anticipation and joy, the naïve cat enthusiastically watched filter end of the long thing being put between his alpha’s lips, and waited for the moment he enjoyed. The lighter brightened up the kitten’s shining eyes, and disappeared, but the sparkles in Joshua’s eyes only got brighter and prettier under the sight of his smoking man.

Wonwoo knew it was bad to smoke, or to smoke inside his office, but since his kitten loved this, he did not want to do this anywhere else. Joshua automatically smiled when his alpha exhaled and the smoke came out simultaneously. The hybrid happily inhaled to fill his lungs with the mixture of the scent of peppermint and the bitter scent of the cigarette. At first, Joshua did not like the idea of his master smoking, but when Wonwoo did it, the boy found out a new thing that he loved. Whenever the alpha smoked, the boy would surely stay as close as possible to him, so as to watch, and to breathe in this toxic but intoxicating air.

Wonwoo had never had the intention to become an addict, but one day he snuck out of home to go to his office to deal with some urgent things and one of his friends found that he looked too stressed and exhausted. The friend gave him a cigarette, recommending a try, and Wonwoo was persuaded. He tried, and found it nice for his mind, but was quite nervous about the possibility of his kitten judging him and disliking the scent. However, that day, when Joshua woke up and Wonwoo had just been present at home on time, the boy kept asking where the strange but interesting smell came from, and he kept trying to sniff his alpha, believing that it was coming from his master.

Wonwoo had no choice but to reveal the truth, and surprisingly, his kitten had no objection. From then onwards, Joshua would came to him when smelling the smoke in his home, and the boy would love to kiss him right at this moment to get the best of this taste and this scent. Just like now. The omega was sitting up and leaning over, attracted and powerfully drawn towards his husband’s lips where the smoke was still coming out, thick and heavy and making him feel light-headed. Nonetheless, Wonwoo placed both hands on the boy’s hips and kept him in place, preventing any further movement, causing the boy to whine in frustration. Using his one free hand to cup his mate’s face, Wonwoo slowly traced his thumb along the boy’s soft lower lip, staring deeply into his incredibly cat-like and adorable eyes, whispering a question.

“You have to promise me first, kitten. We will go to the toy store before going home, okay?”

Joshua was defeated now, replying with a big smile on his face.

“Yes, daddy!”

Wonwoo hated this. His kitten knew how to beat his alpha whenever he wanted something, and the word _“daddy”_ always came out of his mouth at those moments. Was Joshua intentionally seducing him? Wonwoo was not sure, or maybe his kitten was really always seducing him by his cute eyes, his lovely face, his childish but adorable behaviors, and his sweet voice which always gave the alpha all of the sweetest words along with his affection. Wonwoo eventually let the boy freely do whatever he wanted, and Joshua reached up to kiss him instantly, wasting no more second.

In times like this, Joshua did not look like a kid anymore, making Wonwoo terribly conflicted, but having no mental strength to resist his omega’s temptation. On his tongue, the smoky taste and his kitten’s sweet candy one were mixed together, giving him one of the best experiences in this world. During such moments, sometimes Wonwoo was fooled by his passionate omega, feeling as if it would be just fine for him to have sex with the boy, yet Wonwoo never dared to risk.

Joshua had been crying continuously in the first week after the robbery, and the alpha felt like stepping out of hell once his kitten stopped shedding tears and started to have fun with his toys around the new house. The boy had nightmares every single night - even now he still had them - but at those days, his conditions were so bad that the doctors suggested adding more pills which helped the boy sleep more comfortably. The dose was not light at all although his baby was just an omega hybrid. Nevertheless, Joshua always believed that it was his God who protected him from those horrible dreams and made him feel safe in his slumber.

Wonwoo was horrified by the fact that Joshua had never accepted his state of being sick in any ways. That was one of the reasons for his hatred towards the doctors, including Seungkwan, even though normal omegas needed to see Seungkwan too since everyone needed heat suppressant. The cat might obediently took his medicine whenever Wonwoo asked him to, but if the alpha forgot it, Joshua would just naturally skipped it as if he had never been told to take it before. Wonwoo was frustrated, but he could not get mad, because _he was the one who literally made the boy sick_.

The alpha was highly aware of the looks those psychological doctors gave him. They knew it. They all knew Joshua’s love for his husband had already reached the level of sick obsession and they knew nothing normal could cause the broken boy to love an intimidating alpha in this way. Moreover, they knew the pills that helped an alpha mark his omega permanently did not exist while Joshua proudly giggled and told them that Wonwoo understood his fear and did not knot him even once. If someone seemed to be doubtful, the boy would snap immediately and began to yell at them crazily.

Overall, Joshua hated all of his doctors, or anyone who had some suspicions for his husband.

These days were so much better than the few first days after taking Joshua out of the hospital. Once the boy was still there and he was still covered in bandage, it was easy to convince him that he was sick. However, as long as Joshua was discharged, he fully believed that he was fine. The boy was obedient now but he had not been like this then. Wonwoo used to lift up a whole bed to take the cat out just because Joshua did not want his medicine. Then, the alpha got rid of that bed and bought a new one which had no space underneath for the boy to hide himself. However, his kitten did not give up.

Joshua once tried to run away yet he certainly could not run because it was even impossible for him to walk normally then. Consequently, the hybrid fell onto the floor, crying harder and Wonwoo literally begged him to take his pills while trying to soothe him at the same time. Joshua swallowed those pills in tears, yowling and crying for an hour, asking why Wonwoo did not love him and kept asking him to do such a thing.

Things were much better now.

Much better.

Wonwoo could not risk bringing himself back to those days again.

These days were actually not good either. Wonwoo was sure Joshua was still very cautious around Minghao and Jihoon, because the cat he saw when the two human omegas visited was definitely not the cat he knew. It was lucky that Joshua was a young cat hybrid whose body could heal very quickly and the boy soon managed to walk normally again. From that day, he became uncontrollable. When the boy was not sitting on Wonwoo’s lap, he would climb or jump to anywhere in the house. The alpha had caught him on the counters, windows, wardrobe, or even hanging along the stairs, as if he had been sick of his fractured leg and was too happy to be able to get rid of the cast and the crutch.

That was why Wonwoo preferred keeping his omega on his lap instead of letting him run around like a real cat. Joshua was a huge mess of confliction. The boy refused to walk normally but loved to run around madly and climbed onto anything he found in the house, which brought a horrible headache to Wonwoo every day.

The alpha had no choice but to admit that Joshua was frankly crazy, and living with a crazy Joshua was not different from playing with fire. He did not know where the boy got the idea from, but one day his kitten all of a sudden asked for his permission to dye his hair pink, or lilac. Wonwoo almost choked at the idea, and he objected right on the spot. The boy was obviously sad, but one other day, he appeared with two fake fluffy pink cat ears on his head while he was hiding his real ones and Wonwoo already found it hard to breathe. He blamed himself for letting Joshua buy whatever he wanted on the Internet and did not check carefully where the hell those ears came from.

The boy told his alpha that he found these on a website selling toys for kids and he thought they were cute so he bought them, and he kept asking Wonwoo if he looked cute or not. Of course, to Wonwoo, his kitten was always the most lovely boy in the world, but this was too much for his heart to handle. The alpha seriously wished he could make those pink ears disappear into the air, but he could not, and Joshua kept wearing them over and over again. The cat even used a big pink ribbon to tie a bow around the tip of his tail and waving it in front of his husband to drive him insane, asking him to stroke his tail and purring comfortably as the man’s fingers sliding through it.

In agony, Wonwoo wondered what might be going on inside Joshua’s head. Did he know he was risking his own life by doing those things to his alpha?

Joshua needed a lot of attention, and in those weeks, Wonwoo had wished to have his cousin and the boy’s friends here not only once. About the cat’s _friends_, it was another bigger problem. The alpha once tried counting the number of stuffed animals his kitten had, and he found out one painful truth, which was that most of his omega’s toys were rabbit plushies. Minghao and Jihoon could not see the trouble because they had already let him know about their visit in advanced, but in fact, Joshua scattered his rabbits everywhere in the house. Wonwoo could find them on the couch, on the counters, in the wardrobes, on even his working desk, and on their bed.

As a result, Wonwoo was constantly reminded of his own crime.

At first, he just wanted to knock the rabbit off his working desk, and he accidentally made it fall out once. However, Joshua instantly put it back on, and from then on, the alpha knew he would never be able to get the rabbit out of his sight. Was Joshua intentionally trying to remind Wonwoo of _this_? Maybe not. Perhaps the boy loved his rabbits and he usually stayed at his husband’s working desk so he wanted to have a rabbit here too.

No matter what, Wonwoo could not run away from his own past, _his own crime_. Especially right now, when Joshua leaned back on his chest while the alpha continued with his cigarette, listening to the boy’s feeble whine.

“I should have brought my rabbit here.” The cat said, fiddling with his husband’s vest, voice sad. “I wish Hannie were here with me too.”

Wonwoo almost dropped the cigarette on his kitten’s head, yet he decided to say nothing. What could he say? The alpha knew his words about Jeonghan could easily offend anyone who knew about _the truth_. Furthermore, he was still shocked by Joshua’s saying. Why was he talking like this? Was he still aware of the fact that Wonwoo was the one who hurt Jeonghan and it was just impossible to have the blonde hybrid here?

Everything just got worse when Joshua continued to talk after kissing his alpha one more time, not feeling enough with the scent yet. The boy kept his face on the same level with Wonwoo’s, so that whenever the man exhaled, he would be able to relish in the smoke thoroughly.

“Why isn’t he with me, Wonwoo? I thought he’s supposed to be with us now! I want him back!”

“W-Why?” The alpha stuttered out of shock, staring at his omega in bewilderment.

“Isn’t he yours now? Why can’t he be with us? It’s legal for you to keep him, right?”

Wonwoo was speechless, and he had never felt this awful about his crime like how he was feeling right now. Rape was bad, cruel, brutal, and unacceptable, which was what the alpha had failed to consider properly in great fury, yet later he knew, and now Joshua just gave him another terrible kind of feeling. What did he remember? Did the boy know that Wonwoo raped Jeonghan? Or he thought that they simply had had sex and then his best friend had been marked? No, Wonwoo did not think so. The only think Joshua failed to remember correctly was his own tragic rape, not anything else.

Why was the cat holding to this fact as a means for him to get the rabbit back to him? Joshua was really crazy. If Wonwoo had not assaulted Jeonghan, it would be possible for the boy to make up with his friend now. However, the truth could not be changed, and the alpha was sure the rabbit would never want to risk his own life by facing Joshua again.

_“Why do you dare to come to find Joshua? To say sorry? Did you ever think of this before asking Jun to fuck your ass the second time?”_

_“You should never exist in this world, slutty hybrid. Everyone will just be better without you.”_

No. Jeonghan would never come back to Joshua, since Wonwoo had threatened him not to. He knew such tragedy would leave the rabbit traumatized forever.

The alpha had never known that the first thing he had to pay for his fault was his struggle to reply to Joshua right now. The boy was still staring at him, waiting for an answer with a lot of hope in his eyes. His kitten wanted his best friend, but Wonwoo had no way to explain to him why it was impossible. He could not repeat his story; he could not give the boy a cruel reason either. Anything would end up making the boy bursting into tears.

Even if Wonwoo chose an extreme method which was kidnapping Jeonghan and locking him in his house so he could be with Joshua forever, it would be still a bad solution, because the rabbit would surely tell Joshua the truth and persuade him to run away together. Wonwoo was not sure if he had the chance of beating Jeonghan for a higher position in Joshua’s heart. The boy was crazy anyway. It was impossible to predict what he might do.

“I’m not the only one, kitten.” Wonwoo finally found a way to reply after a minute of silence. “He still has Seungcheol. Remember?”

The boy suddenly raised his voice, frowning deeply in anger.

“Seungcheol is a bad guy! Alphas are all bad!”

“I heard that he’s taking care of Jeonghan now. You don’t have to worry about him.”

“Are you sure?” The cat cocked his head to a side, looking at Wonwoo in confusion. “Seungcheol is bad! He’s evil! I don’t believe him! He’s hurting Hannie now! Hannie’s scared! He cried a lot to me! I need to get him out of there!”

“Okay okay, Joshua. I’ll try to find a way to get him out.” The alpha had to lie again, desperately wishing that his baby would drop this topic and then forget it soon. “He might visit you, and you two can play with each other again.”

“I will wait!” The cat wriggled excitedly on his husband’s lap, bringing a lot of discomfort to Wonwoo again, but all the man could do was just gritting his teeth.

Fortunately, at least Joshua stopped talking now and leaned over to kiss his alpha again. Therefore, once Wonwoo caught the boy’s lips in his own, he did not let go soon, taking his time to devour the omega’s lips and make all other problems fly out of his mind. His alpha’s passion startled the cat, but he let out a soft giggle and hugged Wonwoo intimately, parting his lips further to welcome the man’s tongue into his mouth.

When Wonwoo returned to his work on the computer, Joshua slowly fell asleep on his lap, purring quietly in his peaceful slumber.

The drama only came back at lunch time. Wonwoo wanted to take his kitten out for lunch but Joshua had already had enough for today. He did not want to go anywhere else anymore, except for the toy store as he had promised to his husband. The alpha tried to persuade, but his omega started crying and begging him not to make him go. Whenever Joshua cried, he just became even more awfully clingy and he would never loosen his arms around his husband. Unable to bear this pain, Wonwoo was beaten and decided to call a delivery so that he could have lunch with his kitten right in this office. The boy got relaxed after the final announcement immediately, and his tears slowly dried away when he sat on his alpha’s lap while choosing the dishes together with him. When their food came, the hybrid had already stopped crying and now he was a playful giggling cat again.

It was peaceful for a while after lunch, but things got out of control again when Minghao came to Wonwoo’s office. Joshua did not sense anything abnormal then, just smiling and jumping happily around his friend while the man slowly approaching them and explaining the reason why he had asked Minghao to come here.

However, Minghao bristled.

“I can’t believe it! Wonwoo, you even smoke in your office? Do you ever think of Joshua or not?”

Joshua’s friendly attitude vanished in the blink of an eye as the boy jumped back to stand in front of his alpha, hissing at his friend.

“Don’t yell at him! He can smoke wherever he can!”

Not only Minghao but also Wonwoo was scared by that reaction, as no one had ever expected the little adorable cat to become so aggressive when defending his alpha like this. The human omega was so shocked that he forgot how he had just been mad at Wonwoo in a split second. He hurriedly apologized to the hybrid while the alpha soothed his kitten, telling him that he was fine and Minghao was just caring about their health. Hearing the apology, Joshua softened gradually, and soon Minghao could hold his hand again to let him know how much he was loved.

Wonwoo was worried that Joshua might do something much worse to Minghao later if he left them here together without his observation, but he had no other choice. Actually, Wonwoo was having an important meeting this afternoon and he hoped the human omega could help him take care of Joshua while he was not here, since he definitely could not bring Joshua to the meeting room with him.

Right then, listening to his master’s plan, the boy burst into tears again, sobbing and yowling pathetically, begging his husband not to leave him alone here. With all his strength, the boy clung to his alpha for his life, wrapping hot only his arms but also his legs tightly around Wonwoo and crying his eyes out on the man’s shoulder. Wonwoo tried to pry the cat away from him, but Joshua just cried harder and harder, breaking the alpha’s heart and making him afraid that he might hurt the cat’s feelings too much by forcing him to do this. Sighing, Wonwoo had to admit that Joshua was not ready for this yet. It was already enough for him today, and Minghao also agreed that it was not a good idea to do something this brutal to him now.

Since there were ten minutes left before the meeting, Wonwoo asked Minghao to help him check if there was anyone inside the meeting room yet. When the omega came back with the answer “no”, the man left instantly, with the crying boy in his arms.

As the person who controlled the meeting today, Wonwoo was sure he would sit at the position where other people would not be able to look at whatever around his legs or his feet. As a result, the alpha let his kitten sit under the table, right next to his chair, and literally begged the boy to stay quiet. Joshua obediently nodded vigorously, totally understanding that he had better not mess with his alpha’s meeting. He was a good kitty, so he would not make his master angry. Joshua smiled brightly to Wonwoo, promising to be good down here without asking any further questions.

The boy looked so happy to be able to sit under a table during a meeting that Wonwoo almost wanted to cry in despair.

He thought he needed another cigarette right after this meeting.

The meeting went on much more smoothly than what Wonwoo had expected. At some moments, the alpha even forgot that he had his kitten under the table right next to his feet. Joshua caused no sound, and he did not touch his husband either, acting extremely obediently and causing Wonwoo to feel relaxed and relieved for now. He was given the chance to think that Joshua was still have something “normal” in his mind. The boy knew this was not the time for him to act childish and clingy to his alpha.

Joshua began to lean against Wonwoo’s leg about twenty minutes after the meeting had started, since he was quite tired of sitting without anything supporting his body. Moreover, it was definitely warmer and more comfortable to get a little bit more touchy with his alpha. Joshua sat on the floor, curling up and hugging his knees into his chest, playing with his own fingers while listening to Wonwoo’s voice. The cat could not understand much about the complicated things his alpha was talking about, yet he enjoyed how deep and powerful his God sounded. This was not the man who always treated him with a lot of love and tenderness. This was the cold and cool Wonwoo who was the CEO of a big company and Joshua thought no businessman had ever looked as dominant as his man.

Joshua relished in the feeling of being the spouse of the most powerful and talented man of this world. Was there anyone in this room having stronger pheromones than his alpha? Absolutely not. The boy even thought that those alphas had to suppress their own scents and pheromones in order to show their respect to their boss, which might be the reason why Joshua was not very scared now. Furthermore, he could not see anyone’s face, and nobody could see him either. They could not hurt him while they did not see him, and Wonwoo was here with him.

Too curious of the silence under the table, Wonwoo pretended to drop his pen and bent down to pick it up while he was not speaking. The dropped object did not get Joshua’s attention. Consequently, when the man looked at his kitten, he saw the boy sitting there rubbing a finger on the shining ring on his left hand, smiling at it as if he had not seen it enough in the past six weeks. Able to sense the eyes of his alpha staring at him, even in just a very short second, Joshua turned to look at his husband and grinned brightly. Wonwoo did not smile back, but gently flicked his baby’s forehead, and quickly sat up again.

Joshua was so cute that it was creepy at the same time.

Slowly, Wonwoo felt the cat’s tail like a snake moving around his leg where the boy was not leaning on to wrap it possessively. In a split second, the man wished Joshua could sometimes turned into a real little cat so that he could bring his kitten to everywhere he wanted to, including this meeting room. If that could happen, Wonwoo would place the cat on his lap, and Joshua would peacefully sleep there through the whole meeting while the man could entertain himself through this freaking boring thing by stroking his baby’s soft hair and scratching his ears tenderly.

After one and half an hour, the meeting finally ended, and Wonwoo could only wait until the last person left the room. Wasting no time, he got out of his chair, bending down to scoop his kitten up in his arms. The alpha’s heart instantly melted at the sight of his omega happily reaching two arms towards him, waiting to be hugged and picked up like a spoilt kid. Giggling joyfully when he was being back to his alpha’s embrace again, Joshua wrapped his arms around his husband tightly, and Wonwoo could feel the cat’s teeth on his neck again.

Bolting back into his office, Wonwoo rapidly took out a cigarette while his kitten eyed him enthusiastically. In the smoke with the heavy scent of the poison and the mixture of a bitter peppermint scent and a sweet aroma of strawberry candy, the couple made out with each other, feeling contented with this frustrated and abnormal but satisfied life.

Wonwoo had his kitten, and Joshua was happier than ever to melt in his God’s warmth and love.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've told you all... You would see more about how crazy Joshua was... And now you've just seen it :"> They're both sick now, but I believe this is unavoidable. 
> 
> I don't know if you enjoy this chapter or not but it's very wonderful for me to write. I really love this chapter >< And I'm excited to know how you think about it >< 
> 
> I've just realized that the tags for my fic are horrible :"> If you look at them again now, you will think... Oh my god this fic is really sick.
> 
> Please stay safe as always! I love you ^^


	74. The confused and lovely bunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan found his new life like a dream, while Jun and Mingyu were lost in not only happiness but also pain.  
Nonetheless, they had the same determination related to only one person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a super fluffy chapter. It's quite short but I hope you will like it ^^

Waking up, before opening his eyes, Jun expected to see his bunny sleeping peacefully in his arms, but reality was totally different. Disappointment flooded his whole mind as he blinked his eyes and saw nothing but an empty space on the bed where his omega had originally lied a few hours ago. The rabbit was no longer in his bed, but the sweet and tender scent of lavender was still here, making Jun close his eyes again in happiness, feeling as if he was still lost in his own dreams where he had the person he had always been longing for in his home, his bed, his embrace. The alarm clock of his phone on the nightstand was still giving off the annoying sounds since Jun had planned to wake up at two o’clock in the afternoon, but right now he still had no strength to get out of this slumber.

Surprisingly, those sounds suddenly ended, giving peace back to the room right after the alpha had just groaned in frustration. Jun lazily shifted in the mess of blanket and pillows, intending to lie on his belly, but something suddenly appeared on his way and stopped him from doing that. Snapping his eyes open, Jun felt his heart melting like ice-cream at the sight of his bunny sneaking into the small space between his two arms and scooting further into his chest. Still sleepy, Jun was not sure where Jeonghan had just come from, but felt like he was holding a real rabbit which seemed to be so small, so smooth, and so adorable. Smiling in happiness, the alpha squeezed his omega tightly, burying his nose in the beautiful blonde hair to take in his alluring scent and also to place a kiss on the tip of his head.

“I thought you were the only one tired.” The couple simultaneously pulled away from each other a little so as to make it convenient for both of them to look at each other in the face while Jun whispered. “But then you even woke up before me.”

Jeonghan did nothing except for smiling to the alpha in front of him, using his slender and cold hand to touch Jun’s face gently, melting his heart even more by the affection in not only his action but also his eyes. In that moment of being mesmerized by the hybrid’s tenderness, Jun wondered what he had done to deserve this precious omega. Unlike Joshua who was cute like a little kid, Jeonghan was incredibly gentle and vulnerable, making him desire to protect and making him melt at the same time. With his silence now, Jeonghan was even considerably softer and more considerate, and Jun thought his eyes were talking even more than any written words.

After a short nap, the rabbit looked so fine that Jun was really amazed. He did not look tired anymore, and the alpha would definitely believe it if someone told him that the hybrid’s health was absolutely normal. Relieved to see that at least Jeonghan was still good enough to look this fine, Jun snuggled him into his chest one more time, not feeling too sleepy any longer.

“I planned to go shopping with you this afternoon. Do you like that?”

Without hesitation, Jeonghan nodded, but willingly pressed himself closer into the alpha’s body to be entirely wrapped in his warmth and his love. No words needed to be exchanged between them. Jun silently hugged his bunny, spending more time cuddling with his omega in order to help themselves get a bit more of satisfaction after the torturous time of being separated. Time had gone by, but Jun had never stopped feeling guilty whenever thinking of Joshua, yet nothing could ever make him regret the time he had been through with Jeonghan, no matter how other people might criticize him and the rabbit. It was obviously a love affair, and they really had lied to Joshua, the boy who considered Jeonghan as his best friend and Jun as his most beloved alpha.

Willing to endure this feeling of guilt for the rest of his life, Jun would never let go of Jeonghan again. His feelings for the bunny in his arms were simply unmatched. In pain, the alpha tried to scatter so many kisses on his lover’s hair, feeling like he and this fragile omega were destined for each other. Even in the happy days of being together with the cat, Jun had never got this divine feeling with his partner, and his heart right now believed Jeonghan was having the same feeling in his heart. Similar to each other, they wanted nothing but to live a peaceful and happy life with the people they loved. Jun even did not care much about money, and so did Jeonghan.

This apartment was much smaller than the one Jun and Mingyu used to share with Wonwoo, but Jun had never felt that there was any problems with it. Right now, right here, lying in bed with Jeonghan in his chest, together waiting for Mingyu to come home, Jun knew his life was not really fulfilled and what he was going through currently was not exactly what he had expected to see, yet it was undeniable that he was feeling wonderfully happy and contented.

Jun was confident that he would be able to give Jeonghan whatever his bunny wanted. Although he missed Joshua, and his love for the cat had never died, the alpha knew he did not have the ability to give his beloved kitten what the boy wished for. Wonwoo’s case was just the same. The only good thing was that, Wonwoo and Joshua seemed to be destined for each other, and Jun believed his cousin could give the boy much more than what he could ever imagine.

It was extremely sad to think that he maybe was just an added part into the boy’s life, while Wonwoo was what truly made it fulfilled. Jun guessed perhaps he was being selfish, especially in a society where polyamory was accepted like this, but he could not help it. He had to wonder why Mingyu and Jeonghan had never made him feel this way. Being with them, he always believed that he was important with no single doubt. In his arms, Jeonghan was melting and giving off the lavender scent which was getting sweeter and sweeter as his mood was just becoming better and better.

Jun desperately wanted to take care of his bunny forever.

The alpha only had enough motivation to get up when he remembered that Jeonghan did not have lunch and he might be very hungry now. It was so cruel of him to make the person he loved starve in his own home. Consequently, Jun sat up, pulling the omega up together with him, smiling sweetly together with him and leading him towards the wardrobe. Jun asked for a permission to choose what Jeonghan would wear to go out today, and the rabbit nodded with a grin on his face.

Staring at the clothes his omega had hung neatly in the wardrobe, Jun was quite shocked and sad, realizing that his bunny did not have many things to wear. Seungcheol obviously did not know how to love Jeonghan properly, and Jun thought a person who had a mate as rich as his friend should have more fancy clothes. Since the hybrid was so shocked when receiving the card, Jun was sure Seungcheol had never given any money to the omega to spend freely. No wonder the rabbit nodded immediately when Jun asked him to go shopping with him.

While the alpha was still lost in his chaotic thoughts and pain for his bunny, Jeonghan gripped one of his arms and pulled lightly, getting his attention. The omega pointed at the other wardrobe with a lot of excitement, causing Jun to follow his lead and step forward to open his and Mingyu’s wardrobe. To his surprise, Jeonghan took out a long-sleeved purple shirt belonging to Jun, wriggling it in front of the alpha’s eyes, and no more words needed to be spoken. Jun understood that Jeonghan wanted to wear his clothes, and perhaps the rabbit had already laid his eyes on that shirt while he was still asleep.

This was seriously painful and almost overbearing for Jun. Joshua used to be so scared that he did not dare to touch anything, but Jeonghan seemed to have literally examined everything in this house because he was used to the idea of being the slave who had to do everything for his masters. Therefore, he found it totally normal to rummage through his masters’ clothes as long as he kept everything in its original place since he had to do the laundry for them anyway. Ten years of being an owned hybrid without love had trained Jeonghan to become a person who could not live without the thought of serving and pleasuring his masters.

He even woke up sooner than Jun and put all his clothes into the wardrobe by himself.

Jeonghan did not understand anything when the alpha all of a sudden squeezed him tightly without saying a word. Nonetheless, the feelings of being wrapped in Jun’s embrace were still safe and warm as always, and the rabbit could never feel threatened even when he could not figure out what his alpha was thinking. It was so strange, so new, even so surreal to think of Jun as his alpha, but Jeonghan guessed he had the whole right to do that right now, and no one could stop him for any reasons.

“I will buy a lot of new clothes for you.” Jun whispered to his bunny, caressing the hair he loved. “And anything you want.”

The hybrid nodded, willing and eager to be spoilt by the angel of his life, but once again, when Jun pulled away, Jeonghan still had questions in his eyes while pointing at the shirt in his hands, obviously wanting to wear it. How could Jun say no to him? He could only nod to whatever Jeonghan wanted to do, without much consideration. Seeing the bright smile on his face as the permission was granted, the alpha just wanted to shower his bunny with all of the love in this world.

Jeonghan could not reach the bathroom to get dressed quickly, because Jun kept hugging him over and over again as if he were already crazy for his omega. A real bunny in pink and white pajamas was irresistible to Jun, and the man thought his heart could explode soon if the hybrid kept dressing like this from now on. How could anyone think of hurting this ethereal existence? Jun did not even want to let Jeonghan’s feet touch the floor, afraid that the hard surface would damage his little feet and break his heart. Fortunately, Jun and Mingyu had both decided to buy the fluffy slippers for their omega to wear at home, so that he would be fully comfortably protected.

What Jun found extraordinarily cute was that, Jeonghan was blushing. At first, he was still normal, but after a few more minutes of being hugged tightly and intimately, he began to feel really shy and embarrassed, as the thought of living together with Jun as his lover had not been so clear in his mind until now. Every of Jun’s touches was so gentle and loving that Jeonghan had goose bumps all over his body, yet he never had any protest, smiling shyly in his alpha’s chest and hoping that he would smell like pine after getting out of this apartment. There must be some of sandalwood scent on his body too, but Jeonghan would not mind. He had two alphas now. He would smell like them, but there would be no collar on his neck anymore.

He smelled like two alphas because they were _his alphas_, not his masters.

When Jeonghan stepped out of the bathroom, Jun had already finished getting dressed as well, and they were both ready to leave. Seeing the omega picking up his choker from the nightstand, Jun came to help, and his bunny smiled at him in happiness. The alpha actually did not want his lover to hide the bandage on his neck, because he literally was not at fault for this; the one who should feel ashamed of this was the bastard to hurt his bunny. However, feeling that Jeonghan looked genuinely pretty and alluring with the white choker like this, Jun guessed he might just let his omega do it.

Fortunately, right at the moment Jun pulled the long blonde hair away and saw the bandage, he remembered one important matter.

“Oh! Let me change your bandage first. Sorry, my bad. I almost forgot it.”

Observing Jeonghan’s face, Jun realized that the omega did not remember this either. He seemed to be startled, and then quickly nodded to his alpha, obediently following him and sitting back on the bed as he was told.

When the bandage was peeled off, Jun had a very uncomfortable feeling in his chest, since the sight in front of his eyes was too familiar. Just two months ago, he had seen exactly the same thing on his neck - a bleeding mark. The one on Jeonghan’s neck looked like he had just been bitten today, and it did not seem to begin healing even a bit. The rabbit could not accept the fate of being that monster’s mate. Heartbroken by the wound, Jun wanted to persuade his bunny to give in and just face his own fate, but he knew that was cruel and brutal to the omega.

The one who bit Jun was the person he loved, while in Jeonghan’s case, that was probably someone the hybrid had never known. Moreover, things had happened while Jun was unconscious, but perhaps the rabbit was not that lucky. This fact was proved by his inhaler.

Through Seungcheol’s email, Jun had learned that the inhaler helped Jeonghan calm down whenever he felt too stressed or scared. Like this moment, the alpha had to apply some antiseptic on the mark, causing the omega to flinch and wince in pain, and even scare the hell of out his lover when he started to tremble. Immediately, Jeonghan brought the inhaler to his face with no hesitation. It was not until now did Jun find out that the omega had already held that thing in his hand before this process started. Trying to hold back a grimace, the alpha was forced to admit that his lover was accustomed to this situation; Jeonghan knew he would always panic whenever the mark was touched, because the slightest pain there could make him instantly think of the _demon_.

Lost in his own pain, Jun accidentally touched the mark by his fingers holding the antiseptic bottle, causing the hybrid to jolt and hiss sharply. Startled, the alpha hurriedly put the bottle down to hug his bunny, guiltily pouring thousands of apologies to Jeonghan.

“I’m sorry, Hannie! I’m sorry! It’s my fault! I was careless… I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Hannie! It’s okay! It’s okay! I’m sorry!”

Jeonghan had never hated anything more than the pain brought by the mark on his neck.

Whenever it came, his chest was always flooded by misery, but right now, the feelings suddenly became different, because his beloved man was whispering _“I’m sorry”_ to his ear so many times in the most sincere voice he had ever heard. Nobody said sorry to him, except for Jun.

Nobody tried to soothe his pain, except for Jun.

Nobody cared about his feelings, except for Jun.

Consequently, the pain left so fast this time, giving peace back to Jeonghan soon and the omega could look at his lover and smile to let him know that he was fine. Jun was still considerably worried, but he decided to continue, reminding himself to be more careful and considerate from now on so that his bunny would not have to suffer any longer. As a result, the rabbit did not flinch or show any signs of pain again, yet the alpha was heartbroken to see the hybrid’s hands gripping his shirt tightly.

Finishing the whole task, Jun wanted to do nothing but hugging Jeonghan in his chest one more time, rubbing the omega’s back and stroking his hair in the most soothing manner to give his lover more comfort. Understanding the purpose of those actions, Jeonghan smiled to himself and sat still in his alpha’s embrace, relaxing to the utmost. In a few seconds, the rabbit wondered why he had not been lucky enough to see someone who was as kind as Jun in the past. Was it this difficult to find a good person in this world? If Jun said that Mingyu was good, then Jeonghan would believe that the giant man was good too, but he had not come into the rabbit’s life early either.

Anyway, _late_ was better than _never_.

Jun had not feel enough with holding his omega in his own arms yet but he felt the rabbit squirm. Loosening his arms, the alpha sat there, watching Jeonghan take out his notes and his pencil to write down a message.

_“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me too much.”_ The lovely rabbit showed him the note with a docile smile that melted Jun’s heart.

How the hell could he trust those words? Seungcheol said Jeonghan was depressed, which was also what the doctors had told them, but he did not acknowledge his own problem. Jeonghan still claimed to be fine while he was literally one the most vulnerable people in this world.

Faking a smile in agony, Jun pulled the omega back into his embrace again, chuckling.

“Just let me spoil you, my bunny.”

Again, Jeonghan smiled in happiness and decided not to worry about too many things anymore. Why should he do that while he was being with the alpha who loved him most in this world? They had already promised to take care of him and protect him, and he had already known how perfect Jun was. There was no need to doubt. Perhaps he should do as what his alpha had just said - let the alpha spoil him rotten. Jeonghan had never known how it felt to be spoilt, and so many questions used to create a chaotic mess in his mind when he listened to Joshua’s stories in the past.

Jeonghan did not know that his angel whose name Jun in daily life was even more gentle than how he was during sex.

The rabbit did not want to wear a sweater because he did not feel cold, but Jun still brought an extra one in case his omega would want to wear it later. The first thing they did right after leaving the apartment was to look for something to eat, and after consulting Jeonghan’s opinion, Jun chose a small cozy coffee shop to treat the hybrid with some delicious dessert and drinks.

Later, hand in hand, the couple walked to the nearest shopping mall to buy some new clothes for Jeonghan and whatever he might need for his new life to settle in. In awe, the rabbit realized that Mingyu had actually picked a very wonderful apartment for them to live, because it seemed to be possible for them to walk comfortably to anywhere from home. Jun did not have a driving license, so it was definitely not a good idea to live far away from the downtown. The cost for the apartment must be high, and Jeonghan felt a little ashamed when thinking that he was adding more money to their monthly bills to pay.

Seungcheol would pay for all of the medical fee, but Jeonghan still felt bad about being a burden to everyone. At least, he had to pay them back something. He could not just let them spoil him the whole day. The rabbit just shivered at the thought of _living near the downtown_, because he remembered that Joshua said he liked to walk on his own to the places he wanted, which meant his best friend was probably living near this area too. He did not want to see Joshua or _someone_ here. He did not want to get into troubles again.

Recognizing the hesitation in his lover, Jun tried his best to encourage Jeonghan to pick more clothes, saying that clothes were the most basic things for a normal life and he would feel so horrible to see his omega having not enough clothes to change in a week. Whenever Jun said he would feel bad about something, Jeonghan seemed to be defeated right away, and the alpha quickly realized his bunny’s weakness: he could not bear seeing his loved people suffering even just a bit. Therefore, Jun guessed he would just make use of this point to slowly improve Jeonghan’s life and make him believe that he deserved so much more than what he already had.

Walking in the shopping mall, Jun had to secretly pinched himself over and over again to make sure he was not dreaming. It was surreal to have his bunny walking by his side, safe and smiling, and they did not have to hide this relationship any longer. The rabbit even had his mark now, wearing his clothes and having so much of his scent on his body. Jeonghan looked utterly comfortable when having his hand being held securely in Jun’s one, and they both found peace in each other’s presence.

The more they spent time together, the more the couple believed they were born for each other, since nobody could ever make them feel so matched before. Jeonghan loved to wear clothes in pastel while that was the exact colors Jun loved to see his fluffy bunny in. On the other hand, the rabbit loved to see his alpha in colors like blue, gray and white, and Jun just happened to like those colors. There were some exceptions in his wardrobe, as the shirt the hybrid was wearing was one of them, but they just easily fell in love with what their partner suggested.

Had Jun ever had the chance to experience those special feelings with Joshua? Definitely not, because Wonwoo had always got too much of the cat’s attention. Jun knew he was being selfish again, but he guessed everybody had the rights to desire all of the attention from the people he loved, and in his case right now those were certainly Mingyu and Jeonghan. They for sure had other people in their hearts, but Jun wholeheartedly appreciated the fact that they always made him feel like he was the only one they loved. The happier he felt, the more determined he was to make them feel as happy as he was feeling right now.

Jun asked Jeonghan to help him choose some new clothes for Mingyu, and the hybrid eagerly nodded, as this thought had been lingering in his mind from the moment he looked into their cart and found out that this trip was not merely for buying his clothes anymore. It would not be fair if they came home without something for the giant man, who was working very hard to feed all three of them. Jun was used to Mingyu’s clothes size while Jeonghan had been through years of serving his masters; therefore, it was easy for the couple to get some nice and cool shirts for the giant alpha.

However, Jun still found his heart heavy when he realized how hard Jeonghan was trying to observe and memorize everything. Just after Jun picked the correct size of a long-sleeved shirt for himself, the omega found the size chart of that shirt’s brand and examined it very carefully. From that on, Jeonghan could get another shirt of the same size for Jun no matter which brand it came from. It took time, but he managed to do it by himself, and Jun found his heart aching and melting at the same time because of his lover’s consideration. The rabbit did the same process when looking for some clothes for Mingyu, making Jun believe that his bunny would be used to everything related to him and his mate soon.

Perhaps Jeonghan was right. He could take care of Joshua for real, since the rabbit was evidently more mature and experienced. He was somehow dependent, but almost independent, and Jun surprisingly found this extraordinarily attractive to him, although he knew he himself was a very shamefully dependent alpha. Maybe, Jun’s dependence was the last characteristic that made it impossible for him to become the greatest alpha in Joshua’s heart. The cat loved his tenderness, but he was not the one who was destined for Joshua, as the boy obviously needed and wanted someone he could thoroughly rely on.

Anyway, Jun could never resist the desire to love and protect his bunny despite how dependent or strong the rabbit seemed to be. He guessed _“love”_ was the only answer for this feeling, and he desperately wished to be Jeonghan’s hero forever.

\-------------------------

Mingyu went home with a light heart today, already having a smile on his face while his left hand was unlocking the door into the apartment. There was undoubtedly a happy Jun inside and also a safe and contented Jeonghan. This was definitely one of the dreams the giant man had seen in his sleep in the past two months.

Nonetheless, Mingyu still did not expect to smell heavenly delicious food and a adorably sweet scent attacking his lungs right after opening the door and taking one step inside. The more shocking thing was to see Jeonghan right in front of him, and it was easy to realize that the hybrid was not standing here by coincidence. He had just came to the door, anticipation tinting in his eyes and his smile was speaking for him, welcoming the giant man home, causing his heart to skip a few beats. No, he believed he had just had a heart attack.

“H-hi, Hannie.” Mingyu stuttered a little while staring at the bunny who looked incredibly fluffy in pink and white pajamas. “I… I’m home.”

The alpha was still standing there like an idiot, in awe, while Jeonghan was slowly reaching two hands towards him, making a hundred more questions to appear in his mind. After one more second, Mingyu finally understood, handing his briefcase to the hybrid. His guess was just right; Jeonghan took the object right away with both hands, but he seemed to be still waiting for something else, and Mingyu was dumbfounded, confused, not knowing what to do after voicing out a small “thank you”.

Fortunately, Jun appeared just in time to help his mate, although he did not seem less surprised than his cousin.

“You’re home, Gyu.” The older alpha smiled and waved at his lover. “Let’s take off your blazer and come inside. Hannie’s made dinner for us.”

Mingyu eventually figured out, Jeonghan was waiting for his blazer. The giant alpha was still in shock, yet he smiled and tried his best to act normally when taking that thing off and gave it to the rabbit. It was not until now did the omega begin to turn away and run towards the bedroom. Both of the alphas wanted to scream at the hybrid and stop him from running immediately because he was pregnant now, but Jeonghan suddenly halted by himself, staring at a door confusingly. It was the one leading to Mingyu’s working room, and the giant man soon understood that the rabbit was not sure if he was allowed to go inside or not.

Hurriedly walking towards the door while the hybrid was turning to look at him, Mingyu smiled and opened the door for him, gently explaining.

“You can go everywhere. Don’t worry. This is your home. There’s no restriction.”

Instead of saying _“thank you”_, Jeonghan bowed to the alpha and walked inside the working room to put away the briefcase, and then walked out again, closing the door carefully before heading to the bedroom so as to put away the blazer. Mingyu took this chance to stare at Jun with wide eyes, and the older male just smiled, patting his shoulders.

“Come on, Gyu. Don’t be that surprised. Don’t you watch TV dramas every night? These are his habits. He’s treating you as his master.”

Being reminded of the _“habits”_, Mingyu instantly realized he was truly an idiot. It was impossible for Jeonghan to forget those habits after years of being a slave, and perhaps all of his owners used to force him to welcome them home every day. The giant man looked around, staring at the bags on the couch, and then landing his eyes on his mate who was undoing the tie for him.

“You and Jeonghan went shopping this afternoon, right?”

“Yeah.” Jun nodded, gently pushing his cousin towards their bedroom. “I know. I told him we would go out for dinner later but he wanted to cook for us so I just let him do it. Go get washed then eat, baby. I guess you won’t ever have to eat my disgusting dishes anymore.”

Mingyu laughed at his lover’s joke, but feeling genuinely warm in his heart. Both of them had already known how Jeonghan’s food tasted since they had had meals at Seungcheol’s house so many times and there was surely nothing to complain about the hybrid’s cooking skills. Maybe there was some necessary alteration to make the food more suitable for their taste, but they were overall great beyond expectation. Mingyu never blamed his Junnie for cooking not as well as he did, but it was truly nice and heartwarming to come home and bask in this smell of hot and delicious food. This felt exactly like _family_.

While Jun walked back to the kitchen to start setting up the table, the giant alpha reached the bedroom door right at the moment Jeonghan walked out, and Mingyu took this chance to pat the omega’s head tenderly, giving him a smile.

“Thank you so much, Hannie.”

One more time, the hybrid was shocked by the alpha’s kindness, as it was still too new for him to be treated so politely and lovingly. The rabbit thought he had just done a very small and simple thing, yet his alpha had already said _“thank you”_ to him twice in less than five minutes, as if it were a big deal. Of course it were a big deal for Mingyu, who had never thought of owning a slave and had never been married either. He used to have Joshua in his home, but Joshua did not act in this way. The boy also cooked, but he usually was still in the kitchen when his masters came home. The cat did not have the habits of welcoming his owners home.

Nonetheless, it was a pleasant kind of shock, because Jeonghan felt more and more appreciated after every single time Mingyu gave him a sincere praise. As a result, he smiled back to the alpha, happy and proud of himself. The omega knew he was being stupid for feeling proud of this, yet he could not help it. It was too difficult to change right now, and he guessed he would feel this way for a much longer time. His heart wanted to serve his alphas. It would be horribly frustrating if someone told me not to do these things to these sweet men who was giving him so much love and attention from now on.

Giving Jeonghan one last stroke on his smooth hair, Mingyu kept the smile on his face while telling the omega.

“I’ll go shower and be right back.”

The happy bunny nodded and began to run towards the kitchen again, making the big alpha startled and he had no choice but to say out loud.

“Hannie, don’t run! It’s dangerous for you!”

Hearing his cousin’s warning, Jun instantly appeared from the kitchen door, and he also grimaced at the sight of their running omega.

“Oh please Hannie! Don’t run! There’s no need to be that hurried! Just walk!”

They just forgot it. Rabbits hop everywhere. They did not walk. Jeonghan must feel happy when he was free to run or even hop around. Perhaps they would let him do that later, not now, not when he was having a little baby living inside him.

Smiling shyly at the two alphas, Jeonghan obediently nodded and started to waddle towards his gentle angel. Mingyu bolted into the bedroom, trying to make the freaking cute scene disappear from his sight. It was fortunate that he was not holding his briefcase anymore, because Mingyu knew he would have dropped it on the floor and that would be extremely embarrassing.

When Mingyu sat at the dining table, he grinned right after seeing many good-looking dishes, eager to eat all of them after such a long day at work. The food was not new to them, and Jeonghan cooking for these alphas was not anything new either, but the omega was watching them eat nervously, and he just kept smiling when realizing that his alphas were enjoying his dishes. The taste was different from Joshua’s food, yet it was delicious and tempting and having all they wanted for a warm and cozy dinner at home.

It was a whole new experience for Jeonghan to listen to his alphas talking and telling stories during dinner, since he had never been allowed to have meal with his masters in the past. When he was living with Seungcheol, the alpha did not tell him about his work. Consequently, the rabbit stared at his alphas now in awe, listening attentively to every single word coming from their mouths even though Jun was just talking about their trip to the shopping mall this afternoon.

Whereas, Mingyu gave some small stories or complaints about his day at the office. Jeonghan was surprised whenever the giant man turned to him while speaking, as if he was included in the conversation as well. Meanwhile, the two men occasionally placed some food into the omega’s bowl of rice, and asked him some questions to which he could answer just by a nod or a shake of his head. Jeonghan had never known that a normal meal without guests could last this long. He had never known that dinner was not just a time for eating.

The curious eyes of the bunny directed towards the two alphas broke their hearts brutally over and over again, forcing them to acknowledge how adorable but also how vulnerable their omega was. The life he had been through in the past was downright awful, very similar to a hell on Earth. Both Mingyu and Jun were afraid of making Jeonghan burst into tears again, since they could easily see how the rabbit was being astounded due to everything happening around him, and they were scared to think that perhaps Jeonghan was not aware of his own thoughts. His scent was pleasantly sweet, but it was also dreadful and filled with fear. They guessed the blonde omega was so insecure that he was worried all of this was just a dream and it would end at any time.

They would never let this heaven end. They were determined to keep Jeonghan in this heaven until the last day of his life.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is too sweet for my heart to handle ;_; They're too cute together ><  
In my opinion all of them are being very happy now >< The one who wis sufferring the most right now is Wonwoo ><
> 
> Please stay safe and take care of yourself as always!!!! I think I'm going back to work soon because the schools are reopening and I hope this will be a good thing ;_; It's so surreal to see that other countries are still handling serious situations while things are so perfect in my country ;_; I hope this isn't a dream ;_;
> 
> I love you ^^


	75. Blooming pain and blooming love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love was there to heal the wounds, yet the wounds were also there to make the love bloom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised with the length of this chapter. And it seriously gets me so depressed now.
> 
> I suggest the song Divine by SNSD for this chapter.
> 
> I hope you will enjoy it.

Mingyu was eager to help Jeonghan do the dishes but Jun insisted on doing it instead, and in a minute, the omega thought his two alphas were about to have a fight over who would wash those dishes today. The rabbit had the chance to see that Mingyu was still feeling like he had not been doing enough for his lover, and the hybrid was honestly surprised. He thought that he and Jun were supposed to be the one who felt bad for being a burden for the giant man and doing nothing to earn more money. Mingyu was acting like he had wandered around for nothing in a whole day while his two beloved people had been at home doing housework together.

After a while, Mingyu even said that he could do this task by himself so that not only Jun but also Jeonghan could rest and watch TV or do something else. The omega immediately shook his head with wide eyes, unable to endure the discomfort of letting an alpha in the house do that while he was playing around. It was horrible. It was a promise for punishment. It was an action of disgrace. As an omega hybrid, Jeonghan knew he was supposed to do all of those things. Letting Jun help him was already very bad.

Fortunately, realizing the panic in their bunny’s face, Mingyu and Jun got rid of the idea of pushing Jeonghan away instantly. Moreover, they knew it would be the best to end this discussion quickly, since their omega seemed to be very sensitive towards an argument between two masters in the house, and neither of them wanted to scare him. In the end, Jun won the battle while Mingyu walked towards the bedroom with a sulky expression on his face. Smiling to the confused rabbit, Jun shook his head.

“Don’t worry, Hannie. He isn’t mad. He wants to wash dishes every day but I really can’t let him do that.”

After finishing everything in the kitchen, Jun went to Mingyu’s office to get him to the living room, where Jeonghan was sitting next the shopping bags they had just got this afternoon. The giant man knew they had gone shopping together, but he definitely had not expected that they would buy something for him. In fact, he was given four new shirts and one T-shirt.

Just taking a quick look at the brands, Mingyu guessed he would never have to worry about the way Jun used money even a bit. He knew the clothes Jun bought for himself were cheaper than those he used to wear while they still lived with Wonwoo in the past, but his lover did not seem to have any trouble with it. Jun had no complaints over anything. Mingyu just knew that his clothes looked even more expensive than his older cousin’s clothes.

Out of curiosity, Mingyu asked what they had bought for themselves. While Jun was eager to show his cousin everything, Jeonghan looked seriously lost and confused, but still did as he was told, nervously showing what he had got to the giant alpha. Mingyu had thought they would buy more, but perhaps these were enough for the first trip to the shopping mall. Genuinely and wholeheartedly, he complimented the nice clothes Jun and Jeonghan had picked for him, and even the clothes they had got for themselves. It was not until now did the rabbit begin to brighten up slowly and smile again, as if he had just been worried a lot a few minutes ago.

Mingyu wanted to punch his own face right on the spot, realizing he had been very stupid. He was considered as the master of the house, and he had just asked Jun and Jeonghan to show him what they had bought _by his money_. Jun surely had no problem, but the hybrid must have panicked and thought that Mingyu was about to get upset and yell at them for spending too much on clothes.

He decided to ease out the omega’s worries a little more by smiling and saying gently.

“I think you will need to go to the shopping mall again soon. You guys haven’t bought clothes for you to wear when your belly gets bigger.”

Glancing at Jun, Mingyu caught his lover’s eyes widening, which proved that he had forgot this, but the older alpha just stammered and found an excuse.

“Oh well… Of course we will go back there soon. I don’t want to buy too many things at once.”

“I don’t know if Jun has told you about this or not…” Mingyu did not try to reveal his mate’s mistake, turning to Jeonghan again and reassuring him. “We will move to another house before you go into labor, or at least a bigger apartment. This place is not convenient enough for a baby. It looks fine now but at that time it will be a huge problem.”

Jeonghan’s face fell right after the announcement, and it took Mingyu less than half a second to figure out what the hybrid was thinking in his mind. Unable to endure it anymore, the giant alpha leaned over to scoop their bunny up and placed him on his lap, while Jun just watched them in silence, trusting his mate with his whole heart and shifted on the couch to sit closer to both of his lovers.

Jeonghan was not frightened. He was actually blushing, somehow flustered, but sitting still and staring at the young alpha through his shining eyes which Mingyu had just found extraordinarily beautiful. Once again, his heart ached and felt bad for making comparisons over and over again, but looking into the rabbit’s eyes, Mingyu could not help thinking of how Joshua looked so naïve, so innocent, while Jeonghan’s eyes did not look any less attractive, yet there was no sign of naivety left in those. The rabbit was broken to the point of losing all his hopes and faith in life, and Mingyu certainly believed it when Seungcheol told him Jun was his last hope.

There was nothing left for Jeonghan to hold onto. Mingyu knew he was an added part; the rabbit trusted him because he trusted Jun’s judgment. Was the giant alpha overthinking again? Perhaps he was, but he thought, in the case of a depressed person, he needed to put every emotion of Jeonghan into great consideration. Joshua used to have very low self-esteem and he sometimes showed it very clearly, yet Jeonghan’s distrust of his own values was always on display. Every word coming from their mouths could hurt the rabbit immediately and it would gradually kill him, eating him alive.

It was similar to how Mingyu had felt during the whole time he had been unable to help Jun get his love, and failed to see Joshua again, even just to talk. All he could do was looking at his kitten through the photos Wonwoo sent him, and no more, because he was _the monster_ Joshua was scared of.

Mingyu was not sure if he would be ever brave enough to face the boy again.

When holding Jeonghan’s hand, the big alpha wondered why it was possible for the rabbit to rarely feel cold while his hand was this cold. Even his body did not seem to radiate any warmth. Whereas, the hybrid stared at the two hands holding his both hands, feeling their rough hands so big, so warm, and so tender. Not only Mingyu but also Jun was showering their bunny with a lot of love and attention, letting him know how much he mattered to them.

“Please don’t worry about anything, Hannie. I promise.” Mingyu spoke, unaware of himself starting to beg the omega, getting all of the rabbit’s attention into his words, and his eyes. “I might not be as rich as Seungcheol, but I can proudly say I can afford a house…”

All of a sudden stopping at this word, in the middle of the sentence, Mingyu was destroyed by his own pain, being reminded of his promise to Joshua, his broken and ruined plan of having a happy life with his beloved kitten. He would never be able to live in that house with Joshua, never be able to have his kids, and perhaps the boy no longer remembered that long gone promise of a monster. Right now, all Mingyu had for himself, was Jun, and Jeonghan, who was sitting on his lap, staring at him with so much expectation and anticipation in his hopeless eyes.

The biggest difference was that, Mingyu was the sole focus of the rabbit right at this moment. Jeonghan was not being here because he had run away from someone. He was here because he wanted to, and his body just felt so soft, so relaxed in Mingyu’s arms. He wanted to hear. He wanted to know what his huge alpha was going to tell him.

Mingyu had started this by _“I promise”_. Jeonghan could never count how many times had the promises killed him in the past, but now, he was just deadly attracted by that word one more time, simply because he thought he found sincerity in the man in front of him. Mingyu was like Jun, trustworthy, and sincere in every word, every action.

Swallowing his own tears, Mingyu told himself again, that he was determined to try all he could to give Jeonghan everything he had, to give the omega anything he failed to give Joshua. He would never repeat this mistake ever again, and Jeonghan had to be happy at all cost. It also meant, no matter what, Mingyu would keep this bunny by his sides forever, not ever losing him again. Maybe he was being selfish, but Mingyu let himself be selfish this time, for this omega only, as it was the last thing he could do to make up for the love he had lost forever.

“I can afford a house that is big enough for all three of us and our children.” Mingyu continued, seeing Jun starting to shed tears behind the hybrid’s back. “I will design our own new house. We will have a big yard so that our kids can have a playground at home. If you like to plant roses, you can plant everywhere in our yard.”

“Mingyu’s right, Hannie.” Jun placed a kiss on Jeonghan’s head after a soft sniffle, confusing the omega, but the alpha stopped him from turning his head, keeping him still. “That’s our goal, our future life. We will live happily together like that. Do you agree?”

The rabbit scrambled to take out his note and wrote down. His whole face was screaming _“What the hell are they saying” _yet the alphas were both stroke by the anticipation in those eyes.

Jeonghan’s anticipation.

They knew it would be the thing that killed them over and over again from now on. They were painfully familiar with it. They both went through this once, and they failed. Was this a second chance? Could they fix their mistake this time to heal back their broken hearts, and bring a happy life to this fragile angel who deserved all of the best, like how Joshua deserved?

_“Our children?”_

“Yes, our children, Hannie, if you allow me to.” Mingyu answered with a smile while the streams of tears were cascading down his cheeks. “Sorry if I’m… I’m being overconfident now. Your and Junnie’s children. You’re his omega. Of course you two will have children, right?”

At this point, Jeonghan began crying as well, but it was easy for anyone to recognize, those were the tears of shock, of happiness. His hands trembled violently when he wrote on his note again. When the omega showed the note to his alphas, he did not direct it solely to one person. He was showing it to both Jun and Mingyu.

_“You really want to have children with me?”_

“Of course we don’t joke about important matter like this, Hannie.” Mingyu smiled, genuinely, while hearing the sounds of his heart breaking into pieces. His hand gently wiped away the tears on the rabbit’s cheeks, like how he had done to Joshua in a night two months ago. “We both want to.”

“I want to be your official and legal husband.” Jun rested his chin on Jeonghan’s shoulder, using the other free hand to hold his mate’s hand, the one that was holding the hybrid’s one. “I want to see both of our names on an official document. I want to see two similar rings on our hands.”

“You need to understand how much Junnie loves you.” The giant alpha added, getting the omega’s attention back to him again, and now their bunny began to use his slender and cold fingers to wipe the tears on his alpha’s face. There were still countless questions in his eyes, but Jeonghan was becoming braver and braver to his man, considerably less hesitant to show how much he also cared about them.

“Oh come on, Gyu. Don’t change topic like that!” Jun huffed, slapping his cousin’s arm, a little embarrassed. “Aren’t we talking about our future house?”

“This is related to what we’re talking.” Mingyu smiled lovingly to his cousin, and to Jeonghan, enjoying the feeling of the soft hand on his face. “This sounds mean but… you know Jun chose you over Joshua, right?”

Jeonghan was taken aback when his best friend was suddenly mentioned, but after a few more seconds, he nodded. Waiting no more, the two alphas together pressed closer to snuggle the rabbit tightly between their arms, while Jun whispered to his beloved bunny.

“That’s enough, Hannie. Now just leave everything for us to deal with. You just needs to live happily, okay?”

The rabbit could not stop feeling incredibly confused about everything, but he willingly let himself relax and bask in the affection both of his alphas were giving him, melting in their embraces, blushing under the tender kisses Jun placed on his cheeks. Meanwhile, Mingyu was slowly and carefully caressing his hair as if the man was afraid that he would damage this beautiful hair if he out too much force in his movement. Jeonghan was overwhelmed, yet it was enjoyable and heartwarming, and the smile effortlessly appeared on his face.

He knew he would become a spoilt brat in this place soon, and he knew he wanted at least fifteen minutes of cuddles like this every night in the future. Jeonghan was embarrassed to admit that he was so needy and greedy now, but he tried to convinced himself that he had the rights to do this, despite the fact that his brain knew he had cheated on his best friend and stolen this life away from Joshua.

They only stopped the cuddling session when Jun got a video phone call from his parents and he had to go to the dining room to talk to them in a silent space. The alpha wanted to introduced Jeonghan to his parents, since he had already let them know about his bunny anyway, but the omega shook his head vehemently, pulling his hand away from his alpha and sinking deeper into the couch. Jun wanted to persuade, but Mingyu disagreed.

“We can do this later, Junnie. It’s enough for him today. He can’t take more.”

Eventually, Jun listened to his cousin’s advice, and did not make Jeonghan do it anymore. He gave each of his lovers a kiss before walking to the dining room to start talking. It took Mingyu a few more minutes to explain to the rabbit that Jun’s parents wanted him to live with them until he was fully healthy but the older alpha insisted on living with his mate. Consequently, his two fathers called him frequently to check his conditions and make sure he was good. Jeonghan was quite sad since Jun could not be with him now, but he was a good omega, so he accepted this fact well and started doing the last necessary things of the day.

Jeonghan collected all of the new clothes and went to the bathroom to do laundry. Usually, Mingyu just carelessly threw the clothes into the washing machine, but Jeonghan spent surprisingly a lot of doing it, which caused the alpha to believe that the rabbit was considerate in everything he did. He could not believe someone would want to punish or even abandon such a precious omega, because Jeonghan seemed to be very good at housework and always careful in everything. Why were there so many assholes in this world? All they wanted from this bunny was just sexual pleasure? And they would throw him back into the pet shop just because the omega still had his own self-respect and disliked having sex with people he did not love?

This was seriously unfair.

Mingyu felt so lucky that Jeonghan met Seungcheol instead of some other bastards when he was thrown on the street after a horrible abortion.

Coming back to the living room simply because he did not know what to do now, Jeonghan was surprised to see Mingyu sitting on the couch with a book in his hands while the TV was on. What was he doing? Reading a book or watching TV? Right at that moment, a movie started to play on the screen, and the omega’s curiosity was drawn towards it immediately. When he was still in Seungcheol’s home, his alpha usually stayed in his office to work and he often chilled in the living room alone, watching movies or shows, but now things were different. This place could be considered as Mingyu’s bedroom, and Jeonghan was not sure if he was allowed to watch TV or not.

Fortunately, Mingyu quickly noticed the hybrid’s appearance, and he smiled.

“Oh Hannie! Are you gonna watch TV? A new movie’s just started. Come here!” Saying, the man patted the very spacious empty spot on the couch, waving at the omega and inviting.

Jeonghan’s whole face brightened up instantly, and he ran to the kitchen, leaving Mingyu confused, but he soon understood the reason when the rabbit came back one minute later with a large jelly cake in his hands and two forks. Sitting down, Jeonghan instantly brought both legs up onto the couch and folded them, placing the plate holding the cake on top of his own legs, giving the alpha a better look at the cake. It had already sliced into small parts, and the omega pierced one fork into one of them, giving to his alpha. Grinning brightly, Mingyu took the fork and used the other hand to stroke the hybrid’s hair.

“Aaaahh thank you so much!”

Honestly, Mingyu was surprised to see how much Jeonghan ate, because he guessed the hybrid was going to finish that cake tonight. If he had not had that intention, he should have cut a small part from the whole one and kept the leftover in the refrigerator. However, the alpha’s chain of thought was interrupted when he caught the rabbit’s eyes staring at his book and widening.

“Ah… I’m trying to learn.” Mingyu smiled and unconsciously scratched his head. “Junnie learns even faster than me. He’ll be able to understand your sign language soon.”

Jeonghan began to panic, obviously frightened when he hurriedly put the cake on the coffee table and took out his notes again to write.

_“Please, you don’t have to do that! I can write to you. You’re very busy. Please don’t spend so much time on it like that.”_

“No, we don’t argue about this anymore Hannie.” Mingyu shook his head and gently took the pencil away from the omega. “Jun and I have been learning this from last Saturday and we will make it. We can’t force you to get used to us. We genuinely want to be able to communicate with you conveniently, too. Seungcheol’s already told us that you started to talk to him much more after you two finished learning the sign language. If he can do it for you, then we can, too.”

Jeonghan felt terrible to make his alphas do this for him, but the stern look in Mingyu’s face firmly stated that he did not agree to discuss this problem anymore. No matter what the omega said, they would still do it. They could listen if their learning the sign language could harm the hybrid in some ways, but in this case all it did was doing him good. Consequently, Jeonghan was defeated, feeling thousands of flowers blossoming in his chest at the realization of how much both Jun and Mingyu were trying for him. They were like two heroes, two angels he had never known he would be lucky enough to get for himself.

Shyly getting the pencil back from Mingyu’s hand, Jeonghan wrote down something again, while the giant man eyed him carefully. This time, the content on the note made a bright smile appear on the alpha’s face.

_“Thank you a lot.”_

“No need to say that.” Mingyu grinned and patted the rabbit’s head tenderly, but suddenly melting when seeing the omega leaning to his touch. “It’s our pleasure. Now just watch TV, Hannie. You come here just in time a new movie starts.”

Nodding obediently, Jeonghan put the notes and the pencil on the coffee table to make room for the plate of jelly cake back on his folded legs. With a fork in his hand, the hybrid began to watch the movie with subtitles while eating the cake. After a few minutes, Jeonghan glanced towards his alpha, realizing that his fork had already been empty, so he lightly gripped the man’s sleeve and pulled a little to make Mingyu look at him. Understanding that the bunny was inviting him to eat more, the alpha shook his head, still with a loving and warm smile on his face.

“Thank you but I’m super full after your delicious dinner, Hannie. Just have it all for yourself.”

Mingyu almost died of a heart attack and dropped his book because of the happy smile on the face of the blonde beauty who was sitting half a meter away from him. Jeonghan got the compliment, and he did not feel bad when eating his cake alone anymore, since Mingyu had just said that dinner was good. The hybrid did notice it. He had watched the most powerful alpha in the house eat and was relieved to see that the man ate a lot. No wonder he was full now.

Jeonghan did not know why he could still be hungry now. Probably just because he was pregnant now. His body needed so much food for not only himself but also his baby.

Minutes went by, Mingyu soon lost his concentration on the book and his eyes were soon glued on the fluffy hybrid next to him. Jeonghan did not know he was being stared at because he was highly focusing on the movie, but he did not need to look in order to feed himself. The omega’s hand naturally picked the piece of cake and brought it to his mouth, chewing it without taking his eyes away from the screen. Mingyu did not know why but he truly felt happy to watch his loved ones eating comfortably like this, as if it was something that proved how good he had been doing in taking care of his family. As the master of the place, Mingyu felt responsible for the well-being of his Junnie and their bunny.

It was so relieved, so happy, so contented to see Jeonghan here, safe and eating delicious food right next to him, with enough clothes to be warm and healthy. It was a dream coming true, and the giant man spent a few more minutes indulging in this pleasure before heading to the kitchen.

At the moment Mingyu reached the door going back to the living room, he saw Jeonghan already looking towards his direction, and his eyes were twinkling as they captured the two mugs in the alpha’s hands. Mingyu had originally made three mugs of hot chocolate, and one of them had already been left for Jun who was still talking to his parents in the dining room. Jeonghan was extraordinarily excited to receive the mug from his alpha, and once again he bowed instead of saying _“thank you”_ to Mingyu. The kind man reminded his omega to be careful since the mug was still very hot, and Jeonghan kept that in his mind, placing the object on the coffee table to wait a little more, mimicking the way his alpha was doing to his own mug. From time to time, he would pick it up and sipped a little, while still eating his jelly cake and enjoying his peaceful night at home.

It was terribly difficult for Mingyu to focus on learning now, not when there was a giggling bunny on the same couch with him. It was nice to hear some small sounds from Jeonghan, since at least they made the giant man know that their omega was not completely mute. The rabbit could possibly get his voice back one day.

Mingyu believed he and Jun could make it happen.

He just did not know that this peaceful atmosphere would make him feel this sleepy.

All of a sudden, Jeonghan heard some cracking sounds coming from somewhere very close to him. Startled and turning to look at the other person in the room, he saw Mingyu stretching and squeezing some of his joints and muscles, which was a sign of him feeling tired or having a pain on his body. Immediately, the hybrid felt extremely bad for taking the couch. Scrambling to get out of it, he thought he should sit on the armchair instead, even though the view was a bit worse there. He still could watch TV anyway, while Mingyu only had this couch to lie on.

Nonetheless, the alpha did not let the rabbit go. He was fast to understand what Jeonghan was thinking and he needed to stop it. Holding the omega’s wrist and pulling him to sit back down, Mingyu shook his head furiously.

“No no no no please don’t go, Hannie! Just sit here. I think… the couch is big enough for both of us. I can lie down while you’re still sitting here.” Feeling the need to give more reasons to convince the hybrid, Mingyu continued to explain. “Jun and I do that many times. That’s why we bought such a huge couch like this.”

Jeonghan was considerably doubtful about this, staring at Mingyu unblinkingly while his eyes were slowly narrowing. The alpha was very ready to beg his bunny to stop worrying and just relax in his home, but before he could open his mouth again, Jeonghan had got his notes and pencil to write a sentence. Mingyu might not have noticed it, but through that so called explanation, the omega realized that his alpha _always lied here watching TV every night_ and he was just sitting today since the place was taken.

_“So please lie down if you are tired. I will make room for you.”_

“Uh…. Okay. Thank you, Hannie.” Mingyu was reluctant and even a bit embarrassed when the omega moved towards the other end of the couch, giving him enough space to lie down. It was his mistake to reveal how tired he was, yet it was already too late to fix now. Jeonghan had seen it, and he would make the omega feel bad if he declined the offer. If the rabbit felt bad, Mingyu would feel guilty.

As a result, the alpha finished his mug of hot chocolate and proceeded to lie down on the large empty space of the couch. The soft surface gently welcomed Mingyu’s back instantly, flooding his body with comfort, but the man absolutely did not expect his head to be supported by something instead of falling right on the couch. Right at that moment, his heart decided to stop beating normally as his eyes captured the image of the beautiful bunny’s face above him. It was obvious to Mingyu now, that he was lying with his head on the omega’s lap, and Jeonghan was just killing him bit by bit when looked down at him through those melancholy but breathtaking eyes. From this position, the aroma of lavender was so clear in the alpha’s nose, tempting him to bury his face into the soft fabric of the pajamas his rabbit was wearing to nuzzle into his stomach.

Mingyu disliked the fact that he could smell Wonwoo from Jeonghan, and the rabbit just naturally smelled like family to him in every second. Mingyu hated how he was reminded of his cousin while being close to Jeonghan. It confused him, making him lost, unable to detect if he was being drawn towards the omega, or he was just attracted by the notion of family, the reminiscence of the cousin who was the closest to him besides Junnie.

That baby would possibly called Mingyu _“dad”_, not only because they were in a polyamory relationship, but also because it was simply impossible for Jun to cover the true identity of the child. Nobody would ever question the baby’s noble gene if Mingyu claimed to be the real blood father.

Inhaling deeply to fill his lungs with the sweet scent, Mingyu wanted to close his eyes and sleep right away, but also wanted to keep staring at his bunny longer and longer. There was no need to question Mingyu’s opinion about this, as all of his feelings were already shown clearly on his face, which caused the omega to feel shy and slightly embarrassed. Nevertheless, he just smiled when hearing a quiet _“thank you”_ from his alpha and turned his attention back to the television. Like what Mingyu had expected, Jeonghan gently placed his hand on the alpha’s chest and just simply kept it there, not moving, yet enough to bring incredible comfort to the man who had thought that he would never have the chance to experience tenderness from an omega ever again.

Mingyu picked up his book to resume his studying process, but it was too hard to do that now, when Jeonghan’s nice and lovely scent was luring him into sleep and the bunny’s other hand was languidly running through the alpha’s hair, using his slender fingers to massage the man’s scalp. Jeonghan’s jelly cake had already been gone a long while ago, and all the omega was doing now was watching movie, drinking his hot chocolate, and playing with Mingyu’s hair. The alpha wondered if his bunny was aware of his own actions, but he guessed he would not need to care much, because it felt so nice, so comfortable, and so warm.

This was so real. Jeonghan was right here, using his lap as a pillow for Mingyu to rest his head on, while his hands were giving him the real comfort that had never come in his dreams. Mingyu finally had Jeonghan here, right in his house, right next to him, and he had no need to feel sickly worried about the rabbit’s condition any longer, because Jeonghan was under his protection now. Mingyu felt so relieved, so happy, so contented, so light, just because Jeonghan was here, as their bunny, their omega.

And _his omega_.

This was surreal, yet Mingyu was given enough to believe that he was given a heaven on Earth again, as God had decided to give him a second chance.

With those beautiful and happy thoughts, Mingyu fell asleep peacefully, dropping the book on his own chest, and he did not know, that his bunny gently took the book away from him to place it on the table. When his hand was free, Jeonghan put it back on the alpha’s chest again, willingly letting some parts of the movie pass by in front of him to watch _his new alpha_. There was a strange feeling in his heart when the giant man instantly turned his head and pressed his face into the omega’s torso after Jeonghan’s hand carefully moved it towards that direction, as if Mingyu had already been waiting for this to happen.

Why did Joshua use to be scared of this person? Jeonghan was not sure why, because he had never had the same thoughts as his best friend. The rabbit knew the one who made him feel most comfortable among the three alphas was definitely Jun, but he had never felt threatened by Mingyu. Whereas, the cat seemed to be extremely safe with the one Jeonghan found the most scary. Perhaps his taste was simply different from Joshua’s. While the boy wanted to have someone to protect him, someone for him to thoroughly rely on, the rabbit desired love and tenderness.

Jeonghan was already sick of the rich and powerful men who had bought him and thrown him back to the pet shop brutally after playing with him and torturing him enough (except for Seungcheol, who loved him and did the best thing for him). All he wanted from a man was the will to love him and treat him with all the best they had. Both Jun and Mingyu were trying harder than anyone else, causing Jeonghan to feel like he was truly living in his own home where everyone loved and adored each other. Even though he did not know much about Mingyu, and he could not say that the giant alpha loved him either, he was confident to believe he was allowed to take care of both of them, and to bask in the attention Mingyu was giving him wholeheartedly.

Perhaps, the alpha would not sleep here so easily like this if part of his mind considered Jeonghan as an outsider. They were family. How could Mingyu have such a big heart? How could he take a person into his home just because that was the one his lover wanted? Jeonghan had never thought he could accept an omega whom his alpha suddenly brought into his house. The only exception for him was Joshua and just Joshua. Nonetheless, Joshua was his best friend, while he was nothing to Mingyu. He was even the reason of his and Joshua’s broken love. If Jeonghan had never had a love affair with Jun, Seungcheol would not take revenge on them, and the giant man would possibly still live happily with his cat today.

Mingyu really did not hold grudges towards anything?

Jeonghan was still in awe, yet he decided to let it be, to enjoy this life, and turned his eyes back to the screen to watch the movie. The mug of chocolate was still warm, sweet, and delicious, while the alpha on his lap was sound asleep, occasionally nuzzling into his torso like a giant puppy. His personality was warm. His body felt warm on the omega’s lap, and even his scent smelled warm too, as if this man was born to make every broken heart in this world feel the warmth of the sun again.

Not long after that, Jeonghan was drawn into the movie and he barely noticed what he was doing with Mingyu anymore. The omega only knew he was having one hand the alpha’s chest and the other one caressing his hair. Sometimes, Mingyu shifted to change his position, and his huge figure caused a lot of movements on the couch, yet the head still stayed on the hybrid’s lap.

When the movie ended, there was a music show which Jeonghan did not pay much attention to, and his eyes returned to Mingyu’s face. The alpha was sleeping like a log, having no idea about what was happening around him. No matter how many times the omega touched his hair or his face, he would not wake up. The rabbit wondered if Mingyu was dreaming of something joyful in his slumber, because he from time to time smiled in his sleep. What was more interesting was that the man even yawned while sleeping although Jeonghan had never known it was possible. It caused him to giggle, and those adorable sounds came to Jun’s ears right at the moment he left the kitchen to come into the living room.

“Sorry guys my dads…”

Jun intended to apologize to his lovers for his absence which had lasted for almost two hours, but his saying was interrupted as he saw a wonderfully lovely scene on the couch. Cooing at his two lovers, the alpha came to kneel on the floor in front of his bunny, happy to see his omega smiling at him happily and reaching his hand out towards him. Holding that soft hand in his own one, Jun could not help crooning at his alpha, watching Mingyu sleeping and smiling like an idiot in his sleep.

“He looks so cute.” Jun whispered, yet Jeonghan was not sure the alpha was talking to him or just to himself. Jun only looked at his bunny again after caressing his cousin’s face, his voice low and quiet. “You know, after that day, he only slept when he was in bed at night. He never slept in front of the TV like how he had always done in the past, when we had been all together and happy.”

Sighing and tightening his hand around the smaller one, Jun brought it closer to his face and placed a tender kiss on Jeonghan’s fingers, creating a light shade of pink on the hybrid’s cheeks.

“He’s been trying very hard to help me find you. I guess Seungcheol didn’t tell you, but Mingyu tried to contact him continuously in the past six weeks. Seungcheol ignored him at first but he ended up getting so annoyed that he decided to send Mingyu an email every week to let us know that you were still fine. Well… I won’t say that was very precise and helpful, but at least… that was all Mingyu managed to get for me during the whole time. I knew he tried very hard, and all those efforts were just for me. He gets nothing from them.”

Jun was right. Jeonghan had never heard Seungcheol saying anything about Mingyu or Jun asking about his conditions; that was why he had always thought that he would never have any chance to see his gentle angel again. It was Seungcheol’s selfishness and possessiveness, but the rabbit did not blame him. He would not blame Seungcheol for anything, because the alpha was sacrificing his own ego, his own happiness for him. Seungcheol wanted to get better, and he would be.

Mingyu also sacrificed, but for Jun, and the story Jeonghan had just heard was still a little unexpected to him. Nonetheless, gradually, he realized how much Jun seriously loved his mate, and how much Jun wanted his omega to love Mingyu as well. How many times had Jun complimented his younger cousin? Jeonghan gave up on counting, and he knew his angel would do that over and over again.

“I want to let you know that no matter what the reason is, he really cares about you now.” Jun lowered his voice even more, sincerely staring into his bunny’s eyes, thumb stroking the back of his hand. “I guess he’s been gradually affected by my worries. It’s like a chain reaction. When I knew you were suffering, I felt terrible, and then Mingyu felt bad too, maybe even worse. Therefore, he wants you to be happy, so that I can be happy too. Through a long period of time, he just automatically cares about your feelings, and your well-being. I guess… he feels so relieved now. That’s why he’s sleeping like this. He can put down many worries from now on.”

Sighing again but smiling at his sleeping alpha, Jun gently caressed the younger man’s face one more time.

“Mingyu is the purest and kindest person in this world, Hannie. He doesn’t care about his own feelings. I know he’s a man; he knows what jealousy is, but I think he just ignores it. He bought peppermint oil for me. He tries to help me take care of you. He is extremely eager to give the bed to me and you. He even let me hit him in the past, when I lost control of myself. I couldn’t really remember it and he didn’t say anything about it either, but my dads told me that they saw bruises on his back, and I saw scratches on his hands. He won’t ever complain about anything.”

Jeonghan’s eyes widened at the mention of Jun’s loss of control, but the alpha decided that this was not the right time to talk about it. In fact, he did not want to discuss that incidence further, so he just continued to speak, giving his omega one more kiss on his hand.

“I promise, you won’t ever have to worry about him. He doesn’t know how to get mad. He won’t be angry of you for any reasons. He’s smart, he’s gentle, and he isn’t an asshole.”

The rabbit nodded, willing to do what his alpha had just said, since he thought he had seen and felt enough to trust both of the alphas. The level of faith he had for each of the alphas could not be the same yet, but Jeonghan knew Mingyu was reliable enough for him to sleep well at night without worrying about being attacked and devoured by a monster. For now, that was more than enough for the rabbit to enjoy his new life.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tears flooded my whole house when I wrote the part of Mingyu thinking of his broken love with Joshua T_T I can't believe that I can go through the whole torture of my characters for months (half a year) and then I broke down when Mingyu was thinking of his misery ;_; It is surprisingly painful. I cried so much that my sight was blurred in the next day ;_; Poor Mingyu ;_;
> 
> The whole thought of loving Jeonghan to make up for the failures Mingyu has done to Joshua is painful ;_;
> 
> And he's thinking of Wonwoo when being with Jeonghan ;_; That's another kind of pain T_T 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the fluffy parts of this chapter ;_; The pain took control and I still felt it when I wrote the fluffy part ;_; But anyway Mingyu is getting a lot of love now .
> 
> I hope you're safe and healthy as always! Please be careful and take care of yourself. I'm sorry but it's hard for me to be cheerful now, but I still really want to know how you feel about this chapter. Are you sad like how I am now? 
> 
> I love you!
> 
> Also... I will go back to my part-time job next week, and I honestly feel scared now. I thought I was getting better through a long period of time resting at home but I'm really scared of going back to normal life now. I will have to face so many people, to travle to another city by myself, to live in my rent room alone, and to do everything alone but not really alone because there will be so many strangers around me.
> 
> And I'm a pig after this quarantine. I've gained more than five kilos. What a nightmare. So horrible. I starved myself to lose weight in the past, and I'm about to go through that process again.
> 
> I'm sorry for ranting too much here.


	76. Some things were going to be fine; some other things were out of control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu was still confused and heartbroken.  
Jun was both sad and happy.  
Jeonghan was frustrated but also happy.  
Joshua was a mess.  
Wonwoo was exhausted but determined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi~~~ I'm back with a new chapter. I'm sad because the previous chapter got just a little attention but now I hope this one will be better ;_; 
> 
> You will have all JunGyu, JunHan and WonShua here.

Satisfied with the omega’s attitude, Jun smiled back at him and decided to wake Mingyu up since it was already half past ten and Jeonghan should go to bed now. Jun needed to sleep early too, because the doctors said he still needed a lot of rest to be fully healthy. Before doing that, he went to fetch the blankets and pillows for his cousin from the bedroom, surprising the hybrid by the amounts of thing the younger alpha was going to have for his night. That was seriously a very generous and maybe unnecessary amount of blankets and pillows for only one person, but he thought Mingyu deserved it. He deserved a lot more.

Mingyu was dragged out of his slumber in the sweetest way as he felt a kiss on his cheek and Jun’s voice calling his name right by his ear.

When the giant alpha opened his eyes, he just wanted to close them and go back to sleep, because he was surrounded by all of the sweetest things in the world. Jun’s lips were still lingering on his cheek while Jeonghan’s hands were still in his hair and his face as well. One of his hand was being held by Jun’s one, and Mingyu thought he might be dreaming. The two other males chuckled at the scene of their huge man whining, frowning and closing his eyes, looking like he refused to wake up.

Jun actually did not want to destroy his mate’s sleep, but he felt heartbroken just by thinking of Mingyu waking up in the middle of the night and finding himself lying alone in the dark living room. How would Mingyu feel then? Jun did not dare to imagine. He thought it would be much better to tell Mingyu a proper good night right now, and this would be a good way to bring Jeonghan closer to his giant alpha.

It took Jun about ten minutes to finally successfully wake his alpha up after a lot of kissing and whispering into his ears. Mingyu whined but he still smiled brightly at his two lovers, looking somehow like an idiot, but effortlessly cute in Jun’s eyes. Right at this moment, Jeonghan felt extremely bad for making this man sleep on the couch, but he seriously had no other choice currently. He knew what his alphas wanted for him, and he knew he could not endure sleeping in the same bed with Mingyu, at least for now.

Jeonghan’s mind was brought back to reality when he suddenly saw the big alpha leaning over to him, already sitting up straight. The omega’s face began to heat up even before Mingyu kissed his forehead and murmured _“Good night, Hannie”_ to him. Despite being embarrassed, the rabbit smiled shyly at his alpha and decided to kiss him back on his cheek as well. He did not say anything, but Mingyu understood this was a sweet good night kiss which made his lips curve up and smile again. Nothing had ever prepared the giant man for the fact that Jeonghan was this adorable and affectionate, but this was such a nice surprise that Mingyu found himself drowning in the ocean of honey which the rabbit had just brought into his life.

“Can you go to our bedroom first, Hannie?” Jun told the hybrid, hand still holding Mingyu’s one. “I need to talk to Mingyu a bit.”

Jeonghan obediently nodded and received a smack on his cheek from Jun. Deciding that he should do that too, the younger alpha also placed another kiss on the other cheek of their bunny, burning the omega’s face as he ran to the bedroom.

“Hannie, don’t run!” The two men shouted simultaneously, startled to death by the sight of their running pregnant omega.

Reminded of this problem, the rabbit stopped running as he was told right away, yet began to waddle again towards his destination. Mingyu looked so whipped that Jun had to try very hard to hold back his laughter, amused by how his mate was also attracted by Jeonghan’s lovely charm. Jun realized that nobody should ever judge the rabbit just after meeting him a few times, because Jun’s bunny and Seungcheol’s mate he had seen at the mansion were very different from each other. This side of Jeonghan was only shown to people whom he felt particularly comfortable with.

Mingyu was caught off guard when Jun all of a sudden climbed onto his lap, straddling his waist and draping two arms over his shoulders. Using two hands to hold his cousin’s hips tenderly, the giant alpha stared into his lover’s eyes, adoring how loving his mate was looking at him, but also feeling his heart dropping because of the sadness in them. Jun pouted, murmuring quietly on his alpha’s lips.

“I will definitely get you back on our bed soon. I don’t like to sleep without my bear!”

Mingyu could not voice out any answer, because his lover had sealed his lips by countless gentle kisses. Having no reason to complain or protest, the younger man happily kissed his mate back and closed his arm around the smaller body to hug him tightly between the kisses. They could get more passionate, more enthusiastic, or more sensual, but never rough, because Jun was always gentle, and Mingyu never wanted to hurt his Junnie even just a little bit.

“I wish you had tastes like how hybrids have their own taste.” Jun whispered and bit his mate’s lips lightly. “So that I can get some of your taste in my mouth when going to sleep.”

“Just a night, baby. You’ll be fine.” Mingyu smiled calmly, but his heart was actually dancing madly in his chest. “You’ll see me again in just a few more hours.”

“You have to know that…” Jun became shy now, and his volume got incredibly lower. His eyes were not keeping contact with Mingyu’s anymore. “…from the night I let you kiss me… I’ve never slept without you in peace… All of those nights were full of my tears.”

It was not until now did Mingyu realize how much his presence help his Junnie feel safe and protected. Jun did not just simply wanted someone to sleep together with him. He needed a person who he loved and trusted unconditionally. Jeonghan’s presence was not enough to make him feel that he would sleep well. He needed his Mingyu. He wanted his baby bear, because no one could ever replace Mingyu.

Mingyu was not someone who could be replaced. Jun knew it. Even if right now some magic turned Wonwoo into a perfect man like Mingyu, Jun would still not believe that the lead alpha could replace his giant lover, since Mingyu was unique.

Moreover, it was literally impossible for Wonwoo or anyone to become perfect and flawless like Mingyu. In this life, there were things which could only happen in one way and no other way was practical. Right now, Jun believed he was walking on the most precise path of his way. It was not perfect, since there were still sadness and pain, but this was undoubtedly right, and would never bring him any regrets. 

“You won’t cry today, Junnie.” Mingyu lowered his voice, caressing his lover’s face slowly and lovingly. “You have Jeonghan with you now. You see, I told you everything would be fine, right?”

Jun chuckled lightly, leaning his face to the palm of his cousin.

“Yeah… I guess… we’re almost fine now.”

“We will be fine.” Mingyu reassured firmly, although Jun could never know how could his mate be this sure about a positive future for all of them. “Minghao said Joshua bought a lot of rabbit plushies. There must be a chance for him to forgive you and Hannie.”

“But what about you?” The older alpha questioned nervously and sadly. “Will he ever calm down and love you again?”

“I guess not.” Mingyu laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “I’m not Wonwoo. I’m not you or Jeonghan either. He won’t want to see this monster.”

Jun shook his head vigorously, hugging his lover tightly while his voice got so much louder.

“No! Please don’t say that, Gyu! You aren’t a monster! Joshua must know that! Or if he really doesn’t know… I will try all I can to let him know! He can’t misunderstand you forever, because it’s not right! It’s just… it’s too wrong if he thinks that you are a monster forever! It might take time but he will get over his trauma!”

“Okay okay calm down, Junnie.” Mingyu shushed his mate, rubbing Jun’s back lovingly. “We will try to find a solution for that later, okay? Just… not right now. Now you have to rest, and focus on helping Hannie settle in first. Okay?”

Jun huffed, obviously displeased with his mate’s reaction.

“You’re always like that! Skipping topic whenever we talk about your problems! I hate you! You think you can easily fool me? No! I know it all! Don’t think I’m a kid!”

“I know you aren’t a kid, Junnie. I never mean that.” Mingyu pulled his cousin into his embrace and squeezed him tightly, nuzzling his face into Jun’s neck. “But please don’t worry about me too much. I’m fine! I’m totally fine!”

“If you were really fine, you wouldn’t have cried when promising to Hannie.” Jun had just stated that he hated Mingyu a few seconds ago, but now he just squeezed his cousin back, pressing his face into the giant man’s shoulder. “Please let me love you, Gyu.”

Right after that sentence from Jun, Mingyu did not say anything more, only silently hugging his lover to bask in the love he had been doubting from the beginning until now. In this moment, Jun could not resist the urge to kiss his baby bear one more time, and he just did it, stealing his lover’s breath away by taking his lips and inviting the giant man to join him in this intimate moment. Nonetheless, what Mingyu paid most of his attention to was what his cousin whispered to him on his lips.

“I love you, Mingyu.”

“I love you too, Junnie.” The giant man answered instantly, and hurriedly devoured his mate’s lips, not allowing him to speak anymore.

Jun did not want to talk more either. His heart desperately wanted to have Mingyu by his sides tonight, and in some seconds, he even thought of letting Jeonghan sleep alone in the bedroom while he brought his pillow into this living room to sleep on the couch with his alpha. Jun knew Mingyu could endure having one person lying on top of him for the whole night long; therefore, they would have no problem with sharing the couch. Nonetheless, Jun had to hold back his desire, knowing that it would be very cruel to leave his bunny alone, because Jeonghan was in the condition of being unable to be abandoned. He needed someone with him through the night.

Jun felt so frustrated.

Mingyu could hear the growls and groans coming from his cousin, and they sounded seriously sexy to him, even though he was not sure why his Junnie was letting out those sounds. Furthermore, the more the kissed, the more Jun shifted continuously on the giant man’s lap, starting to bring some abnormal feelings to the younger alpha. Mingyu tried to check if Jun’s skin was being heated up or not, but his lover seemed to be perfectly normal, having no sign of having a stroke or anything.

Was Jun attempting to seduce his mate? Mingyu could not make sure, a little bit hesitant, but severely turned on by his lover’s sexy sounds and hot kisses. Things only got worse when the giant man failed to control his hands and they slowly reached down to grope his lover’s ass cheeks and squeezed hard, eliciting some very loud and lewd moans from his Junnie. Pulling away from the kisses, Mingyu chuckled and teased his cousin, loving the appearance of his mate, who already looked so wrecked by sexual desire.

“Shhh, Junnie. You’re so loud. Hannie will hear you.”

“It’s your fault!” Jun accused, frowning deeply and swatting his alpha’s shoulder. “You did that to me and now you scold me because I’m too loud?”

Mingyu did not relent, even worsening the situation by placing his lips extremely close to his mate’s ear and murmur while his sinful hands continued to play with those round butt cheeks.

“I thought you’re the one who grind on my dick first, baby.”

“Why do you bully me?” Jun whined and wriggled his body, but Mingyu could recognize that his cousin simply wanted to be loved and spoiled. He did not mean anything bad, which was being shown evidently through the way Jun reduced his volume in such a seductive way and rested his forehead on his cousin’s.

Smiling, Mingyu kissed the tempting lips in front of him while his mate’s fingers were slowly tangling in his hair intimately and provokingly.

“I’ve treated you like a prince and now you’re absolutely a spoilt brat, Junnie!”

“It’s your fault! You have to take responsibility!” The older alpha bit his lover’s lower lip very hard this time, groaning and breathing hot air into his mouth. “I hate you! You made me think of you through every single step when I went shopping with Hannie this afternoon.”

“Wait… what?” Startled, the giant man pulled his cousin away, stuttering, eyes widening in panic. “It… it hurts that bad? In… in every single step? And even now?”

“Yeah, because I’m not an omega and I wasn’t born for this.” Jun did not accept being pulled away, and he leaned over to wrap his arms around Mingyu’s neck again, kissing the corner of his lips. “But it’s worth.”

“No, it isn’t, Junnie.” The younger male was downright frightened and guilty. His face looked so miserable that Jun instantly regretted telling him about this. Mingyu felt terrible, feeling like he was a monster who did not care about his lover’s feelings. “I’m sorry I didn’t know it would be this bad. I… I’m sorry. You were passionate last night and you didn’t seem to be in pain so I thought it would be okay…”

“It’s really okay, Gyu. It does hurt, but I don’t care.” Stopping kissing, Jun hugged his mate and nuzzled his face into the bigger man’s neck. “Honestly I felt so wrong in the past when we claimed to be mated but I didn’t let you fuck me even once… Everything feels right, now, Gyu.”

Shaking his head and still frowning in agony, Mingyu squeezed his Junnie tightly, sounding just like he were about to cry right on the spot.

“How can it be right when you’re in pain because of me?”

“It would be wrong if you forced me to do this.” Jun smiled while saying, because he had so much faith in his best man, his baby bear. “But I’m the one who asked for this. I’m an adult, baby. I know what’s right and what isn’t. I knew I would get hurt after last night but I didn’t care and I don’t care now, either.”

Sitting straight up to stare into Mingyu’s sad and teary eyes, Jun placed a gentle kiss on his alpha’s cheek, bringing one of the giant man’s hand up to touch the mark on his neck.

“How many times have I told you that I hate you, Gyu? Don’t tell me you still don’t understand what I mean.”

“But… I’m literally the one who brought pain to you, Junnie.” Mingyu’s tears started to fall again, and Jun felt his heart immediately aching.

“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t do it intentionally. It’s my choice.” Jun shook his head, tenderly wiping his mate’s tears, and caressing his face. “Please, just let me love you, Mingyu! You think I would have let you fuck me like that if I didn’t love you? I’m not a whore, baby.”

While Mingyu was still flustered and confused, Jun leaned towards the pile of blankets and pillows to take out from between them a bottle of lube, which made the younger alpha’s eyes even wider than previously. Without asking, Jun just pulled his lover’s pants and boxer down, enough for him to take his dick out. The mood had been killed considerably, yet Jun was determined to get this dick for himself tonight, so he just started to stroke it in an attempt to bring it to its full size. Mingyu just stared at his lover in silence, watching his dick hardening in his mate’s hand.

The deep groans soon escaped the giant alpha’s mouth and Jun found them annoyingly hot, yet his alpha was still not touching him at all. Unable to endure this, running out of patience, Jun got out of his cousin’s lap to take off his pants and underwear completely. In the blink of an eye, he went back to his lover’s lap, handing Mingyu the bottle of lube.

Mingyu began to growl when Jun grabbed both of their dicks and stroked them together.

“I know you jerked off alone in the bathroom when I was injured… and I was really eager… I just wanted to heal quickly so that we can do this together.” Kissing his alpha, Jun was happy to be kissed back, to feel Mingyu’s lips moving on his own. He was letting out breathless moan just by the feelings of their dicks brushing against each other. “From the first time we did this together… I already knew this was right, baby… I know nothing’s wrong. Everything feels right. Have you ever felt this way, honey?”

“Yes…” Mingyu whispered, eyes lustful but loving at the same time, burning his lover’s skin but also melting his heart. “Everything about you feels perfect to me.”

“Then what are you worrying about?” Jun bit his mate’s lips one more time, grazing his teeth there to tease Mingyu and trigger his desire. “Love me, my bear!”

Eventually, the giant alpha succumbed to his thirst for the love of his life, hungrily kissing Jun lips and determined to devour his soul. Wasting no time, Mingyu squirted the bottle to cover his fingers on his left hand with lube, and quickly used them to open his lover’s entrance. Jun finally smiled and let out a soft chuckle, satisfied to get his mate’s deft fingers inside him, and he sat up, hurriedly unbuttoning his shirt so as just to make it easy and convenient to push Mingyu’s head into his bare chest. Getting the hint, Mingyu opened his mouth immediately to take in the pebbled nipple, sucking harshly and making his lover mewl erotically.

“Turn down your volume, Junnie.” Pulling only a centimeter away, Mingyu reminded his cousin. “Hannie might hear you.”

“I… I can’t!” Jun furiously shook his head, impatiently forcing his alpha to continue sucking. “Not… not when you’re… doing this…”

However, Mingyu stopped again, and Jun could only groan in frustration. The bigger man’s dick was fully hard and it looked so hot that Jun just wished he could get this knot tonight, but his mate seemed to be still much more sober than he was.

“You really… want to do this here?” Mingyu asked nervously, eying his lover suspiciously.

“Yeah… Just… Just do it right here, Gyu!” Jun tried to grind on his lover’s three fingers. “Fill me… so that I can feel some of you inside me… while I sleep.”

The giant alpha gritted his teeth and bit his own lips hard, loving how wrecked his Junnie was right now, and loved how his Junnie howled when the fingers inside him brushed against his prostate.

“Fuck!” In agony, Mingyu tried to hold back some of his mind to care about their surroundings. “But Hannie might see us. He might come out here to find you if you don’t go to sleep with him soon.”

“Then let’s just go to the bathroom. If he comes here and sees both of us in the same bathroom, he will understand.” Struggling to speak, Jun gasped when Mingyu intentionally hit his sweet spot again. “Are you healthy now, Gyu?”

“Yes… Why?” Ogling his mate’s blissful face, Mingyu asked, one hand rubbing the older alpha’s back sensually.

“Can you lift me up comfortably?”

“Of course I can. What do you want me to do?”

Staring deeply into his mate’s eyes in the most seductive display of lust on his facial expression and his eyes, Jun whispered, dripping poison into his mate’s mind.

“I want you… to lift me up, and fuck me in front of the mirror, so that… I can see how your dick destroys me…”

“Oh fuck!” Mingyu groaned again, sending electricity through his lover’s body by his deep and hoarse voice. “Junnie, you’re so kinky.”

Jun did not bother to bicker with his cousin because he thought there was no chance for him to say the opposite thing. Moreover, he found it interesting that Mingyu was actually not any less kinky than him. Who was the one that had asked Jun to call him _“oppa”_ during their heated moment of sex in the office?

Consequently, Jun smiled playfully, hoping to ruin his baby bear’s heart.

“Please, Mingyu oppa! Give me your dick! I want you!”

If Mingyu waited here a little longer, he knew he would combust. Therefore, the giant man wrapped his lover’s legs around his waist tightly and then stood up, lifting Jun up together with him. Nonetheless, he did not just simply brought his cousin up. Air was violently knocked out of Jun’s lungs because of the hard dick pushing all the way into him while his alpha stood up, giving him no warning or time to brace himself for this to come. Choking out a broken and breathless moan, Jun clung to his mate desperately, unconsciously clenching around the big and long thing in his ass, gasping as his sensitive place feeling the dick’s harsh movement when his alpha walked rapidly to the bathroom.

…

Jeonghan only went back to the bedroom when the bathroom door was closed. His alphas did not noticed that the door leading to the hall had not been closed. As a result, the heady pheromones of the two alphas attracted his attention easily, and the rabbit was too curious to just stay inside the bedroom. He tried his best to be careful and silent so that nobody would sense his presence. Those scents and pheromones reminded Jeonghan of _a scary alpha during sex_, and it scared the hell out of him, especially when Mingyu was _also_ a noble one, but after a quick look, he was completely relieved to realize that there was nothing wrong.

It was extremely strange for him to see his alpha - his angel Jun - to be sexually intimate with another alpha, yet the hybrid thought it was good anyway, because Jun was obviously happy in this relationship. Jeonghan could easily see both of the alphas were willing and eager to bring comfort and pleasure to each other. As long as they knew what they were doing and nothing was being done without anyone’s consent, everything was perfectly fine.

In a few seconds, the poor omega was irritated and triggered by the pheromones and sexy scents of his alphas, and they made his skin crawl as the heat began to spread all over his body again. Jeonghan hated this to the point that he wanted to throw away the bandage on his neck and scratch his bleeding mark until it change into an unrecognizable shape. Biting his own lips and feeling exasperated, he frowned deeply while trying to figure out how to function the humidifier Jun had shown him in the morning. Fortunately, the machine was easy to use, and soon the room was filled with the aroma of peppermint Jeonghan loved and hated at the same time.

The poor hybrid had thought that, although he did not want to make love with Seungcheol since he did not trust his alpha enough in terms of sex, he could ask Jun to help him through these fucking strokes but perhaps today was not his lucky day. Furthermore, it was just his first day living in the same place with Jun. Would the alpha judge him if he asked to be fucked like a _slut_ right on their first night? Perhaps he would, because in Jun’s mind, Jeonghan might be a fragile and vulnerable omega who had been hurt and traumatized badly after being raped.

Jun would not like to see him begging to have sex.

Having no other choice, Jeonghan had to deal with his problem by himself. He was afraid of being caught jerking off alone in bed, but it would be even more weird if Jun found him doing this in the bathroom with the humidifier right next to him. The rabbit could do this without bringing the machine together with him into the bathroom, but now he was just severely attracted by this thing and he did not want to leave it anymore. Nonetheless, he did not want Jun to figure out the truth about his baby and his rapist. Jun had been through enough misery. This fact would only bring him more anger and frustration.

Jeonghan knew Jun still loved Wonwoo so much, because the mark on his neck looked normal just like any marks that could be found on the married couples. The mark would be fine as long as the victims accepted their fate, but nothing could make it look perfect like this except for true love in the heart of the one who took the bite. If Jun knew what Wonwoo had done, he would be in greater pain while Jeonghan desperately just wanted to live a peaceful and happy life with his alphas now.

In enormous embarrassment, Jeonghan took his pants and underwear off, sitting on bed, leaning against the headboard. Knowing that he might make a huge mess on the mattress, the rabbit placed a thick towel under himself and covered his lower body by the blanket. His right hand quickly grabbed his own cock and began to stroke it. Doing this by himself was embarrassing but it was safe, because he did not have to worry about getting hurt by any means. The worst thing was what happening inside his head, how he was wishing to have the real person here, and how his slick was gushing out every time he inhaled to fill his lungs with the scent of peppermint.

Nevertheless, Jeonghan found relief in the light scent of Jun and Mingyu lingering in the air, since this had been their room for a pretty long time, and he had just cuddled with both of them not too long ago. Their scents were still here, giving him the chance to believe that he was feeling good not only because of the bitter scent he hated.

Jeonghan imagined how wonderful it would be if he coated a dildo thoroughly by peppermint essential oil and then stuffed his own leaking hole by that big thing, yet he did not dare to let it happen. It would be extremely difficult to get rid of that scent in this case, and Jun or Mingyu would definitely suspect him. Moreover, the rabbit was still trying to vain to deny the fact that his body was yearning for his rapist. This was unfair and he hated it. He was not a slut.

Or maybe he was.

No, Jeonghan did not want _the real person_. His mind was aware of the fact that he was terrified of that alpha and he would certainly try his best to run away from that monster. There would be nothing enjoyable when he saw that man again. He did not want Wonwoo. Only his body wanted. It was completely different from how much he wanted Jun.

Jeonghan knew he had to be quick so that his alpha would not catch him doing this thing, and he even needed some more time to clean up. Consequently, the rabbit used both hands to pleasure himself, suddenly happy with the fact that he had never been loud in sex and sounds were something he definitely could control. He just wanted to get this done as fast as possible so that nobody would ever know this secret. As a person who was living far away from his mate as well, Jun must be aware of Jeonghan’s needs of sexual satiation from his rapist. The rabbit might feel sympathized, but it did not mean he would want to talk about it or let someone see this.

A year was so fucking long.

Jeonghan could only dream of seeing Joshua again after one more year, because he did not want to destroy his process of “healing”. It had been almost two months, and everything was going well for him. Jeonghan had never seen that monster again, but coming across his best friend would possibly bring that demon much closer to him. Staying with Jun and Mingyu was already dangerous enough. It would be difficult for him to stay away from Wonwoo unless he told his gentle alphas about the truth so that they could protect him.

Shivering in fright, Jeonghan still did not dare to do it.

Luckily, the scent of peppermint thick in the air helped Jeonghan reach his orgasm faster than whatever he had expected. He did not feel really satisfied and he would never feel satisfied at the times those strokes came, but he ignored it. Wasting no time, the omega hurriedly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom with all of his necessary things to clean up. He hoped that his alphas had not felt his horny pheromones or smelled his abnormally sweet scent since they were already occupied with each other’s desire.

Thinking that Jun would not be happy if he came back and found his omega still wandering around, Jeonghan obediently lied down on the bed, tucking himself under the blanket properly and waiting for his lover.

When Jun got inside the bedroom, he was comfortably welcomed by the aroma of peppermint while his eyes caught the sight of his lovely bunny lying on his side and staring at the door expectantly. Jeonghan must have been waiting for him, and this fact made Jun feel extraordinarily happy. Tonight, his bunny would have a peaceful sleep in this warm bed with everything he needed to feel safe and contented. Joining his omega, Jun hastily snuggled his lover into his chest in order to drown his little rabbit in love and affection.

“I’m sorry I was late.” The alpha whispered to Jeonghan while caressing his cheek and his face. “I just felt bad for leaving Mingyu there and I wanted to stay with him a little more.”

The hybrid nodded because he genuinely understood. He felt bad as well, since Mingyu was obviously sacrificing his own benefit for their happiness. There was no reason for anyone to hold grudges towards such a great man. Jeonghan thought he himself would be so much like an asshole if he did not feel grateful and even touched for all of the things his giant alpha had done for him and Jun.

Nonetheless, the rabbit did not expect his angel to suddenly have another idea.

“I’m sorry but… can I change to sandalwood scent?”

Jeonghan’s face fell immediately, leaving Jun perplexed, almost shocked. Anything was good, except for this one. The hybrid had already secretly left out his sleeping pills because he had thought he would have the humidifier with peppermint scent tonight. It would be terribly suspicious if he got out of bed to look for his pills and take some right now. Nobody likes taking pills. The scent was so much nicer then why would Jeonghan want to swallow those harmful things again?

“Uhm… You… you like peppermint scent? Really?” Jun stammered out of bewilderment. “Oh… I’m sorry I didn’t know that… Uhm… So I won’t change. Just leave it there. Okay, baby?”

Feeling shy because of the pet name, Jeonghan hid his pink face into his alpha’s chest and hugged him tightly, trying to make Jun feel like he simply did not want him to leave the bed. It worked, and Jun was delighted to see his bunny getting more and more comfortable with him in his new home. Jeonghan always loved to cuddle during sleep, or Jun guessed his rabbit just wanted to cuddle with him, and his heart could never resist this.

At the first time they met, Jun had already had the impression that this deadly attractive omega could make anyone fall for him easily if he intentionally seduced them. Right now, Jun knew he was defeated. He had fallen head over heels for his bunny, and there would never be any way to go back.

“Good night, my little bunny.” Putting a kiss on the tip of his omega, Jun smiled to himself, and then gave his lover one more kiss, one more confession. “I love you.”

Jeonghan could not say anything, yet his hand, which was placing on the alpha’s chest, slowly and tenderly used one of his slender fingers to draw a small heart right on the side where Jun’s real heart was being.

Although the hybrid could sense the spike of his alpha’s pheromones due to his utter happiness, he did not feel threatened even a bit when Jun abruptly shifted position, laying the omega on the mattress while he hovered above, tangling their fingers together and pinning those small hands down. With all of his trust and love for his angel, Jeonghan smiled endearingly in just a second before Jun kissed him deeply on his lips and made him feel like finally, they were living like a real couple in love.

If Jeonghan had not been experiencing this magic, he would never dare to think that Jun and he were just the perfect match for each other. This position recalled the omega of the first time he had sex with Joshua during the cat’s heat, which brought a dreadful pain to his chest. Nonetheless, it was a magical feeling to realize that Jun loved to do the same thing, holding hands and pinning him down like this, locking but not forcing, and Jeonghan only felt loved.

Jun tasted like mint, causing the omega to guess that his alpha had brushed his teeth after his interesting activities with Mingyu. This was nice and awful at the same time, and Jeonghan just wished the toothpaste could taste like something else except for mint. He needed to buy something new. He did not want to think of _that demon_ while making out with his angel.

The rabbit had no objection when Jun bit him one more time to create a new temporary mark, because he enjoyed the fact that his alpha sincerely wanted him. His angel always asked him if it hurt too much, and he would make sure to give him a lot of comfort to ease out the pain rapidly. Given more protection thanks to the temporary mark, Jeonghan slowly fell asleep peacefully in his alpha’s embrace, excited to know that tomorrow would be just as beautiful as today, or even better. He would no longer have to live in grief because of separation. From now on, the rabbit was given the rights to live with the people he loved like a real human being.

\---------------------------

Mingyu had already turned off the lights and very ready to sleep but his phone suddenly rang and the man instantly frowned as he saw his eldest cousin’s name on the screen. The giant man seriously did not want to talk to Wonwoo at all right now, because he was still irritated and angry by what the older alpha had done to Jeonghan. Nonetheless, Mingyu was aware of the fact that he could not avoid his cousin forever. Wonwoo would definitely suspect if something abnormal happened, and then he might find out the truth of Jeonghan living together with Jun now. Then, the lead alpha would be very likely to figure out that the rabbit was pregnant too, and Mingyu could never know what might happen after that.

Wonwoo might be an asshole again when his instincts took control, and Jeonghan would not be able to live in peace. If Seungcheol knew that Wonwoo was messing with his omega, he would step in as well. The poor rabbit and his baby would be torn apart by all of this chaos.

Groaning to himself, Mingyu lied down on the couch and picked up his phone. Immediately, Wonwoo sounded very angry at the other end of the line.

“What the hell is going on with you, Mingyu?” He growled, not waiting for his cousin to say a word. “I sent you many texts and you didn’t reply even once. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Mingyu sighed, deciding to keep his secret. “I’m just… busy.”

“It would sound much better if you said you were ill.” Wonwoo snorted, obviously displeased. “You’re so busy to even text back a word?”

“I’m sorry.” The giant man sighed one more time. “I read your message but I think I just… I forgot to reply. Jun’s fine. Nothing happens to h…”

Mingyu had to stop halfway because he thought he was hearing something which sounded similar to kissing sounds from Wonwoo’s side.

“What sound is that?” He asked nervously while doubting if his cousin was cheating on Joshua.

“It’s…” Wonwoo sounded frustrated now, and he groaned. The lead alpha was struggling, trying his best to control the boy on his lap but nothing seemed to work. “That’s Joshua.”

“What?” Mingyu was taken aback, and he began to feel even more nervous. “Is it okay for us to talk when he’s with you like this? Why don’t you do it when he sleeps? And why is he still awake now? It’s almost eleven thirty.”

While the giant alpha was asking so many questions, Wonwoo was still trying his best to stop his kitten from moving but Joshua did not seem to have the same intention. The boy was straddling his husband’s lap, wriggling and shifting restlessly while his mouth was giving kisses everywhere on Wonwoo’s face and even his neck to leave some nice hickeys. Joshua was extraordinarily touchy today, and just when his alpha did not pay much attention to him, the hybrid’s hand playfully undid the two top buttons of Wonwoo’s shirt, revealing some of his master’s chest. He was downright torturing his alpha by kissing and touching his bare skin revealed.

Wonwoo seriously had no idea what to do.

“He doesn’t want to sleep.” He answered, very aware of his kitten’s fingers touching his Adam apple curiously, as if the boy did not have one on his own throat. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t listen to us. He’s scared of punishment so he doesn’t dare to eavesdrop on my talk.”

“Are you sure?” Mingyu was skeptical. “Maybe he doesn’t listen to your talk about work but I guess he can hear you call my name.”

“Joshua only reacts to some names. For example Soonyoung…”

Immediately, the younger alpha was startled to hear a hissing sound coming out from his phone, and a string of questions followed right away in an evidently aggressive voice.

“What’s wrong with that bitch? Why are you talking about him now? Is he dead?”

“No, I’m not talking about him, kitten.” Wonwoo hurriedly soothed his mate, stroking the boy’s ears tenderly. “My friend is just asking me if Soonyoung’s dead or not.”

“What friend is that?” The cat’s attitude changed rapidly, and now he was smiling again in a creepy way. “He must be a nice guy! Does he hate that bitch?”

“Yes, he does.” The lead alpha nodded and answered, allowing his cousin to hear their conversation since he did not pull his phone away or lower his volume even a bit. “Just keep playing, baby. I need to talk to him a little more.”

“Yes, daddy!” The cat grinned brightly and wrapped his arms tightly around his husband, resuming his kissing session.

Wonwoo thought the topic about Soonyoung was dropped successfully, but Joshua now seemed to be much more possessive. The cat’s tail was wrapping around his right arm, and the alpha was pretty sure the scent of rose was extremely thick in the air currently. He guessed Joshua was trying to push out his own scent so that everyone could smell this omega’s sweetness from his body, and all of the omegas would stay away.

“You see, I told you.” Wonwoo could not help sighing one more time. “He doesn’t react even when I say his name, but he bristles right when hearing _that name_. I think you shouldn’t mention _him_ now either. I’m afraid he can hear it from you.”

“Understand.” Mingyu sighed too, feeling his heart heavy. “I think you really need to keep Joshua away from that omega, or he might kill him one day. By the way, why are you calling me around this time?”

“Joshua’s acting weirdly tonight.” Wonwoo shook his head in exhaustion, taking out a cigarette, gesturing for his kitten to get the lighter for him.

The boy happily reached towards his husband’s working desk to get the object, and enthusiastically watched Wonwoo with shining eyes, two hands placing comfortably on the broad chest.

“How weird is he?” Mingyu questioned worriedly, although he had had part of the answer. “He’s still cuddling with you now?”

“He doesn’t seem to feel enough with anything.” Wonwoo finished his task with the cigarette, and now Joshua was happily basking in the smoke again, causing Mingyu to hear some giggles.

They sounded cute, but heartbreaking at the same time for the giant alpha.

“Maybe he’s horny but he doesn’t know it.” Mingyu palmed his forehead, massaging his temples. “You know, no matter what, you two are still an omega and an alpha staying so close to each other. You’re even his husband. His body might crave for sexual contact with you but his mind doesn’t quite understand it.”

“I’m sure he knows what kissing and touching are.”

“Maybe that’s all he knows. From what you’ve told me for the past two months, I think he has no ideas what are the safety boundaries for his case. I guess… the whole part related to sex in his mind is broken and when it comes to this topic, he doesn’t know…” Mingyu frowned and stopped talking when hearing some wet and sensual sounds. “Wait, are you kissing him? Hey, Wonwoo! How can you do that while you’re talking to me?”

“Sorry, I can’t control him.” Wonwoo whined a bit, really helpless in front of his needy kitten. “I seriously can’t. If I become more stern to him he will be scared and even cry. I really hate to see that.”

For now, Mingyu felt so relieved to know that Wonwoo hated seeing Joshua getting scared and crying, which also meant that his cousin no longer had any intention of hurting the cat anymore. However, he was also concerned when it was becoming more and more difficult for Wonwoo to control his kitten. No matter what, Wonwoo needed to have full authority over everything at home so that he could take care of Joshua properly. Mingyu felt like his cousin’s soft spot for the cat was growing bigger and bigger day by day, and now Joshua was undoubtedly a spoilt brat. Wonwoo was giving him everything without scolding him for anything.

Nonetheless, Mingyu did not know if he himself could endure watching Joshua getting scared and crying or not, especially when he was the one who had broken the boy once in the past. Wonwoo’s was luckier than his younger cousin because he was having his second chance to fix things and make up for what he had done to their little kitten. Meanwhile, Mingyu was just asking about Joshua from far away.

It was unfair. Wonwoo was a rapist and he was having the second chance while Mingyu had nothing. He could not even hate his cousin because he could not stand losing the opportunities of getting more information about Joshua. Had Jun ever cried because of Wonwoo in the past six weeks? Of course he had, and Mingyu only wanted to crush his eldest cousin’s skull at those times, but the next day he would just text Wonwoo or call him and listen to whatever he said again.

“We need to consider setting up a meeting for you, Jun, and Joshua.” Wonwoo stated firmly while the kissing sounds were still going on steadily, but Mingyu could not care about them anymore.

“What did you just say?” He had the need to ask back, because he did not dare to believe his own ears.

Wonwoo wanted to answer but he was terribly distracted. The lead alpha wished he could drug Joshua so that the boy would stop moving, kissing and making his alpha’s boner grow bigger by second. He smoked with the intention of seeking for comfort from his cigarette, but now he really regretted this decision, since the smell and everything else related to this smoking issue was triggering the boy even more severely. The cat was nuzzling into Wonwoo’s neck while letting out soft purring sounds, letting his fluffy ears tickle the man’s skin while his hand had not stopped wandering around his husband’s chest.

“You’re so warm.” The hybrid murmured, but both of the alphas could hear him clearly. Wonwoo gulped while Mingyu felt pathetically jealous. “You smell so good, Wonwoo. Who are you talking to? When will you stop? Why don’t you kiss me?”

“Is he drunk or something?” Mingyu asked, quite irritated. “Did you give him any alcohol or… catnip?”

“No!” Wonwoo frowned and groaned. “I’m not that crazy! I guess he was triggered because I took him to the hybrids’ toy store after work and some dog hybrid omegas lingered around me. Joshua gave them some nice scratches on their arms. You know… some hybrids’ primal instincts are still very strong and they don’t act very much like human. Some lost their control and just… jumped at me.”

The giant alpha abruptly sat up, gasping in shock.

“You said Joshua clawed their arms? He really attacked them?”

“I didn’t know Joshua has sharp claws like a real cat but in fact he has. I’m sure these hybrids didn’t intend to hurt or kill me but Joshua simply can’t bear any omegas approaching me.” Even Wonwoo himself was frightened by how possessive Joshua was these days. “Those dogs’ owners couldn’t blame Joshua because their hybrids were wrong at first, but still… We caused a huge chaos at the store. Those hybrids’ owners and shop manager were all alphas. Joshua was aggressive in one second and then the next second he was frightened to death by those people when they interfered.”

Mingyu heard his heart shattering into pieces.

“Did he cry?”

Caressing the cat’s lovely face in front of him by the fingers holding the cigarette, earning an adorable smile from the boy, Wonwoo could not stop the pain raising in his chest while he was recalling the streams of tears of those cheeks.

“A lot. He clung to me and cried. Some other people even thought those dog hybrids bullied him.”

“Please try to suppress your pheromones and scent, Wonwoo.” Mingyu palmed his face again, exhausted and frustrated at the same time. He wanted to be there to help, but he was also scared of his kitten’s reaction. It was seriously incredible for Wonwoo to remain strong and gentle to Joshua in this state. “You’re like a giant walking magnet. Minghao said Joshua even hated it when the omegas did nothing except for staring at you.”

“I know, but there’s too much to focus on.” Wonwoo stared down at his kitten, who was using a finger to massage his forehead to make the wrinkles disappear. “I have to watch Joshua all the time and I can’t watch out for anything else.”

Mingyu did not need to see to know that Joshua was kissing his husband again as the sounds were so loud, so clear this time, making the giant man’s heart drop. Sometimes Mingyu knew Wonwoo was doing a very hard work of taking care of Joshua now, but sometimes he failed to control his emotions and just felt awfully jealous. He just needed to get half of the affection the cat was giving Wonwoo to feel contented. Mingyu would not ask for much. He would be even happy if he could just talk to Joshua like a friend without hugging or touching him.

When the kissing sounds stopped, Wonwoo spoke again, sending shivers up and down his cousin’s spine by the shocking content of his saying.

“Joshua’s just asked about you and Jun again before I call you. He wondered why you two had been gone for so long and still didn’t return to visit him.”

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was frustrated because the previous chapter had so few comments and then I ended up writing such a long chapter like this...
> 
> I hope most of you are still enjoying the story ;_; I know some of you find Joshua very annoying now but please sympathize for him because he's just crazy and he isn't in his right mind anymore T_T 
> 
> I'm eager to know how you think and feel about this chapter >< I think there's a lot going on here so maybe there will be also a lot to talk about ;_;
> 
> I will go to work on Tuesday... Things are really getting normal here. I hope you will be safe and happy!! Love you!!!


	77. The cat in the wardrobe and the rabbit in the flower garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu felt stuck.  
Wonwoo was helpless and hopeless.  
Joshua was a chaotic mess.  
Jeonghan was happier and happier day by day, planting some new flowers in the giant man's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dealing with the huge mess I've created and making the characters happy again are much more difficult than what I thought ;_; I hope you aren't tired with this... I think that after causing so many troubles to happen, I should solve all of them properly like this instead of ending the story quickly. I can see obviously that many people are losing interest in my fic as the number of comments is dropping considerably after each chapter ;_; 
> 
> Both angst and fluff are waiting for you in this chapter.

It took a minute for the words to sink in Mingyu’s mind while Wonwoo silently and patiently waited, and Joshua did not seem to know he was being the main topic of the two men’s conversation. When the giant man talked again, he was stuttering in an almost breathless voice.

“Are… are you making up any words in this…”

“I’m not.” Wonwoo said with the absolute certainty which stopped his cousin from doubting right away. “I tried to check his memories, and he said you told him you just went to Japan in one week but you’re still nowhere to be found today.”

Mingyu’s mouth dropped.

“Went to Japan???”

“His memories are messed up. You see, he even remembers the wrong country. He asked the similar question about Jun but he got the correct country name this time.”

“Why… why is this happening after all this time?” The younger alpha was still stuttering, but what Wonwoo could not see was the tears streaming down his cheeks. “Joshua really thinks we’re just on a business trip?”

The lead alpha sighed, as it was easy to detect the dreadful anticipation and the enormous fear in his cousin’s voice. Mingyu was obviously utterly expectant and frightened to death at the same time.

“I can’t figure out the reason, but anyway he had asked about you and Jun three times already. His memories are different each time, but in general he just wants both of you back in his life. I don’t think we should delay this any further.”

“But… but… but what if he sees me and then his memories flood back and he panics again?” Although Mingyu was worried about Joshua panicking, the giant man sounded much more like the one being in panic right now. “It… it’s very easy to let Junnie see Joshua, but me… We can’t know when he will snap. And you said he hates alphas… He will hate me too. He was already scared of me before I did anything to him in the past. He won’t like to see me.”

“I’m tired of making fake reasons, Gyu.” Wonwoo sighed one more time, extremely exasperated. “He can’t remember exactly while you aren’t here with him anymore but he remembers what I have said perfectly. He won’t trust me anymore if I have to keep lying to him like this. He even asks me to help him get a video call with you.”

“Why doesn’t he do it by himself?” The question popped up in Mingyu’s mind.

“Joshua doesn’t remember it.” Wonwoo was not annoyed to be asked about this, because he was shocked to find out that Joshua had forgotten many things too. “Social media and electric devices are all unfamiliar to him now, and I don’t think he likes to use them either. He doesn’t have friends anyway. All he has are Jeonghan, Minghao, and Jihoon. Joshua keeps asking them to come and play with h…”

“Jeonghannie?” The boy sat up and asked with sparkles in his eyes and pure excitement in his voice, causing both men’s hearts to break. “Wonwoo, who are you talking to? Is your friend talking about Hannie too? He knows Hannie?”

“I’m asking whether he knows Jeonghan or not.” Wonwoo answered to his kitten, and Mingyu could hear the boy clapped as they exchanged some more words between each other.

Honestly, the giant man was severely irked just by listening to his cousin calling the rabbit’s name. It would be too soon for him to judge if Wonwoo did feel guilty for what he had done or not, but Mingyu felt really angry. One more time, he was offended by the fact that Wonwoo literally raped one person who had nothing to do with him but he did not seem to get any consequences. Mingyu knew this was a revenge and this could also be considered as a punishment for Seungcheol but it was just wrong. Jeonghan was innocent. Seungcheol should be punished by law and then if Jeonghan was thrown to the pet shop, Mingyu would use his money to help Jun buy the rabbit, or Wonwoo could help too, if he loved Jun so much.

“Mingyu! Mingyu!” The lead alpha’s voice became stern after just two times calling his cousin’s name but getting no answer.

“I… I’m still listening.” Mingyu shook his head to himself, scratching his own scalp in a very frustrating way.

“I’m sure you aren’t.” Wonwoo snarled, very angry. Both of the men were not in a good mood.

“Sorry I’m just… thinking.” Mingyu hated himself for saying sorry again, as if Wonwoo had never done anything wrong.

The lead alpha huffed while his kitten was rubbing his chest to ease out his anger. The hybrid did not pay attention the content of their talk but he could realize it when his husband was being enraged. Wonwoo could not be angry for long when looking at the naïve cat on his lap staring at him through his doe-like eyes. Right now, it was Wonwoo’s turn to be distracted by his omega, and his hand just naturally reached up and used some fingers to caress Joshua’s cheeks again. The boy happily closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of having his alpha’s fingers moving tenderly on his face.

Sighing, Wonwoo repeated to his cousin, while the other alpha was just staying silent to wait for him to continue.

“Joshua won’t stop asking until he can meet all of you again. Sorry I can’t call out all names because I don’t want him to ask one more time. He wants to see you, Jun, and his best friend again.”

“I…” Mingyu stammered, fidgeting with his blanket anxiously. “I don’t know whether this is a good idea. Joshua’s scared of me. Do you think… his bad memories will come back when I show up? Because… I’m the one who almost raped him. There’s a very high potential of me reminding him of those memories. Then all of your efforts will become useless.”

“He looks at me every day and he still remembers nothing. I don’t think he can get something back just by seeing you.” Wonwoo was obviously talking about positive matters now but the younger alpha could hear how tired he was. Even his anger disappeared very quickly, which was not typical of Wonwoo at all, and this fact made Mingyu’s heart softer. He could not be mad at his cousin either.

Mingyu hated himself for this. He always forgave people he loved too easily.

“Please just come to see him one day, Gyu.” Wonwoo lowered his voice after a sigh. “Let’s try this. Your presence can do wonder to Joshua. He needs more love and attention. I don’t think I’m enough for him.”

Mingyu was not sure what had provoked him to say this in a quite unhappy voice.

“Why don’t you ask Jun or Jeonghan but me first?”

Frowning deeply, Wonwoo thought his cousin was strangely stupid.

“Don’t you see it? You’re the only one who is keeping contact with me. How the hell can I talk to Jun? How can I even approach Seungcheol and ask him to bring Joshua’s best friend here?”

Mingyu tried to understand and sympathize for Wonwoo because a single mention of the rabbit’s name would get the cat’s attention right away, but he was still angry and irritated whenever his older cousin could not say out Jeonghan’s name properly.

“Why can’t you approach Seungcheol? You still hate him because he hurt Joshua and drugged me?”

At this point, Wonwoo suddenly turned silent as he could not find out any _good reasons_ to tell the younger alpha. In theory, Seungcheol was the one who had done the wrong things and he was supposed to be the one who found it hard to face Wonwoo now, not in the other way. Wonwoo still felt his blood boiling when thinking about his friend now, but it was a whole different story when thinking of Jeonghan and what might happen if he faced the rabbit.

Right now Wonwoo was just Seungcheol’s enemy and he fully understood that the only reason for his friend to refrain from taking revenge again was that Seungcheol could not risk going to jail as he still had to take care of Jeonghan. If something happened to Seungcheol, then Jeonghan would be automatically sent to Wonwoo by the government. The lead alpha could swear that he did not have this intention at the moment he assaulted the hybrid and he only used this to threaten Jun because that was the first thing coming to his mind in anger.

How many times had Wonwoo practically _used_ Jeonghan for his own purpose? Perhaps three. At least three. He and Jun had never talked about this after their secret love affair was found out the first time, but Wonwoo knew Jun must have understood that he had better not mess up with his cousin if he did not want Wonwoo to spill the beans for Seungcheol to combust in fury. The second time of Wonwoo taking advantage of the hybrid was when he helped Jun stop Seungcheol from hitting both of them so that Jun could bring Jeonghan to the hospital.

The third time was certainly the day Wonwoo kidnapped the rabbit and threw him into his car.

Wonwoo rarely thought of that day, because he seriously was not sure what had been going on in his head then. He only remembered that he had lost his mind right at the moment Minghao called him in the middle of his meeting with an important client. Knowing that the omega had just returned to Korea with Jun, Wonwoo knew there must be something serious going on, or else Minghao would not have called him like that. He could not believe in his ears. He heard chaotic noise around the omega, and then, he was announced that his kitten and both of his cousins were being transported to the hospital. Above all, Minghao said Jun had lost a considerable amount of blood and was in critical condition while Joshua had a fractured leg, bruised all over his body and severely traumatized. Whereas, Mingyu somehow turned into a monster mysteriously and he seemed to be poisoned.

It took Wonwoo less than three seconds to realize who had done this to his cousins and his omega, because his family only had one enemy whose name Seungcheol right then. He was livid during the whole way going back home, and he could not sleep for even a minute on the plane. The first one to wake up was Mingyu but he barely remembered anything. He just knew he had done terrible things to not only Joshua but also Jun. Wonwoo was not angry at Mingyu since he knew his cousin was just a victim, but he was enraged to the utmost right at the moment he saw the cause of all this tragedy.

It was Jeonghan.

Seungcheol would never have anyone to abuse if Jeonghan had not come into his life. If the rabbit had not been abused by his alpha, he would not have asked Jun for “help”, and then no troubles would have ever come to them. Jun made a terrible mistake but Jeonghan was the one who made everything happen. He was the start of everything. That was why Wonwoo had told the rabbit that _“Everyone would be better without you.”_

Nonetheless, now, it was Wonwoo himself who caused his kitten to lose his best friend and Jun to lose his omega. As Wonwoo lost his own friend now, he suddenly remembered that, nothing would have happened if he had not cruelly taken Seungcheol to the hotel where Jun and Jeonghan were staying together. The couple had an affair, but Wonwoo was the one at fault for making it be revealed in the worst way and causing tragedy to occur. If they had talked to Seungcheol calmly instead of letting the man catching his omega in bed with another alpha, things would have been much better and more peaceful. Nobody would get injured. Nobody would take revenge on anyone.

“Hey, Wonwoo! Are you still there? Wonwoo!” Mingyu almost growled, annoyed and nervous at the same time since his cousin had been silent for a pretty long while.

“Yeah… Sorry.” Wonwoo snapped back to reality, shaking his own head while Joshua was observing him with worries. The alpha gave his kitten a tender kiss on his forehead to let him know he was fine.

The giant man huffed, avoiding the main topic about himself, changing the direction of their conversation.

“You had better find some ways to get Jeonghan back for Joshua. He has always called out for Jeonghan whenever he’s sad! Do you know that Joshua begged us to get Hannie… Jeonghan for him at the night he found out your marriage?”

“What did you just say?” Wonwoo did not miss the way his cousin called the rabbit by such an intimate name. He frowned deeply, sensing something abnormal. “Are you hiding something away from me too?”

“Huh? No!” Mingyu denied right away in panic. “I… I just… Jun talked about Jeonghan too much and I… I’m used to the way he called Jeonghan, so I accidentally made a mistake. It’s no big deal.”

“If I find out that you are actually hiding something…”

“What if I hide something? I can’t keep a secret? Why do I have to tell you everything? You didn’t let us know you were going to get married with Soonyoung!” Mingyu bristled and accused his cousin violently.

“I’m asking you again, Mingyu! What the hell is wrong with you?” Wonwoo could not help getting angry, although Joshua was still trying to soothe him by rubbing his chest tenderly, eyes showing concern as he highly paid attention to his husband. “You ignored my text and then made very lame excuse for not replying them. And then you keep trying to pick a fight with me! You want me to believe that you’re still fine and nothing happened? You always want to have a chance to see Joshua again and now I’m telling you your time has come but it seems like you don’t need it anymore? You don’t seem to be very happy when I tell you about this?”

Palming his face, Mingyu knew he had just messed up. From the moment he found out what his cousin had done to Jeonghan, the giant man could not keep his mind cool and calm anymore. After all, he had never thought that it was possible for his eldest cousin to actually commit a crime. Drugging Jun and marking him without his consent were already very terrible things, but Mingyu tried to ignore once because at least Jun still loved Wonwoo and he did not want to do anything about it. However, Jeonghan’s case was completely different and this was a truly brutal crime.

Mingyu wanted to shout right into Wonwoo’s face even just through the phone or come to his house and punch him in the face to vent this anger. It was bad to vent one’s anger on somebody else, but Mingyu thought Wonwoo deserved it. Nonetheless, he could not do that, because his reckless action would bring more troubles to Jeonghan. Thousands of questions would flood the lead alpha’s mind when he realized that his cousin had known about his crime. Moreover, if Joshua saw Mingyu hitting his husband, the boy would hate him so much more and this time Mingyu guessed he would not have any way to go back anymore.

“I’m sorry I just…” The younger alpha sighed deeply, faking an excuse one more time. “I just had a bad day… Sorry I think I should hang up now.”

Wonwoo huffed, having not much trust in his cousin’s words. Joshua gave him some light kisses on his cheeks, and his honey-like voice came to the giant man’s ears.

“Wonwoo, are you okay? Your friend makes you angry? Do you want to go to bed now?”

Mingyu’s heart ached incredibly just by a few caring questions his kitten was giving Wonwoo. The lead alpha’s voice changed considerably when he turned to talk to his omega and Mingyu did not expect to feel jealous.

_“Fuck”_, the younger male cursed at himself. _“I don’t need love from that rapist.”_

Yet obviously he wanted. That was why he kept saying sorry.

“I’m okay, baby. I need to talk to him.” Wonwoo reassured his boy, giving his lovely tail some stroke and soon the cat was purring on his lap again. As the older alpha talked to his cousin again, Mingyu could feel the exhaustion from both sides. “Listen to me, Gyu. I didn’t call you to have a fight over the phone. I don’t know what the heck is happening to you or if you have just decided to hate me again or not but Joshua mentioned you a lot. He definitely still has something in his mind about you, perhaps because you tried so hard to get him in the past, and he subconsciously believes you want him more than anyone else does.”

“Hey I don’t hate you and I have never hated you!” Mingyu protested. “Why do you have to add _“again”_ into that sentence?”

Wonwoo snorted and mocked his cousin, and Joshua felt the urge to make his husband calm down but he did not know how to. His alpha’s emotion was being very unstable and he seemed to be angrier and angrier. Joshua did not like to see his husband angry at all. Fear was starting to creep in, and the cat just wanted to make this bad feeling disappear immediately. His mind knew that something horrible would come along with Wonwoo’s fury.

“Really? I’m pretty sure you have punched me quite many times and you didn’t seem to have any mercy for me at those times. I’ve never initiated a single fight with you but you have punched me about three times at least. Don’t you know that I have always been nervous that you might snap and change attitude at any time? Don’t you think I’ve always been questioning the reason for your support for me?”

While Mingyu was speechless because of shock, Wonwoo drowned more deeply in his frustration and anxiety.

“Let me tell you, Mingyu! I didn’t understand anything when you came to me and asked me to tell you what had happened to Joshua and you even said I should share my feelings or anything to you. And now I felt so stupid for believing those words because right now you’re just going to return to the attitude of hating me and disgusting me again while I swear to God from that day until now I haven’t done anything wrong! I told you to come and see Joshua but you refuse. What do you want from me and Joshua? What do you really want?”

Mingyu did not know what to say, dumbfounded and frightened, as it was the first time for him to realize that Wonwoo had always been feeling insecure for the past six weeks in their relationship. Mingyu thought that everything was fine and he made a precise decision in keeping contact with his cousin despite things which had gone wrong between them in the past. In the end, it turned out that he had not done enough. He should have talked to Wonwoo more. He should have consulted someone to get some professional opinions about how to get Wonwoo back into their happy state in the past. The foundation of their trust was seriously too weak to keep going on in this way, and Mingyu had just unintentionally ruined Wonwoo’s fragile faith in him by his hateful attitude.

Meanwhile, Joshua was slowly climbing out of his husband’s lap, murmuring an excuse, almost inaudible.

“I… I need to go to the bathroom.” The boy said without looking at his alpha, and he bolted in the blink of an eye, causing Wonwoo to feel worried.

Sighing in exhaustion one more time, Wonwoo told his cousin for the last time, his words coming out in a very fast speed.

“I’m really tired of all this. I won’t text or call you again if you don’t really want to talk to me. I’ve already told you what I need to. See you later.”

Not waiting for any response, the lead alpha hung up, leaving the giant man perplexed and guilty. Throwing his own phone to the coffee table, Mingyu groaned and dropped himself back on the couch again, stuffing his own face by his pillow to muffle another louder groan. He made a huge mess in today’s conversation with Wonwoo. He almost revealed the truth about Jeonghan, acting as if he hated Wonwoo, making his cousin feel like he was not interested in seeing Joshua again anymore. The reason for all of those mistakes was just his own frustration.

Mingyu lost his focus in the whole talk because of Wonwoo’s crime. They had sorted out almost all troubles in the past, but they surely had never talked about Jeonghan, and the younger alpha had just known about this crime a few days ago. He could not make his mind forget it and his brain kept urging him to find a way to make Wonwoo pay for his fault. Nonetheless, if Mingyu thought more carefully, he would know that it was an irresponsible action, because Joshua still needed Wonwoo a lot. The cat was asking for other people, but it did not make Wonwoo any less important to the boy. Mingyu would become a grade-A asshole in Joshua’s eyes if he pushed the lead alpha into dangerous situations.

Was Mingyu being overconfident or hallucinating when thinking that he had just hurt Wonwoo’s feelings? Lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling in a few more minutes, Mingyu was forced to admit that he had, because he had forgotten one fatal problem, which was Wonwoo’s fear of losing people.

_“That’s how this life works. Without money, I’m just nothing. If I hadn’t made that much money and given you two such a wonderful life, would you two have stayed with me that long? If I were just a pathetic alpha working like crazy to earn money, would you be able to rely on me? Of course you wouldn’t.”_

_“You can’t promise anything, Mingyu. Even a marriage means nothing. You can also divorce after marrying. Then what about me? What the hell do I have to make sure that you guys will stay with me forever? How can I know you won’t be like my father who walked away…?”_

Those words had been haunting Mingyu’s mind from that night until now, and sometimes he wondered if he was being manipulated by his cousin again. Nevertheless, thinking about it more carefully, he realized that, if Wonwoo wanted to use those things as an excuse to keep them by his sides, he should have repeated them over and over again. Whenever Wonwoo claimed something, he would say it many times in order to make people believe it and unconsciously do it in the way he wanted. However, Wonwoo only stated that he had always been trying so hard to keep Mingyu and Jun with him only once.

Mingyu really wanted to know more about this matter but he did not know how to bring it up with Wonwoo. His eldest cousin was not the one who could easily open up his heart to other people, even though Mingyu was sure besides Jun, he was the best friend Wonwoo had ever had. In those six weeks, Mingyu had failed to make his cousin believe that he would never walk away like how his omega father had done.

Now Mingyu felt terrible.

His chance to make up with his cousin might have been ruined by himself. He might have destroyed his opportunity of seeing Joshua again, too. Wonwoo had willingly given it to him politely and Mingyu pushed him away just because he could not forget the crime he had done towards Jeonghan. In anger, Mingyu had forgotten that, no matter what, Wonwoo was still his family and he had never wanted to kill the broken relationship between them. If a person like Wonwoo could welcome him into his heart one more time and try to trust him in more than a month, then Mingyu must be an asshole when refusing to take his cousin’s hand and lead him back home with love and open arms.

Mingyu could not sleep the whole night, with an awful chaos of Wonwoo and Joshua in his head.

…

Joshua certainly must have the need to go to the bathroom sometimes, but Wonwoo knew it was not normal at all for the boy to leave with such attitudes. The boy usually ran like this as well, but with a cheerful and playful smile like kid, not with a pale face like what had just happened a few seconds ago. Therefore, after hanging up his phone, he quickly followed the cat’s sweet scent into their bedroom. His guess was precise. The bathroom was empty. Downstairs, the lights were off, which meant the boy could not be in the other bathroom either. Kids do not like darkness. Neither did Joshua.

Frightened and starting to sweat heavily, Wonwoo frantically looked around, trying to think where his kitten might be. Joshua could not get out of the house, because the fence was too high for him to climb over, and both the door and the gates were locked by passcode instead of keys. Consequently, the cat had no chance of sneaking out in any circumstances. His scent was clear here, so Wonwoo believed he must be here too. However, the scent of strawberry candy and rose did not seem sweet anymore. It was getting more and more dreadful rapidly, as if the boy was being very scared of something.

Immediately, Wonwoo’s mind was dragged back to the day he woke up and saw his kitten covered in blood with a large piece of sharp glass in his hand, threatening to kill himself. Wonwoo had thrown away almost all objects made of glass in this house, but right now he just lost his mind and believed that the similar thing could be happening again. Joshua was scared, and Wonwoo was even more scared to death to think of what his omega could do in fright. It was a horrible mistake of the alpha to call Mingyu while the boy was right on his lap and fully awake. It was not difficult for Wonwoo to realize he had accidentally scared his kitten again by getting angry.

Spending a few more seconds walking back and forth in the bedroom, Wonwoo tried extremely hard in agony to calm himself down, trying to force his brain to think why he had come into this bedroom. Something that had happened in the past was causing him to make this decision instead of running around the house madly to look for his Joshua. Scratching his own hair furiously, Wonwoo did not know why his brain was terribly stuck like this, as if it had stopped working right at this important moment.

Wonwoo was about to run wildly, but fortunately, a sniffle came to his ears, reminding him of all the similar incidents in the past six weeks right in this house. He was right. Joshua was here, not anywhere else in the house, and the only place to hide in this room was definitely the wardrobe. Running hastily towards the large wooden wardrobe, the alpha quickly opened the doors to see his little kitten curling up tightly in the dark corner between the piles of clothes. Joshua was trying so hard to press his hand to his mouth in an attempt to prevent his sniffles or sobs from coming out. The cat obviously had failed, and tears were streaming down his cheeks while both his eyes were red and full of fear.

Wonwoo burst into tears right on the spot, just because of seeing his omega crying in the wardrobe without bleeding or having any weapons in his hands. Things had always been like this, but why was he too frightened to even remember his kitten’s habit? Joshua always ran and hid himself in this place whenever he was scared, and Wonwoo had come to get him out so many times, yet the boy would still get inside here again. Why was the wardrobe such a safe place in the cat’s mind? Was it because Joshua used to hide in there at the time Mingyu came to find him and that was all his brain could remember as a safe shelter?

Wonwoo was an ugly and terrible mess of tears but all he could care about was his Joshua, who was staring at him through his teary doe-like eyes and shivering due to utter fear. Trying desperately to lower and soften his voice, the alpha struggled to hold on the last piece of calmness in his heart to kneel down and reached one hand towards his kitten.

“H-hey… Joshua… kitten… Why are you here? There’s nothing wrong… I’m not… I’m not gonna hurt you. Everything’s fine. Can you come out here with me?”

Joshua was like a spooked animal, still trembling and staring at his husband unblinkingly as his mind was trying to contemplate whether it was safe to come out there with the alpha. Drowning in pain and desperation, Wonwoo could only keep begging his spouse to come to him while the tears were still cascading down his own cheeks. Joshua did not stop stifling his own sounds although it was not necessary to do that any longer, yet it was becoming more and more difficult for him, and the sobs were getting louder by second, breaking Wonwoo’s heart and causing him to shed more tears.

“Please… please don’t hit me…” The cat began to beg in shaking and tiny voice between heavy sobs. “I… I beg you… Please don’t… Please don’t punish me…”

“I won’t, Joshua. I swear I won’t.” Wonwoo hurriedly said in agony, impatiently shifting further towards the hybrid, but his omega just shrank more deeply into the corner.

Joshua suddenly covered his head by both hands and started to scream.

“No… you’re angry… No… Please don’t… Master, please don’t! I’ll be good! I’ll do anything you want! Please don’t punish me! I know I’m wrong! Please forgive me, master! Please, I beg you! Please!!!”

Shaking his head furiously, Wonwoo begged his kitten to trust him one more time.

“No, I’m not angry, baby! Even if I’m angry, I’m only angry at other people, not you, Joshua. I won’t ever punish you! I promise! Please come out here with me, and we will go to bed. Okay, kitten?”

At the first time dealing with this situation, Wonwoo had wished that Joshua would quickly and easily trust him again, but when it really happened in that way, he just felt devastated. The naïve cat’s faith and love for his alpha were so enormous that Wonwoo could never fully estimate them, while his dumb self in the past had tried desperately to keep the boy by his sides. Joshua simply never wanted to leave. All he wanted was a reason to believe that his greatest alpha loved him and wanted to protect him rather than punishing him.

Because Wonwoo had punished Joshua for unacceptable reasons too many times, the boy now thought punishment could come at any times although he never did anything wrong.

Easily frightened and easily forgetting, the cat did not need to hear more from his alpha to be convinced. Sobbing loudly, Joshua flung himself into Wonwoo’s arms, calling out his name in a voice which shattered the alpha’s heart into thousands of pieces. Like how it had always happened from the long gone past, the boy hugged his husband tightly while his legs wrapped around the man’s waist, pressing his whole face into the crook of Wonwoo’s neck to cry his eyes out and sniffling pathetically.

Among his heartbreaking whimpers, there were still some desperate plea and promises.

_“Please don’t do that to me! I won’t go anywhere! I’m yours, master! I’ll do anything you want!”_

Wonwoo should have stood up and brought Joshua to bed, but he ended up just sitting in the wardrobe with his kitten on his lap, holding the boy tightly while they were shedding tears together. Despite Joshua’s loss of memories, Wonwoo believed his omega would be haunted by the idea of being raped and abandoned forever. How many times had he heard those pleas before the day he raped the cat and knotted him? The alpha could not remember, yet everything was being replayed over and over again in his life, and they would certainly keep going on like this in a very long time.

Joshua’s soul had been broken, and the doctors told Wonwoo that if the boy could not receive enough attention and treatment he needed, these wounds would remain till the end of his life. The cat was likely to be crazy like this forever, and if one more tragedy came to his life, there would never be any way out for him anymore. Joshua would have to take medicine every day, living on sleeping pills, or having at least three horrible dreams every night and crying himself to sleep, and be traumatized by his own past for eternity.

Wonwoo felt stuck, and hopeless. Joshua needed more attention, and what he was giving the boy was not enough, yet he could not get anyone else for his kitten except for Jihoon and Minghao. Mingyu had just shown not much interest in coming here, while Jun and Jeonghan were undoubtedly out of reach. What should Wonwoo do? Begging Jun to come back? Kidnapping the rabbit for his kitten? Pleading Mingyu one more time?

Wonwoo did not know what to do, just sitting there and crying with his omega until the moment his kitten became the one who hugged him more tightly and tried to soothe him, gently asking him not to cry anymore.

_“Why are you crying, Wonwoo? I’m here. Don’t be sad!”_

\-------------------------

Mingyu was not sure when he fell asleep out of exhaustion, but he definitely did, and when he woke up, he was extraordinarily surprised to see himself being covered properly under the blanket and there were some sounds coming from the kitchen. The scent of food began to attack his nostrils right at the moment his mind got back thoroughly, and the alpha almost jumped. Hurriedly got out of the couch, he walked to the kitchen, yawning but too curious to just keep sleeping. Before reaching the door leading to the kitchen, he did not forget to glance at the clock and realized it was already six o’ clock.

Mingyu had always set the alarm clock to wake up at four thirty to do some exercises and then make breakfast, but somehow he overslept today. That was hard to believe, because his phone was obviously still on the coffee table, where he had put it last night.

Opening the door, Mingyu was so shocked that he was still gasping during the whole way walking to the counters. His sleepy eyes were brightened by the beautiful sight of a fluffy omega standing in the middle of the kitchen preparing a meal. The alpha could not be calm enough to realize what Jeonghan was cooking, but his heart was very ready to combust right on the spot. Turning his head towards the man, the hybrid waved at him with an adorable smile, stealing a few heartbeats from his alpha, and then returning his eyes to the pot on the stove again.

Mingyu might be crazy but he could not stop himself from walking rapidly to the omega and wrapping his arms around Jeonghan’s lithe body from behind, wanting to squeeze him tightly but afraid of crushing him at the same time.

“Oh my God, why are you doing this, Hannie? This is supposed to be my job.” Mingyu whispered but pressed the side of his face to the long blonde hair, earning a soft giggle from his omega.

Jeonghan knew the alpha did not intend to stop him from doing this. The man was probably just too surprised, but he guessed this was a nice surprise. Mingyu was too kind to think of letting the rabbit prepare breakfast for them although it was totally normal for an omega who had no job to do this for his alpha who had to go to work every day to feed them. The hybrid’s cheeks turned pink from the sudden affection but he did not show any protest, scent getting a bit sweeter, and he decided to scoop up a little soup from his pot of kimchi soup by a small spoon to let Mingyu have a taste.

“It’s perfect!” Mingyu exclaimed in happiness, and his embrace got tighter, making his omega blush harder but he could not let go. The alpha did not want to do that at all, and he even nuzzled his face into the rabbit’s hair which reeked of lavender, pine, and peppermint. “Oh my God, I’m going to die! Thank you, Hannie! Thank you so much!”

Right after the extreme excitement, Mingyu was brutally attacked by the pain of his past, where Joshua used to be the one in charge of cooking meals in the kitchen, and the alpha still remembered he used to hug his kitten from behind like this as well. Joshua was no longer here; Mingyu only had Jeonghan, but yesterday Wonwoo had just kindly offered him a chance to reunite with the cat. The future remained unpredictable until now, yet at least an opportunity had just appeared.

Nonetheless, Mingyu felt scared. What if Joshua insisted on getting him back to his sides after their meeting? Mingyu could never leave Jun and Jeonghan. He wanted to be with them, and they needed him too. On the other hand, the cat would be heartbroken due to his rejection and Wonwoo would hate him so much. It would be extremely difficult to explain why he could not stay with his eldest cousin anymore. It was possible to find some ways to convince Jun, but Mingyu did not think it was good to persuade Jeonghan to move in with his rapist. That was too cruel to the rabbit, and Mingyu refused to hurt Jeonghan further, since his bunny had endured enough.

Maybe Jun would not like the idea of getting back to Wonwoo either, because the lead alpha had practically raped him too. What should Mingyu do? He could not let Wonwoo keep lying to Joshua over and over again. Nevertheless, making up some other stories would be awful too, because everything would hurt the cat hybrid.

For the first time, in his greatest pain, Mingyu wished Joshua had forgotten him forever, so that the boy could easily have a happy and contented life with Wonwoo forever.

A second later, Mingyu instantly regretted his own thought, hating himself for being selfish towards Wonwoo. His cousin needed him. Wonwoo needed love and help too. If Mingyu refused to help the lead alpha now, Wonwoo would be miserably isolated and the giant man never wanted that to happen.

Confused by the silence from the alpha, Jeonghan worriedly turned his head to look at Mingyu. As soon as Mingyu caught the rabbit’s eyes staring at him nervously, he was immediately dragged back to the bunny in his arms, grinning and pecking his cheek. What was the reason? Mingyu did not know, simply thinking that he wanted to do it and Jeonghan looked so soft, so cute right in his embrace and his heart desperately desired to give his bunny some love, letting him know how grateful he felt for everything. However, the alpha panicked right away, and he quickly apologized.

“Oh no! I’m sorry Hannie! I forgot that I haven’t brushed my teeth or washed my face yet!”

Smiling endearingly, the omega smiled and shook his head, turning off the stove, finishing his work. Feeling like the rabbit wanted to move, Mingyu loosened his arms, enough for Jeonghan to turned his whole body towards the alpha to face him directly. The rabbit took out his small stack of notes and pencil, comfortably using Mingyu’s wide chest as a surface to support his writing.

_“Did you sleep well?”_

“Yeah! And I still want to sleep more now!” Mingyu lied while rubbing his eyes lazily. Once he finished, he let both hands rest on the hybrid’s waist, receiving no protest. “But I don’t think I should sleep more now. How about you, Hannie?”

Jeonghan nodded, and the giant man could see that his bunny had rested well through the night, since he looked really fine and healthy now, which was a huge happiness for both Mingyu and Jun. They had been worried that the rabbit would not feel comfortable in his first night in this new home, but it seemed that Jun’s presence magically helped the omega overcome everything.

The omega soon showed Mingyu another piece of note, which had already been prepared previously.

_“I want to make coffee for you. How would you like it?”_

The alpha could not help grinning like an idiot again when he answered.

“Black coffee. No milk, no sugar.” Leaning over, he happily squeezed his lovely bunny into his chest. “Thank you, Hannie.”

It would be a blatant lie if Jeonghan said that he was not being overwhelmed by the attention and affection Mingyu had been giving him from yesterday until now, but it was definitely a beautiful surprise that effortlessly made his heart bloom with peace and happiness. The huge alpha obviously did not view Jeonghan as a pet at all, and the omega just believed he was being treated like a real human. Moreover, it did not seem like his presence was giving more burden to Mingyu, and the alpha was evidently too nice and honest to say a lie or fake any emotions. Sensing no danger and tempted by the warm love of the pure, generous and protective alpha, Jeonghan failed to control his heart like how he had always done.

There was no need to squirm or push Mingyu away while Jeonghan genuinely felt treasured in those big and strong arms. The rabbit was wise enough to read his alpha’s attitude, which also meant he knew the giant man found him cute, yet Jeonghan had never had the intention of seducing Mingyu. His brain had only told him to be good and obedient to both alphas in his new home. As a hybrid who hated being brought as a slave or a pet, Jeonghan never wanted to act cute in front of his _“masters”_, but in the end, Jun and Mingyu’s hearts had both developed some soft spots for the rabbit.

At this moment, Mingyu was hugging Jeonghan, but not touchy, and his aroma of sandalwood was still warm as always, or even a bit sweeter, showing no sign of arousal. His pheromones were not trying to overshadow the omega. Jeonghan would not dare to say “no” if Mingyu tried to touch him inappropriately, but it simply did not happen. The giant man’s big but tender hands just loved to stroke the smooth long hair and sometimes rubbing his bunny’s back a little, sending love and adoration through every single gentle touch.

Like a newly formed but bad habit, Mingyu gave Jeonghan another kiss on his cheek one more time, and he speedily apologized with a face full of fright.

“Oh no no no no! I’m so sorry! I’m so stupid! I have to go brush my teeth and wash my face right now! I’m sorry, Hannie!”

Again, Jeonghan smiled and shook his head, writing one more sentence for his kind alpha.

_“It’s fine. Please don’t worry.”_

The alpha’s guilt was eased out right on the spot just because of a reassurance from his bunny, but he still decided to head towards the bathroom so as to make himself cleaner and better before giving Jeonghan more kisses on his adorable face. Nonetheless, Mingyu did not expect to feel the omega’s soft hand holding his arm gently, silently asking him to stop walking away. Freezing to stare at his bunny, the alpha felt the appearance of a whole new beautiful garden of colorful and pretty flowers in his heart when the fluffy rabbit in front of him stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek tenderly.

The fact that Mingyu had just woken up after a long night and had not washed his face yet did not seem to matter to Jeonghan. His lips lingered there for a few seconds. Maybe one, or two, or three seconds, the alpha was not sure. He only knew that when the omega pulled away, those cheeks were as pink as the color of his pajamas, and the embarrassed hybrid quickly turned away to start making coffee. The scent of lavender in the air was sweet enough to make Mingyu feel he had had enough sugar for this whole week long.

During the whole time in the bathroom, all the alpha could think of was the sight of a lovely white bunny hopping around the flower garden in his heart.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously feel very bad for Wonwoo now ;_; Poor Wonwoo ;_; Poor my greatest alpha ;_;   
Please don't worry if you hate him. I'm still very good when knowing how much you hate him. My love for Wonwoo here is just unreasonable and I know it ;_; 
> 
> However, GyuHan melts my heart so badly >< They are so sweet and soft and cute >< 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter~ Please let me know how you think and how you expect WonHan's problem to be solved ;_; I'm honestly quite stuck here and please tell me how you think s as to hold back my sanity >< Wonwoo is climbing up on my bias list and he might be my second favorite now while Jeonghan is my ultimate bias >< I have to be cautious ><
> 
> I'm eager to know your opinions about everything T_T Please let me know T_T
> 
> I hope you are still safe and healthy!!! I have to wear mask at work but things are good here. Please take care of yourself and be safe!!! I love you!!!


	78. The fated partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu was encouraged. He found love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry it’s been almost a week since the last time I posted >< I’ve been quite tired recently and it wasn’t easy for me to write so it took quite much time ;_; I hope you will enjoy this chapter, although it’s quite short.

Walking out of the bathroom, Mingyu was surprised by the absence of the lavender scent in the kitchen, but his question was answered rapidly by the sight of Jeonghan walking out of the bedroom. The alpha had just felt lighter than previously after a refreshing kiss at the beginning of the day, but right now he was stroke by a heart attack just because of how his bunny was waddling into the kitchen to resume his task of preparing breakfast. Mingyu swore he had never seen the rabbit walking in this style at Seungcheol’s mansion. He seemed to just begin moving like that recently. Was his pregnancy the reason for this?

Mingyu had never hugged or touched Jeonghan in the past, and the omega usually wore loose shirt so it was difficult for the man to realize if his bunny’s belly had grown much bigger or not. It was not until now did Mingyu think that he had better do a research about hybrids’ pregnancy. Would it take Jeonghan less than nine months to come into labor? Would it be possible for the rabbit to give birth to more than one baby?

Mingyu shivered at the thought of raising Wonwoo’s two or three children and all of them would be nobles. It would be such a nightmare, as he had never been prepared for taking care of a few newborn babies. Even if Wonwoo could not recognize his own kids, he would never believe that they were Jun’s children, and he would hate Mingyu for lying to him about his relationship with Jeonghan. It was too hard to keep all of these secrets forever and he could not find any way out. Would it be better if Mingyu told Wonwoo the truth about Jeonghan and directly asked his cousin not to ever wander around the rabbit? If Wonwoo all of a sudden wanted to claim his ownership of the hybrid, the giant alpha would make sure to punch his cousin right in the face.

Seungcheol might help protecting Jeonghan, but he might possibly get into a huge fight with Wonwoo, since Mingyu knew his friend certainly hated Wonwoo more than anyone else in this world.

Shaking his head, the alpha decided to think about those troubles later. He needed to eat now to recharge his energy, and his bunny was observing him with so many questions in his eyes.

“You’ve just woken Junnie up, right?” Mingyu asked while sitting down by the table.

Jeonghan nodded, putting a hot mug of coffee on the table in front of his alpha. The omega intended to walk away to continue his work, but Mingyu suddenly held his wrist gently, pulling him towards his seat.

“Come here, Hannie! I want to ask you something.” The man said softly, pulling the rabbit to sit on his lap.

Jeonghan was honestly very shy to do this, but he still sat down anyway, blushing at this intimate position. The rabbit was just sitting on one of Mingyu’s thighs but he felt safe and comfortable, and it was amazing to realize how thick his muscles were. Jeonghan felt so small in comparison with his giant alpha, but he did not feel threatened. Mingyu was just as gentle as Jun, and there was so much sense of protectiveness in his noble pheromones.

“Please just tell me what you really think. You don’t have to worry about anything. I want to know your opinions, so that I can figure out what I should or shouldn’t do.” Mingyu considerately assured his bunny before asking, holding one of the hybrid’s hands in his own one, adoring the small, soft and slender but cold hand. “And please trust me. I won’t do whatever you don’t like.”

The omega honestly felt worried about what Mingyu was about to tell or ask him, but he still nodded, relieved to know that he was being under no enforcement. Moreover, the way his alpha was holding his hand was so gentle and loving that Jeonghan could not felt any danger coming to him. Mingyu evidently wanted to know about his thoughts and feelings, like how Jun did whenever he asked something.

“Do you want to see Joshua again?”

The rabbit stared at his alpha in bewilderment, unable to believe that Mingyu had just asked him about Joshua, while he had always thought that this was a topic which was supposed to be avoided in this family, since it brought so much pain to everyone. Furthermore, was it important if Jeonghan still wanted to see Joshua? What would happen if he did? The cat might still hate him so much.

The considerably more serious problem was that, Jeonghan could not approach Joshua now. He did not want to destroy his progress, and he did not want to face punishment again. He had already got a _“warning”_ and it would be extremely stupid to repeat that mistake while he had already known the consequences.

As a result, Jeonghan shook his head with a shiver that Mingyu did not miss, and he was not surprised. The rabbit was obviously trying to hide his emotion but the panic was clear in his eyes, and everything just became clearer when he took out the inhaler from his pocket. Worriedly rubbing the omega’s back, Mingyu tried to soothe his bunny.

“Don’t be scared! You’re okay! It’s fine. Nobody can hurt you now. We’re just talking. Wonwoo can’t…”

Jeonghan was so shocked that he failed to put the inhaler back into his pocket. It just fell out of his hand while he stared at Mingyu with wide eyes, and the man instantly realized his mistake, yet it was too late. The hybrid was immobilized by shock, but what scared the alpha most was that his bunny’s eyes were quickly filled with fright and embarrassment. Seeing the wet eyes full of tears which were shattering his heart violently, Mingyu shook his head vigorously, hand reaching up to caress his omega’s cheeks and wiping the streams of tears rolling down.

“Don’t… Don’t cry, Hannie!” The alpha unconsciously stuttered, unfamiliar with this kind of situation, but strangely heartbroken. He was worried of saying the wrong things right now, because Mingyu was still not really sure if he had understood much of Jeonghan or not. His heart certainly never wanted to make the omega in his arms feel sad because of anything, and he could only stick to this goal to let his heart take the lead of his action. “There… there’s nothing to feel ashamed of. I know you aren’t ready to tell us, but… I know I shouldn’t have said it out, but I really want to protect you and keep you safe by our sides. I won’t ever let him or anyone else lay a finger on you if you don’t allow them to do that again. Please, don’t cry, Hannie! Don’t be scared.”

Unable to resist the urge of showering his bunny with love and comfort, Mingyu pulled Jeonghan into his chest and hugged him not too tightly but not too loosely either, just enough for the omega to feel loved and protected. Luckily, the rabbit had no protest, willingly pressing himself closer to his alpha to be embraced and treasured.

“I’m sorry, Hannie. I should have been more considerate. If you don’t like, I won’t ever mention this problem anymore. I’m really sorry. Just please, whenever you want to talk about it, let us know, okay?” Mingyu desperately tried to give Jeonghan more faith and comfort, one hand still on his back while the other one stroking his hair. “Junnie doesn’t know this… Only I know. I won’t tell him until you feel ready to do that, but if you want me help you let him know, I will do it. I… I really don’t know what’s good or bad so I will just do whatever you want to, because I don’t want you to get hurt any further. This is already too much. I don’t want to bring more trouble to you. If you ever want to talk about it sometimes… you… you may come to find me. I’m willing to listen to anything.”

Surprisingly, Jeonghan suddenly pulled away, wiping his own tears by the sleeves of his clothes and taking out the notes. One more time, he used Mingyu’s chest as his own table to write as the man waited patiently, still rubbing his omega’s back tenderly. When the rabbit finally showed him his note, his eyes were still wet and sorrowful.

_“Please don’t worry about me. If you want to see Joshua or you have a chance to see him, please just do it.”_

“I’m really scared, Hannie.” Mingyu sighed and shook his head in exasperation. “My wrong decision might tear our family apart… It’s too dangerous. What if everything turns right and Joshua wants to come here? What if he asks to see Jun too? What if they find it nice to let me see Joshua then they think of asking Seungcheol to bring you to see him too? I know Wonwoo can be shameless when it comes to Joshua and he will do anything.”

Mingyu instantly felt a hundred times worse as the hybrid jumped out of his lap to pick his inhaler up from the floor. The omega soon returned to his position on the giant man’s lap, but he had to use his medicine to calm himself down again just because of the mention of his rapist. This time, the situation was a bit worse, and Mingyu had to spend more time rubbing his back, holding his hand and giving him soothing words. Jeonghan tried to catch his breath, subconsciously shifting until his side was pressed to his alpha and it was convenient for him to lean against the wide chest.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Hannie.” Mingyu was already on the verge of bursting into tears now, horribly guilty for making his bunny suffer more. “I’ll shut my mouth. I won’t ever talk about this again! I…”

The hybrid shook his head again, placing his slightly shaking index finger on the bigger man’s lips to stop him from speaking. Mingyu’s stubbornness still wanted to talk more, yet he had no choice but to follow his bunny’s wish, trying to close his mouth and wait, since it was obvious that Jeonghan was not fine enough to write yet. Therefore, the alpha resumed his process of rubbing the omega’s back and holding his hand. However, Jeonghan did not need much more time. He rapidly took his pencil and wrote down on his notes in less than one minute later.

_“Please don’t worry about too many things like that anymore, Mingyu. You’re talking like this, so I guess you are having a chance to see Joshua. Please take it. You can solve other problems later.”_

The giant man shook his head in agony.

“No, Hannie. I can’t! I can’t risk it! I can’t do that!” Without warning, Mingyu closed his arms tightly around the rabbit, squeezing him and never willing to let go. “I’ve already lost Joshua… I… I know I sound stupid when saying this, but I don’t want to lose you. I can’t let it happen! I can’t put you in risk because of my own wish! Please just forget what I’ve just said! I won’t…”

One more time, Jeonghan pushed his alpha away, with much more force in his movement this time. The omega was now irritated by how nervous and selfless Mingyu was, although whatever the giant man was doing was all for other people’s benefits. It was sad to realize how much this man was suffering without himself realizing or acknowledging it. Jeonghan had thought that everyone in this apartment would jump and buzz in excitement if they were given an opportunity to make up with Joshua and they would fly to the cat’s house in the blink of an eye. Mingyu’s reaction was seriously unexpected and heartbroken. The anger and the pain caused the rabbit’s hands to shake so much while he wrote.

_“Why do you have to worry that much? You promise to protect me, right? Then if something happens, you will be there for me, right?”_

“But...” The alpha kept on protesting, yet Jeonghan had not finished. He still had more to write.

_“I trust you. Why can’t you trust yourself? I know you will keep your promise. Nobody can hurt me without your permission. Aren’t you my alpha now?”_

Mingyu’s mouth hung open, intending to continue speaking, but he could not voice out any words because Jeonghan was definitely right. In disbelief, the giant man temporarily could not come up with anything to reply, and he just stared at his omega with wide eyes, shocked by his own realization. Taking this chance, the rabbit wrote another message for his alpha.

_“I understand what you’re worrying.”_ Even the hybrid was avoiding mentioning the monster’s name directly in his writing. _“But he can’t just come take me away. I’m sure he doesn’t want me even a bit. If he does, you still can stop him, and Seungcheol is still alive. Nothing will go wrong.”_

Jeonghan brought the inhaler up one more time after putting the pencil down, but he knew he had to go through this so as to convince Mingyu. As an omega, he knew he had to obey his alpha’s words, but the rabbit could not bear watching Mingyu suffered like this, since it was not necessary. Everything actually had solutions right now. The only problem was that this giant man was too anxious about every single thing and he was always scared of hurting his loved people. Jeonghan did not expect to be taken into consideration so thoroughly by his big alpha, but Mingyu was evidently trying very hard, which made him feel moved and guilty at the same time.

After one more minute, Mingyu still had no idea what to say because he ran out of argument. He knew his head and his heart would never forget his responsibility towards Jeonghan, and he believed he would protect his bunny at all cost, but his chest was filled by too many worries and concerns, especially when he himself had brought trauma and pain to his lovers.

“It… it might ruin your process, Hannie.” Mingyu shook his head, once again, eyes starting to get wet, more depressed than whatever Jeonghan had witnessed in this bright and reliable alpha. “You’ve gone through two months. If I become the one who destroys it and makes your mark bleed for longer, I… I’m literally committing a crime. I will be hurting you then. You’re pregnant, but you’re also taking too many pills per day. I just want this to end as soon as possible!”

_“No matter what happens, I still have to take my pills until the day my child is a few months old. You make no change.”_ Worrying about his slow writing, frustrated by his own inability of speaking while they had so many things to exchange between each other, Jeonghan nervously glanced at his alpha, but Mingyu was still more patient than anyone else in this world.

If Mingyu could have so much love, patience, and endurance for him, the rabbit thought he should and he could have the same amount of patience for his alpha. Jeonghan knew his life was already broken and damaged. He would not hold onto his vague chance of healing some tiny parts of it by throwing away Mingyu’s chance of getting his happiness back.

_“If your reunion with Joshua isn’t smooth, nothing will happen. If everything goes well, I will have the chance to see him again. I’m ready to destroy my process for a chance to see Joshua. I can redo my process, but I’m scared your chance can’t come twice. Please take it as soon as possible!”_

With all the panics he had seen in the past few days, Mingyu could never believe that Jeonghan genuinely felt okay with ruining his process of staying away from Wonwoo for a year. The omega must have said that only because he wanted to persuade the alpha to come and see Joshua. There could not be any other possibility. Mingyu swore he had never talked about his relationship with Wonwoo now, and he was one hundred percent sure Jeonghan could not have eavesdropped on his conversation with his cousin last night. Nevertheless, the omega seemed to understand everything, seeing through every single thought in Mingyu’s mind, making him feel sympathized, understood, and truly treasured for the first time in the long chain of miserable days.

Devastated and heartbroken, Mingyu choked out a sob, throwing away all of the notes and pencil to make the rabbit straddle his lap. Wasting no second, the alpha squeezed his bunny tightly as streams of tears cascaded down his cheeks. In this moment, Mingyu felt like he had been wasting his whole life looking around for the omega of his life, yet in the end, it turned out that he was right here, so near, so close to him, and right now, he knew his omega was the best of the best in this universe. Crying like a child, Mingyu shed tears of not only pain but also happiness in the sweet scent of lavender and the light aroma of peppermint lingering all over the rabbit’s body.

His omega was going to give birth to his nephew or niece, but Mingyu could not care anymore. The big alpha promised to himself, that he would take them all as his children and would never tell them the truth.

Wriggling a little to get his arms freed, Jeonghan smiled and wrapped both of them around his alpha to hug him with all his strength and his heart. The omega was blushing but still buried his face into the crook of Mingyu’s neck, for the first time trying to take in the scent of sandalwood. His alpha was crying, but his scent was always so warm, so loving and giving so much sense of protection. If Jeonghan could speak, he would tell his man not to cry anymore, yet his mouth could not let out any sounds, so he just simply used his hands to caress the alpha’s hair and rub his back like how Mingyu had done previously. Nonetheless, the more Jeonghan tried to give comfort to his alpha, the harder he cried, and the more tightly his arms crushed the rabbit.

The omega began to feel worried and terribly sad for his alpha, wondering how long it had been since the last time this man could cry his eyes out comfortably like this. Last night, Mingyu had cried, but it was not enough. It was nothing in comparison with what he had been through in a short period of time. The alpha was crying for Jeonghan, for himself, or for Joshua? The rabbit could not know, but it did not matter to him, since Jeonghan only needed to know that Mingyu was in pain while he had never done anything wrong from the beginning until now, and the rabbit felt his heart aching for the man’s misery, wishing it to stop right on the spot.

When Jun walked into the kitchen, he was startled to see his two lovers cuddling in the kitchen with one of them crying pathetically. Hurriedly pulling a chair closer to Mingyu, he sat down, trying to soothe his cousin but nothing seemed to work. Seeing his lover, the giant man just cried harder and sobbed more loudly. Jeonghan did not look confused at all, which caused Jun to guess that the rabbit understood what was going on, but the problem started to appear from here. He leaned over and touched Jeonghan’s shoulder, intending to get his attention in order to ask a question, but Mingyu turned away immediately, blocking his mate completely and disallowing him from touching the omega.

Jun’s eyes widened in extreme shock, because Mingyu had never had this kind of behavior even with Joshua in the past. Nonetheless, right now the giant man was acting utterly possessive towards the omega who was supposed to belong to Jun, not Mingyu. The older alpha had never intended to own Jeonghan for himself only, but it was truly shocking to see this drastic change in just a day, and Mingyu was obviously losing control.

“It’s okay, Gyu. I won’t take him away from you.” Jun ran a soothing hand along his lover’s back, massing some of the tensed muscles, whispering in a low voice. “Look at me, baby. Tell me what’s wrong. Why are you crying? Please tell me!”

Jun let out a sigh of relief instantly as his silly cousin turned back to look at him in the eyes. Fetching some tissues and bringing them to his lover’s face, Jun gently held his mate’s face in place, tenderly and carefully wiping the mess of his tears.

“Junnie…” Mingyu struggled to speak after a sob, squeezing Jeonghan even harder, and Jun began to worry that the rabbit might find it hard to breathe now. “I found him… _I found him!_”

Even though Jeonghan thought he understood the reasons for his giant alpha crying now, he had never expected to hear this from Mingyu right at this moment. Freezing in the alpha’s embrace, the rabbit was not aware of his own tears falling, because all of a sudden, his worries were taken down completely, as his heart was eventually allowed to believe that he would fine and safe in this home till the last day of his life, because neither Jun nor Mingyu would ever let him go anymore. Mingyu wanted him too. His big alpha undoubtedly loved him as well, willingly giving him the love Joshua had received in the past and even more than that.

Jun was so happy that he almost jumped at his lovers yet he luckily remembered that Mingyu was being very sensitive now and he had better not mess with his alpha’s instincts. The older alpha was startled again when his cousin suddenly bit Jeonghan without warning, but he relaxed soon since the omega did not seem to be in much pain. His reaction was not different from yesterday, which meant nothing got worse. Everything even got better, as Mingyu’s sobs subsided after the temporary mark was formed, and the giant man now looked like a crying puppy staring at his omega’s eyes.

Jeonghan needed a moment to wait for the pain to fade away, and that was also the time for Mingyu to calm down more, allowing Jun to move closer and find his cousin’s hand. Squeezing his lover’s hand back, Mingyu turned to look at his lover with apologetic eyes and pulled him over, so that both of them could together gently wiped their bunny’s tears of pain and happiness.

“You guys scare the hell out of me.” Jun murmured while turning his attention to his cousin again, cleaning his messy face by some tissue. “I’ve just woken up and you guys are here crying and flooding the whole apartment with tears. What’s going on? Did any bastards come in here and bully you two?”

“No… No one came.” Mingyu shook his head, voice still shaking, sounding a little bit funny but adorable in Jun’s ears. “Just… just my bad… It’s nothing.”

Jeonghan definitely did not miss the way his big alpha discreetly hiding away the stack of notes to avoid letting Jun see the content of their conversation. With no question, the rabbit decided to follow his alpha’s wish, and did not mention it to Jun either. Trying to take the stack back from Mingyu’s hand, the hybrid tore away the first piece of note, crushing it in his own hand and then he wrote down on the newest piece on top of the stack while the giant man stared at him in bewilderment.

_“He’s sad. He’s so kind but he always thinks he hasn’t done enough for us.”_

“Oh no, my silly bear!” Jun crooned and ruffled his lover’s hair. “You’re all we need. You don’t have to do anything more. Please don’t cry, Gyu! Don’t cry!”

Mingyu slightly pouted and leaned to his cousin’s touch, melting the older alpha’s heart, yet Jun was not really sure if this was the true story, because it sounded quite ridiculous. He knew Mingyu was not the kind of man who could easily cry. However, if both of them had decided not to tell the truth, Jun decided to let it go this time and perhaps he would turn back to this incident later. Looking at his lover who was having the face of a kicked puppy currently, Jun had no strength to interrogate and all he could do was giving his baby bear some more kisses on his cheeks, and so many more sweet confessions. Mingyu listened to him attentively while Jeonghan was carefully cleaning up his big man’s face. The omega’s actions were so gentle and loving that the receiver just wanted to cry harder and harder.

Nevertheless, things did not resolve that easily. Right when Jun stopped saying _“I love you”_, Mingyu closed his arms around the rabbit again, squeezing very tightly and stubbornly refusing to let go. Thanks to the smile on Jeonghan’s face, Jun knew it was not necessary to interfere harshly, but he encouraged his cousin to stop doing this since he did not have much time left. He needed to have breakfast in order to show up at work on time. Jun was dumbfounded while observing how whipped his mate looked right now, amazed to realize how quickly Mingyu acknowledged the rabbit as the omega of his life. This kind of hasty announcement was not typical of his giant bear at all, but this fact only helped Jun believe that Mingyu was not joking or being stupid.

Watching Jeonghan’s facial expression, Jun did not think the hybrid’s feelings were on the same level with Mingyu’s, yet he thought it was fine. His bunny had already been surprisingly receptive towards everything Mingyu had been giving him, which meant it was totally possible for Jeonghan to develop stronger romantic feelings for his giant alpha. The omega got used to Mingyu’s presence and affection much faster than what Jun had expected. Jeonghan let Mingyu hold him, kiss him, put him on his lap, touch his hair, face, back, and hold his hand without even the slightest discomfort. Jun believed this was the foundation for true love to bloom, as the smile on the rabbit’s face now was nothing more than pure happiness. Therefore, he was super happy to see his day of getting his cousin back into the bed would come soon.

“Mingyu, it’s getting late. You have to let Hannie eat. He must be hungry now. He has to feed his baby too. Remember?”

Jun knew this way of saying was not nice to Mingyu, but this was his last resort, and it fortunately worked, since his baby bear had always been the kind of man who only thought of other people’s feelings instead of his own ones. Frightened when being reminded of Jeonghan’s condition, Mingyu hurriedly pulled the omega away and apologized to him a hundred times. The rabbit was overwhelmed by the “sorry” his alpha kept telling him in five minutes, but he did not have any protest as the man kept him on his lap during breakfast time.

Jeonghan felt shy and embarrassed since he had never sat on anyone’s lap during a meal even once in his whole life, but his heart now felt warm and simply happy. The rabbit was not being under the pressure of trying to please his master. No part of his mind felt the urge to do anything he did not want to, because Mingyu did considerately ask him if it was okay for the alpha to keep him on his lap like this. Without hesitation, Jeonghan nodded with a shy smile and pink cheeks. The rabbit guessed, it would not be possible for him to smile or blush if he felt uncomfortable with his giant alpha. Was this how love look like? His love with Jun - or even his love with Seungcheol - was formed in such an abnormal way that Jeonghan was not sure what kind of feeling was supposed to be called _“love”_ in normal people’s thoughts.

Eyeing the couple with a little jealousy, Jun smiled in relief, taking this chance to see how his own times of having meals on Mingyu’s lap had looked like. How many times had they done this together? Jun had never counted, yet he had not thought it would repeat so many more times when his mate convinced him that in this position, it would be easier to take care of him. At that time, Jun was still very weak, so he was defeated quickly and allowed Mingyu to pamper him and spoil him in this way. Nonetheless, it kept happen over and over again, until one day Jun was addicted and his cousin no longer had to persuade. They willingly did it together.

As a result, at this moment, Jun knew Jeonghan had already stepped into Mingyu’s heart. Once his giant bear started to love someone, he would keep that person in his heart forever.

The shower of love and affection was seriously overwhelming for Jeonghan, yet he basked it all his alphas were giving him, letting them know how happy he was by his scent which was getting sweeter and sweeter. Both of the alphas fed him enthusiastically, even stealing away his ability of feeding himself. The two bigger men took turn to feed the rabbit some small pieces of a fried egg, some bread, letting him drink some milk, and then feeding him some more kimchi soup.

To return the love, Jeonghan also tried to feed his alphas too, and he was quite frightened by their reaction. Both of the alphas looked like they were going to die right on the spot, and it took the omega more than five times to get accustomed to their attitudes to understand that they were just being too happy. However, they only wanted to focus on making Jeonghan eat, as if he was the sole attention of their lives now. The omega wondered if his alphas had really eaten anything for this morning, yet they did not seem to care about themselves, only urging their bunny to stuff himself with enough nutrition to become healthy.

The meal ended up taking much more time than the breakfast they had had yesterday and Jun kept reminding Mingyu of the time but the giant man no longer cared about his work. Jun sighed and shook his head, giving up completely, feeling like his cousin was still just a huge puppy now, and his heart was just too soft for his adorable alpha puppy. Consequently, he would let his puppy do whatever he wanted without further complaint. Jun only hoped that Mingyu knew what he was doing, and he sincerely wished his mate would care about his own feelings much more so as to be truly happy like how he deserved.

As usual, Jun was the one who prepared Mingyu’s briefcase ready, but today he was welcomed by another surprise when coming to the kitchen. It turned out that the rabbit had already prepared lunch for Mingyu to bring to his company, which seriously made Jun feel jealous and think that he had better look for a job quickly so that his bunny would take care of him like this too. Right now, Jeonghan was carefully placing the boxes of food neatly into a small grey bag which Jun did not notice buying yesterday.

Jun hated himself for making a comparison again, but there was a fact that Joshua had never done this for them in the past. It could be reasoned by another fact that the cat had only served one owner previously and he had not been used to what he should do to take care of someone else thoroughly. On the other hand, Jeonghan had been through ten years of being someone’s slave and he definitely knew what he should do for his alphas. This truth was heartbreaking but it made the rabbit incredibly lovely in Jun’s eyes, and he knew Mingyu would feel this way as well.

Staring at his bunny working with the last necessary tasks for Mingyu’s lunchbox, Jun desperately just wanted to marry Jeonghan immediately.

The alpha intended to come and hug his bunny yet Mingyu went back from the bedroom right at this time, so Jun had no choice but to leave his intention later, since he still had a lot of time with Jeonghan today. Mingyu grinned brightly as receiving the briefcase and the bag of lunchbox from his lovers. While Jun gave his cousin a kiss on his cheek, Jeonghan still tried to spend time fixing the giant man’s clothes, making sure that he would look as cool as possible when stepping out of this apartment. Mingyu was terribly distracted, but did not forget to kiss his Junnie on the lips and whisper _“I love you”_ lovingly.

When the younger alpha turned towards their bunny, he lowered himself to deliver a gentle kiss on the omega’s cheek. Although this was no longer the first time, Jeonghan still blushed, yet he soon stood on tiptoe to return another kiss on his alpha’s cheek. The second kiss from the bunny in the same morning threatened to kill Mingyu by the overdose of sweetness, but he was willing to go through several heart attacks per day for the rest of his life to receive this kind of love from his bunny. Mingyu failed to stop himself from squeezing Jeonghan tightly into his chest one more time, giving countless kisses on the omega’s head and intentionally scent-marking him like how he had always done to his beloved Junnie.

Right at this time, Mingyu felt the hybrid secretly putting something into the pocket of his vest.

The giant man only released his omega after five minutes of Jun coaxing him to leave as he had been one hour late already. Mingyu left with a pout, but he smiled again after giving each of his lovers one more kiss on their cheeks. He finally said goodbye to them, reluctantly leaving his two beloved people at home while he headed to the parking lot, jumping right into his own car.

The first thing he did inside there was not running the engine. Mingyu took out the small piece of paper Jeonghan had placed into his pocket, unfolding it to read his short message.

_“Please take your chance to see Joshua as soon as possible. I’m eager to hear good news from you.”_

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what is coming. MINGYU IS GOING TO SEE JOSHUA AGAIN!!! 
> 
> This means Jeonghan is going to see Wonwoo again soon. This is probably the last drama of this fic and it’s seriously going to end soon ;_; Aaaaaahh I’m so sad but it has to be ><
> 
> As always, I’m eager to know how you feel about this chapter >< Please stay safe!!! Love you so much!!! I don’t want this to end aaaaahahhhh ><


	79. Blood and tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo bled.   
Joshua hurt himself.  
Mingyu cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter took me too long again because my health sucks these days. I'm having a sore throat and a headache >< 
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

Wonwoo was severely exhausted, but still determined to bring Joshua to his office.

  
Nonetheless, things were a hundred times worse today. Right after hearing the announcement, the boy began to cry and bolted into the bedroom. Wonwoo had to come there to get the crying cat out of the wardrobe, but Joshua was still thrashing and screaming, like a kid having temper tantrum, yet he was more like being frightened instead of being angry. The alpha tried his best to soothe his kitten, rubbing his back and whispering sweet words to his ears in an attempt to calm him down, but Joshua did not stop crying. He cried very loudly, sobbing heavily continuously in almost an hour. The hybrid ended up hyperventilating and scared the hell out of his husband when he struggled to breathe, face pale, limbs cold and trembling crazily.

  
Fortunately, after drinking some water, Joshua got a bit better as he could breathe normally, yet no magic could make him stop crying. Due to all that had happened yesterday, the cat did not want to put one foot out of this house anymore, but he could not understand why Wonwoo kept forcing him to do this. Sitting on his alpha’s lap, the boy cried his eyes out, gripping his husband’s shirt tightly and even pulling it.

  
“Why… Why do you do this to me? I want to stay at home! I don’t want to go anywhere! Please… Why… why do we have to do this?”

  
Wonwoo tried all of the reasons he could think of to convince his kitten but Joshua simply could not accept the idea of leaving home. He did not need any reason. He just wanted to stay inside his safe area with Wonwoo by his sides.

  
With the endless streams of tears and sobs, Joshua by no means had the ability to get dressed by himself. Heaving a heavy sigh, Wonwoo brought the boy into their bedroom, taking off his clothes by himself, which only caused his kitten to cry harder. Joshua was scared by being undressed by his alpha, but it was not until Wonwoo had finished peeling off layers of clothes on his omega did he realize the problem. Joshua curled up in the corner of the bed, using his arms to cover himself and shaking uncontrollably.

  
Wonwoo knew nothing could be better than speeding up his task of dressing the boy so that his kitten would no longer doubt his intention, so he just quickly helped Joshua wear a short-sleeved shirt and trousers. The hybrid was so scared that he had no protest and let his alpha do whatever he wanted. Therefore, everything was done rapidly, which caused the boy to feel more relieved for real since he eventually understood that his husband was not about to do anything cruel to him. Nonetheless, his crying was still making Wonwoo terribly depressed and hurt, drowned in utter pain without any way to get out. Joshua stopped trying to escape for good, but he kept crying in vain, still shedding tears and sobbing while his alpha put the white sneakers on his feet.

  
The troubles came back when Wonwoo let Joshua sit on bed alone while he walked away to get dressed for himself. The alpha was still in the same room with his kitten but that was not enough for the cat who was still deep in panic. The boy’s eyes widened right at the moment Wonwoo moved one foot away from their bed. Scrambling out of there, Joshua hurriedly jumped back into his alpha’s embrace, crying out loudly and clinging to his husband again, refusing to let Wonwoo go anywhere. The alpha’s reaction was to hold his kitten tightly immediately, but it seemed that he did not need to do that, because Joshua was wrapping his limbs around him particularly tightly this time. The yowling sounds his cat was giving out were grievous.

  
“Can we stay at home, please? Master, please! Please stay at home! I don’t want to go anywhere! Please! I’ll be good! Please, master! Why are you punishing me? I didn’t do anything wrong!” Joshua begged desperately and cried, shaking his head vehemently. “Please… please don’t… master… Please…”

  
“It’s not a punishment, honey. I just want to bring you to work with me. I have to work, and I want to have you by my sides. It’s a good thing. It’s okay, kitten. Don’t be scared.” Wonwoo tried to soothe his baby again by giving him a lot of kisses, but Joshua was squeezing him incredibly more and more tightly.

  
“Why don’t you work at home? You’ve done that! Why do you stop now? Why? Is it… is it because I’m annoying and… and you don’t want to… don’t want to…”

  
“That’s not true, Joshua. It isn’t your fault. We’re still together, just out of the house. I can’t work at home forever, baby. I have to go to my office! Please, kitten. Go with me. You’ll be fine there. You can bring your toys along and…”

  
“No! I don’t want to go! No!!!”

  
The more Wonwoo struggled, the more Joshua tried to fight for a chance of staying at home today, yet his alpha did not want to give up. Knowing that there would be no use in persuading his kitten like this, the man finally decided to put Joshua back on the bed, pulling his omega away. Unfortunately, this action only caused the hybrid to fight harder, trying all he could to hold onto his husband. This was when Wonwoo suddenly felt his flesh and his shirt being torn apart.

  
Joshua successfully clung to his husband by having his sharp claws dug deeply into Wonwoo’s back, making streams of blood ooze out speedily.

  
The alpha winced and hissed sharply in pain, while his omega gasped in panic, frightened by the blood on his husband’s back, and on his own hands.

  
The hybrid retracted his claws in the blink of an eye, and the reason for his tears instantly changed. The boy no longer argued about leaving home, since the only thing he cared about right now was helping his husband go to the hospital as soon as possible. The boy kept crying and trembling, yet still managed to do all he needed to bring himself and his alpha to the car and headed to the nearest hospital. 

  
Before leaving home, Wonwoo did take a look at his back prior to putting on a random shirt, and he was relieved to see that the wounds were not very serious. They were bleeding but just a little, looking just like some violent scratches from a normal cat which could never kill him. Nonetheless, Joshua’s reaction was more horrible than the injuries, as if the boy had just accidentally attempted to kill his husband. This was the first time after two months when Joshua sat on his own in the car, but Wonwoo wished he could bring the cat back to his lap as always.

  
Joshua did not want to sit with his alpha today simply because Wonwoo was injured, but sitting alone made him shift and squirm restlessly in his seat, crying and whimpering in panic. The hybrid was not scared of going out anymore. He was scared and guilty for hurting his husband, which he had never and would never want to happen. Wonwoo found it extremely difficult to focus on driving, abruptly stopping the car by the sideway to scoop the cat onto his lap.

  
However, Joshua did not have the same idea. This time, he began to destroy the interior of the car by his claws which were holding onto everything in his reach to keep himself away from his alpha’s embrace. His screams were so loud that the police came to knock on the door to ask what was happening. Wonwoo struggled to restrain the panicked cat and take out his official paper of ownership and marriage at the same time since the officer doubted if this cat was being kidnapped illegally. Joshua had just tried to stay away from Wonwoo a few seconds ago, but now he clung to his husband again due to his utter fear of the police officer who was obviously an alpha. 

  
Wonwoo was about to lose his mind soon because he could see that everything was going past Joshua’s limits now and he wondered how much longer his kitten could endure. It was just eight o’clock yet the alpha felt like he had been through a century with a crying cat. The police soon left, and it took Wonwoo ten more minutes to calm his omega down. Right at the moment Joshua got his mind back a little, he climbed out of his husband’s lap instantly to sit alone, curling up and crying to his folded arms around his folded legs. Wonwoo gave up in his effort of keeping the boy, letting him sit there, hoping that this could make their process of going to the hospital end sooner.

  
Nonetheless, he was terribly wrong. Letting a crazy Joshua “alone” could never be a good idea, especially when the cat was still deep in guilt and panic. The hybrid had been crying and sobbing for a long time, so Wonwoo did not notice any problem until his nostrils caught the smell of blood. Startled, he snapped his head to look at his omega, scared to death to see blood all over the boy’s index finger on his left hand. Hurriedly stopping the car for the second time, the alpha tried to take a better look, realizing that Joshua had just ripped out his own claw, which caused him to bleed severely. The boy had been trying to stifle his screams of pain by biting his own lips harshly. Consequently, his lips were bleeding, too, creating a terrifying sight in front of Wonwoo’s eyes, shattering his heart into pieces.

  
“No… No! Joshua! Stop! Stop it!” In panic, the alpha leaned over to tear the boy’s hand away from his other hand, preventing him from pulling out another claw. “What are you doing? Don’t do that! You can’t do that!”

  
Today, Joshua no longer obeyed his alpha’s words. The cat began to scream and thrash one more time to break free from his husband’s hands, as if all he wanted to do now was destroying his own claws so that he would never be able to hurt his alpha anymore. Wonwoo tried harder to scoop his kitten up, placing the boy on his lap to hug him tightly, his movement fast enough to stop a crying boy in pain from trying to hold onto the seat by his damaged claws. 

  
Like a flash, Wonwoo ripped off the sleeve of his own shirt to wrap it around Joshua’s bleeding finger, horrified by how much blood had been going out in just a very short amount of time. Just through a quick glance, the alpha could see that what had been pulled out was not just the claw. There was also missing skin and flesh on the cat’s finger, and he did not want to look at it anymore. Finishing his task of first-aid, Wonwoo pulled the omega to his chest and hugged him tightly, not ever daring to let his baby go away again. 

  
“I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry. It’s my fault, not yours.” Wonwoo mumbled continuously into his kitten’s hair, rubbing his back by trembling hands as his own tears were cascading down his cheeks. “I won’t force you to go out today! We will go to the hospital to take care of these wounds, and then go back home, okay? I’m sorry, kitten. I’m sorry!”

  
“It’s my fault! I made you bleed!” Joshua cried out, petrified by the red liquid he was seeing on his alpha’s back. “I’m sorry, Wonwoo… I’m sorry… My claws… I… I didn’t mean to hurt you… I don’t know why I did that… I’m sorry! I’m sorry! We should pull out all my claws… so that I won’t ever hurt you again!”

  
“No! We won’t do that, Joshua!” The alpha shook his head vigorously in fright. “It’s harmful for you! I won’t ever let you do that! Please stop it! Please! Please tell me you will stop it so that I can bring you to the hospital! Please, baby!”

  
In the past, Wonwoo had never known that his life would end up in this way. How many times did he need to beg Joshua in a day? He could not count. The alpha had to beg his kitten through various little things, just because he could never be stern or strict to his omega anymore. All he could do was begging. Even so, his kitten still cried in pain, in agony, in fright, and Wonwoo had never known what a peaceful day was supposed to be since that day. He just wished to see a day go by without witnessing his baby shedding tears, yet it was impossible, and he was exhausted. Wonwoo had failed. He failed to protect his Joshua. He failed to take care of the boy. And now, the hybrid, right in his car, had just destroyed his claw, and Wonwoo did not stop him on time. 

  
Together, they were a mess of tears and blood, not much different from that fated day.  
Joshua cried and murmured his apologies a hundred times, but the best thing was that he was not trying to do anything else, just sitting still on his alpha’s lap and whimpering due to chaotic feelings which his broken soul could not endure. Taking this chance, Wonwoo started the engine of his car one more time, determined to bring himself and his kitten to the hospital.

  
The doctors were unhappy when Wonwoo demanded getting their wounds done simultaneously with the cat on his lap. Wonwoo sternly told them that it could only be done in this way, or he would let them take care of Joshua first, and then the boy would still sit there during the whole time they turned to the wounds on his back. Much as they disliked the idea, the doctors had to follow Wonwoo’s wish, because the cat hybrid was obviously not in the condition of being able to stay away from his alpha even a centimeter. It was easy for anyone to realize that this omega’s mental condition was not stable. As a result, as doctors, they felt the need not to bring more discomfort to the poor crying boy.

  
The doctors and nurses were all betas, but this fact did not make this situation more comfortable for Joshua because he terribly hated strangers. The boy clung to Wonwoo for his life, hiding his face in his husband’s shoulder, and a single touch from the doctors on his bleeding finger made him scream and thrash. Quietly having a conversation with the alpha, they suggested getting the cat sedated, so that it would be less scary and less painful for the boy. 

  
Sighing, Wonwoo knew he had no choice, since Joshua was completely out of control now. Giving him more pain would push him to freak out further and the damage in his soul would be severe. His kitten did not have the capacity of knowing that the pain was coming because the doctors were trying to help him. Hugging his baby tightly, Wonwoo gave Joshua gentle strokes and kisses on his hair, his ears, and his back, soothing him while a doctor gave the hybrid an injection after the alpha gave him a tender notice. The boy cried out and whimpered in pain, unaware of himself killing his husband bit by bit, drowning his own God in the cruelest hell of the universe.

  
When consciousness slipped away from the cat and no more whimper could be heard, Wonwoo wished he could ask the doctors to sedate him as well so that he could have some time to rest. Nonetheless, he remembered his responsibility. He had to take care of Joshua. What would happen if the boy woke up first and was unable to find him? How could he make sure that the doctors would not separate them? How could he know that no bastard would touch Joshua while he was unconscious? Wonwoo had to take care of his kitten. He would devote his whole life to making his Joshua’s life peaceful and happy again.

  
When everything was done, Wonwoo took his omega back home, sending his father a text to announce that he was staying at home today because of an unexpected car accident on his way to the company. Their relationship had not been nice since the day Wonwoo broke his engagement with Soonyoung. Therefore, his father got angry right after receiving the text and called him to question his absence in a very fierce tone. Sighing, Wonwoo took some photos of the bills he had just got from the hospital to use as a proof to send his father. Snickering to himself, the alpha mocked at his own misery, hating this life of living like just a worker under his own father’s authority. His dad did not ask anything about his health. All the old man needed was a legitimate proof and nothing else. 

  
Wonwoo had once thought that he would be fired because of his trouble with Soonyoung’s family, yet he thought he was lucky as nothing happened. Nonetheless, a few weeks later, some of his friends in the company told him that his father had been searching for someone to replace his position yet found nobody as well-qualified and talented as him. That was the true reason for Wonwoo to be still in this position, which also meant that he might probably be kicked out if one day his father fortunately found someone suitable enough to become the new CEO.

  
Throwing the phone carelessly on the nightstand, Wonwoo let out a heavy sigh and then stood up to undress his omega, dressing the boy back into his pajamas. Joshua was still unconscious, but the doctors had said that he would wake up soon without much pain because they had already given him another injection to ease out the pain. Changing his own clothes, Wonwoo threw himself onto the bed, joining his baby and cuddling the cat, wishing to drift into his sleep immediately. However, it could never be that easy, since his mind was still deadly worried that things could go wrong while he was asleep. What would happen if Joshua woke up first and his mind had not calmed down yet? Would the boy try to pull out his claws again? Would his kitten freak out if he woke up and the pain had come back with its full force? 

  
Even the phone did not allow Wonwoo to sleep in peace. It went off, annoying the alpha to death, making him groan in frustration into his pillow. Wonwoo just wanted to curse, hating himself for forgetting to turn off his cellphone or at least switch it to silent mode. 

  
Surprisingly, his cousin’s name was on the screen, while he thought that Mingyu did not really want to talk to him currently. Heaving another long sigh, Wonwoo let his phone ring a little longer before forcing himself to answer. Maybe Mingyu or Jun was having troubles. He might regret it if he delayed taking this call.

“Is there anything wrong, Gyu?” The lead alpha asked, sounding much like groaning, yet Mingyu could detect his concern. 

  
This fact made the giant alpha feel extremely horrible, because he had just pissed his older cousin off yesterday and now the said alpha was being worried due to his sudden call. 

  
“N-nothing wrong… just…” Mingyu stammered, suddenly very nervous. “I’m sorry, Wonwoo. I… I was tired yesterday. I’m really sorry.”

  
Wonwoo had to admit that it felt nice to hear an apology while he had not expected it to come, and he just sighed one more time, owing to relief this time. 

  
“It’s fine. You don’t have to say sorry.” Wonwoo spoke idly. “Sorry but… if you call me to say sorry, then it’s fine. I’m gonna hang up now. I need to sleep.”

  
“Are you sick?” Mingyu was startled, realizing that his cousin sounded terribly tired. “What-what happened? You don’t go to work today? Are you okay?”

  
“I’m fine. Just tired. I need to sleep.” The lead alpha repeated, having very strong emphasis on his need of sleep. “See you later, Gyu. I…”  
Cutting his cousin off, Mingyu tried to be brave and take this opportunity.

  
“Do you… do you need any help there?” Gulping, the giant alpha hoped he was not sounding stupid, because he thought he was much like a liar now. Wonwoo definitely could understand what kind of intention he was having in his mind. “If you sleep now… then… who is going to take care of Joshua?”

  
Sighing again, Wonwoo stayed silent in a minute, watching his kitten nuzzling closer into his chest, purring softly.

  
“If you can, please come.” Closing his eyes, the alpha mumbled into his phone, wishing to give up just for a minute. “You had better be quick. I’m about to doze off.”

  
“I-I will come right away!” Mingyu hurriedly replied, feeling his heart racing in a maddening speed. The temptation coming from Wonwoo’s house was not only the cat hybrid named Joshua. The other reason which was pulling the younger alpha towards that place was the exhaustion of his cousin. Mingyu was seriously scared by Wonwoo’s voice, and he felt that something must have happened this morning, which had probably drained all of the lead alpha’s energy. The more Wonwoo spoke, the more nervous Mingyu became.

  
The older alpha continued to mumble, almost inaudibly. 

  
“You should bring some food for Joshua. Ice-cream is the best.”

  
“I’m asking seriously, Wonwoo. Are you sick? Do you need me to get something for you?” Severely fixated, the giant man kept asking his cousin, thinking that he needed to stop by a supermarket or at least a convenience store before coming to Wonwoo’s house. 

  
The lead alpha desperately wished his cousin could just stop talking so much and come here right away.

  
“I don’t need anything. Just get some food or toys for Joshua. He will like them. Rabbits and ice-cream.”

  
While Mingyu was having a heart attack at the mention of the rabbit, Wonwoo let out the last sigh.

  
“Call me when you arrive. I won’t be awake then. Can’t hear the bell. Joshua’s sleeping.”

  
“What…”

  
The younger man did not have the chance to ask further, because his cousin had already hung up, perhaps due to unbearable tiredness. Hissing in frustration, Mingyu threw his own phone to the empty seat next to him, starting the engine and heading to the nearest supermarket. 

  
“Rabbits and ice-cream.”

  
Wonwoo obviously knew what Joshua liked and wanted. Mingyu wondered how his cousin could possibly live this life, where his spouse had been constantly reminding him of his own crime, and driving him crazy by thousands of other troubles. Mingyu could not help wondering what Wonwoo was thinking about Jeonghan. Did the older alpha feel guilty in just even a second? Did he feel bad because he had caused Joshua to lose his best friend?

  
Mingyu guessed Wonwoo did acknowledge his crime. If he were still a bastard, he would not have been that lenient to his omega, letting him stuff the whole house with rabbit plushies and constant mention of Jeonghan. Putting a pink rabbit plushie into his cart, the alpha doubted if he should try asking Wonwoo about Jeonghan while Joshua was not nearby.

  
Getting two more little stuffed animals and a huge box of ice-cream, Mingyu thought he was ready to go to his cousin’s house and see his kitten for the first time after almost two months.

  
Honestly, Mingyu did not think he himself was fine even a bit. The giant man thought he had never been this nervous in his whole life, and he was scared to death of seeing Joshua running away from him again. That scene was downright awful and haunting, leaving him traumatized until today, causing him to still consider himself as a monster in the cat’s eyes. This meeting could become another which could make Mingyu frightened for the rest of his life. The closer he came to his destination, the more anxious he was, shaking uncontrollably and feeling it lucky that Wonwoo’s house was not too far away from his apartment building. 

  
Mingyu had called for a day off, because he knew no matter what the result would be, he would not be able to drag himself to his office. 

  
Stopping his car in front of the huge gate, Mingyu took out his phone to call his cousin like how he had been told. In fact, the giant man had never visited this place, and he was pretty shocked by how magnificent this whole mansion was. It was much bigger and more beautiful than Seungcheol’s old one, and the walls were also incredibly high. Mingyu had already known the reasons for the enormous height of the walls, but he was still shocked when witnessing by his own eyes.

  
Wonwoo did not answer the call, yet he appeared to open the gate two minutes later. Mingyu was waiting outside his car, watching the gate and the walls, startled by the devastated appearance of his cousin. The lead alpha looked like he had become ten years older than his real age. Mingyu had not seen Wonwoo since the day he came to visit Joshua in the hospital. Right now, he regretted his own actions, feeling extremely bad for neglecting his blood cousin. The older alpha never looked less intimidating, but currently he looked like a sick wild animal which had been through thousands of fights. His hair was super messy and his eyes did not seem to have any energy. His lips got a darker color than what Mingyu used to see in the past. In general, Wonwoo did not look fine. No wonder he became easily annoyed due to little troubles. 

  
Wonwoo felt jealous when seeing that his younger cousin was glowing and looked perfectly fine in his suit, as if he had been taken care of very well and living a fulfilled life. Wonwoo certainly knew nobody was living a fulfilled life, but he could not help thinking in this way while staring at Mingyu. The mansion was glamorous and breathtaking, yet the people living inside were all miserable.

  
The giant man guessed this was the first time he had ever hugged his older cousin, who had always been cold and shown no affection to him in his whole life. It was sad for Mingyu to feel Wonwoo so stiff in his arms, as if the lead alpha had no idea what to do, or he did not really even enjoy this. Mingyu had not intended to be exceedingly gentle to his tough cousin, but he immediately changed his mind after touching Wonwoo, turning to be as tender as possible, because he felt like Wonwoo was not different from a spooked animal now. Hostility would get on his nerves, yet affection and tenderness perhaps would melt him bit by bit.

  
“I’m… I’m sorry, Wonwoo. I’m sorry. I didn’t know…” Mingyu stammered in pain and utter regret, refusing to let go of his cousin even when Wonwoo began to squirm lightly.

  
“Didn’t know what?” The lead alpha mumbled, sounding like he was annoyed and wanted to break free, but he did not fight really strongly enough to push the younger man away.

  
Mingyu tightened his arms, scared and fixated by the smell of blood coming from his cousin. The worse his heart felt, the more force he put in his arms to squeeze Wonwoo.

  
“I… I should have come right when you asked me to for the first time. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Wonwoo. I’m…”

  
“Stop saying sorry. You’re confusing me.” Wonwoo cut him off, shaking his head. “And stop crushing me. It hurts.”

  
Hearing the word “hurts”, Mingyu pulled away immediately to stare at his cousin with wide eyes in shock. Although he had just been told not to apologize, the bigger alpha just said it again, unable to hold back his emotions in this situation where one of his love people was obviously being unwell. 

  
“I’m… I’m sorry… Are you injured? What happened? Are you bleeding somewhere? I can smell it. What’s wrong? Who hurt you?”  
Wonwoo shook his head again, dizzy by the rain of questions.

  
“Just… don’t touch my back. I got a few scratches there.”

  
“What?” Mingyu gasped, feeling the great urge to check the wounds but his mind fortunately knew this was impossible. “The hybrids at the store yesterday attacked you?”

  
“No.” Wonwoo shook his head again, face tired and sleepy. “Get in. Joshua’s awake now. We had better not let him wait too long.”

  
“But you…”

  
“I’ll explain to you later.” The older alpha rubbed his eyes, and then narrowed them while staring at his cousin intently. “What smell is that, Mingyu? Why do you have that scent on you?”

  
_“Shit”_

  
Mingyu mentally cursed at himself.

  
_“You stupid Mingyu”_

  
The giant man had forgot that he had just had a whole rabbit named Jeonghan on his lap at home, even kissing him and receiving a kiss from his bunny. The aroma of lavender must be everywhere on his body now and Wonwoo evidently had smelled it. Those dark but curious eyes scared the hell out of Mingyu. His older cousin still looked tired now, but also very irritated and the big alpha knew he would be in huge trouble if he could not explain this scent.

“Junnie usually uses the humidifier… He has lavender essential oil and uses it a lot, so…”

  
“This isn’t like those artificial oils.” Wonwoo was annoyingly sharp, while Mingyu was terribly nervous, knowing that his cousin did not just simply remember Jeonghan’s scent. Because of the bond, he could have very strong reaction and attraction towards the smell of his omega.

  
Mingyu struggled to lie. He was notoriously bad at hiding his emotions and at telling lies. 

  
“I just… I bought the most expensive one for him. It smells like real lavender, I guess.” 

  
He must be an idiot in Wonwoo’s eyes now. Mingyu would hate himself so much if he accidentally revealed the truth about Jeonghan to his cousin even before this matter was brought up. Fortunately, Wonwoo skipped this problem for now since he was evidently exhausted. Thinking that he was just hallucinating, the lead alpha shook his head again and urged his younger cousin to drive in.

  
Getting out of the car after parking it in the huge yard of the mansion, Mingyu intended to take a better look of this place, but Wonwoo’s back in front of his eyes caught his attention. Since the older alpha was wearing a white shirt, it was possible for Mingyu to see a bit of what was being under the layer of fabric. His eyes widened when he saw bandage covering half of his cousin’s back. 

  
In horror, Mingyu did not want to think that those wounds were caused by no one else but Joshua, who was the closest to Wonwoo. The giant man was not prepared for this. He had never expected to come to one day when the cat hybrid would turn to attack his husband. Even if this was just an accident, it was still painful to think of Wonwoo being hurt by his own beloved kitten. 

  
If this reunion went wrong and Joshua panicked again, Mingyu would put even more stress and pressure on his cousin.

  
When Mingyu stepped inside the living room, he was welcomed by a terrifying silence. According to what Wonwoo had told him about Joshua’s abnormally childish behaviors, the giant man thought it would be quite noisy here, or at least it would have some little sounds. Nonetheless, the only sound he could heard was the wind breezing through the trees in the garden. Looking at his cousin in confusion, Mingyu was even more scared to see that Wonwoo was not fazed even a bit, as if he had already been accustomed to this kind of situation.  
Walking to the door leading to the hall, Wonwoo mumbled.

  
“Joshua hates guests. Wait for me. I’ll get him.”

  
Mingyu thought he should sit down while waiting, but his mind was definitely not calm enough to keep his body at one place. Instead, he put his bags and boxes of gifts on the couch and then started to walk around furiously in the living room, staring at everything but also at nothing, because all he could think of right now was Joshua and Wonwoo. Everything even got worse from the moment his eyes caught the ashtray on the coffee table. 

  
The giant alpha nearly fainted due to the realization about his cousin smoking. Wonwoo did not smoke outside. He evidently did this inside the house, since there would be no need to put the ashtray here if the lead alpha only did that in the garden. Joshua disliked guests and Wonwoo did not like to invite people to come here to irk his omega either. Therefore, this object must be placed here for Wonwoo only. 

  
Feeling frustrated, Mingyu had to take off his blazer and his tie to help himself feel more comfortable, or else he would die soon in this house which was full of pain and insanity. Rolling both sleeves up to his elbows, the alpha increased the speed in his walking, getting impatient because of how long it took Wonwoo to bring Joshua here. The cat seriously did not want to see anyone, which caused Mingyu to ruffle his own hair violently, worried that he had really made a horrible decision. 

  
His heart stopped beating as he heard the door clicking open.

  
If it had not been for the dreadful scent of fear in the air, Mingyu would have thought that Wonwoo was coming back alone. The lead alpha was walking slowly towards his cousin, and the younger man gradually saw the little hands gripping Wonwoo’s right arm tightly. Freezing, Mingyu held his breath, biting his own lips nervously, trying his best to be patient and wait for his cousin to get closer. He would not move even an inch before Wonwoo told him to. Mingyu knew he had no choice but to rely on the older alpha completely since Wonwoo certainly knew better about how to deal with Joshua properly.

  
Mingyu was afraid that the thumping sounds of his crazy heart might scared the hybrid, because it was racing madly and threatening to jump out of his ribcage.

  
Wonwoo stopped walking while he was two meters away from the sweating man. Turning around, the lead alpha held his kitten’s shaking hand, helping him feel safe while whispering to him with a gentle smile.

  
“Baby, Mingyu comes to see you. Remember Mingyu?” 

  
Staring into the cat’s fearful eyes, Wonwoo did not know he himself was crying, and this whole situation was just heartbreaking. What was he doing? Was he asking Joshua if he remembered Mingyu while the boy used to love this giant alpha so much? Was it true that he had to repeat this action again like how he had done when Minghao and Jihoon came here? All of a sudden, it was too much for Wonwoo, although he was the one who expected his cousin to come here to see Joshua as soon as possible. How much had Wonwoo ruined everything? Why did his kitten still seem so scared now even though he had already announced the identity of the visitor?

  
“Why are you crying?” Joshua was severely distracted by his husband’s tears, his hands reaching up to wipe them away, voice shaking. “What’s happening?”

  
“I’m… I’m just happy, kitten.” Wonwoo lied, faking a smile. “I’m happy because Mingyu’s home. He’s finally home, baby. Look at him! He misses you so much!”

  
“Min… Mingyu?” The cat’s eyes suddenly twinkled at the mention of the familiar name.

  
Not far away from them, Mingyu was almost dead, knocked down by the pain coming from the sight he was seeing. With a lot of caution and hesitation, Joshua was peeking out from Wonwoo’s shoulder to look at the other alpha in the room, yet Mingyu did not feel like he was being recognized at all. The cat was just scared and really unsure about everything. The only good thing was that the omega did not look away instantly. He was spending time observing the tall and giant alpha, asking his husband one more time, hands gripping Wonwoo’s shoulders again.

  
That was also when Mingyu saw the bandage wrapping the cat’s index finger. Apart from that finger, everything about Joshua looked just fine, or he could even say that the cat looked like he came from heaven while Wonwoo was just dragged out of hell. Everyone who had eyes could understand this omega must have drained all of the alpha’s energy.

  
“Mingyu?... Mingyu?” 

  
“Yes. Mingyu, my cousin. You’ve just asked about him yesterday. He’s back now.” Wonwoo repeated and slightly turned towards the younger alpha. “Mingyu said he’s missed you so much and he really wants to be with you now, kitten. He brings some gifts for you, too.”

  
It was devastating to hear so many nice words coming from Wonwoo all at once, simply because the lead alpha was trying his best to help Joshua realize Mingyu in utter peace and happiness. No tragedy or sadness was mentioned. He just kept telling the boy that Mingyu missed him, loved him, and he was back. 

  
The giant man stood there, immobilized, while tears were streaming down his cheeks.

  
“H-hey… Joshua… Kitten. I’m Mingyu. I’m back.” He croaked out, stuttering, pushing out an awful smile for his kitten, kneeling down to make himself shorter and smaller in the hybrid’s eyes. “C-come here, Joshua. I’m your Mingyu. We… we once went to the beach together. Remember?”

  
“The… the beach?” Joshua echoed, still staring at the younger alpha with confused eyes, yet sparkles were getting clearer in his look. “The villa… by the beach?”

  
“Yeah, that’s right, baby.” Mingyu nodded vehemently in tears. “I’m your Mingyu. I took you to the beach. We played and then I took you out to eat a lot of seafood. Do you remember?”

  
Wonwoo hated the fact that he had no idea about what they were talking about, but it was easy to figure out those things must have happened during the time he went to England with Jun. This was a wise choice of Mingyu, since a mention of something only the two of them knew would help the boy recognize his alpha faster and more easily. Moreover, Wonwoo guessed the cat had already found Mingyu familiar somehow, because the boy did not try to run away or cry due to the presence of a noble alpha in the house.

  
Holding his breath like how his cousin was doing, Wonwoo bit his lips while waiting, desperately wishing his kitten would not panic after his mind fully acknowledged the identity of the alpha he was staring at to examine thoroughly. Mingyu did not dare to breath either, too nervous, too scared, too confused, not sure whether he should remain eye contact with Joshua or avoid staring into his eyes for too long. 

  
All of a sudden, Joshua’s attitude changed. It was rapid, and drastic.

  
Letting go of Wonwoo’s arm completely, Joshua began to run towards Mingyu with all of his speed. Before the cat which were as fast as a cheetah jumped into his arms, the giant alpha had enough time to see the bright smile on his kitten’s face. Too happy, excited and moved in less than a split second, Mingyu sobbed loudly and stood up with Joshua in his embrace, lifting the boy up and swinging him in the air due to extreme relief and happiness. The hybrid giggled and wrapped both of his legs around the alpha’s waist when Mingyu stopped moving and stood still.

  
“Why are you crying, Mingyu? You miss me?” Joshua asked in a whiny voice, nuzzling into the bigger man’s neck, and Mingyu soon could feel the cat’s teeth on his skin. “I miss you too! Why have you been gone for so long? I miss you, Mingyu!”

  
Mingyu cried like a kid, unable to answer any questions the omega was asking him, and he hoped his kitten would not mind this for just now. In such a long period of time, Mingyu had always thought this moment would be the time when his heart could be healed back into its original state, but it turned out that he had been totally wrong. This reunion, this change in Joshua’s attitude, did do wonder to his soul, but also carved more wounds into it, frightening him to death by the fact that his kitten no longer remembered the tragic day. It was not that Joshua had been wiser and forgave him. It was just that the piece of memories in the boy’s head had been missing.

  
No matter Mingyu liked it or not, he still had to admit that Joshua had been broken to the utmost. What he was holding in his arms now was just a collection of pieces of his kitten, wounded, unhealed, and still in so much pain.

  
“I’m… I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The giant alpha repeated his apologies a thousand times by the cat’s ear in broken voice, sobbing over and over again. “I miss you! I love you! I’m sorry! I love you, Joshua! I’m sorry! I love you! I love you!”

  
“What is this smell? Why do you have the smell of an omega? Why is this scent so familiar?” Joshua mumbled the questions while Mingyu still did not have the ability to answer. 

  
If Mingyu had been in his right mind then, he would have known that Joshua was asking about Jeonghan’s scent on his body, and Wonwoo was narrowing his eyes, boring holes into his head because of those questions. This was a proof for the lead alpha to know that he had not been wrong at all. Joshua did not say “lavender scent”. The boy considered it as “the smell of an omega”, yet his mind was too messy to quickly detect it as his best friend’s scent.

  
Wonwoo had never known it would be this irritating to know that Mingyu must be hiding something away from him.

  
Certainly, Mingyu did not voice out any answers, or he did not even hear what Joshua had just said, since the alpha was still crying too hard and no one could blame him. The cat hugged his alpha more tightly, nibbling on the man’s neck.

  
“I don’t like omegas around you! I miss you! You’re mine! I miss you, Mingyu!” The boy whined and bit, a little bit too hard for Mingyu’s liking, but he did not complain, already contented enough with everything he was having now.

  
“I love you, Joshua! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” The giant man cried out, wetting his omega’s shoulder by his endless streams of tears, which caused the boy to bring up his two hands to stroke his alpha’s hair in a sweet attempt to soothe him.

  
“I love you too, Mingyu!” The boy buried his face into the crook of Mingyu’s neck, murmuring endearingly, making the bigger man cry even louder.

  
Joshua had no idea why his huge alpha was crying so much like this, but his heart ached terribly at those sounds. Right now, the cat was whispering sweet words to Mingyu, clutching to him tightly as if nothing had ever ruined their relationship for the whole time.  
In mixed feelings of happiness and agony, Wonwoo was scared to think of whether his kitten would break down or not when Mingyu had to leave after this meeting.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally Mingyu saw his kitten again 😭 And Joshua doesn't run away anymore 😭 This is a huge thing for our giant man 😭
> 
> I'm sorry I can't share much of my feeling about the chapter now because I'm feeling seriously unwell 😭 Anyway, I'm still excited to know how you think about this chapter. Please let me know!!!!😢😢😢
> 
> Please take care of yourself and stay safe! I love you 💕


	80. Lies and options

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiding a secret was difficult and dangerous, but Mingyu guessed generally everything went well for him. 
> 
> Wonwoo found something abnormal, but he was too tired to care much. He just wanted to live peacefully with his kitten, to sleep with the cat in his embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad that I'm fine enough to write normally now >< This chapter is quite long and I hope you will enjoy it!!!

Feeling that his cousin had been crying for too long and Joshua began to get confused since he did not know how to soothe his giant alpha, Wonwoo decided to step in, hesitating for a few seconds before using one hand to stroke Mingyu’s hair.

“Stop crying, Gyu. You’re such an ugly mess. You intend to spend the whole morning crying?”

Hearing the voice of his older cousin, the taller alpha eventually let go of the cat, but quickly turned to squeeze Wonwoo one more time, causing the cat to croon in happiness.

“Thank you, Wonwoo… Thank you… I… I…” Mingyu tried to speak but the sobs still hindered his speech, making him stammer like an idiot.

“Just stop that.” Wonwoo shook his head, but did not push the other one away. “Don’t crush me to death. I want to sleep.”

“Oh! Right!” Reminded of this problem, the giant man hurriedly loosened his arms, looking at his cousin apologetically. “I’m sorry… I forget it. I’m just… I’m too happy.”

“What’s wrong with both of you today?” Asking, Joshua tried to get back on Wonwoo’s arms again, and the lead alpha caught his kitten like a natural action. The omega was now gently wiping the tears on his husband’s cheeks. “Why are you both crying?

Mingyu was sure his face was much more disgusting than Wonwoo’s one since he had been crying and sobbing so hard but Joshua obviously cared more about his husband. Feeling like he was punched right in his heart, the younger alpha had to acknowledge that the situation was completely different than how it had been in the past. No matter how many times Joshua said _“I love you”_ to him, the cat still only had one God in his heart, and that person was Wonwoo. Wonwoo was his priority, his love, his life, his everything. One more time, Mingyu knew he was just an added part. He would never be on the same level with his cousin in the cat’s heart.

“We’re fine, kitten. We’re just happy.” Wonwoo repeated the explanation, smiling to his omega, making Mingyu jealous again. With a frown, he wished his cousin would just smile like that to him even once. All of a sudden, the big alpha felt like he was intruding this couple’s private moment.

“He’s right, baby.” Saying softly, Mingyu laid one hand to Joshua’s back to get the boy’s attention. “We’re happy. Can I stay here to have lunch with you two? I’ll be very happy then.”

“Lunch?” Joshua asked back, eyes widening in panic while staring at the taller alpha. “But… I… I haven’t bought anything to cook… I…”

“We’ll order something to eat, or I will order some groceries online and then we cook together.” Mingyu suggested. “What do you think, kitten?”

“You’ll cook with me?” The cat’s eyes shined brightly at the brilliant idea. “Really?”

“Yeah. We can start right after I show you some of my gifts for you. Agree?”

It was not until now did the hybrid finally willingly leave his husband and nodded enthusiastically to the bigger alpha. Feeling relived by the cheerful attitude of his omega, Wonwoo guessed it was fine now for him to leave them together. Joshua seemed to be stable now, and Mingyu’s appearance was making him happy.

“So you play with Mingyu. I’ll go back to our bedroom and sleep. Wake me up for lunch. Okay, Joshua?” The lead alpha asked, tenderly stroked his kitten’s hair.

“Are you tired?” The boy blinked up at his alpha, asking nervously, eyes sad. “Are you sick, Wonwoo?”

Mingyu wondered how many times his cousin’s heart had been melted by the way Joshua called his name, because it was obviously very much different from how the boy called “Mingyu.” As an outsider, the younger man felt like Joshua was enjoying speaking that name by himself as if it were a true happiness to be able to call Wonwoo’s name. Meanwhile, the cat only did that to Mingyu casually, leaving no special feeling. Jealousy was burning in his heart again, but the giant alpha knew he was being mean by thinking in this way. Wonwoo was Joshua’s husband, the one who had been with him to take care of him for the past six weeks. What was Mingyu to question his position in the hybrid’s heart?

“I’m fine. I’m just sleepy.” Wonwoo placed a soft kiss on his kitten’s forehead. “If you have free time, you can bring Mingyu to your play room and show him something. Spend time with him, okay?”

“Yes, daddy.” The boy nodded obediently, but there was a slight pout on his face, as he was sad about not having Wonwoo with him through the morning. His husband was sleepy. As a good boy, he needed to let his alpha sleep, but his heart was not happy with this fact at all.

Mingyu choked on air when hearing the word _“daddy”_. He was seriously confused, unable to figure out what could be the reason for this kind of pet name. Nonetheless, it did not sound good, because it was quite kinky, or it was something related to their former relationship as pet and owner. There seemed to be mixed conceptions in Joshua’s mind and Wonwoo evidently did not know how to fix either.

“Sleep well, Wonwoo.” Mingyu tapped his cousin’s shoulder lightly, wary of the wounds of his back. “I’ll watch Joshua. Nothing will go wrong.”

“Thanks.” The older alpha nodded and left, saying no more, but Mingyu could not judge. He knew and he saw that his cousin was exhausted. As a result, he had the responsibility of helping Wonwoo take care of Joshua at least for today.

To distract the cat from the sadness of being away from his husband, the giant man held Joshua’s hand and led him towards the couch.

“Come on, Joshua. Let me show you some things I bought for you.”

With a smile, the hybrid followed the alpha to sit on the couch.

Mingyu felt utterly sick when he witnessed Joshua holding the rabbit plushie tightly and happily as if it were the cutest creature the boy had ever seen in his life. The cat loved other stuffed animals too, but while examining the other two ones, he still refused to drop the rabbit, tucking it under his arm carefully. Even when Mingyu gave him the box of ice-cream, Joshua buzzed in excitement, pulling the alpha’s hand to the kitchen without letting go of his rabbit.

As he was pushed to sit on a chair by the dining table, Mingyu silently watched the boy ran around the kitchen to get two spoons, a big bottle of orange juice and two cups, as if he was about to have a dessert party here. Risking this chance, Mingyu silently wrapped an arm around the omega’s waist to pull the slender body towards his own one, hoping that Joshua would naturally and comfortably sit on his lap. Fortunately, his wish did come true this time. The boy did not have any problem with being intimate to his giant alpha. Happily wriggling himself to get a better position on the man’s lap, Joshua quickly opened the box of ice-cream and gave Mingyu a spoon.

“You want me to eat with you? Aaah that’s so cute of you, kitten.” The alpha cooed to Joshua, earning a lovely smile from his little omega. “Can you feed me?”

“You want to be a baby?” The cat asked with a giggle, causing the alpha’s heart to drop.

This question was downright painful.

“Yeah. Baby me, Joshua. I miss you so much!!!!” Trying to keep his mind focus, Mingyu pouted and whined.

Cheerfully scooping up a spoon full of ice-cream, the cat brought it to the giant man’s mouth.

“I miss you too!”

Mingyu smiled while his heart was dripping blood, hurt to this utmost by his kitten’s abnormal behavior and attitude. How long this happiness could last? Would the boy snap one day and become frightened of him again? No one could be sure about anything related to Joshua at this point, which meant Mingyu’s sweet and peaceful moment right now was as fragile as crystal, yet he did not know how to make it last as long as possible. All he could do was just giving Joshua all the love in his heart, hugging the boy intimately in his arms to satisfy his own craving heart, and to let the cat know how much he was still being adored after all this long.

Curious and worried by the bandage on the hybrid’s finger, Mingyu could not help asking.

“What’s wrong with your finger, baby?”

Surprisingly, Joshua ignored the question, keeping eating as if he had not heard anything, and the alpha knew he had better not push the omega further. Nonetheless, this kind of reaction was still scary, because Joshua evidently avoided talking about things he did not like shamelessly and silently forced other people to go along with him. With the fear of making the boy’s attitude change, Mingyu certainly never dared to risk by asking more. Consequently, he decided to change the topic slightly.

“What should we do? I think you can’t cook with this finger. It will hurt a lot.”

“I can cook!” The cat stated firmly with a pout. “You don’t want to eat my food?”

“It’s not like that, baby. I’m just afraid you will get hurt.”

“Can you help me chop the ingredients or anything like that?” Joshua asked expectantly, seeming to be quite smart and totally aware of the fact that Mingyu could never resist his request.

“Of course I can.” Mingyu grinned, completely whipped and defeated. “But you still have to be careful. It’s still very dangerous.”

Until now, the hybrid began to squirm on the alpha’s lap. Even though he had just moved a little, Mingyu started to feel uncomfortable soon, wondering how Wonwoo could endure this all the time. He had been told about Joshua sitting on Wonwoo’s lap and straddling his waist for hours a day and the lead alpha complained a lot about his inability of controlling his kitten. Currently, Mingyu was experiencing those things by himself, feeling like Joshua was trying to provoke him intentionally, but that was impossible. The cat simply did not know what kind of situation he was putting himself in. He was torturing his partner while talking innocently and even proudly.

“I’ve never cut or burned myself while cooking. I have never broken anything either.”

“Yeah. I know you’re very careful.” Glancing at the plastic cups, Mingyu definitely knew why childish Joshua had never broken anything. “I’m eager to eat your food today.”

The last sentence successfully made the boy grin brightly before stuffing his own mouth with more ice-cream. However, before Mingyu could do anything else to his cat, his phone suddenly went off. In a second, the man wondered if he should walk away to answer his phone, but then he quickly thought that he should not leave Joshua alone in even a second. He was in charge of taking care of the boy properly while Wonwoo was sleeping. He did not want to make any mistakes.

Mingyu did not expect to see Seungcheol’s name on the screen of his phone. Like a good boy, Joshua did not stare at the phone or say anything, just eating quietly while looking at the alpha through his doe-like eyes. Inhaling deeply, Mingyu answered his call.

“Hey, Seungcheol.” He said, seeing the cat’s ears perking up instantly. “How are you doing?”

“Yeah, fine.” Seungcheol chuckled lightly, sounding somehow shy. “I’m sorry for calling you abruptly like this, Gyu… I just wanna ask something…”

Mingyu waited for his friend to continue, but the older alpha just stayed silent.

“Just ask, Cheol. There’s nothing to worry about.” Mingyu encouraged, genuinely having no problem. “Why do you suddenly sound so nervous?”

“I… I’m sorry I was really busy. I know I should have asked earlier…” Seungcheol kept stammering for a longer while before finally voicing out his true question. “Can I come to see Hannie this evening? I don’t have enough free time to take him out… I think I just can come to visit him a short while and then leave.”

“Oh that’s fine, Cheol.” Mingyu sighed in relief. “I bet he’s very happy to see you. Why don’t you come and have dinner with us too? Don’t you have any appointment today?”

“No… I don’t, but…” The older male hesitated, still not very comfortable. “I don’t want to bother you guys in such a short notice like this…”

“I guess it’s fine, Cheol. It’s dinner, not lunch. I think Jeo…” Mingyu almost called the rabbit’s name, but Joshua’s curious eyes made him halt halfway, and he luckily changed his words on time. “…he still has a lot of time to prepare. Believe me. He’ll be happy to see you. We’re all glad.”

“Okay… I’ll listen to you.” Seungcheol chuckled again, still a little awkward. “Thank you so much, Gyu. I’ll ask you earlier next time.”

“Do you want to call Jun and tell him by yourself? You just need to say that you’ve already told me and he will understand.” The giant man tried to push this task to his friend, because he really did not appreciate of calling Jun to talk about Seungcheol and Jeonghan while Joshua was here.

Nonetheless, Mingyu had already unknowingly made a mistake. He had just called Jun’s name, and Joshua was obviously trying to catch the conversation. The cat’s ears twitched when hearing that name immediately.

“Okay… I think that’s good.” Seungcheol agreed, sighing a bit. “I’m sorry. I just… I insulted him very rudely in the past and I still… I’m afraid he isn’t comfortable with talking to me, either.”

“He didn’t hit you when we met last week so I think he’s fine. He’s very kind. You don’t have to worry.”

Seungcheol laughed lightly again, saying something truly coming from his heart.

“Everything sounds fine and nice through your words, Gyu.”

“It really is.” Mingyu was quite embarrassed, not sure if this was a compliment or it meant that he was an idiot. “You’ve made the right decision. Please don’t be worried too much anymore, Cheol. None of us hates you. You’re definitely welcomed in our home.”

Seungcheol was eventually convinced as he let out another soft chuckle.

“Thanks a lot, Mingyu. So… I’ll call Jun now and let him know. See you this evening.”

“Yeah see you, Cheol.”

Hanging up, Mingyu placed his phone on the table yet did not miss the way Joshua was eyeing him intently. Feeding him one spoon of ice-cream, the boy asked enthusiastically.

“Who are you talking to, master? Is that Seungcheol?”

The giant alpha was almost shocked when hearing the word _“master”_, but his mind quickly remembered one important fact. His relationship with Joshua actually had never changed its state. In the cat’s mind, he was still his owner. Therefore, Joshua must find it totally normal to call him in this way. If the hybrid saw Jun, perhaps he would say this too.

“Yes…” Mingyu remembered that Wonwoo said Joshua was scared of punishment so he did not dare to eavesdrop, but this fact only seemed to be applied to the lead alpha. “That’s Seungcheol.”

“Why are you still talking to him?” The cat began to frown deeply and whine. “He’s very bad! He’s cruel! He’s a bastard! He hurts Hannie! He hurt me too!”

The alpha was scared to death when Joshua mentioned the fact that Seungcheol had hurt him. How much did he remember? Mingyu was seriously scared of talking about it further, since he could not know what could trigger the boy to think of what he had done to him on _that same day_ or not.

“He’s… uh… he’s already changed, baby.” Mingyu was severely unsure about how to talk about this situation. He had not been prepared enough for this. “As far as I know, he doesn’t hurt Jeonghan anymore.”

“How can you make sure?” The boy was still displeased. “He’s very bad! I hate Seungcheol! You should stay away from him! I don’t want you to get hurt!”

Whining and pouting, the cat turned to hug his alpha tightly, nuzzling his face into the man’s collar. Smiling, Mingyu hugged his kitten back, rubbing the boy’s back and giving him a kiss on his fluffy ear.

“I know what I’m doing, baby. Don’t worry. He won’t hurt me.”

Nonetheless, Joshua wriggled even more.

“Why do you have this smell, master?” The boy pressed his own face further into the man’s collar, trying his best to sniff. “You make me miss Hannie!”

“It’s… it’s just the essential oil, kitten. I got a humidifier at home, so the whole place is filled by whatever oil I put into it.”

Joshua shook his head stubbornly.

“What kind of oil is that? Real lavender doesn’t smell like this.”

In relief, Mingyu figured out one the reason which had probably made it impossible for Joshua to recognize his best friend’s scent. It was that, Jeonghan was pregnant now, and his scent had definitely changed. As a person who shared relation with the baby the rabbit was carrying, Mingyu could detect that change as a mixture of Jeonghan’s scent and the slightest hint of Wonwoo’s scent. However, Joshua could not. To the boy, it was just like Jeonghan’s but not Jeonghan’s.

“Maybe it’s just because of the smell of my clothes. There’s nothing wrong, baby.” Mingyu desperately tried to make the cat trust his words. Moreover, he tried to change the topic. “You miss Jeonghan?”

Joshua nodded, still with his face in the alpha’s neck.

“Where is Hannie now? He hasn’t been with me for so long. I can’t call or text him.”

Mingyu had not cared much when he had to take down Jeonghan’s new phone number, but now he began to notice this problem. Jeonghan must have been scared off by Wonwoo and he just changed his number so that Joshua could never reach out to him and accidentally push him into trouble again. This was painful to acknowledge, because Jeonghan really had had to destroy his friendship for his own safety. They both had the chance to be friends again since neither Seungcheol nor Joshua had troubles with this, but Wonwoo had become a huge obstacle. While the lead alpha was still there, Jeonghan would not like to get close to Joshua. Even if they could make sure that Wonwoo would not hurt him again, perhaps the rabbit would not want to keep that mark on his neck forever.

Another difficult problem was that, Joshua was in the mood of talking about Jeonghan right now and Mingyu could not shut him down. The alpha struggled a lot before saying something, unable to know whether it was really good for him to say this.

“Did you try asking Wonwoo to help you? Maybe… he can call Seungcheol.”

At this point, Joshua pulled away from Mingyu and sulked, taking back his box of ice-cream from the table.

“Wonwoo doesn’t like talking about Hannie. He usually glares at my rabbits.”

The giant man did not know that Joshua had noticed this behavior from his husband, and it was actually creepy. Seeing things but not talking about them. This was not a childish act coming from the cat.

“But he still buys many rabbits for you, right?” Mingyu tried to ease out the situation, thinking that his cousin did not really hate Jeonghan. He just did not want to talk about someone involved in his crime. Mingyu himself did not like to talk about the day he had been drugged by Seungcheol and raped Jun either. The feelings it brought him were considerably uncomfortable and even haunting. Pushing it to the back of his mind would be the best option.

The boy nodded, and his eyes suddenly brightened up. His tail was waving excitedly and he was speaking in a much higher voice.

“Do you want to see my collection of stuffed animals? They’re all very cute! I have more than fifty of them!”

“Uh… yes, of course.” Mingyu was so shocked by the change that he needed a moment to adjust his mind. Fifty toy animals in less than a month? The alpha literally shivered, but tightened his arms around the cat who was about to run away. “But not now, kitten. Let’s finish your ice-cream first, or they will melt and not be delicious anymore.”

“Yes, master.” The hybrid obeyed with a smile, happily giving Mingyu another spoon of ice-cream.

In despair, the alpha watched his kitten smiling and talking cheerfully as if they had not talked about the not-nice things just a few seconds ago. Joshua was simply unpredictable, which made being with him scary as hell. The boy probably did not snap with Wonwoo because he anyway had never considered Wonwoo as a monster, but Mingyu was in a whole different case. He felt so nervous all the time, and they had even just eaten ice-cream together. Praying, the big alpha hoped nothing would go wrong this time. He just wanted to be happy with his kitten for at least half a day, so that not only his heart but also his cousin would be less miserable.

After they finished the ice-cream, Joshua totally forgot the toys and began to think of buying groceries for their lunch. Consequently, Mingyu just went along with his kitten, taking out his phone to search for a delivery. He guessed he would visit that playroom later, when they completed cooking and made sure Wonwoo had something to eat for lunch.

While waiting for the delivery to come, Joshua finally remembered the playroom and took Mingyu there to see his collection. Like Minghao and Jihoon, the giant alpha was also shocked by this place and by how much it really looked like the space of a real kid. The number of stuffed animals was insane and he doubted if Joshua had counted correctly. There could possibly be a hundred of them in this room, and there might be some more in the cat’s bedroom. Joshua put the two new toys Mingyu had just given him on a shelf, but still held the rabbit in his arms during the whole time.

“Do you know how much Wonwoo is spoiling you, kitten?” The alpha felt the urge to make the omega know how crazily Wonwoo loved him. “He literally gives you everything you want. I bet no one loves you more than he does.”

“I know.” The boy smiled, cheeks slightly pink. “Wonwoo is the best! Nobody is as good as Wonwoo!”

“Then you should be good to him and obey him, so that he will be happy too, right?”

“Yes.” The cat nodded. “I’m always good to him. I’m a good cat.”

_“He’s good. He’s just crazy.”_ Mingyu thought to himself, distraught by the way Joshua was being unaware of his own craziness.

When they walked back to the kitchen, the delivery came. While Mingyu came to the door to get it, Joshua carefully placed his new rabbit in the middle of the dining table, letting it sit there facing the area of the counters. As a result, during the whole time helping the boy cook, the alpha felt like they were being watched by a rabbit. No wonder Wonwoo was irritated with the rabbits Joshua put around the house.

The cooking time went smoothly and Mingyu was happy to realize that Joshua had improved a lot in cooking, which meant Wonwoo had had the chance to eat delicious food all this time. Despite being crazy, Joshua seemed to be very wary of the nutrition of the meal, yet his husband still looked awful. This life would be a real nightmare if the cat did not know how to cook. Sighing in relief, Mingyu hoped that in other days, the boy also did other kinds of household chores normally. These works would keep the cat occupied and he would have less time to do crazy things like running around or climbing on high objects in the house.

Since they started cooking pretty late, the task was finished at sharply twelve o’clock, which was also time to wake Wonwoo up for lunch. Joshua enthusiastically ran to the bedroom to get his husband out. In the bed, Wonwoo was dragged out of his slumber by an attack of kisses all over his face. Groaning, he closed his arms around the cat, hugging him tightly without opening his eyes, causing the boy to giggle.

“Wonwoo, it’s time for lunch. Don’t you want to eat?”

The lead alpha shook his head lazily.

“No. Just want to sleep.”

“Wonwoo’s so lazy today.” Joshua nuzzled into his alpha’s chest, whispering quietly. “Are you sick, daddy?”

“No. I’m fine, kitten.” Wonwoo shook his head again, letting his chin rest on the tip of his omega’s head. “I just want to sleep.”

“Let’s have lunch first and then you can continue to sleep. Is it okay, Wonwoo?”

“Yeah… It is.”

In spite of saying “okay”, Wonwoo still did not move even a bit, making his kitten giggle one more time. Reaching up to kiss his husband’s lips, the cat began to whine.

“Wake up, Wonwoo! Wake up! Eat first and then sleep! Wake up, Wonwoo! I want to eat quickly and then sleep with you too!”

Wonwoo’s mind was more sober now, but the warmth of having a cat in his chest did not let him leave the bed easily. It felt so nice, so perfect that he just wanted to lie there and hug Joshua forever, especially when the boy was scattering kisses everywhere on his face, lingering for the longest on his lips.

“How about Mingyu then? What will he do when you sleep? Don’t you want to play with him?”

“I don’t know.” Joshua playfully bit his husband’s lower lip before kissing him. “But I want to sleep here with you!”

“You’re so mean to Mingyu, baby.” Finally opening his eyes, the alpha stared at his omega and clicked his tongue.

“I don’t need anyone. I just need you.” Joshua laid the side of his face on Wonwoo’s chest, pressing his ear to where his heart was. “I only need my Wonwoo.”

Sometimes, the lead alpha felt as if he had not given Joshua enough attention, which caused the boy to crave for more, more, and more. The omega never felt enough, always whining for more affection and wishing to be with him all the time. His kitten was acting super clingy like they had not been together for a day, while in fact it had just been a few short hours. Wonwoo did not think it would be nice to make Mingyu leave so early, but it would be useless to keep his cousin here while Joshua insisted on sleeping with him. He could only hope that the hybrid would change his mind after lunch, since this childish cat never kept the same idea for too long.

Mingyu was not really surprised when seeing that Wonwoo did not look better after a short sleep, but he felt sad to see his cousin like this. Wonwoo obviously had the look of a person who constantly lived in hell and knew he would have to keep moving on with this life for a much longer time without any complaints. It was amazing that Wonwoo actually had never complained about Joshua. He did talk about how clingy and out of control the cat was, yet he literally had not said that Joshua was annoying or that he wanted to escape this condition even once. It was in fact not a good thing to Mingyu, since he still expected his cousin to talk to him more and express his feelings more freely. The giant man was well aware of the fact that Joshua must be a great burden now, and Wonwoo should just share his feelings with someone in order not to explode when things became too much for him to endure.

Joshua had thought that Mingyu would eat his food until the giant alpha took out his lunchbox from a small bag. Both Wonwoo and his kitten stared at the nice lunchbox with curious eyes, but Mingyu was mostly wary of Wonwoo’s doubtful look. The big alpha did not know he was being stupid until his eyes caught the sight of the sticky note on top of his box. Hurriedly tearing it away from the object, he brought it closer to his face and read Jeonghan’s handwriting.

_“If this isn’t enough for you, please just tell me. I hope it isn’t too much for you. Please eat a lot to be healthy. Hope you have a nice lunch._

_Your bunny”_

In a split second, Mingyu nearly collapsed on the floor due to a heart attack, but he luckily managed to hold himself back and stood there, pretending to be calm while his heart was combusting in happiness. He was being drowned in honey, struck by an overdose of sugar, because his heart could not ever imagine that Jeonghan could be this kind of adorable and sweet person. This was too much for his poor heart and soul. No matter what, Mingyu was determined to eat this whole lunchbox and not waste anything, because it was Jeonghan’s precious love and consideration for him.

Mingyu scrambled to put the note into his pocket when he realized Wonwoo was suspecting him seriously through his intimidating eyes. Frightened to death, the giant man was forced to acknowledge that this was a very dangerous situation, because the truth would be revealed if Wonwoo happened to have read the note. Trying to act as if there was nothing wrong, Mingyu proceeded to open the box, welcomed by the nice smell of the food stored in the expensive box which had helped keeping the warm temperature.

“Wow! That looks so delicious!” Joshua eyed the content carefully. “Meat, fish, kimchi, egg, vegetables, fruit for dessert. Wow your lunch has everything! Did you make this for yourself?”

“N…No.” Mingyu shook his head, amazed by his own wonderful lunch, but also nervous by the question. “It’s… Jun made it for me.”

“Jun?” Wonwoo narrowed his eyes dangerously. “He can cook this well?”

“Yeah… He has improved a lot.” Mingyu said a blatant lie. “He’s much better than what you think now.”

Nonetheless, the younger alpha almost panicked when Wonwoo leaned closer to take a better look at the box. As the lead alpha sit back straight, he mumbled.

“Even this box has _that scent._” He completely lost his trust in Mingyu now. “And the handwriting doesn’t look like Jun’s.”

_“Shit”_

Mingyu mentally cursed at himself one more time in just a morning. He had been too slow, and Wonwoo must have seen the note. Perhaps the lead alpha had not read everything yet, but he clearly had seen something and it was freaking difficult to hide the truth now. Wonwoo knew Jun’s handwriting even better than Mingyu did, and no one could ever think of fooling the older alpha about this.

Mingyu was so scared that he froze in a few seconds, unable to think of any reasons. He himself was not sensitive enough to smell lavender from this lunchbox but Wonwoo was on another level of sensitivity when it came to the omega who basically belonged to him. This was truly a serious problem, because it was too easy for Wonwoo to realize that there must be something wrong about this aroma of lavender.

Fortunately, Joshua interrupted the matter of the scent.

“Jun? Master Jun?” The boy asked, staring at Mingyu, and then at Wonwoo. “Are you talking about our Jun?”

“Yes, that’s him, baby.” Mingyu nodded to the cat.

Both the two alphas were distracted by Joshua’s hundreds of questions about Jun yet neither of them could answer properly.

_“Where is Jun now?”_

_“Why doesn’t he come to visit me?”_

_“Where has he been? Did he go on a business trip?”_

_“Why doesn’t he go with you, Wonwoo? Isn’t he your secretary? Oh… the secretary isn’t Jun anymore. What happened?”_

_“Jun is living in another house? Why?”_

_“Why doesn’t he come here with Mingyu?”_

_“Why doesn’t he call or text me?”_

“Just eat now, kitten.” Wonwoo shook his head but smiled gently to the omega. “It’s getting late. Eat first, and then we’ll talk later. Okay?”

The boy was unhappy yet obedient to his husband.

“Yes, daddy.” He pouted, picking up his chopsticks. “But… It would be so nice if he were here with us… I miss all of us having meals together.”

The cat got no answer, so he had no choice but to start eating, only hoping to get some more information about his alpha whose name was Jun after this lunch. Meanwhile, the two other men hoped that Joshua would soon forget about this problem like how he had forgotten many other things.

Nevertheless, this was the chance for Mingyu and Wonwoo to consider letting Joshua see Jun in a near future. The cat’s attitude had just proved that he did not hold any grudges towards his once beloved alpha. They did not need to care whether the boy had forgiven Jun or just forgotten about everything. All they needed was that Joshua wanted to see Jun. If things went smoothly, the boy would have more “friends”, which also meant more attention, and it would be easier for him to be taken care of. They could take turn to watch him and play with him, so that Wonwoo could have more time to rest and have a normal life.

Like Minghao and Jihoon, Mingyu had to watch Joshua struggle to sit on his own chair. The boy evidently was not enjoying his meal at all because he always looked like he wished to climb onto Wonwoo’s lap right away. The cat kept shifting restlessly and his head almost always turned towards his husband’s direction. The affection this couple shared on the table was also shameless and astounding. Mingyu could not help staring with wide eyes when Joshua fed Wonwoo something by his fingers and the lead alpha did not bother to hide the fact that he intentionally sucked not only the piece of food but also the cat’s fingers. Whenever seeing something getting on the corner of the hybrid’s mouth, Wonwoo would lean over and use his thumb to wipe it away. Meanwhile, the boy would react by sticking out his tongue to lick it, which meant his tongue definitely made contact with Wonwoo’s finger.

Mingyu cringed. How long had they been married? Almost two months, but they were still acting in this way. The giant man did not dare to imagine what actually happened when there were no other people nearby while this couple had a meal.

Anyway, Mingyu guessed he should not judge them, because he was not living this life; he could not understand fully how mad and tiring it was for both of them. If this was a way for Wonwoo to feel better, then he should just keep on doing that because it caused no harm to anyone. Wonwoo should be kept away from further stress and Mingyu doubted that Jeonghan’s appearance would bring more stress into his miserable life.

After the meal, Mingyu happily helped Joshua cleaned up and then they washed the dishes together just like how they had done in the past. No words could describe how wonderful the giant man felt to be able to do these normal things with his kitten. The naïve cat even led Mingyu to one of the bathrooms, giving him one new toothbrush to use, making the alpha guess Joshua was thinking that he would stay here after all. Mingyu started to feel worried from that, and he brushed his teeth nervously in front of the mirror, trying to figure out a way to explain his departure to the hybrid. Wonwoo must help him with this too.

When everything was done, Joshua began to yawn, and at the time Mingyu got out of the bathroom, the cat was already in Wonwoo’s arms, straddling his waist, head resting on the lead alpha’s shoulder while both of his eyes were closed. Walking around slowly in the dining room, Wonwoo explained to his cousin.

“Joshua is sleepy now. I think he needs to sleep.”

“Oh… Okay.” Mingyu nodded awkwardly. “So… I guess I should leave now, so that both of you can rest.”

“I’m sorry, Mingyu.” The older man sighed with an apologetic expression. “Joshua isn’t always sleepy at noon, but today he surprisingly is. I really didn’t plan to let you leave like this.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to say sorry.” Mingyu had to admit he felt so much lighter and better after hearing that apology from Wonwoo. “I’m the one who came here abruptly actually. I can’t ask for much from you. Should I leave now should we wake him up?”

“Had better wake him up now.”

While Wonwoo slowly woke the cat up, Mingyu carefully collected his belongings to be ready to leave. He might forget something but definitely not the box Jeonghan had given him. As he was done, Joshua was already standing in front of him with eyes full of tears.

“Why… why do you have to go?” The tears started to stream down his cheeks, causing the giant man to feel terrible.

“Please don’t… Don’t cry, Joshua.” Mingyu hurriedly pushed the cat to sit down on the nearest chair while he kneeled down so as to keep his face at the same level with Joshua’s, making it easier for him to look at the boy directly in his eyes and wipe his tears at the same time. “I just leave for now. I’ll be here again soon. I promise.”

“Why aren’t we living together anymore?” The poor boy sniffled. “I don’t understand! Why is everything like this? Why have you been on a business trip for so long and then when you come back, nothing is the same anymore? Why?”

“It doesn’t change much, baby. It just… has to be in this way.” Wonwoo also stepped in, kneeling down next to Mingyu, using one hand to hold Joshua’s one. “Mingyu’s now is capable of owning his own house now. It’s better for him to buy a house for himself, to be independent. We’re married, so you stay with me. Therefore, Junnie left with Mingyu. We’re leaving separately, but we’re still a family, baby.”

Mingyu felt it so incredible that Wonwoo’s words were always so much sweeter than his own actions. The lead alpha was speaking out those things so smoothly as if they were all the truth.

“But why… Why does he have to move out? Why can’t we just live together? Isn’t this mansion big enough for all of us?”

“We’re married now, Joshua.” Wonwoo stated again, more firmly. “They need to have their own life and they don’t want to interfere with ours. Do you still remember that Jun and Mingyu love each other? They have to live their own private life too. We can only keep staying together if you think you can marry both of them right away too.”

At this point, it was painful for Mingyu to realize that Wonwoo actually understood Joshua thoroughly. The mention of marriage finally ended the boy’s questions for good, and it obviously proved that Joshua had never thought of getting married with Jun or Mingyu. The boy did love them, but they were evidently at a much lower level than where Wonwoo was. Once Joshua had already had a husband whom he adored and worshiped that much, it was nearly impossible for anyone to think of the cat marrying someone else and thinking of anyone in the same way. Judging the way Joshua was digesting Wonwoo’s words, Mingyu guessed that no one could ever be as great as Wonwoo in the hybrid’s heart, and Joshua did not even want to make a comparison.

“So… will you… will you often come here with me?” Still in tears, the cat asked Mingyu expectantly, making the alpha feel like he would break his kitten heart just by a cruel answer.

“Of course I will! I’ll come to see you a few times every week, baby. I want to be with you so much.” Mingyu quickly held the cat’s other hand, nuzzling his face into the palm of his kitten. “Wait for me, okay? I’ll come back soon, and bring you some more toys and ice-cream. Okay?”

Joshua nodded, but he flung himself towards the younger alpha’s arms. Getting the hint, Mingyu hugged the cat tightly into his chest, patting his back, stroking his hair while his little boy was trying to take in his scent and bite him a little more on his neck. Sighing in relief, the giant man still felt bad for leaving Joshua, but he knew this situation was much better and more peaceful than what he had expected. The cat eventually accepted the idea of separation without too much crying and screaming. Mingyu seriously had no idea what to do if his kitten cried loudly and sobbed and begged him not to go. How to endure this horrible pain and leave like a heartless person? He could not know.

Right at the time Mingyu began to pull Joshua away, the boy all of a sudden used both hands to cup his alpha’s face, and gave the man a deep kiss on his lips, catching him off guard, and shocked.

Nonetheless, it was a sweet and miracle shock for Mingyu.

Instantly drowned in the tender and sweet kiss from the lips he had missed for so long, the giant alpha hurriedly and anxiously kissed his kitten back, hungrily taking his lips and tasting them all after so much time of longing and thinking that he had lost this chance forever. Although Joshua was the one who initiated the kiss, he was very shy, allowing Mingyu to take control and take the lead of everything. Right at this moment, their long gone sweet moments in the past flooded back to their mind, making both of them remember how happy and contented they used to be with each other. What they both remembered most in their minds, was the day they spent together in the villa by the beach.

Joshua had never been through a honeymoon, but he would be proud to say he knew how it felt like, because he had had _that day_ with Mingyu by the beach. They spent the whole day playing, eating, hugging, cuddling, kissing, and having sex. It was not actual sex with a proper intercourse, yet it was almost the same, with the same kind of relief and happiness. Whenever thinking of that day, Joshua could only remember one kind of emotion, which was _pure happiness_.

“I love you, Mingyu.” Joshua whispered as he broke the kiss, staring lovingly into the alpha’s eyes, melting his heart bit by bit.

“I love you too, kitten.” The man murmured breathlessly, heartbroken by how naïve and sincere the boy sounded in his confession. Feeling the urge to emphasis his saying, Mingyu repeated his statement. “I love you.”

Joshua smiled and hugged his giant man one more time, leaving one last kiss on the alpha’s neck in his last attempt of leaving his own scent on Mingyu’s body. Although the cat’s possessiveness brought tremendous difficulty to Mingyu, the alpha was still happy to know that Joshua wanted him. The boy’s actions spoke so much for his heart, letting him know he was having a spot in his kitten’s heart.

Wonwoo still did not hug back when Mingyu crushed him in his big arms, yet at least the least alpha did not squirm or complain, a little bit less stiff than previously. This fact helped the younger male believe that if he was determined enough to get closer and closer to Wonwoo, perhaps one day his cousin would open up to him and show more affection. Mingyu was sure Wonwoo was not a heartless person. He simply did not show his true emotions through his face or small actions. The giant man had already been convinced about Wonwoo’s love for him and no one could break his argument. Someone might say that he was crazy but Mingyu did not care. He knew Wonwoo loved him, because Wonwoo used to hate him and blame him for moving out. Nothing could lead to this kind of attitude except for love.

“Please call me when you need.” Mingyu almost patted his cousin’s back, but luckily recalled his warning about the wounds. Instead, he gave a few light taps on the older alpha’s arm. “I’ll come to help at any time. You need to rest. And you haven’t told me about your wounds yet.”

“I’ll call you later.” Wonwoo made a promise, voice still tired. “After I get enough sleep for today.”

“Okay, please take care. You seriously make me worried today. You look like crap.”

“I know. Just tired.” The lead alpha sighed after pulling away. “Call me if you need anything.”

Mingyu wondered if Wonwoo could help him anything in this condition.

At the gate, Joshua waved sadly to Mingyu’s car as it slowly moved further away from the mansion. Staring soullessly at the moving car, Wonwoo felt temporarily empty, as the whole house and responsibility were put onto him and only him again. Turning to the cat, he held out his arms, and the boy jumped into his embrace immediately. Like a needy and clingy cat as always, Joshua nuzzled into his husband’s neck and murmured weakly.

“Let’s go to sleep, Wonwoo!”

“Let’s go.” The alpha put a kiss on his kitten’s fluffy ear, closing the gate, locking it and walking back inside.

The house was again silent, as there were only the sounds of Wonwoo’s footsteps echoing around the walls while he walked to their bedroom. Everything was going back to its original state, but the alpha was relieved since Joshua was finally contented after seeing the person he had asked for so many times in the past six weeks. For now, the cat was satisfied, sleepy and pliant in his arms, saying nothing and just trying to hug him more and more tightly. From now on, Joshua would have more to ask for, and he would definitely whine for seeing Mingyu again, but Wonwoo guessed it was a good thing. He could give the boy Mingyu’s number, so that they could keep contact through their phones as well. A happy Joshua would be a healthy and calm kitten which gave less pressure to his husband.

Nonetheless, when Joshua got his face out of the alpha’s neck to lean over and kiss him on the lips as they were both on the bed together, Wonwoo was given more strength and determination to believe that he would manage to deal with everything. As long as he had Joshua by his sides, everything would be alright. As long as his final hope, his last savior, Joshua, and the boy’s love were still here, Wonwoo would go through everything.

_“I love you, Wonwoo.”_

\--------------------------

Because Mingyu still had a whole afternoon, he decided to go to his office and work a little before coming home, hoping that it would help the scent of strawberry candy and rose faded away. Lucky for him, a client came to see him and have a talk about their upcoming project in the future. This person was an important client Mingyu had fortunately got for himself and it was good when he was available at the office to talk when this man came. Surprisingly, the man gave him an invitation card to a formal masquerade ball this weekend, politely asking Mingyu to come to the celebration as he wanted to introduce this talented architect to some of his important people. This was such a great chance for Mingyu to take, but there was only one problem.

The man cheerfully suggested that Mingyu should bring his partner together to the ball, as the invitation was also available to two people. Mingyu was having two partners at home. Who should he bring along? Who should he leave at home? Would he make the one who had to stay at home sad? This was freaking difficult. As a result, the giant man could not answer right away whether he would come or not. He would have to find a way to sort out his problem first, or else he would rather stay at home to enjoy peace with his two lovers.

Much as Mingyu was concerned about the scent on his own body, and the invitation to the ball, right at the moment he opened the door into his apartment, his mind instantly forgot all of the burden thanks to the adorable omega welcoming him. Jeonghan was standing right there, waiting for him to come inside with the loveliest smile Mingyu had ever seen in this world. The rabbit was incredibly cute, soft, and fluffy in white pajamas with his smooth hair falling over his shoulders gorgeously.

Mingyu felt like he was ready to kneel down in front of _his fated omega_ to beg for his love.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you want Mingyu to bring to the ball? I guess until now most of you want Jeonghannie :"> I want him too :"> 
> 
> I hope this chapter isn't boring to you ;_; It wasn't special in any way... I can only say that the last drama of Wonwoo-Jeonghan is going to happen soon and it also means that this fic is going to end soon >< I hope you will be here with me until the day I post the final chapter of the fic ;_; 
> 
> Please stay safe and take care!!!! I hope things have been better in your country! Sometimes I even forget that there is a pandemic all over the world because everything is being so normal in my country @_@ 
> 
> I love you!!!!


	81. A moment of revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu and Jun talked, finding out some things they had not known about each other.
> 
> Things seemed to be so fine now, but maybe not yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another chapter again~~~ It takes quite much time for me to post recently, but I hope it's still okay because I put longer chapters. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

Right after stepping inside, Mingyu greeted his bunny and gave him a short kiss on his cheek with a bright grin. Blushing shyly, the omega smiled back to him and stood on tiptoe again to return the kiss to his alpha, hands taking the briefcase and the small bag containing the lunchbox away. Taking off his blazer, Mingyu felt the urge to talk about his lunch immediately.

“Thank you so much for my lunch, Hannie.” The alpha said wholeheartedly. “It’s perfect.”

The fluffy rabbit looked obviously so happy that Mingyu just felt his heart melting bit by bit due to the sight in front of his eyes. The compliments really always did wonders to the hybrid, as if nobody (except for Jun) had ever told him that he had done well in his whole life. Laying a hand on Jeonghan’s lower back, Mingyu gently pushed him towards the direction of the hall, knowing that his bunny would go to put those things away now. Jeonghan obediently headed towards that direction and was about to walk away when another figure suddenly jumped at his alpha. The giant man was startled in a split second but then his quickly recognized his beloved Junnie, and his arms automatically squeezed the smaller alpha tightly. The strange welcome of his lover made him totally forget the fact that Joshua’s scent might be still lingering on his body.

“Aaaahh I guess someone’s missed me so much.” Chuckling, Mingyu stroked his lover’s slightly wet hair, guessing that he had just ran out of the bathroom.

“I felt like I haven’t met you from last night!” Jun whined before smacking his mate’s cheek, staring at the younger man with a pout. “It’s really too long and I don’t like this!”

Right at this moment, Mingyu instantly felt horrible, feeling like he had neglected his Junnie for a long time and now Jun was craving for more attention and affection. The giant man realized he had been very stupid. Jun had been the sole focus of his attention for a pretty long period of time but now he had to share everything with Jeonghan, and even lost his chance of sleeping together with his mate. It had been just more than one day and Mingyu felt something wrong. He needed to take better care of his lover. Jun had never been an independent alpha, and with how Mingyu had always spoilt him, he would never be that kind of a person.

Next to them, Jeonghan was also a little surprised by Jun’s attitude, but not as shocked as Mingyu was, because he was able to see this for this whole day. While the two men were whispering something to each other as Mingyu took off his shoes, the omega wrote down a few sentences on his note then showed it to the younger alpha.

_ “Jun’s been whining for you from the morning until now. He isn’t comfortable without you. He even wore your clothes when going out and used your perfume.” _

Raising an eyebrow at the information, Mingyu quickly looked back at Jun only to realize that his cousin was wearing his clothes right now as well. The big white shirt was extremely baggy on his slender frame, making him all of a sudden soft and cute, even too cute for Mingyu’s heart to handle. It was just unbelievable to see that there were two adorable people waiting for Mingyu at home and ready to torture his heart with all of their cuteness. In a daze, the big alpha stared at his lover unblinkingly, trying to read Jun’s facial expression as his heart slowly dropped to the bottom of his stomach. The older alpha was gently taking off the tie on Mingyu’s collar, yet a pout was still on his lips, giving him a sulky face.

Meanwhile, Jeonghan took this time to put away the suitcase and excused to go back to the kitchen to check on their dinner.

Waiting no more, Mingyu hurriedly leaned over to pull Jun into his chest and hugged him tightly, murmuring countless apologies to his cousin.

“I’m sorry, Junnie. I’m really sorry. I… I was stupid. I didn’t know I didn’t take care of you well enough. I’m really sorry. I’m sorry, Junnie! I’m…”

“Hey hey, what are you saying my baby bear?” Jun smiled and hugged his mate back. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just too needy. I’ve been too used to your presence by my sides and I didn’t know I would desperately crave for you this much.”

“But it’s my fault…” Mingyu kept stammering in deep guilt. “I should have…”

“It’s fine, Gyu. You didn’t do anything wrong.” The older male gently rubbed his cousin’s wide back. “I’m still limping now, if you don’t remember what we did last night.”

“Do you want to go to my office tomorrow?” Mingyu asked without hesitation, pulling away so as to look into his lover’s eyes. “It’s my great pleasure to have you there with me.”

“But what about Hannie then?” Jun asked with wide eyes, obviously excited by the idea but still worried about the rabbit. “Or you intend to bring him with us too?”

Now it was Mingyu’s turn to pout.

“He will take all of your attention then.”

“So you want to leave him at home alone?” Chuckling and clicking his tongue, Jun hit his lover’s shoulder lightly. “You’re so mean to him, baby. He has just come to us a few days.”

Mingyu enthusiastically spoke out his idea.

“We might ask Seungcheol if he wants to bring Hannie with him to his company or not. He said he was busy these days. So instead of going on a date he had better take his omega with him to the office.”

“Hmm.” The older alpha began to think deeply. “That might be a great idea, but we aren’t sure about anything now. I can’t be happy too soon…”

Hit by another wave of guilt again just by that saying, Mingyu squeezed his lover in his arms one more time, burying his face into Jun’s hair and whispering.

“You have to know that no matter what, you’re still my first priority, Junnie.” The giant man tried to be as sincere as possible, but he did not know that he did not need to try to make his mate understand. Jun could feel his love through every single word and action, like this moment. “If bringing you to my office can make you happy, I will do it regardless of any troubles. I literally dumped my other cousin and my omega for you. I can do that over and over again. Do you understand it, Junnie?”

“Yes, I do.” Jun nuzzled his face into his lover’s shoulder, having no care about the fact that Mingyu had just come home and had not washed yet. “Of course I understand. I just miss you.”

Smiling, the taller man hummed to his cousin.

“I’m here. I miss you too.”

Hearing the confession, Jun giggled softly while his arms slowly wrapped around his mate’s waist, keeping their intimate position while asking in intense curiosity and confusion.

“But… did you go somewhere, Gyu? Why do you smell like strawberry and rose?”

“Ah… I just ate a cake. Strawberry cake.” Mingyu lied again, feeling a bit more confident than how he had been in the previous times. “The restaurant was decorated with some roses. You know… I couldn’t resist them. I sniffed them a bit so I guess… the scent got on my clothes.”

“Why are you speaking like you’re feeling bad about something?” Jun was incredibly sensitive when it came to Mingyu’s mood and attitude. His voice went softer and quieter. “Please don’t be so. There’s nothing wrong. I miss Joshua too. I know if I were you, I wouldn’t have been able to resist them either.”

Mingyu heaved a long sigh, not because he was relieved, but because his heart ached by how Jun was talking to him about Joshua. Neither of them was thoroughly fine with everything related to the cat, and this matter remained as a pain in their hearts forever until the day things could be resolved. Mingyu still did not know how to talk to Jun about it yet. He had no idea how to bring Jun back to Joshua’s life and make him feel safe with being close to Wonwoo at the same time. Mingyu knew Wonwoo would no longer hurt anyone because they had kept contact for a pretty long time, yet Jun had not seen or even talked to or texted Wonwoo from the day he broke down in the hospital. The memory must be haunting, causing Mingyu to feel worried that Jun would not enjoy being near the alpha he still loved so much.

Moreover, bringing Jun to see Joshua also meant bringing more danger to Jeonghan, creating more chances for him to be discovered by the lead alpha.

“Junnie ah,” Mingyu hesitated for a few seconds, and then he was determined to tell his lover. “You know Seungcheol comes here for dinner today, right?”

“Yeah sure. What’s wrong?”

“While he stays with Hannie, I want to talk to you a little. Is that okay?”

Frowning, Jun started to feel that Mingyu had something serious to share with him. This could not be a normal conversation, or else his cousin would not have to ask like this.

Nonetheless, Jun still tried to be playful with his mate in order to keep the atmosphere light and happy.

“I want my cuddles and kisses first, then you can say whatever you want.”

“Oh… Of-of course. Of course, Junnie.” Mingyu stuttered and then laughed, amazed by how demanding his lover was being. “I can’t wait to hug and kiss you too.”

Before letting Mingyu go get a shower, Jun placed a sweet kiss on his cousin’s cheek and then soon received a similar one on his own face. Walking to the bedroom to get his clean clothes, Mingyu was still quite shocked by how light and comfortable he felt just after a short talk with Jun. Furthermore, he was being assured by an upcoming thorough conversation with his cousin, and he always loved to share everything with his Junnie. Mingyu severely hated to hide anything away from his mate, simply because he loved Jun too much and he desperately wanted to tell his first priority about everything. Maybe, he had been stressed and a little uncomfortable for half a day because he had been lying to everyone, and it was even terrible to do that to Jun.

Especially when he was also having a secret with Jeonghan.

Seungcheol came not long after that. Jun felt delighted to see how happy both Seungcheol and Jeonghan were when they met each other again. They hugged and gave some little kisses, but the most prominent things were their smiles, which seemed to be so refreshing and peaceful. The reason was probably that Jun had been so used to Jeonghan’s dark stories about Seungcheol and he had never really expected to see them this sweet and positively intimate with each other. Things seemed to be working out perfectly in this way, when Seungcheol no longer controlled the rabbit’s life and he just came to visit him like a true boyfriend. That was undoubtedly a healthy love which would bring good things to them both.

Seungcheol gave Jun a tight and warm hug, and then did the same to Mingyu as well. Since alcohol was not welcomed in the house with a pregnant member and one person who used to be drugged through a bottle of wine, Seungcheol brought along some beverages so that they could enjoy together during dinner. Everything was smooth and fine between the four people, even better than how it used to be in the past when they came to Seungcheol’s house to have meals. Jeonghan no longer gave out the dreadful scent of fear and pain. He certainly stayed silent for the whole time, but he was much more attentive towards everyone, as he knew he had been given the rights to participate in everything, which was very different from his own behaviors at the coffee shop a few days ago.

Jun guessed his and Mingyu’s presence brought more confidence and sense of safety to the omega, because Jeonghan was literally living in their house, not Seungcheol’s mansion anymore. The eldest alpha could not do anything bad to him here, because Mingyu was in authority of this place. He was glad to see that Seungcheol was calm and normal this evening, eating happily and chatting casually without showing any extreme emotions. He was a bit angry when talking about some things which annoyed him at work, but he cooled down pretty fast when someone changed the topic. Jeonghan only got scared at those times, making Jun stare at him nervously and secretly use one hand to squeeze the rabbit’s knee lightly to assure him that he was fine.

The important thing was that, even though Jeonghan was scared of Seungcheol, he had never had to use his inhaler to cope with the fear of his mate. He only used it because of his rapist, which was enough for Jun to know how bad the memories were to his omega, and how strong the impact that rapist had on his Hannie. Thinking about the rapist, Jun also wondered if Jeonghan would allow him to help when the strokes came. It was such a difficult situation that it made him understand thoroughly how careful and considerate Mingyu had been when he was forced to deal with similar things in the past.

Jun definitely did not want Seungcheol to touch Jeonghan in those occasions. No matter what, he still had no trust in his friend in terms of sex with the rabbit and he would do everything to stop Seungcheol from having sex with Jeonghan even once, before they got the final announcement or evaluation from the doctors to believe that the man was in full control of his thoughts and actions.

After dinner, Mingyu and Jun simultaneously urged Jeonghan to spend time with Seungcheol while they cleaned up and washed the dishes. The rabbit was frightened by the idea of letting his alpha work instead of himself but they did not allow him to argue. As Seungcheol suggested a short walk outside, they excitedly encouraged the hybrid to go with his mate and not to worry about them anymore. Jeonghan was still triggered but he obeyed and soon he was out with his alpha. Mingyu and Jun honestly had no idea with doing the household chores together because it was what they had already done together in the past six weeks. It was nice and fun to do that again today, when Jun felt like he had been missing Mingyu for ages.

By the time they finished, the couple had come back, much earlier than what they had expected. They were amazed to see Jeonghan holding a box of bingsu in his hands, but they did not judge, knowing that the pregnancy may cause the omega to need more food. Silently, they both imagined how their bunny would look like when he gained some more weight and looked perfectly healthy. That would be a beautiful sight they should keep in their mind forever.

Since everyone knew Mingyu’s love for the TV, Seungcheol and Jeonghan stayed in the dining room together while Jun and his giant alpha went to the living room. Mingyu let the TV play in front of him but did not pay any attention, because he was having his Junnie in his lap and they were making out shamelessly on the couch. Mingyu did feel nervous about the possibility of being seen by Seungcheol but Jun did not seem to have any patience left. He just wanted to get the affection he had lacked for this whole day, and also last night. At least, the younger alpha was relieved because his partner did not give out any sounds, since Jun usually had the habit of moaning between the hot and wet kisses.

When Jun felt pretty enough with his greedy heart, he settled down next to his cousin on the couch, hugging the bigger man’s arm and leaning against his shoulder to watch the TV together. Nonetheless, he still did not care much about what was happening on the screen, because his mind was occupied with Mingyu’s question previously.

“What do you want to tell me, Gyu?” The older alpha nuzzled into his mate’s thick bicep and asked. “I’m really curious.”

Mingyu definitely did not forget. He was just still thinking how to talk to Jun about Joshua nicely and properly. Sighing, he turned to look at his lover, ignoring the TV, gently caressing his soft hair.

“Are you okay if I talk about Joshua and Wonwoo now?”

Jun evidently gulped but he nodded, eyes flickering a little.

“Yes. I’m fine.” He was nervous but his curiosity won the battle. “What’s wrong? Why do you want to talk about them now?”

“Have you ever thought of… visiting Joshua again? Maybe… he doesn’t hate you anymore.”

Jun looked like he was caught off guard by the sudden question. Blinking his eyes a few times, the older alpha shook his head and answered.

“No… I just… I don’t think it’s possible. He didn’t even want to look at me or listen to me when he was in the hospital. I have never thought of being forgiven.”

“Really Junnie?” Mingyu asked in surprise, but found it hard to explain to his cousin. He did not know how to tell his mate that Joshua was crazy now and this insanity made everything possible. The only way to do this was revealing his relationship with Wonwoo in the past time, which might irritate Jun for lying to him in almost two months.

“You haven’t done anything wrong to him.” Jun looked down with a sad expression. “But I did. I literally did. I can say that I betrayed him, and betrayal is very hard to forgive. It can destroy even a marriage, and it definitely destroyed his love for me. I don’t think he trusts me anymore.”

“This kind of betrayal… it’s not really a betrayal…” Mingyu shook his head vigorously, knowing that this was such a complicated situation. “Polyamory is legal, and Joshua himself even accepts it.”

Jun sighed audibly, clearly distraught.

“The important thing is that I lied many times. I acted like I didn’t know Jeonghan and I told you guys that I left home because my rut came. They were all lies! I left because Hannie contacted me and asked me to come to the hotel with him. I bet Seungcheol told him everything.”

Palming his own face, Mingyu had to admit that he had no other choice. It would be impossible to convince his cousin if he was given no proof of Joshua forgiving him. The obstacles were too big and Jun would never agree to confront the two people he still loved yet did not dare to face without a good foundation. Shifting position so as to look at his lover directly in to his eyes, Mingyu held both of Jun’s hands, solemnly asking.

“What if I tell you that Joshua surely no longer hates you or holds any grudges towards those incidents?”

Jun looked utterly lost.

“Is it even possible for you to tell me this? Surely? How do you know?”

“Please answer me first. If you know Joshua will react positively to you, will you agree to come and visit him?”

Nonetheless, Jun still had other reasons to hesitate.

“Come… come to his house?”

“I can promise that Wonwoo won’t do anything to you. He won’t do anything except for staring at you or just talking to you, if you agree to talk. I’ll be there with you if you want.”

“I’m very confused now, Gyu.” Jun shook his head, refusing to give an answer if Mingyu did not give him a proper explanation. “How can you make sure about those things? Why? What’s happening? I need to know!”

“Okay okay don’t be scared, Junnie. I’ll tell you everything.” Mingyu held his lover’s hands more tightly, trying to keep him calm. “But please promise me you won’t hate me after I tell you…”

“Hey!” Jun slapped his cousin harshly on his shoulder, causing the giant man to gasp in pain. The older alpha looked so offended. “You think I can hate you? That’s how you think about me? I’m not that stupid.”

“Is your stroke coming?” Mingyu could not help asking, still wincing. “Why are you so aggressive?”

Crossing his arms, Jun huffed, displeased.

“Because you’re saying something stupid. You seriously need to stop it, Gyu. You’re always worried about nonsense. I won’t hate you, and I know you don’t do anything unforgivable to me. I’m not even worried, so why are you?”

“I’m sorry.” Mingyu let out the expression of a kicked puppy, looking down, staring at his own hands which were fiddling with each other. “I’m… I can’t help feeling nervous. You know… I don’t really have anything except for you. If I lose you, I practically lose everything. I hate lying to you but I’m really scared. I’m afraid you will be angry at me and…”

“Stop it, Gyu!” Jun used both hands to cup his mate’s face, lifting it up so that he could stare into the bigger man’s eyes. “You’re overthinking. I know you understand me but you’re always overthinking too much. Have some trust in me and in yourself too, baby! I trust you, so I’m curious now but I’m not afraid of hearing anything unacceptable from you, because I know you will never do anything like that behind my back. Please put the burden down, my bear! Please!”

Looking back into his cousin’s beautiful eyes, Mingyu was stunned by the love and determination his lover had for him, as if Jun was telling him to just be his bear and not to ever worry about anything else since everything would always be perfectly fine between them. In a daze, the giant alpha was drowned in that enormous love, feeling like Jun was giving him all his world and willing to even protect him although he himself had never been a tough and independent alpha. Scooting on the couch until he was sitting on Mingyu’s lap again, Jun straddle his mate’s waist, leaning over to kiss his lips slowly.

“Let’s just talk like this so that you can be less nervous.” Smiling tenderly, the older male put another kiss on the corner of his cousin’s lips. “I don’t know why you want to talk about Wonwoo and Joshua now, but there’s one important thing I need to let you know, baby.”

Holding his lover’s hips gently, Mingyu started to kiss Jun back and whispered a question, wondering why his Junnie’s lips tasted so sweet and felt so soft today.

“What’s that, Junnie?”

“No matter what happens, nothing can change the state of our relationship.” Jun nuzzled his nose to Mingyu’s one, seeming a bit shy as his cheeks were turning pink. “I… I don’t really like to talk about this but… Wonwoo can’t be compared with you now.”

“Really?” Mingyu asked, really shocked, eyes wide. His heart began to race. “What do you mean by that?”

“I know I used to love him more than anything in my life, but… he destroyed it.” Sighing a little, Jun gave another tender kiss on his mate’s cheek. “The same thing doesn’t happen between us, and I know it will never. I didn’t ask for this mark, but it’s me who makes it fine and completely normal now.”

Holding one of Mingyu’s hands, Jun brought it to his mark, urging the giant man to touch it, and Mingyu complied. His calloused fingers gently traced along the mark, causing his mate to let out a feeble moan. Jun always had positive reaction towards his touch.

“Wonwoo just can’t be compared.” Much as he enjoyed the feeling of Mingyu’s fingers on his mark, he tried to focus on his talk. “If you look closely enough, you can see that your mark looks more beautiful than his.”

“I do.” Mingyu whispered lovingly, giving a light kiss on his own mark, making Jun shiver in delight. “I see it. I’ve stared at it many times.”

“Yeah. That’s it.” Smiling shyly, Jun closed his arms loosely around his lover’s neck, asking softly. “Do you understand what I mean now, my bear?”

Mingyu bet his heart had stopped beating when he replied to the love of his life.

“Yes, I do, Junnie.”

For the second time of the night, the couple made out with each other passionately on the couch, and this time Jun failed to hold back his sounds well, letting out some weak moans between the deep kisses, wholeheartedly loving the way Mingyu’s tongue was playing with his. For a second, he wondered if they would need to use the bathroom for “something” again. If it happened in this way, Jun did not know when he would be able to stop limping. For Mingyu and Mingyu only, sometimes he wished to become an omega, so that he could be everything Mingyu may wanted and needed. There would be no problem in their having sex, and he would be an omega who was so alluring and tempting to Mingyu’s alpha instincts.

Nevertheless, Jun was convinced that he never needed to become an omega to become more attractive to his lover as his mind reminded him of the day Mingyu had been drugged. Right at that time, both he and Joshua were being in front of the giant man but the omega managed to escape while Jun became the victim, which meant he was not just a piece of trash in the feral alpha’s eyes at that moment.

After the intense kissing session, Mingyu finally told Jun about everything. The only thing he still kept as a secret was the alpha father of Jeonghan’s child, since he was afraid Jun would be so mad at Wonwoo that he refused to do anything that may involve the lead alpha. It was heavenly comfortable for Mingyu to eventually let his beloved Junnie know how he had kept contact with Wonwoo in the past six weeks and how he had come to meet Joshua this morning. Jun seemed surprised but not angry. Which made him upset and sad was the information about the cat’s craziness these days.

“Therefore…” Mingyu was about to make the conclusion. “I believe he will be happy to see you. There are things he forget, but there are things he doesn’t, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t forget the things between you and Hannie. I believe he forgives you and wants to see you again.”

“I can’t believe it!” Jun said that not because he did not trust Mingyu’s words, but because he was still shocked. “How… how can his mental illness make him forgive my mistakes?”

“You can’t judge Joshua now, baby. He’s just… he’s out of his mind. Oh I forgot to tell you, Wonwoo wanted to take him to his office but Joshua didn’t like it, so in panic, he clawed at Wonwoo’s back and made him bleed. Because Joshua felt guilty, he ripped out his own claw so that he would never hurt Wonwoo again.”

Jun grimaced at the mention of Joshua ripping out his claw, unable to imagine how terrible that scene must have been. Staring at Jun nervously, Mingyu knew that his lover was not only shocked. Jun was not mad at his younger cousin, but he was certainly mad at Wonwoo now for having done the horrible things to Joshua in the past. The fact that Wonwoo had broken the cat was undeniable and the result was seriously beyond anyone’s imagination.

“Are… are you sure Joshua is receiving treatment now?” The older alpha asked in deep concerns. “He doesn’t seem to be fine at all. Is Wonwoo still abusing him?”

“I’m sure, Junnie. He was even worse at first. Joshua used to scream and cry really hard when the doctors approached him. He still hates them now but at least he still can talk to them sometimes. There are days in which he still dislikes to face them and throws tantrum like a kid but that’s much better. Wonwoo can calm him down after half an hour. Just… never make him panic. If he’s in panic, nothing is under control.”

Jun was skeptical when it came to Wonwoo. He did not doubt Mingyu. He only doubted whether Wonwoo had told his giant alpha the truth or not. In his mind, a bastard like Wonwoo could do anything to make people feel bad for him and come back to him. If harsh enforcement could not work, perhaps the lead alpha had altered to this softer method.

“How can you make sure all those things are true? You just heard them from Wonwoo, right?”

“I directly saw it once.” Mingyu sighed, forced to think of the day Joshua was still in the hospital and woke up for the first time after being raped. “I saw how he reacted to the doctors and how they had to sedate him to take care of him. Wonwoo doesn’t make up anything. I saw it.”

“But… what about his progress?”

“Wonwoo had the videos of the sessions Joshua had with his doctors. Sometimes he wasn’t allowed to be there when they talked to Joshua. I can show you if you want evidence.”

Without a second thought, Jun nodded and they both headed towards Mingyu’s home office to turn on his computer. However, right before the younger alpha clicked on the video, his cousin stopped him.

“Do you think… we should let Hannie watch too?”

“Hannie?” Mingyu was surprised, yet after a few seconds of thinking, he nodded in understanding. “You’re right… He should watch these videos too.”

“Okay so let’s just wait.” Jun decided to sit on his cousin’s lap while the giant man was sitting on his big chair. “Have you ever discussed about seeing Joshua again with Hannie?”

“Not yet.” Although Mingyu had talked about this a bit with Jeonghan in the morning, he would not call that a proper discussion because he did not get much result. Until now he was still not sure if the rabbit was willing to see his best friend or not.

“I guess it’s easy for him.” Jun said with a voice full of positivity. “If Joshua has so many rabbit toys like you said, then… he’s certainly fine with Hannie. No problems will occur between them.”

Mingyu knew nothing wrong would happen between the two hybrids, but he was scared to death to think of what might happened between Wonwoo and Jeonghan. Watching the rabbit use the inhaler whenever his rapist was mentioned, Mingyu could not help wondering whether Jeonghan would be able to endure facing Wonwoo in reality. He might freak out very severely and the last thing Mingyu wanted was making one of his lovers frightened. Besides, Jeonghan was pregnant. Forcing him to go through extreme emotions was not nice at all.

On the other hand, Mingyu did not dare to tell Jun the truth yet.

“Maybe you’re right… We will ask him soon.” He lied. “As long as we all want it, everything will be fine.”

“Or maybe we shouldn’t watch them.” Jun rapidly changed his mind, mumbling. “I know you’ve got the videos from Wonwoo. That means you have proof for his words. That’s enough. I shouldn’t watch those videos.”

Observing his lover, Mingyu did not need much time to realize that Jun was afraid of getting triggered by the content of those videos. Right then, the giant alpha hated himself for not ever taking Jun’s self-harm problem seriously enough. Although it had just happened twice and Jun had no sign of doing it when things were fine, Mingyu was still worried that it was a signal of an instability in his soul. He did not know how to help his cousin, but the professional doctors would know, and he thought it would be the best to get help from them so as to prevent similar things to happen when Jun was attacked by the information of his loved ones being hurt again.

Humming softly to his mate, Mingyu agreed to skip the videos and continued their conversation about Joshua. He did not speak out, but the topic of Jun seeing an psychiatrist had been embed into his mind and he would make sure to bring it up with his lover one day.

Shifting on his lover’s lap, Jun changed his position to face Mingyu, straddling his lap and placing two hands on his chest, so that they could look into each other’s eyes. Seeming to be in deep thoughts, Jun silently fiddle with his cousin’s collar for a while, and then whispered in low voice.

“How do you feel after seeing Joshua? Are you happier now?”

The bigger man sighed.

“Right now I don’t feel any special… Since I’ve been lying to you, I don’t feel like this is much of a breakthrough. I just know that I feel lighter, and less guilty, but not much has changed.” Saying, he recalled the way Joshua took care of Wonwoo and paid most of his attention to the lead alpha while Mingyu was still right there. “Joshua might love me and wants me now, but I’m not the one he needs. He’s still fine without me. I know I’m just an added part that might help him feel happier a bit in his life. I’m not playing a crucial role like Wonwoo.”

“Why do you seem so calm?” Jun cocked his head in confusion. “I thought you would be like an idiot jumping around the house after being accepted by Joshua again. You look really normal now.”

“Really?” Mingyu was surprised at himself, having no idea about the fact that he was much calmer than how he was supposed to be. “I… I didn’t pay attention to that, but… maybe you’re right.”

Sighing one more time - Mingyu did not even know why he kept sighing - the giant alpha hugged his lover and continued to speak.

“What I know most clearly now is that I really feel much lighter. I’m happy that he isn’t scared of me anymore.” The alpha snickered to himself. “I guess he has slipped out of our lives for a so long time that I’m getting used to being an unimportant part of his life. I know no matter how he treats me, I’m nothing in comparison with Wonwoo and maybe I don’t care about that so much like I used to in the past.”

“Are you sure, Gyu?” Jun was genuinely worried for his mate, afraid that Mingyu was being unaware of his own pain again. He even seemed to be numbed by the tremendous wound in his heart. “I remember how you promised to give him a house for all of us and even for our kids. You even cried when saying that again to Hannie. Are you really sure you’re fine with all of this?”

“What can I do now, Junnie?” Mingyu sighed again, staring at his lover in the eyes, giving Jun the chance to see the hint of sadness and helplessness in his eyes. “He doesn’t even want to marry us, at least not in this state. I… I don’t give up my love. I can’t stop loving him, but… I just stop hoping, Junnie. I know I cannot wish to be loved so much like how he loves Wonwoo anymore, because it simply just won’t happen. He isn’t scared of me but still doesn’t need me too much… I think that’s enough for me to know when I should retreat.”

Jun could not come up with anything to argue with his cousin about this, but he deeply felt so bad for Mingyu, understanding that this could never be a comfortable experience. Giving up might help him feel _“lighter”_, but he was literally _forced_ to give up. Jun knew Mingyu was the stubborn idiot who was blind in love and would never give up his love for anyone, especially Joshua, the first omega of his life, and the one he had unintentionally hurt so terribly. The more Mingyu acted normally, the more Jun felt agitated.

Resting his forehead on the younger man’s one, letting their nose touch, Jun quietly whispered.

“I think it will be the same for me. Joshua’s been asking for you more than for me, so I guess things can be even worse.”

“Don’t think so, Junnie. He’s…”

“I understand my situation, Gyu. Like how you understand yours.” Forcing out a smile, Jun gently kissed his lover on the lips. “I’ve already accepted the fact that I lost him. I know you’ve always been wishing to reunite with him, but for me, I just gave up completely. Even if he runs away from me now, I think I can’t do anything but sigh.”

Mingyu found it hard to believe, even quite shocking.

“Seriously, Junnie? Please don’t be that negative.” Thinking that his lover must be very sad and hurt now, the giant man hurriedly used both hands to rub his mate’s back. “I will try my best to help you. You didn’t do anything wrong. He has to…”

Shaking his head with a tender smile, Jun cut his lover off by a question.

“You don’t believe it when I smiled and said that I gave up on Joshua, right?”

Mingyu was surprised to be interrupted, but he quickly shook his head as his cousin had expected. Leaning over to wrap his arms around the bigger man’s shoulders, Jun hugged his mate and murmured slowly.

“Then please don’t think I can trust you when you said that you’re okay with giving up. Please don’t think that you need to tell me you’re fine.”

In a few minutes later, Jun and Mingyu just sat there, hugging each other warmly in utter silence, as they were both trying to feel and understand each other’s love through feelings and thoughts instead of words. Gradually, Mingyu relaxed his body after his mate had been stroking his back for a pretty long while. Sighing in defeat, the younger alpha knew he had always had and would always have a super soft spot for his Junnie, and he would always melt in Jun’s love, feeling understood and cherished by his older lover. Those kinds of feelings also came from Jeonghan, but they were still new, while what came from Jun were things Mingyu’s heart had confirmed for eternity, knowing that no one could read his mind better than his mate.

Thinking back of the day Mingyu had constantly tried to cheer Jun up, it was unbelievable to see how much they had evolved and developed together. Today, they were sharing thoughts and feelings with each other freely, and the giant man could not endure holding back a lie in front of his lover. Jun was so much more positive now, and what he said could incredibly warmed Mingyu’s heart in a way nobody else could ever do for him.

The couple only talked again when Jun suddenly remembered something, pulling himself away to see his lover’s face.

“I forgot to tell you. My parents want to go on a short trip to Jeju this Friday. This Thursday to be exact. They’ll leave around midnight. They want me to join.”

“What?” Mingyu frowned and gasped simultaneously due to shock. “Why so sudden? Today is just Wednesday. Why didn’t they tell you earlier?”

“You know my parents. They’ve both retired. They can go whenever they want. Because I’m not working now, they think I can go at any time too.”

“Your dads really shock me this time.”

“Yeah I’m shocked too…” Jun sighed. “I really feel bad for leaving Hannie when he has just come here with us, but he happened to be there when I talked to my parents on the phone. He understood very quickly and he urged to go with them. He’s just super supportive and told me that I should never waste a chance of travelling with my parents. So… I’ve already told my dads I would go.”

“When will you come back?”

“We’ll leave Jeju on Sunday’s afternoon. I’ll be back here around ten at night.”

All of a sudden, Mingyu’s difficult situation was finally solved. Jun would not be here in most of Sunday, which meant that it would be impossible for him to attend the ball which took place in Sunday evening. Mingyu did not need to think anymore because fate only allowed him to take Jeonghan with him. He would not be afraid of hurting anyone feelings for leaving them out.

Consequently, he told Jun about the invitation to the ball right away, and the good thing was that Jun showed no interest in the party. Mingyu quickly understood the reason, because he still remembered what used to happen in one of the parties Jun attended in the past. He must have a bad impression about them then. Jun only got excited over the fact that this whole thing meant their bunny needed new clothes for the ball while he also wanted to get some new clothes for the short trip with his parents. Although it was not necessary, Jun wanted to buy new clothes for Mingyu too so that the giant man would look like a true prince in the party. He delightedly suggested them going shopping together tomorrow after Mingyu went home from work, and then they could go somewhere to have dinner. Jun would have enough time to pack and leave after that.

The plan was so perfect that Mingyu had nothing to complain and easily followed his lover’s wish, amazed by how smoothly everything had been going. Nonetheless, a short while later, they started to worry that Jeonghan might not want to go to the ball because he did not really like being surrounded by strangers or alphas. If the rabbit refused to go, Mingyu would just stay at home and enjoy his weekend with his omega, which was the best way to have some peace and sweetness at the same time.

“Will you mind if I…” Mingyu hesitated for a moment while his lover was eyeing him intently. “…if I introduce Hannie to everyone as my omega?”

“Why are you asking this?” Jun’s eyes got wide, and he was seriously surprised. “Isn’t he your omega?”

“But I… I mean…” The big man was startled, afraid that his lover was thinking that he did not value Jeonghan’s position in his home. “I know he’s an omega under my control and of course I will always try my best to take care of him, but he surely will become your official omega one day… but me… I’m nothing to him. I can never say for sure that we will mate. I can’t really call him _my omega_…”

“Why are you this silly, Gyu?” Jun shoved his cousin’s shoulder again, face a bit angry. “What happened this morning? Who told me _‘I found him’_? Who became so triggered and possessive that he didn’t even allow me to touch Hannie? And now you’re nervous that you can’t consider him as your omega? Are you kidding me?”

Realizing that Jun was upset with his abnormal behaviors in the morning, Mingyu hurriedly apologized.

“I’m sorry, Junnie. I was too emotional then. I… I really want him to be my omega. I really want to.” The younger alpha talked in despair, so worried about the rabbit’s thoughts. “But I remembered that I have never asked him or you yet. It’s just my own feeling only. I need to know that…”

“I would have already told you then if I didn’t agree.” Jun huffed one more time. “And I’m sure he willingly wants to be your omega then. You might say that Hannie is a good omega and he will never talk back but his face was really happy this morning. He wouldn’t have been like that if he disliked being your omega. You don’t have to worry.”

Mingyu ducked his head in embarrassment, feeling like he had just been scolded by his older cousin, yet after a little time of thinking, he knew he was really stupid and overthinking for asking those questions. He was living with people who did not like lying at all and they were not good at lying either. His fluffy and fragile rabbit had not faked his attitude towards Seungcheol in the past, then he had no reason to do that to Mingyu now. Perhaps having worries was a good thing, but he guessed he had better find a more subtle way to find out the answers for his own questions. Asking directly could be bad sometimes.

Around eight thirty, Jeonghan came to knock on the door to announce that Seungcheol was about to leave. The alpha said he still had to work at home, so he could not stay longer and he also wanted his mate to have a lot of time to rest. Jun and Mingyu were showered by hundreds of thanks from their friend, extremely glad to see Seungcheol happy and contented after this small meeting. The alpha left in peace after giving Jeonghan a tight hug and a soft kiss. He promised to invite all of them out one day for dinner soon, so that they could have some time together. They both agreed on the plan, already excited for it to come in the near future.

Last but not least, Mingyu suggested that Seungcheol might want to bring Jeonghan with him to the office since he was too busy to go on a date. It was wonderful to see both of their faces brighten up immediately, like it was something they both wanted. Seungcheol stammered although his eyes were showing obvious excitement.

“That’s okay for you? Really? I’m afraid I will take him for a too long time away from you.”

The two alphas assured their friend that nothing could be wrong with this, since they wanted to try their best to make Jeonghan happy too, and the rabbit could not be happy without spending enough time with his mate. The office was a quite nice and safe environment. Seungcheol would not be able to hurt Jeonghan there. It would be a good opportunity for the hybrid to satiate his needs of having his mate by his sides. The omega evidently looked eager now, telling everyone through his shining eyes that he definitely could not wait to picked up to come to Seungcheol’s office tomorrow. He had nothing to worry about, because he was not being bad by asking for anything. His alphas offered this by themselves.

In the end, the plan was made. Seungcheol would come here at eight o’clock in the morning to take Jeonghan to the company and brought him to Mingyu’s one at five o’clock in the afternoon so that the three of them could go shopping together. The giant man and his lover knew they had made the right decisions when seeing all of them being happy and contented with the upcoming new day. Everything was so fine until now.

The rest of the night went by comfortably with Mingyu sitting in front of the TV. The rabbit soon joined him on the sofa with a bowl of fruit mixed in yogurt, and then Jun also came to watch the movie which had just started. The couch was big enough for all three of them to sit, Jun sitting between his two lovers and Jeonghan adorably leaning against his shoulder from time to time. Mingyu was so intensely attracted by the movie that he barely paid attention to his lovers and his mouth even hung open. Chuckling lightly, he pointed out for the hybrid to watch Mingyu as well, causing both of them to giggle together yet the said man was still watching TV without knowing about anything.

Jun was not sure Mingyu was really feeling lighter after his reunion with Joshua or not, but he was relieved to see that after all, the giant man was fine. The three of them were getting better together, and he believed this little happy life could help them gradually forget the pain and begin a new phase of their life. With an omega in the house to keep the balance of the house, and also a lot of more love added along with the little bunny, they were going to be perfect.

Watching Mingyu and Jeonghan exchanging goodnight kisses to each other, Jun knew it would finally perfect on the day his bunny accepted his giant bear on their bed. Maybe they would have to buy a bigger one to accommodate three males, yet this was just a trivial matter. Everything relied on Mingyu’s current honor, which was winning the rabbit’s heart thoroughly.

That was Mingyu’s problem. What about Jun’s trouble with Joshua? He was not sure. He had no idea. Even when Jeonghan was soundly asleep in his arms, the alpha was still thinking hard, finding it so difficult to sleep tonight, as his mind continuously tried to imagine the cat’s craziness and hated himself at the same time for not having the courage to watch the videos. Joshua was crazy. Joshua needed love and attention. He needed people he loved now to be happier. Should Jun consider himself as one of those people? How would he feel when he faced his kitten who was no longer in his right mind? Would he collapse and break down again, unable to endure this brutal reality?

Would his mind stop functioning when his eyes saw Wonwoo again?

Jun did not know that in the living room, on the couch, someone was tossing and turning for the whole night long. Around three o’clock in the morning, Mingyu began to cry himself to sleep.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Mingyu ;_; My heart ;_;
> 
> Anyway, the chapter of the ball is coming soon. Maybe not the next one but very soon. You can expect a lot to happen between Jeonghan and Mingyu when Jun isn't here >< I feel bad for letting Jun go on the trip like this but it's in fact a good thing for him ;_; Going on a trip with his family right at this time could be a nice break for him to take some fresh air and make his own decisions about complicated things. He will feel better after coming back, as time with parents will be healing time.
> 
> But really, poor Junnie too T_T He also has a lot of fear, and he loves Joshua so much too ;_; 
> 
> I hope you are still doing well these days!! No matter what, please take care and stay safe!! About myself, I will say that I'm not really fine these days because there seems to be a ghost in my rent room ;_; I've found things in abnormal places around the rooms a few times and I'm sure I didn't put those things at those places but they somehow came there by themselves >< There are also strange sounds. And I feel cold in the middle of summer >< This is crazy >< I think I need to move T_T 
> 
> Anyway, this is the end of my ranting ;_; I really hope things are slowly getting better in your countries, or at least your areas. I love you!!!!!


	82. On the way to happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua was out of control.  
Wonwoo was frustrated.  
Mingyu was overthinking (again).  
Jeonghan was happy.  
Jun was ready to take a short break before facing his troubles again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took so long this time T_T My medicine makes me sleepy as hell and I struggle to do things >< Anyway, the new chapter is here, and it's pretty long. I hope you will enjoy it ^^ 
> 
> There's an incredible amount of fluff in this chapter.

The first thing to do at the beginning of new day for Wonwoo was certainly changing Joshua’s bandage on his wounded finger. Nonetheless, it was not easy at all, because the boy was having none of it. He had already started to whine from the moment he woke up, saying that his finger hurt and he looked like he was about to cry. The only thing Wonwoo could do was taking off the bandage and Joshua immediately ran away from him, crying and screaming in panic. The alpha had no choice but to run around his mansion to catch his omega, and he hated the fact that Joshua was a cat. The boy ran very fast and his claws obviously had appeared again when he was not in his right mind. Wonwoo had to be extremely wary of those sharp things, or the same process of yesterday would occur again.

Maybe he should at least cut them so as to make them less dangerous, like how the cats’ owners usually cut their nails. Wonwoo heard that some cats really hated it when people touched their nails and he wondered if Joshua would act in that way.

In the end, Wonwoo managed to catch Joshua at the corner of the garden where the boy accidentally stumbled into and had no other way out. Pressing against the wall, the cat cried very hard, trembling terribly and begging his husband not to hurt him. Feeling like something was going wrong as the hybrid had just kneeled down to beg, Wonwoo had to give up, saying that he would not do that anymore, lying that he would let Joshua deal with the wound by himself. The naïve boy was easily convinced. Soon, he was wrapping his limbs around the alpha and crying his eyes out on his husband’s shoulder again.

Sighing, Wonwoo decided to discreetly plan on bringing Joshua to the hospital so that he could be sedated. However, like their normal routine, he had to make the cat take his pills first before going anywhere, but when the man placed the cup of water and the pills on a small plate on the dining table in front of Joshua, the omega shed even more tears, sniffling pathetically.

“I don’t understand… I don’t…” He sobbed and hiccupped, trying to wipe his tears but they kept falling down more and more. “Why do you keep forcing me to do these things? What are those pills? Why do I have to take them every day? They aren’t vitamins. I’m not ill. Why do I have to take medicine?”

Staring at Wonwoo through his red and wet eyes, the boy whimpered in agony.

“Master… You… you think I’m crazy… right? Am I a bad cat? Am I being bad? Master… master hates me?”

The man winced as if he was being deep in real physical pain because of those words.

“No. That isn’t true, baby. That isn’t.” The alpha hurriedly scooped his kitten up to place the cat on his lap, hugging him tightly. “I never hate you. You aren’t bad. You’re my lovely and good boy. Can my baby boy just take the pills as I tell you to? Please, Joshua.”

“Is this… is this a punishment?” The hybrid still sobbed and whimpered. “Like the leash?”

When Joshua mentioned the leash, Wonwoo suddenly understood why his omega hated taking the pills so much. The boy must have been haunted by the contraceptive pills he had been given in the past. It was the reason why he hated the doctors as well. As those things had brought pain and misery to him, Joshua particularly had horrible impression about them and he no longer wanted to see them ever again.

Shaking his head vehemently, Wonwoo desperately wanted to make his omega trust him and feel safe with him.

“No, kitten. I won’t ever punish you again. I promise. I swear. These pills are good for you. They do no harm. Please, listen to me and take them now, baby. Please!”

It was just the beginning of the day but Wonwoo had already started to beg.

In tears, the cat took his pills, and he was soon urged to go to the bathroom to wash his face. Meanwhile, Wonwoo quickly got dressed to be ready for work, and right when the boy came out of the bathroom, his alpha had already prepared some clothes for him. Hearing the announcement of going to the hospital, Joshua began to run one more time, but Wonwoo was more prepared this time. He had already been standing at the door, blocking all the way. His kitten literally had nowhere to escape.

The cat cried like he was being punished during the whole time Wonwoo helped him get dressed. The sight was terribly depressing for the alpha yet he was forced to keep going on, because Joshua seriously needed help on his wound. Moreover, he did not dare to let the omega change clothes on his own, too scared that the cat would not be careful enough to protect his exposed wound. The spot where his claw had been ripped out still looked downright painful and awful. Wonwoo did not even want to see it. He wished he could bolt from here to the hospital to see the doctors right away.

For a boy who cried almost every day like Joshua, there was one crucial thing Wonwoo had to do. It was giving the cat some eye drops. Certainly, this was nothing something a kid like Joshua could do by himself and Wonwoo had to take the responsibility as well. However, it was enormously difficult to do this when the hybrid was crying and trembling like this. The man tried all of his sweet words to coax the cat into staying still and calming down, but nothing worked. Wonwoo struggled, almost wanting to throw his own head to the nearest wall to kill this frustration.

Joshua seriously had no idea about how sick he was.

In the car, Joshua sat on his husband’s lap as usual. Perhaps due to exhaustion, the boy fell asleep, or passed out in his alpha’s embrace, giving Wonwoo some peace during the way to the hospital. Nevertheless, tragic came again when the cat was woken up by the sudden attack of strange pheromones and scents around him as the man stepped into the main hall of the hospital. Like a man who was dead inside, Wonwoo was genuinely shocked when Joshua got triggered by the omega nurses talking to his alpha, but Wonwoo’s face remained emotionless.

After a very long time of keeping Joshua in his mansion, the alpha failed to imagine that his kitten was this easy to be annoyed by other omegas. He was very friendly with Minghao and Jihoon, and no one else. Right after waking up, the boy rose up and turned over, throwing his sharp claws towards the nearest nurse instantly, scaring the hell out of the poor female nurse who thought the hybrid was sleeping. Wonwoo stepped back just in time to save the nurse from Joshua’s attack, yet the cat had not given up. He tried to scramble out of his alpha’s hold to jump at the nurse again.

Luckily, some other beta nurses were there to interfere, leading Wonwoo to see his doctor instead of the omega ones. The alpha still struggled to restrain his cat and make him calm down, but he was pretty lucky this time, because Joshua seemed to be quite satisfied after scaring the omegas away. It was also fortunate that no alpha came to protect that omega nurse, or things could have become a bigger mess which Wonwoo never wanted to happen.

Today was one of the days when Joshua had no mood for the doctors or nurses. As the door was closed and he was locked there with his husband, a doctor, and two nurses, the cat panicked and screamed one more time, thrashing and kicking very hard to find a way to escape. Searching for the last resort, Wonwoo commanded his kitten to sit still and behave, which caused the hybrid to stop moving for good. Instead, he hid his face deeply into his husband’s chest and whimpered continuously, shaking uncontrollably in Wonwoo’s arms, threatening to kill the man’s heart at any moment.

The shot made Joshua sleep soundly until ten o’clock in the morning. When he woke up, he was still in Wonwoo’s arms, on Wonwoo’s lap, but the pain on his finger was gone, and it was wrapped in a new layer of clean bandage. Nonetheless, that was not what the cat cared about right then. Looking around in fright, realizing where he was being, he cried again.

Wonwoo had brought Joshua to his office, giving the boy no notice in advance. The man guessed he was being brutal to his omega, yet he knew this was what he had to do. He was supposed to do this for Joshua. He had to do this. The doctors said the cat would never get better if he stayed at home constantly. Bringing him to safe environment with few people would slowly give him some benefits. The alpha had to believe in what the doctors had told him to gain more strength and faith in his own actions. He could not be weak. He had to take Joshua here.

In extreme depress, Wonwoo tried his best to soothe the boy, letting him know that there were no other people here, and it was perfectly safe for both of them here. Joshua whined and begged his master to take him home, saying that he was scared and tired, but Wonwoo decided to be cruel this time. He could not always follow Joshua’s wish, or the boy would never obey him again. Forcing himself to forget his soft spot for the kitten, Wonwoo rejected, standing up from his chair, hugging his omega tightly and starting to walk around the room.

Wonwoo knew his kitten loved this. Joshua enjoyed being carried while his alpha walked around slowly, rubbing his back tenderly and whispering sweet and gentle words by his ear. He was not any different from a kid wanting to be pampered and babied as if he were just about three years old. Swallowing his own tears and exhaustion, Wonwoo quietly hummed a lullaby to lure his kitten into sleep, hoping that his tired baby would find more peace and comfort in his embrace so as to slip into a slumber.

It took Wonwoo not less than fifteen minutes to finally make his kitten fall asleep again in his arms, and he was also eventually exhausted. Sighing, burying his face into the boy’s hair to take in his sweet and lovely scent of strawberry candy and rose, Wonwoo found his own heart burning, highly aware of his own desire and exasperation. If people who lived far away from their mate had to suffer from the unexpected strokes, then Wonwoo, who was living together with his omega yet with no sex, had to suffer from this kind of unfairness too.

The worse thing was that, Wonwoo was not allowed to let the strokes control him in even a second, because he had a full-time job of taking care of Joshua and preventing anything from spooking his kitten.

Wonwoo had to take rut suppressant every day, but at this moment, he hurriedly walked back to the desk, sitting down, grabbing his bottle of another kind of pills and instantly swallowing one. Wonwoo hated this. His inner beast had always been triggered whenever Joshua was little, weak and sad in his embrace, and his monster just wanted to ruin the boy completely. Wonwoo literally had three mates, but his life was like shit and he bet he was suffering from many more strokes than all of them were.

Joshua did have those things as well. To be more exact, Wonwoo would say that his omega was supposed to have the strokes from time to time, but the doctors - including Seungkwan - had decided to prevent them from coming completely since it was dangerous for both of them. The price for the pills which killed those strokes was incredible. The less harmless they were for Joshua’s health in long term, the more expensive they became. The alpha was not given any option but to pay for the ones with the highest price and burned all his money to the doctors and drugstores.

And the rabbit plushies.

Sighing again, Wonwoo wished he could drink a bit. Smoking did not seem to be enough. He wanted alcohol. The alpha desperately wanted to have some little time to drink a bottle of wine, or something stronger, and get drunk in just one or two hours. That seemed to be so luxurious for him right now, yet Wonwoo knew he should get this kind of time for himself. He was going to explode. Wonwoo knew it. Wonwoo certainly knew it, as he smoked three cigarettes in a row while his kitten was still sleeping.

Perhaps, Wonwoo should not miss an occasion where he could drink and get more comfortable.

\---------------------------

Waking up before the alarm went off, Mingyu was welcomed by the fresh and lovely sounds coming from the kitchen. Rubbing his eyes quickly, the giant man had never dragged out of his slumber this fast, as the notion of having Jeonghan in this house suddenly made him no longer want to sleep. Standing up, the alpha walked in a slump posture to the kitchen, smelling the heavenly delicious scent of food while his eyes saw the slender rabbit in white pajamas standing at the stove cooking something. Hearing Mingyu’s thumping footsteps, the omega turned to look at him and wave, causing the big man’s heart to jump out of his chest immediately. Nonetheless, he could only stare like an idiot, giving his bunny no wave back, but Jeonghan did not seem to get upset by this. His mind was still occupied with his unfinished dish, so he soon turned his attention back to the pot on the stove.

Mingyu found it nice to realize that he was going to have some soup every morning. He had never had this habit before, but he would eat anything his rabbit gave him. Moreover, the soup Jeonghan cooked always looked perfect and tasted marvelous, and it was easy to register how nutritious his soup was. Walking to the omega to have a better look, Mingyu was visually announced that he was going to be fed a soup that was different from what he had had yesterday.

Standing behind Jeonghan like this, the giant man failed to resist the urge of hugging his omega. His big and strong arms sneaked around the hybrid’s waist to give him a back hug, yet his movement was so tender that in a second the rabbit even doubted if he had ever been wrong. Was Jun really the most gentle alpha in this world?

Like a sulky and petulant kid, Mingyu wriggled lightly and nuzzled into Jeonghan’s hair, making the omega smile and gently place one hand on his arm. Mingyu could never tell how much he loved all of this - this sight, this scent, this feeling, and this omega. It was simply too comfortable to wake up and see Jeonghan happy and healthy in his apartment, as if he were living in a dream. One of the very important factors was that, Jeonghan was also completely comfortable in his arms, showing not a single hint of discomfort in his scent or his actions.

“Good morning, Hannie.” Mingyu whispered in a hoarse voice, placing a soft kiss on the back of his omega’s head, resting his chin on the shorter male’s shoulder. Not having enough of this scent, the alpha kept nuzzling his nose into the long beautiful hair while speaking. “Tap my arm once if you slept well last night, and twice if you didn’t.”

Mingyu was happy as his arm was tapped only once, and Jeonghan soon turned off his stove so that he could turn back and give the alpha all of his attention. Mingyu loosened his arms for his bunny to move, but kept his arms wrapping around the omega’s body. Right at the moment seeing his alpha’s face at this close distance, Jeonghan frowned, agitated by the man’s tired eyes which looked like a proof of him crying last night. However, Mingyu did not let his bunny stare at him for long, because he rapidly leaned over to pull Jeonghan into his chest, placing his chin on the tip of the omega’s head. The hybrid was surprised, but he willingly and shyly wrapped his both arms around the bigger man’s waist and leaned against the huge figure.

Stroking the smooth blonde hair, Mingyu asked quietly.

“Can I just hug you like this for a while?”

In his chest, the rabbit nodded, feeling more worried about the alpha. Jeonghan had no reason to believe that Mingyu was fine after seeing his eyes. The timing made him much more nervous, because he knew the giant man had just come to see Joshua yesterday. He had not asked about this yet, but Jeonghan smelled Joshua from Mingyu last evening, so he knew the alpha must have seen his best friend again.

Jeonghan wished he could ask Mingyu something while keeping this position, yet he could not. Consequently, he had no choice but to stay silent, listening to his alpha’s heartbeats and breath, and trying sniffing the man. Mingyu no longer had any scent of Joshua now, just smelling like Jun and himself. The noble’s scent was very strong and even striking, but the rabbit guessed he had been pretty much used to it now. He had already known Mingyu for a long time anyway, and the tall alpha’s pheromones right now was wrapping the hybrid in a peaceful and warm atmosphere. His hands were obviously bigger and more calloused than Jun’s, but not any less gentle. Jeonghan heard Jun calling Mingyu “baby bear”, and now he guessed he understood the reasons without being told.

“Thank you for being here, Hannie.” Mingyu murmured softly after three minutes of silence. “You have no idea how much you’ve changed Junnie’s and my lives.”

Once again, Jeonghan wanted to reply, but feeling that his alpha still did not want to let go yet, he stayed still to listen to Mingyu’s low and warm voice.

“Please don’t hate me for being happy when you first came here. I know I was genuinely happy to see Junnie happy at that time.” The man placed his lips on the tip of Jeonghan’s head, lingering there for a long while. “I don’t how it has happened but I guess I’ve gradually developed the sense of responsibility of making you happy and safe.”

Jeonghan wondered what the hell Mingyu was trying to tell him. The omega had been even less confused when the alpha had not told him these things.

“Please understand that… even if… just if… If Jun stops loving you one day…” Mingyu hesitated, yet feeling the urge to speak out his heart. “I will never let you go.”

Gently pulling away, the man used both of his hands to cup the rabbit’s blushing face, adoring the adorable shade of pink on his cheeks in a few seconds before putting another kiss on the omega’s forehead.

“I know I’m being selfish. If it really happens, then… then I will be forcing you to live with the one who stops loving you but I just can’t let you or Junnie go.”

This time, Jeonghan had to take out his notes and pencil because he could not endure this any longer. One more time, the rabbit used Mingyu’s chest as his table to support his writing, and the giant man could only stare like a fool in love. When Jeonghan finished, he surprisingly stuck the note right on his forehead while his right hand show Mingyu his pinky finger. The smile on the bunny’s face stole the alpha’s heart, but the sentence on the note made it stop beating.

_“I won’t ever go anywhere.”_

Taking the chance when the man was staring at him with his mouth hung open, Jeonghan reached up two hands to cup his alpha’s face. Tenderly, the rabbit used his thumbs to clean the corner of Mingyu’s eyes while the alpha thought he would never dare to let anyone touch his disgusting face after waking up. Mingyu had not brushed his teeth or washed his face, one hundred percent sure about the fact that he was not in a good appearance at all, but Jeonghan was treating lovingly with a lot of treasure and adoration as if they were truly in love with each other. Was there anything called “love” for the hybrid for Mingyu? At this moment, the alpha had the audacity to answer “yes”, since his heart and his brain could never believe those were the eyes, the action, and the smile a hybrid who hated his previous owners would give to another man just because of his authority.

Jeonghan was shocked when Mingyu all of a sudden took the note off his forehead, crushing it in his big hands, and then, the man just threw it into his mouth, chewed it and swallowed. Crushing the perplexed bunny in his embrace, Mingyu repeated his mantra over and over again.

“Thank you, Hannie! Thank you, bunny! You promised! You will never leave! You will be here with me forever!”

The giant man was so happy that he even lifted his bunny up and swung him around, yet this action did not last long because he was still wary of the fact that his omega was being pregnant. Nonetheless, Mingyu still hugged Jeonghan extremely tightly, and extremely happy when the omega also hugged him back. The rabbit’s lithe body fit so well in his arms that Mingyu just wanted to cry, overly contented to see how easy for the hybrid to place the chin on his shoulder and wrap the thin arms around his neck. Mingyu heard his omega’s giggles, and smelled the scent of lavender becoming so much sweeter and more beautiful.

In this daze, Mingyu pathetically failed to control his action and he bit his bunny’s neck without any warning, but Jeonghan did not protest. The omega just gasped and jolted due to shock, yet did nothing to break free. Gripping the back of his alpha’s shirt tightly, the rabbit tried to endure the pain, knowing that his body was very weak in taking physical pain. His body was really tense while the temporary was being formed, but after that, the hybrid himself was amazed by another kind of feelings being transmitted from Mingyu’s bite to his whole body. He quickly relaxed thoroughly, enjoying the sweet peace and calmness his alpha was giving him through the tender kisses on his mark.

“I really want to peck you.” Mingyu sighed with a pout when pulling away, and his hand made Jeonghan’s heart melt as it tucked his hair behind his ear. “But I haven’t washed my face or brushed my teeth yet.”

Shaking his head, the rabbit just smiled and turned his face slightly, giving his cheek to the alpha, silently telling him to kiss as he wanted. Mingyu got the idea but he was still nervous.

“I don’t want to destroy your milky skin, Hannie. I can’t taint it by my disgusting…”

To stop the giant man from saying those unnecessary things, Jeonghan decided to stand on tiptoe again, hands placing on his alpha’s chest to support himself, and then he shyly gave a short kiss on Mingyu’s cheek one more time. The rabbit blushed hard because of his own action, but the reaction he got was worth everything. The giant alpha looked like he was very ready to ravish his bunny with kisses on all over his face and hair.

However, the kiss Mingyu had just received still could not stop him from being scared of ruining his angel’s porcelain skin. Ruffling his hair violently, the alpha ran to the bathroom.

“Arghhh I have to do those quickly! Wait for me, Hannie!”

Jeonghan was startled by the man’s sudden action, but he smiled and felt warm in his heart, since everything just proved how much Mingyu truly adored him and respected him. The giant man did not want to give his omega anything that was not good enough in his mind, and it was obvious that the noble alpha treated Jun in the same way. Until now, Jeonghan still had nothing to complain about this apartment. In his opinion, it was perfectly fine and lovely, but Mingyu seemed to look down on it and still wished to get a better house for all of them.

As it was still early, when Mingyu got out of the bathroom, Jeonghan had not woken Jun up yet and was setting up the table for their breakfast. Happy to see the rabbit, the giant man quickly moved to him and hugged his bunny from behind one more time, yet now he was confident to place on each side of Jeonghan’s cheeks a kiss which gave out embarrassing sounds, making the omega blush hard. Seeing that Jeonghan no longer needed to bring anything from the counters to the table and he was just arranging things, Mingyu refused to leave his omega and kept standing there to hug him. His arms were loose enough to let the rabbit move comfortably and easily, but tight enough to make him feel warm. Those big hands were not wandering anywhere and just placed firmly at one position on the front of the hybrid’s stomach, helping him feel calm and safe but seriously shy. Now he fully understood why Jun used to tease Mingyu being a puppy. The big alpha really was like a puppy which was cheerful and a little bit clingy. The omega guessed Mingyu was being like this because he was sad, but in other times he was still clingier than Jun was.

“I need to ask you one thing, Hannie.” The man started to speak again, quite hesitant. “I have an invitation to a masquerade ball this Sunday evening. May I… May I have you as my companion?”

Jeonghan was in fact not surprised by the question. He was perplexed by the worries and hesitation in his alpha’s way of asking. Stopping whatever he was doing to turn and look at the bigger male, the rabbit took out his notes and pencil to write some questions. Although the real table was right there, he still preferred using Mingyu’s chest.

_“Is there anything wrong with the ball? Why do you have to ask me this carefully?”_

“I know you don’t really enjoy public places with too many people.” The alpha sighed, guessing he was being stupid when asking Jeonghan to do something he had already known the hybrid would not like. “If you don’t like to go, then I will stay at home with you. This is just a question, Hannie. Please don’t feel like you are being forced to agree. I haven’t decided anything yet. I’m just asking…”

The omega had just asked two questions about the ball and Mingyu was already this anxious, as if overthinking had become his habit, or even a serious illness. The rabbit desperately wanted to ask how the alpha would introduce him to other people, but it was so difficult to ask it directly, because it would make him seem like he was asking for too much. Jeonghan knew Mingyu adored him, but as a hybrid, especially an omega one, he did not dare to overestimate himself. The giant man might only intend to tell everyone this was his friend.

While Jeonghan was chewing his lips reluctantly, Mingyu tried his fortune one more time, not giving up inviting yet.

“I hope you won’t mind if I tell everyone that you’re my omega. And… and I hope you won’t feel uncomfortable… I will have to talk to maybe many people and they might ask something about you. If you don’t feel okay with that, then please just decline. I won’t get mad or anything. I promise.”

Feeling extraordinarily happy and contented, Jeonghan was relieved to get his question answered without asking. Mingyu really wanted to let other people know he was having an omega named Jeonghan now, and it was obvious that this alpha was a real man who was very serious in his relationships. Smiling shyly to his alpha, the rabbit looked down and nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed as if he were a teenage student being invited to a ball by his crush.

Unable to believe his eyes, Mingyu had to ask again.

“You… you really agree? You will go with me?”

Jeonghan nodded again and then quickly turned back to the table to resume his work, and also to avoid the shining eyes of the man who was combusting in happiness. Jumping like a kid winning a game behind the omega, Mingyu grinned widely to himself and hugged his bunny again, much more tightly than the previous time.

“Thank you, Hannie! Aaaaaahhhh I’m excited already! I have never been to a party with a lover! This will be my first time ever!”

What Mingyu had just said helped Jeonghan strengthen his impression of the giant alpha. Mingyu was really a man who was extremely serious in his relationships. A noble alpha with such a handsome face and perfect figure like him was supposed to attract so many people’s attention, but the man said that this was his first time of bringing his lover to a party. The rabbit was pleasantly amazed and somehow satisfied to be one of Mingyu’s first experiences even though he had never thought it would be possible. How could there be a man who was this happy to be able to bring a hybrid to a formal ball?

As a hybrid who had been bought and sold over and over again in the past ten years, Jeonghan had stopped dreaming about a better life a long time ago until the day he met Seungcheol. Then, Jun came to his life as an angel bringing a new light of hope for his dark days. Now, it was Mingyu’s turn to let Jeonghan see more magic of this life which did not seem to be as horrible as what the omega had thought. It turned out that he still had the opportunity to be loved and respected without selling his body or using all of his energy and health to serve anyone. Jeonghan found himself having no problem with taking care of both Jun and Mingyu. Whenever the rabbit did something not very well, he was not afraid of being punished. Instead, he was nervous that his alphas would not be happy with the unexpected the results.

Jeonghan stood there quietly, receiving the kisses Mingyu gave him on both of his cheeks and even on his hair, loving how the alpha seemed to like his long hair so much. Nonetheless, the silence gradually became heavy, as the rabbit felt the man behind him standing still and stopping giving him kisses. Mingyu only hugged him with his chin on Jeonghan’s shoulder, sighing sometimes.

“Am I being too greedy, Hannie?” The giant alpha suddenly asked, voice low, quiet and solemn.

Turning back again, Jeonghan silently asked the man _“why”_ through his confused eyes, which were also showing anxiety. He did not like seeing a bright man like Mingyu being sad, yet recently, from the day he and Seungcheol came to meet these two alphas, Mingyu had been sad for most of the time. Jun did not seem to be very cheerful in the past but now he was actually in a better condition.

Mingyu looked terribly desperate, lost, exasperated, and distraught as he gently held Jeonghan’s right hand by both of his own hands, bringing it to his chest.

“I don’t want to lose anyone. I want to have Jun. I want to have Joshua. And now I want to have you too, but…”

Shaking his head and let out a tired sigh, the alpha looked at his bunny through apologetic eyes.

“I’m sorry Hannie, but… I want to have Wonwoo, too.”

Mingyu felt awful, because it only took Jeonghan about fifteen seconds after hearing his saying to frantically pull his inhaler out of his pocket and bring it to his face. Hurriedly sitting down, the alpha pulled Jeonghan into his arms, letting the omega sit on his lap while he was using his inhaler. Following the alpha’s hands, the hybrid sat down, spending a little time breathing before taking out his notes and pencil. Mingyu stared at his bunny in distress but Jeonghan could not endure letting his alpha feel this way. As usual, the hybrid used his favorite table again.

_“Please don’t take it too serious. The doctor said I’m abusing the inhaler now and I should start to live without it, but I didn’t listen to him. That’s why Seungcheol tried to pull it away from me when he saw that I was using it too many times.”_

The alpha downright thought that Jeonghan was just lying so as to ease out his worries.

“No, Hannie. Please don’t say so. I know you’re scared. You always hyperventilate whenever he’s mentioned and you obviously panic.”

Hearing the indirect accusation of him telling lies, the rabbit shook his head vehemently. Mingyu wanted to stop his omega from writing more lies but Jeonghan pulled his hand away from the man’s one, determined to make the bigger male understand.

_“It’s getting worse because I didn’t listen to the doctor. Seungcheol was even mad at me. I bet the doctor will tell you about this when we go see him this Friday. The more I use it, the more frantic I am in needing it. It’s my fault.”_

“No, you don’t have any fault here, Hannie.” Mingyu shook his head, too stubborn to believe his bunny. “Nothing is your fault, and nothing can deny the fact that you’re scared of him and I can’t let him come near you. That’s why I said I’m greedy and selfish now. I…”

All of a sudden, Jeonghan placed a finger on Mingyu’s heart to shush him, cutting him off. Mingyu pouted but did as his omega wanted. The alpha tried his best to keep calm and wait for his bunny to write something on the note again.

_“Let’s talk about this after we see the doctor. You will believe me then.”_

“But…”

Right at the moment Mingyu wanted to continue arguing, Jeonghan put his index finger on the alpha’s lips again. With all of his respect for the hybrid, the alpha showed a very upset and stubborn face, but he did not speak anymore. The rabbit kept his finger there in almost a minute to make sure that Mingyu would not disagree with him again after he moved his hand away, and also to let the alpha understand his determination.

In order to stop this, Jeonghan wrote one message to Mingyu again before giving him a kiss on his cheeks.

_“I will listen to everything you say after we see the doctor. Now I think it’s time to wake Junnie up.”_

The giant man looked sulky but he nodded, returning the kiss on his bunny’s cheek and then standing up to walk towards the bedroom. Seeing the rabbit’s attitude, Mingyu was forced to start thinking that his bunny was not lying. Going to the doctor was unavoidable and he was pretty sure Jeonghan would never dare to risk saying such a blatant lie which would certainly be revealed in such a short amount of time. He hated the idea of his omega abusing the inhaler or any kinds of drugs, but this problem seemed to be easier to deal with than the whole problem about Wonwoo.

Mingyu was ready to do anything to help Jeonghan cope with this fear of Wonwoo without any further abuse of anything.

When the giant man stepped inside the bedroom, his heart instantly broke because of what his eyes saw on the bed. Jun was still asleep, yet he looked really tired and vulnerable in that fetal position in the middle of the bed but out of the blanket. Mingyu was not sure if his lover was curling up due to feeling cold or something else made him lie like this, but his face gave the impression of a very tired person, as if he had not slept well last night. Staring at his mate, Mingyu just wanted to tuck his lover under the thick blanket and let him sleep for the whole day.

Sighing, the younger alpha guessed what he had told Jun last night did affect him tremendously. Much as Mingyu wanted to let Jun sleep, he knew it would not be a good idea to leave his cousin alone at home today. He could sleep later when coming to the office.

Getting on the bed, scooting until he could lie down right behind Jun’s back, Mingyu wrapped both arms around his lover’s whole body - including his folded legs - and hugged him tightly. Kissing the nape of his mate, the giant man whispered lovingly, ghosting his breath on the older alpha’s skin.

“Is my little prince still asleep?”

Jun whined, catching Mingyu off guard when he suddenly squirmed and wriggled hard, trying his best to turn back until he could press his face into the middle of his younger cousin’s chest. When Jun finally found the position where he felt most comfortable, he began to groan.

“When will I get you back in this bed again?”

Mingyu chuckled, caressing his lover’s messy hair.

“This is what you think of right at the beginning of the day?”

“Of course it’s a big concern.” Jun mumbled, one hand gripping and pulling the front of his mate’s shirt. “It feels so cold to sleep without you.”

“You were cold last night?” Startled, Mingyu asked nervously. “Did you kick your blanket again? Or our heating system has problem?”

Jun groaned again and punched his cousin right in his chest.

“You don’t understand anything!”

“Wow that hurts, Junnie!” Mingyu pouted and whined although it did not really hurt that much.

“I have to punch you to make you become less silly.”

Now Mingyu wanted to punch himself for his own stupidity as well, realizing that he had just overthought again and misunderstood Jun’s idea. He did not know whether he should feel happy or sad to know that Jun wanted to be with him while sleeping this much. Going back to the bed was not something Mingyu could decide by himself. Everything relied on Jeonghan’s feelings because the fragile omega was the first priority in this case.

Instead of saying an apology, Mingyu showered Jun with kisses all over his face and hair, urging him to wake up and get ready for breakfast. The older alpha kept whining and pressing his face into the bigger male’s chest until Jeonghan finally came to see them too and joined them on the bed. Smiling at the sight of a petulant Junnie, the rabbit gave him a few kisses as well. His long hair tickled Jun’s skin in an enjoyable way, making him want to sit up and drown his bunny in kisses but he certainly could not do it before brushing his teeth and washing his face.

Jun’s new day began peacefully and sweetly like that in the embraces of people he loved most in his life. Getting enough energy to get up after receiving hundreds of kisses and strokes on his hair, the alpha eventually agreed to waddle to the bathroom while rubbing his eyes lazily. Observing his lover while smiling, Mingyu turned to Jeonghan and told him.

“Jun is usually super lazy when waking up in the morning. I guess you’ve seen it now, right?”

Jeonghan nodded with a smile, and still with that lovely smile on his face, he let Mingyu hold his hand and led him back into the dining room.

Mingyu and Jun both got better during their nice breakfast with delicious food and an adorable bunny by their sides staring at them through those beautiful eyes. Seungcheol appeared at their door in time, greeting them by a bright grin. By this time, Jeonghan had already finished getting dressed and now the omega was ready to leave with his mate. Seeing how happy the couple was when being with each other, Mingyu and Jun gradually realized that their bunny really loved Seungcheol a lot, and so did their friend. It was so heavenly to see that Seungcheol had made the best decision of his life to keep the rabbit’s love for him and make both of them happy.

Staring at Seungcheol, they could not help thinking of Wonwoo, because this man also used to be abusive as hell but Jeonghan had never stopped loving him. The look he gave Seungcheol was pure love and happiness. Meanwhile, the alpha was glowing with the happiness and excitement of seeing his omega again although they had just met last night. Separation definitely had done wonders to their relationship. Perhaps it could even make them fall deeper in love with each other.

However, Jun still warned his friend with a very fierce look.

“If I see a single bruise on his body when he gets home…” He pointed a finger at Seungcheol’s face, growling. “I will break your skull.”

Seungcheol’s reaction looked like he was super offended after being insulted, but he huffed, taking a deep breath before answering.

“I will take good care of him.” After another deep breath, he finally smiled again. “And I will take him to Mingyu’s company on time.”

“Thanks, Cheol.” Mingyu was calmer than his cousin, knowing that they should never provoke their friend. He was being under treatment but it did not mean he was being as calm as a normal person now. They had better handle Seungcheol carefully for the sake of Jeonghan’s safety. “If you need something, just call us. Okay?”

“Okay.” The eldest man nodded. “So… we will leave now. See you guys this evening.”

The rabbit gave his alphas goodbye kisses willingly, which burned Seungcheol’s eyes a little, but Mingyu could see that the man was trying his best to ground himself and get accustomed to this. Trying to distract him while the hybrid was giving Jun a cheesy goodbye with hug and kisses, Mingyu tried asking Seungcheol a few short questions about his work. Fortunately, he successfully made his friend pay less attention to the other two people and Seungcheol replied to him with all of his enthusiasm. The giant alpha sincerely hoped that working would help Seungcheol feel better and less stressed out about Jeonghan. He should figure out a way to cope with his stress at work first before trying to find a way to get the hybrid back into his life safely.

After the couple left, Mingyu and Jun got ready to go as well.

Mingyu definitely was not surprised when Jun asked to have sex right at the beginning of the day in his office, saying that he still remembered the time they did this together a few days ago and he wanted to keep this nice memory in his mind in the upcoming days of being away from his mate. Laughing at his lover’s eagerness, Mingyu easily complied, since he was being allowed to play with his kink, which was having sex in his office. He was glad that Jun loved to do this as well, which proved they were perfect for each other.

Jun seemed to be extremely lazy when waking up but now, after being satisfied with an intense sex right on Mingyu’s chair, he did not sleep. The older alpha sat together with his mate at the desk and took out a book he had carried along to read. It was the book that taught sign language, as both of them were still learning hard. Nobody talked more about Joshua, and Mingyu guessed he should push this problem away for a while to enjoy this sweet and peaceful atmosphere with his beloved Junnie. Jun would talk about it again when he really wanted to.

During lunch, the two alphas happily enjoyed what their omega had prepared for them, excited to be taken care of in this way. Both of them were stuffed full with delicious food and some juice Jeonghan had also given them before leaving home. They both decided not to waste even a drop of the drink or of anything else Jeonghan had made for them.

In the evening, the rabbit was all fine and happy to see them again at the hall of the building, Jealousy was still burning in Seungcheol’s eyes as the man watched them hugged each other, but he did not say anything about it, just trying to let out a smile and greeted them in his possible friendliest way. Overall, everything was just nice and peaceful, and Seungcheol soon went home, leaving the three of them heading to the parking lot and started to carry out their plan for this evening.

They had a very quick dinner so that there would still be a lot of time left for shopping. As the little family walked together in the huge shopping mall, Jeonghan finally walked between his two alphas with both of his hands being held by the two bigger men. Of course, they caught a great deal of attention since polyamory was still not very popular, and nobles were not popular either. Moreover, Jun was an alpha who had two marks on his neck, which meant he was an extremely rare existence in this world. Whereas, Jeonghan was an exceedingly beautiful and alluring long-haired omega who would make any alphas drool and fail to take their eyes off him.

The rabbit did not like places crowded by many people, but when walking between his two alphas like this, he did not have much to worry about anymore, because he was being with people who undoubtedly loved him and were willing to protect him. Moreover, the two alphas were taking him to a public place without using any collar or leash or anything to prove their ownership. They always made sure to walk slowly so as to match Jeonghan’s slow footsteps and also in order to make it convenient for the hybrid to look through the stores and think if there was anything that caught his attention.

Their biggest goal of this trip was to find something for Jeonghan to wear to the ball with Mingyu this Sunday. The omega kept saying that he had already had nice clothes to wear since he used to attend events like this with Seungcheol in the past and it was not necessary to buy new ones for him, but his alphas did not agree, insisting on choosing the best suit for him. Mingyu did not plan to get anything for him but Jun urged him to buy as well. Choosing for Mingyu was easy, and picking something new for Jun to wear in his trip to Jeju was a simple task too, but they struggled to find something perfect for their bunny.

The problem was that, Jeonghan looked good in anything he wore. Black, white, green, purple, brown, gray, etc. All fit him so well that the alphas soon got confused and had a serious headache. The giant man knew he could comfortably afford ten suits for the rabbit but he should save it for the next occasion so that Jeonghan would have another chance to go shopping for a party again. They should only buy one this time, and it must be the best thing. The hybrid kept going in and out of the changing room to try the clothes, and the shop assistants kept giving compliments on everything whenever he walked out.

Both alphas had already seen Jeonghan in suit in the past when they attended balls together with Seungcheol, but neither of them found the rabbit this pretty and breathtaking before. The two men were severely mesmerized and blinded by love, displaying the faces which were showing too much adoration for the omega in front of their eyes. Jeonghan was incredibly soft and fluffy as an omega, but his two men knew that if fated had let this person become an alpha, then Jeonghan would be sexy as hell with this appearance and the strong pheromones of an alpha.

In the end, Jeonghan luckily found something he loved most. The rabbit loved the suit in light blue going together with a white shirt and white trousers. The combination looked so marvelous on the hybrid that the both alphas agreed in the blink of an eye and Mingyu took out his credit card without hesitation. Excited after finding out the best suit for their bunny, the two men held their omega’s hand again to take him to another shop and search for a mask for the shoes and masquerade.

The whole trip went nicely and the results were satisfactory. They all got what they needed and at that time Jun still had enough time at home to get washed and changed before his parents came to pick him up. While he was taking a shower, his lovers helped him pack his suitcase, trusting them wholeheartedly and not checking anything again after they were done. However, Jeonghan was hesitant about following Jun downstairs to wait for his parents at the entrance of the building.

Jun wanted to persuade the omega but Mingyu shook his head.

“I think Hannie is tired today. Maybe we should only do it when he’s ready.”

The only reason for the giant man to do this was that, he was afraid Jun’s alpha father would recognize the baby Jeonghan was carrying as his relative and a huge chaos would explode. Mingyu never wanted that to happen, especially when Jun was going to have his good time with his parents in a short vacation. He would try his best to delay letting Jeonghan see their parents as long as possible.

Jun was eager to introduce the rabbit to his hybrid but he agreed with his alpha. They were too weak for their bunny to try forcing him to do anything anyway. Therefore, Jun said goodbye to his bunny inside their apartment, giving the omega a tight hug and a long kiss on his lips. The rabbit gave him a piece of note he had already prepared previously.

_“I hope you have a good time with your dads. Please don’t worry about me. Can I video call you every night?”_

“Of course, baby.” Jun grinned and nodded. “I will send both of you a lot of photos. I want to see both of you when I call. Okay?”

Jeonghan nodded enthusiastically and hugged his alpha one more time, warming Jun’s heart to the utmost. Recalling the day Mingyu left for a business trip in the past, Jun saw the striking difference between the rabbit and his best friend - Joshua. His bunny’s kiss and hug were evidently loving and longing but the long-haired omega simply did not make his heart heavy. On the other hand, Jun was in distress when watching Joshua saying goodbye to Mingyu, and he was sure his giant alpha must have felt horrible then.

Were there any reasons that could ever make Jun stop loving Jeonghan? Definitely not. The alpha knew he would fall head over heels for his bunny forever.

“Oh no I almost forgot this.” Startled when remembering something important, Jun hurriedly ran back to the bedroom, and then returned with a small bottle in his hand. Giving it to the omega, he smiled gently while Jeonghan was observing the object, realizing it was a bottle of pine essential oil. “Use this when you miss me.”

Turning to Mingyu, he asked.

“Did you put the candles in my suitcase?”

“Yes.” The big man smiled back to his cousin and explained to Jeonghan. “Junnie bought lavender and sandalwood scented candles to use so that he won’t miss us too much.”

This fact only caused the hybrid to smile more brightly and stand on tiptoe to kiss his alpha on the cheek again instead of saying _“thank you”_. Jun wished he could bring his unacceptably cute rabbit together with him on this trip, yet the only thing he could do was keeping that dream for another occasion in the future. Right now, he had to leave with Mingyu, temporarily leaving the omega at home alone, and leaving him to go with his parents.

Nevertheless, Jun was not too worried, because he believed Mingyu would take care of Jeonghan well. If something went wrong, it could not be their fault. There were still so many unsolved problems, but as following Mingyu downstairs with his hand being held by the bigger one, Jun dared to believe that he would be happier and perhaps a bit wiser after this short trip with his beloved parents. He was happy to know that they had already booked a hotel room for all three of them together. Jun would be showered by his parents’ love and temporarily forget his own exasperation because of Joshua.

When he came back, he would throw himself into Mingyu’s arms again, and Jeonghan would run to him and hug him tightly. His two perfect lovers would welcome him back home with all of their precious love and eagerness.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I certainly still love WonShua most but I seriously love Jeonghan so much >< It turns out that I really have given my bias one of the best characters here haha~~~ It's confirmed now: Hannie will go to the ball with Mingyu. ^^
> 
> You will see what will happen when Jun is away in the next chapter ^^ I'm very eager to know your thoughts and feelings. I've been missing new comments for days T_T 
> 
> Besides, SEVENTEEN COMEBACK!!!! I THINK I'M GOING TO BUY THREE ALBUMS!!!! It's just sad that I will feel sad if I don't buy any but right after transferring the money I regretted it and started to feel horrible, thinking that I have just wasted my money T_T My parents hate this. They hate me using my money like this >< I'm so tired of myself now ><
> 
> Also, this isn't related to the story but my sister said I screamed while sleeping ;_; This is super creepy ;_; 
> 
> Anyway, please take care of yourself and be healthy!!!! Hope that things are getting better in your countries. My country is incredibly fine as if there weren't any pandemic in this world. 
> 
> I love you ^^


	83. "I found you"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I found you"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very long chapter of pure fluff >< It's like I'm making up for all the pain and frustration I gave you in the past :"> I hope you will enjoy this chapter!!!

Jun’s parents were glad to see Mingyu and the giant man felt warm in his heart to be treated like their real child. With all of their enthusiasm, the old men even encouraged their nephew to kiss their son goodbye or do whatever he wanted without caring about their presence. Jun blushed due to his parents’ attitude but did not stop his cousin from kissing him lightly and lovingly. Mingyu wanted to spend more time saying goodbye to Jun, but both of them were worried of leaving Jeonghan at home alone. Consequently, the couple decided not to lengthen the time, just kissing and hugging each other tightly without saying too much. While the taxi driver was taking Jun’s suitcase into the car trunk, Mingyu kissed his mate on the forehead one last time and gave him a promise.

“I will take care of everything well. You don’t have to worry about anything. Have fun, Junnie!”

“Of course I know you will do everything perfectly.” Jun grinned back to his lover. “And you too. Have fun at the ball with Hannie!”

Trusting Mingyu thoroughly, Jun was not too much worried about Jeonghan, and he was not worried about his giant alpha either. Having each other, Mingyu and the rabbit would not be lonely and nobody was left out. While Jun was being with his parents, the hybrid would be taken care of by the younger alpha. Jun was only a bit nervous about whether his bunny would be able to sleep alone in the bedroom or not. However, Mingyu was there. If something happened, they would find out a way to solve it. He was sure his omega would never be left crying and scared alone at home in a dark room without the warmth of somebody he loved and trusted.

When Mingyu was back into the apartment, he saw Jeonghan sitting in front of the TV with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. Nonetheless, the alpha began to notice something he had not paid attention to previously. A while ago, his mind was occupied with his Junnie leaving, but now all of his mind was about Jeonghan now, and he realized the hybrid had changed his clothes taking shower. The omega was wearing pajamas in a tender shade of light purple which fit him perfectly. Mingyu almost cooed at his bunny, wondering if all of Jeonghan’s pajamas were in pastel colors. Joshua did not usually wear pajamas, yet his best friend did. Moreover, all of his pajamas were bigger than the size he was supposed to wear, and this fact made the rabbit look incredibly soft, fluffy and adorable.

On the coffee table, there was one other mug and the alpha instantly knew that it was for him. Grinning brightly and sitting down on the couch, he took the mug while the other hand gently stroke the rabbit’s hair.

“Thank you so much, Hannie. But I want you not to sit here for too long, okay? It’s already late now. You should go to sleep.”

The omega nodded, feeling like a kid who was being told not to stay up late by his parent, but this was a nice feeling, because it meant Mingyu cared about him. Nevertheless, the alpha could see the strange reluctance in his bunny’s attitude. Jeonghan had never been like this. He had always looked extremely obedient and pliant whenever Mingyu or Jun told him to do something. A little nervous, the man tried observing his omega while they sat together on the couch to watch the TV.

Unfortunately, it was nine thirty already and a movie had just started, which meant Jeonghan might stay here to watch it until at least eleven o’clock yet Mingyu deemed that too late for a pregnant person who has weak health. However, it was so difficult to argue with Jeonghan or be firm to tell him to do something, because he looked too cute and innocent in Mingyu’s eyes while watching the movie intently. The giant man was simply too weak for his bunny. All he could do was watching TV and glancing at the clock on the wall anxiously from time to time without saying a word.

At ten fifteen, Mingyu finally gathered all of his strength to tell Jeonghan.

“You need to sleep now, Hannie. It’s late.”

The omega’s face fell immediately and suddenly made his alpha feel horribly guilty. Frantically taking out the notes and pencil, the rabbit quickly wrote for Mingyu, showing him his sad face and melancholy eyes.

“Please! I just want to finish this movie! Please let me watch it till the end!”

The giant man mentally cursed at himself, hating himself for being this pathetic. He had never known there was a childish side like this existing in his bunny. He was stunned, and shocked, speechless like an idiot. His bunny was politely asking for permission to watch a movie. Who was Mingyu to say no? What kind of person he was if he made this angel sad? He never wanted to be an asshole to his omega.

Giving up rapidly, Mingyu sighed and nodded, stroking his rabbit’s hair one more time.

“Okay, Hannie. Just this movie and this time only.”

Smiling happily, the hybrid wiggled closer to his alpha and continued to watch the movie on the TV. Failing, failing and failing pathetically, just a few seconds later, Mingyu found himself wiggling closer to his bunny as well. Soon, there was no space left between the two people, but neither of them felt any kinds of discomfort. However, Mingyu saw another problem, which was that his omega was slowly curling up on the couch. The rabbit had already put both of his legs up, hugging his own knees to his chest. Worrying that the hybrid might feel cold, Mingyu decided to go to the bedroom and fetch his pillows and blanket. He would have to go get them later anyway.

Nonetheless, when Jeonghan saw his alpha returned with pillows and a blanket, he was startled, thinking that Mingyu actually wanted to sleep right now yet he could not because the couch was being taken by another person. Seeing the panic on his bunny’s face, the giant man hurriedly explained while sitting down.

“No no no, Hannie. I just bring the blanket for you. I think you’re cold. That’s the only reason.”

Wasting no second, Mingyu carefully wrapped the thick blanket thoroughly around the omega, unable to stop himself from crooning at how adorable the rabbit looked right now. Jeonghan blushed slightly and bowed to his alpha to silently give him a _“thank you”_, then turning back to continue watching his movie. Contented to see his lover warm and safe in the blanket, Mingyu remained the position of sitting so close to Jeonghan, letting their shoulders be pressed against each other.

Just a few minutes after that, the rabbit suddenly took out his notes again, pulling the blanket down a little so as to get his hands free to write the message.

_“Are you cold? We can share the blanket.”_

Mingyu was actually not cold at all, but he loved the idea of sharing the blanket with his bunny. Nodding enthusiastically, the alpha was too excited to stay calm and he was the one to act first although Jeonghan was the one who offered sharing the blanket with him first. Mingyu was too whipped for his omega to think if he was going too far or not, just following his heart when he scooped the rabbit up from the couch to place him on his lap with his back pressed against the wide chest. In this position, Mingyu not only could use the blanket but also could wrap his arms around the hybrid’s waist to snuggle him closely and intimately. The warmth coming from the smaller body was what Mingyu’s heart desired so much more than the one given by the cozy blanket.

Jeonghan was really surprised but he did not want to protest. Much as he was shy and embarrassed, he just smiled and stayed still on his alpha’s lap, indulging in the warmth and protection of the giant man’s embrace. Having no problem with the rabbit’s light weight, Mingyu even encouraged him to keep both his legs on his lap, saying that there was no need for the omega to change his position of sitting. The rabbit happily complied, curling up completely on his alpha’s lap to enjoy being pampered and loved. Mingyu’s arms were long enough to hug his folded legs too, giving Jeonghan the comfort and protection he had never thought he would ever have the chance to receive.

From that moment, Mingyu barely paid any attention to the TV, because his mind highly concentrated on the rabbit on his lap. Jeonghan was watching the movie, sitting still, but it did not mean he was being tensed. In fact, his body was relaxed and soft in the alpha’s arms, as if he was feeling safe and there was nothing to worry about. Utterly happy and blissful, Mingyu rested his chin on the tip of Jeonghan’s head, squeezing the rabbit in his arms a little more tightly. The omega placed his hands on the alpha’s arms and they just stayed there, not doing anything more, but this was enough to be perfect for the couple. Mingyu could never describe how much he loved this, wishing that he could keep his bunny like this for the whole night long.

Feeling the urge to bite and to claim, Mingyu licked his teeth before quietly whispered his question to the omega’s ear, politely asking for permission to bite when he was still sane enough. Jeonghan shyly nodded, holding Mingyu’s arms a bit more tightly to brace himself for the pain to come. Nonetheless, the more bites he took, the less painful it became each time, as if his body was slowly getting used to Mingyu. Afraid that his bunny was still not very comfortable with being kissed at this sensitive spot, the alpha only gave his mark a light kiss before pulling away. Instead, he gave a longer kiss on the rabbit’s cheek and asked him if it hurt too much. Jeonghan shook his head and smiled, making his alpha relieved and delightful.

As time went by, Mingyu gradually felt the body on his lap leaning against his chest more and more. At one point, he felt that perhaps his bunny had already leaned all of his weight on the bigger surface behind his back. Nonetheless, he did not expect the omega’s head to gracefully drop on his shoulder while the movie had not ended yet. Moving his own head a little to have a better look at Jeonghan’s face, Mingyu realized the omega had fallen asleep peacefully, eyes closed, breathing steadily.

The fact that Jeonghan could sleep like this made Mingyu felt happier and more proud of himself than what he had thought. He knew this situation could only happen when the rabbit fully trusted him and felt comfortable with his presence. Jeonghan was not a naïve boy like Joshua. The rabbit was in fact experienced and traumatized by the bastards for his whole life. He would surely never willingly put his life in the hands of an alpha whom he did not think he could rely on both physically and mentally.

Jeonghan slept so soundly that he did not even stir when Mingyu gently and slowly switch position so that the rabbit was leaning his right side on the alpha and it was possible for the man to observe his omega’s face easily. Mingyu really loved looking at the sight where a person he loved was being in peace and at ease. As an alpha, Mingyu did have the instincts of possession, but the stronger one in his own mind was the desire to become the perfect protector and provider for his beloved people. He wanted to earn a lot of money to give all of the best things in this world to Jun and Jeonghan. He wanted to be able to make them trust him and rely on him without a doubt about anything. When both of them were healthy and happy, Mingyu knew he had done a good job for his angels.

Extremely carefully, Mingyu carried his bunny to the only bedroom of the apartment, gently putting the omega in the middle of the bed. He took off the omega’s slippers, pulling the blanket up for him, and doing anything else he needed to make sure the rabbit would have a good sleep. No matter how tender Mingyu was, Jeonghan still woke up right at the moment the alpha placed a soft kiss on his forehead. When the omega’s eyes opened, his alpha was about to leave, and his first reaction was to hold the man’s wrist immediately. Jeonghan did not want to be left alone in this bedroom.

However, Mingyu did not get the message.

“It’s bedtime, Hannie.” Sitting at the edge of the bed, the alpha stroked his bunny’s hair lovingly by the hand which was not being held. “You should sleep now. It’s late.”

Jeonghan wanted to tell Mingyu to stay with him, but it was freaking difficult to express such a request directly. The rabbit was too shy and embarrassed to ask his alpha to sleep in the bed with him tonight. How could Mingyu not understand this? Jeonghan was still holding his hand tightly and whined softly, subtly showing his wish of keeping the man here. Nonetheless, Mingyu thought his omega wanted to talk about the unfinished movie.

“I can look for the movie for you to continue watching later, Hannie. You’re already tired. You have to sleep now.” However, after a few seconds, Mingyu saw another problem. “Oh! I forgot it! I haven’t turned on the humidifier for you yet!”

Sitting up, watching the alpha stand up and walk towards the machine, Jeonghan sulked and wanted to groan in frustration, unable to believe that Mingyu could be this oblivious and silly. Having no idea about what was going on in the rabbit’s mind, the alpha rummaged through the box of essential oil bottles, taking out two ones to bring them to Jeonghan.

“Which one do you want to use? Peppermint or pine?”

With a sulky face, the omega pointed at the bottle of peppermint, and Mingyu started to function the machine with the chosen oil instantly. He was too silly to register his bunny’s upset attitude as an disapproval of his stupidity. He still thought Jeonghan was being childish now and kept whining about the movie. Once he finished his job with the humidifier, Mingyu walked back to the bed and gently pushed his omega to lie down, tucking him under the blanket and caressing his long hair one more time.

“Goodnight, Hannie.” The alpha kissed his bunny one the forehead again, perplexed by the way the omega kept staring at him sadly. “I’m right there, on the couch in the living room. If you need something, just come to find me. Okay?”

Jeonghan wanted the alpha in front of him in this bed tonight but the said man just refused to understand it. The rabbit hated this so much, yet he still returned the kiss on Mingyu’s cheek, brain thinking of a way to solve this later.

“See you tomorrow.” Smiling, Mingyu grabbed the kitty plushie at the corner of the bed and tucked it under the blanket together with Jeonghan, pushing it to the rabbit’s arms. “Sleep well, bunny.”

Hugging the kitty, the hybrid obediently nodded but his alpha did not know he was having a whole other plan in his mind. There was no way Jeonghan would sleep alone in this room tonight. He hated sleeping alone. The rabbit had been lonely and sleeping in cold dark rooms or sleeping with the bastards for his whole life. Without Jun or Mingyu, this room was just the same as those ones, with or without the scent of peppermint. After a minute of examining the machine after Mingyu left, Jeonghan realized that the humidifier was small. It would be easy to bring that thing to another room without causing any chaos.

Mingyu only turned the lamp on the nightstand on, but after he left, Jeonghan lit up the whole room thoroughly simply because he hated it being dark. The giant man definitely could not see the bedroom door from the couch, so the rabbit could be like this here and wait until his alpha fell asleep deeply. Turning and tossing on the bed, he took his phone to idly scroll through something to kill time. Jeonghan was seriously tired and the peppermint scent helped his mind relax but he really did not want to sleep here. He was irritated by the feeling of being left alone here, although Mingyu had just said goodnight to him very tenderly and he was not being locked inside this room.

Jeonghan hated the collars. He hated rough sex or any kinds of rough treatment. He hated dark rooms and hated the idea of being alone in those rooms. As a pet, he had never been given a proper bedroom when he lived with his previous owners. They usually just threw him into a tiny and dark one with no bed, no light, and sometimes no window. Jeonghan used to struggle to sleep in those terrible places, his soft and weak body trying desperately to get used to the hard surface of the floor. The omega guessed his own past had got him accustomed to the cold and he did not usually feel cold anymore. There were times in which Jeonghan did not even have a room. He had to sleep in the kitchen or in the garage of his masters, enduring the cold of winter by hiding into any cabinets or small places he could find. Except for Joshua, he had never had any other friends. Joshua was the only one who gave Jeonghan the first chance of having someone to share his poor bedroom with, to have someone by his sides to feel a little safer when falling asleep in exhaustion.

To Jeonghan, the bed felt strange. He was very confused at the time he woke up in the hospital, because it did not feel the same as lying on the floor anymore. The bed at Seungcheol’s house felt strange, and this bed felt strange too. They were so soft and comfortable that the rabbit even doubted if he was dreaming or not. Ten years were considerably long, and it was difficult for him to get used to a normal life now.

Jeonghan hated loneliness.

Why did he have to endure this while Mingyu was at home?

Overall, the dark bedroom without the presence of his alpha made him feel insecure, and the aroma of peppermint was not helping at all. It only made him want to sneak out of this apartment to find the source of that scent to seek for comfort or protection from _that person_. What the hell was he thinking? Comfort and protection? Definitely not from _that monster_. Shivering at his own stupid thought, Jeonghan had to take out the inhaler again. He should not think too much, since the source of love and comfort was already lying in the living room and that person was not someone Jeonghan was scared of.

A giant bear was sleeping on the couch of the living room.

Thirty minutes after the moment Mingyu left the bedroom, Jeonghan sneaked out of the bed, abandoning the kitty, bringing the humidifier with him to go out to the living room. The rabbit walked as slowly as possible, trying his best to create no sound during his whole way. The lights were all off, including the ones in his destination. Jeonghan had to use his phone to shine the way for him, and he soon reached the couch where Mingyu was deep in his slumber, lying flat on his back and snoring softly.

Staring at the big alpha who was sleeping like a log, Jeonghan somehow thought of a huge bear, imagining how it would feel to be in its embrace. He guessed it would be warm and comfortable. The important thing was that the rabbit knew he wanted to indulge in this warmth, like how he had always loved to be pampered by Jun’s sweetness and tenderness.

Placing the humidifier on the coffee table, Jeonghan eventually turned off the flashlight of his phone and decided that it was finally bedtime for him.

\----------------------------------------------

In the middle of the night, Mingyu wanted to turn to lie on his side, but he could not. Confused, he woke up, rubbing his eyes and trying to figure out why his body seemed to be strangely stuck as if something was pinning him down on the couch. He could turn if he really wanted to, yet it required more force than how it was supposed to, causing the man to wonder why the blanket was so heavy tonight. Moreover, his brain did not understood why his nostrils could smell peppermint so thick in the air.

It turned out not to be midnight like what Mingyu had thought. The sun had already started to shine through the windows and gently lit up the room a little bit, allowing the alpha to see what had been preventing him from moving comfortably on the couch. The scent came to his nose first, and then, the sight of the tip of a head covered by silky blonde hair came to his eyes. The said head was on his chest, while the body was obviously lying its whole weight on the giant man’s body, under the blanket. Mingyu seriously could not figure out how it could possibly be like this, but his own arms was actually hugging the slender body in front of his chest, and all of a sudden, the rabbit in his embrace looked so small, so tiny in comparison with him, as if Jeonghan were a real rabbit sleeping on the stomach of a real brown bear.

The omega was lying on his belly with his cheek pressed tightly to the alpha’s chest, his head right under the man’s chin, and his hands landing softly on the bigger man’s shoulders. The rabbit was still fully asleep, breathing slowly and steadily while Mingyu stared at his hair unblinkingly like an idiot again. It was not until now did the alpha start to understand his bunny’s attitude last night. Jeonghan had been whiny because he did not want to sleep alone but Mingyu had been too stupid to know what he meant. Mingyu wanted to slap his own face, but he decided to stay still so as not to wake his omega up, yet his heart was evidently jumping around in his chest, threatening to combust at any time.

Nonetheless, Mingyu was startled when the lithe body began to squirm. Afraid that he had accidentally done something wrong and made the hybrid wake up, the guilty alpha stayed still and stared until he registered that Jeonghan simply wanted to change his position. Thinking that this was the most perfect chance to move, the giant man held his bunny tightly and then rolled a little so that the rabbit was now lying on his back, being sandwiched between the back of the couch and the alpha’s body. Mingyu used his bicep as a pillow for Jeonghan, grinning to himself as he happily watched the omega looking for more warmth by pressing his face into somewhere between Mingyu’s arm and shoulder.

In a few minutes, the alpha only stayed there to watch his bunny sleep, trying to think if his omega was having a peaceful slumber or not. His free arm and hand could not resist the temptation of finding the way to Jeonghan’s face and hair. Mingyu’s fingers gently tucked the hybrid’s hair behind his ears so as to see his face more clearly. By his ears, there were no other sounds except for the rabbit’s breath and his own heartbeat. Jeonghan looked perfectly fine in his arms, seeming to be contented to sleep like this. Mingyu did not know how to describe the feelings he was having in his chest, only knowing that this moment was unbelievably peaceful and heavenly.

Carefully, Mingyu let his hand caress the omega’s face, and felt relieved to get no reaction. Like this, he believed Jeonghan was sleeping well. Should he later ask the rabbit for permission to join him in the bed tonight? Was it too rude to directly ask so soon? Maybe not. Mingyu was an alpha. He should stop being too nervous and just step up to ask his omega. He needed to act first; he should not expect his timid bunny to come to him and beg him to sleep in bed. Sighing to himself, Mingyu had to admit that he was really stupid. He almost made his bunny suffer. Fortunately, Jeonghan decided to risk and just come here to join him on the couch. Mingyu would never forgive himself if the omega had a nightmare or even been unable to sleep because of his stupidity.

Placing a soft kiss on Jeonghan’s hair after looking at the clock and realizing that it was almost time to wake up, Mingyu did not try to sleep anymore. Instead, he kept looking at his bunny in utter peace and comfort while enjoying the nice atmosphere filled with the combination of lavender and peppermint scents. Mingyu had no problem with peppermint oil because he had been used to it anyway and it gave him the sense of family. Everything around him right now simultaneously said the word _“family”_, giving him the opportunity to believe that perhaps he had finally had his own real little family. Jun was not here right now, but this was his true home, and Jun was just going on a short trip with his parents. Jun would be back here soon. They would have a nice cozy meal of three people again on Monday morning.

Mingyu was literally shocked when Jeonghan opened his eyes at sharply five thirty although no alarm had been set. It was a true pain for the alpha to realize that the omega must have been used to the life of serving people that his body always knew when it was about time to wake up. Nonetheless, the giant man tried to push it away so as to pay attention to the present. Unlike Jun, the rabbit was not lazy or sleepy even a bit after waking up, yet he immediately blushed when realizing that Mingyu was watching him intently. Seeing the omega use his both hands to cover his whole face apart from his eyes, the alpha chuckled and gave him a tender kiss on his forehead.

“Good morning, bunny.” Gently holding both of the rabbit’s hands in only one hand, Mingyu carefully pried them away, cooing at his lover’s adorable pink cheeks. “Aaahh, why are you shy? You’re still pretty as always, Hannie. I’m the ugly and disgusting one, not you.”

Finding Jeonghan too cute, Mingyu smiled and then without warning crushed the whole hybrid into his chest. The rabbit did not try to fight back at all. On the other hand, the alpha thought that he felt the omega in his embrace nuzzling into his chest and relaxing thoroughly. Jeonghan’s body was not tensed at all, which meant he was not feeling to be forced or trapped. Giving the omega countless kisses on his head, Mingyu sincerely apologized over and over again, seriously feeling bad for making his bunny sleep on the tiny couch like this. It could be good enough for one person, but definitely not for two people, one of which was as huge as Mingyu.

Jeonghan did not try to stop his alpha from saying sorry, because he was hoping to get what he wanted after the giant man realized what he had done wrong last night. Moreover, it was nice to hear apologies from a sweet man like Mingyu, and the rabbit felt loved to the utmost. The giant man obviously cared about him a lot. He was just too nervous to think about things at ease sometimes.

“Can I… Can I sleep with you in the bedroom tonight?” Mingyu stuttered anxiously when he pulled the rabbit a bit further away to look at him in the eyes. “I promise I won’t do anything else and I will just sleep until…”

Not letting the alpha say anymore, Jeonghan shushed him by placing his index finger on the man’s lips again, smiling and nodding his head. Right after letting Mingyu know his answer, the omega hid his flushed face in the alpha’s chest, only causing the man to coo even more. Mingyu repeatedly complimented Jeonghan on how cute he was, as he had never been good at hiding his true feelings. However, what surprised the omega most was that his alpha was saying _“thank you”_ to him many times, as if it were a happiness or even an honor to sleep together with him in the same bed. Jeonghan had never felt less guilty about making Mingyu give up his bed, but right now, he was eventually allowed to feel relieved since his alpha had just effortlessly let him know he did not mind it even a bit.

Jeonghan wondered why fate had not let him meet Mingyu earlier.

After ten minutes of snuggling with the rabbit on the couch, the alpha finally let his bunny go, planning to give Jeonghan many more kisses after he finished his things in the bathroom. When Mingyu got out of there, the omega was already making breakfast. The scene of the rabbit walking around in the kitchen was familiar now, but Mingyu still loved it to the utmost. He just wanted to cling to Jeonghan for the whole time but the omega pulled him to the dining table, pushing him to sit down. The rabbit placed the hot mug of black coffee down in front of a yawning Mingyu, and when the alpha looked at him through sleepy hooded eyes while murmuring a _“thank you”_, Jeonghan found his alpha as cute as a giant puppy for real.

There was a down in the mood due to the absence of Jun in the apartment, but Mingyu and Jeonghan still managed to enjoy their breakfast with each other. Soon, they were in the alpha’s car to go to see Jeonghan’s doctors. Mingyu was honestly nervous about this trip, wondering what he might have to hear. Yesterday, the rabbit actually had seen a psychiatrist. Seungcheol was the one who brought him there, and Mingyu got not feedback because Jeonghan “talked” to his doctor without any other one’s observation and Seungcheol was still too busy to talk about what the doctor had told him. For sure they must have told Seungcheol something, because the man literally and legally owned Jeonghan in all ways. Even if Jun or Mingyu brought Jeonghan there, the doctor would still only talk to Seungcheol about the results since he was the rabbit’s guardian, and the said man had not replied to his message from last night till now. Mingyu was actually mad at Seungcheol for that, hating his friend for being a workaholic. Nonetheless, he guessed he should just think that his friend did not feel that they were in urgent to talk about it because Jeonghan was fine. He should be fine now, after moving in with Jun and enjoying a more beautiful life now.

Mingyu in fact had to take this morning off for his bunny visit the hospital. Jeonghan felt bad for being a burden but Mingyu kept shaking his head and assuring his bunny about the fact that he wholeheartedly wanted to escort his omega to the hospital. Seungcheol had spent a huge amount of money to bring Jeonghan’s doctor from Busan to Seoul. The rabbit had a particular doctor who had diagnosed and supervised his treatment from the beginning until now. Instead of wasting time and energy in driving a horribly long way from Seoul to Busan, Seungcheol had chosen to make it much easier for Mingyu and the hybrid.

Although Mingyu had to take Jun to the hospital every two weeks to check his health, he was still shocked by the horrible check-up process Jeonghan had to go through. They put the rabbit in so many tests that Mingyu decided to stop counting halfway and just wait for the final conclusion from the doctor. It would be in fact sent to Seungcheol later, and Mingyu hated the fact that he would have to ask his friend for the result. What could he do? He had no ownership over Jeonghan. To the doctor, he was just a random guy who brought this hybrid to the hospital. They had already stared at him suspiciously as if he were a criminal trying to be a nice man.

After all the tests, the last thing they had to do was answering the doctor’s questions. This man was an old beta who had a friendly appearance, but Jeonghan was obviously still not really comfortable with sitting in front of this man. Mingyu wondered why Seungcheol did not get an omega doctor for the rabbit, but he guessed the possibility was that this could be the best doctor of this hospital in this field.

First of all, the doctor questioned Mingyu’s identity to find out what was his relationship with Jeonghan. As the giant man had thought about this already, he calmly said that he was the rabbit’s boyfriend. It would be crazy to tell a doctor that he was Jeonghan’s alpha while they actually was not mated yet. They should not say such a thing to a doctor. Seeing the hybrid’s comfort when being with this giant alpha, the beta did not have any more doubt and began to ask his victim various questions. As patient as possible, he waited for the rabbit to write down every answer.

“Have you ever seen how he used his inhaler?”

Mingyu was caught off guard when the doctor suddenly turned his attention to him and asked a question. Instantly, Jeonghan tensed up at the mention of the inhaler, and his alpha understood it from now on. The expression on the doctor’s face was serious as well while he waited for an honest answer from someone who had been with the hybrid.

“Uh… Yes.” Mingyu had no choice but to nod.

“When? And how often?” The doctor continued to ask more.

“Whenever he panics.” The alpha answered, glancing at his omega nervously, as if he felt like he was hurting his bunny’s feelings by telling the truth. “I mean… every single time.”

The doctor sighed very loudly and the frustration on his face was clearer than anything else. The beta started a very long compliant of how Jeonghan should start to refrain from using it from weeks ago but he still refused to listen. Although the doctor had been very gentle and friendly for most of the time, he was being extremely harsh now when talking about the inhaler, making Mingyu believe that Jeonghan had not lied to him previously. He was actually having a trouble of abusing his inhaler.

“You have to learn to cope with your fear! You can’t rely on the inhaler forever! You can’t be scared of the same person for the whole life! Can you please tell me what is the shortest break between two times he used the inhaler?”

Being asked all of a sudden again, Mingyu stammered before replying.

“I think… five minutes?”

This piece of information only caused the doctor to be angrier.

“That’s why I’m telling you not to rely on the inhaler completely! You have to fight for yourself! This is too much! Seriously too much! What will happen if someone happens to make you scared for fifteen minutes? You will use it three times? How many times has I told you to stop doing that? It’s very harmful!”

Gradually, Mingyu understood the problem, which was that Jeonghan was using the inhaler much more than how he was supposed to use. It was fine for him to use it now since only two months had passed after his tragic day, but the inhaler should only be used as a mean to help him deal with his fear when it became too serious. Nonetheless, Mingyu in fact saw Jeonghan use it every time the name Wonwoo or anything related to the lead alpha was mentioned.

“His fear isn’t that serious. His psychiatrist told me that he did panic but he was still very lucid at those times. He should only use the inhaler when it’s too much to handle.”

Mingyu was not sure what the definition of _“too much to handle”_ was, because his heart always broke whenever he saw Jeonghan panic. However, the giant man still got dizzy by listening to the doctor’s lecture, slowly getting the idea of how important it was to help Jeonghan stop abusing the inhaler. Now that the omega was pregnant, his health needed to be taken care of extremely carefully, and that was also the reason for all of those tests. During the whole time, the rabbit just ducked his head, fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt. If he were able to talk, perhaps he would still stay silent.

Mingyu’s heart just broke, broke, and broke. The fact that Jeonghan was using the inhaler in the wrong way was so much more complicated than the original problem. The omega was too scared to think of Wonwoo, even unconsciously exaggerating his own fear, but ready to tell Mingyu that the situation was not as serious as he thought because he wanted to encourage the giant man to follow his own wish. Mingyu could not believe this. Jeonghan was not doing anything for his own good. He was neglecting his health to run away from the fright but eager to face everything just to give Mingyu the chance to be “selfish”.

The first thing the big alpha did right after stepping out of the doctor’s office was squeezing Jeonghan tightly in his arms.

“You’re so silly, bunny.” Stroking the omega’s hair and rubbing his back tenderly, Mingyu gave his omega a kiss on the temple, murmuring in exasperation. “You have to talk to me! You have to tell me everything. If you have any problem or anything you want to share, you have to tell me! Understand, Hannie?”

Willingly hugging his alpha back, Jeonghan let out a sight but nodded, allowing himself to be weak and lean against his man’s chest, nuzzling into the wide and warm chest. Mingyu just wanted to stay there to hug his bunny for much longer, but his brain forced himself to think of the time to acknowledge that Jeonghan must be hungry now since it was already late. He suggested eating before going back home, but the rabbit shook his head, still with his face buried deep in the alpha’s chest. Guessing that his bunny was tired now, Mingyu did not want to argue more, just thinking of driving back home in order to spoil the hybrid with more delicious food.

“Are you tired now, Hannie?”

Mingyu asked, and received a light nod coming from his chest. Consequently, the alpha decided to pull away and turned his back to Jeonghan, bending over and lowering himself a little bit.

“Get one my back, bunny. I’ll bring you to the cafeteria to get something and then we go back home. Okay?”

The giant man thought the rabbit would hesitate, but it turned out that Jeonghan quickly got on his back without being told twice. Happy to see how comfortable the omega was with him now, Mingyu held him securely and began to walk slowly to the cafeteria of the hospital, amazed by how light his omega was. He seriously needed to gain so much more weight to be healthy. As the man of the family, Mingyu felt the responsibility to give his Jeonghan more and more than what he was having now.

Laying his head on the alpha’s shoulder with his cheek on the man’s shirt, closing his arms loosely around Mingyu’s neck, Jeonghan allowed his eyes to close as his body succumbed to his exhaustion. The tests were just exceedingly tiring. Scolded by the doctor, he even felt more exhausted and somehow upset. Therefore, right now, Jeonghan only wanted to sleep on Mingyu’s shoulder, hoping to see a more peaceful and more quiet place when he opened his eyes again. Between eating and sleeping, the rabbit certainly preferred sleeping, except for when someone gave him a carrot or something with flavor of carrot.

Mingyu walked slowly to the cafeteria in the hospital campus, always making sure not to jolt the rabbit on his back too much, knowing that Jeonghan had fallen asleep on his back peacefully. The problem only started to show when the alpha had to pay for the food he bought yet he was afraid of dropping his bunny. However, right at that moment, the hybrid’s arms closed a bit more tightly, while his legs moved lightly and wrapped around Mingyu’s waist. Guessing that his omega was not fully asleep, the giant man carefully detached one of his hands away from Jeonghan. Fortunately, the rabbit was still fine, giving Mingyu the opportunity to pay money, get the bag of food and then return to the parking lot.

Mingyu intended to bring Jeonghan to a restaurant and have lunch right away, but he was afraid of a traffic jam or some other problems. As a result, it would be the best to provide his bunny with some snack first so that he could wait a little bit more. The omega ate a lot these days anyway.

In the car, Jeonghan was woken up by a gentle kiss on his forehead and a tender hand stroking his hair. Moreover, his mind was brightened up by the scent of something delicious.

“I’ve got something for you, Hannie. You should eat. I’m driving you to a restaurant to have lunch.”

Abruptly sitting up, Jeonghan excitedly received the small bag and bottle Mingyu was giving him, realizing that his alpha had bought for him some carrot milk and carrot buns. The buns smelled perfectly tempting and they were all covered beautifully in orange, giving off the smell which made the rabbit’s mouth water. All of a sudden, he did not want to sleep any longer. He just wanted to eat all of these carrot buns and drink the whole bottle of milk.

Leaning over, the hybrid happily kissed his alpha on the cheek instead of saying _“thank you”_. While the man was turned into idiot mode again, Jeonghan had already begun to eat his food in the most delightful Mingyu had ever seen. He realized he had been so stupid again. His omega was a rabbit. His bunny definitely loved carrots. He should have given Jeonghan a lot of carrots much earlier than this. There was no doubt that his omega loved this kind of vegetables more than anything else.

Mingyu was really amazed to see that Jeonghan finished everything he had been given in just about twenty minutes. For lunch, the alpha fed his omega a lavish barbeque party, which made the rabbit’s face brighten up right at the moment he heard about the idea. Jeonghan’s eyes literally twinkled when seeing the huge plate of meat brought out by the server. Telling his lover to just eat and relax, Mingyu was in charge of taking care of the meat, happy but also distraught while teaching Jeonghan how to eat this kind of meal properly.

Mingyu had to admit that sometimes he was afraid Jeonghan was actually even older than him, but the omega had not had a chance to live the life of a normal person. Even when the rabbit was excited to try the new things, he was still extremely careful and painfully graceful in everything he did, as if he had been too accustomed to being cautious in every second of his daily life. Mingyu could not believe that a person around Joshua’s age could behave in such a mature way. Watching Jeonghan, the alpha could never stop the pain in his heart.

Nonetheless, Mingyu did not allow his distress to affect the mood of his lunch with his beloved omega. He encouraged his bunny to eat, exceedingly happy to be fed by his omega sometimes, feeling like they were a real couple having a date in a barbeque restaurant.

After the meal, there was still about an hour left before the time Mingyu’s lunch break at his company ended. Jeonghan wanted to go home for a while. Mingyu did not think it was a good idea, but he followed his bunny’s wish and took him back home. Taking this chance, the alpha went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, fix his clothes in front of the mirror. Nevertheless, he was shocked to see Jeonghan a moment later.

The rabbit obviously had just finished a shower and he had changed into new clothes as well. The omega was frantically drying his hair as fast as possible in the bedroom, leaving Mingyu astonished and confused. The giant man tried to think hard, and he found a reason, but it was too painful for him to accept. The best way to explain Jeonghan’s behaviors was that, the rabbit thought he had to dress up and look good when his alpha was about to introduce him to other people. Mingyu had seen many guys who showed off how beautiful and gorgeous their omegas were, or how stunning their pets looked. Nobody wanted to let other people see an ugly pet.

Jeonghan was trying to enhance his appearance because he was afraid of letting Mingyu down and making him embarrassed in front of other people. Biting his lips while enduring the pain in his chest, the alpha realized it would take him years to help Jeonghan get out of the habit of living the life of a pet and a slave. During the whole time observing the omega walking back and forth in the bedroom, Mingyu could see his bunny’s anxiety, thinking that he might have unintentionally put more pressure on his poor lover. Nonetheless, he knew he could not leave Jeonghan at home alone. He could not tell exactly why, but the idea itself already seemed very horrible and cruel to the hybrid. Moreover, he hoped that his bunny would feel much better after being introduced as Mingyu’s omega instead of Mingyu’s pet.

Jeonghan seemed to be sleepy when leaving the hospital, but now he was fully awake, sitting still like a statue during the whole way to Mingyu’s company. Having no idea how to help his omega relax, the alpha could only wait until they finally met someone in the building.

Mingyu had thought that Jeonghan would be less scared than how Joshua used to be, but it turned out to be a huge mistake. The situation was pretty serious. The giant man did not know how the rabbit used to feel when he came to Seungcheol’s company for the first time, yet the omega was terribly nervous and uncomfortable now. Mingyu held Jeonghan’s left hand tightly in his own, but the hybrid decided to use his other hand to clutch onto the man’s arm as well. He just walked as closely as possible to his alpha, ducking his head as if he was trying to avoid everyone’s eyes.

If Mingyu were not a noble alpha with striking pheromones, it would have been impossible for him to make people - especially the alphas - stop staring at his bunny. The giant man felt bad for making this kind of comparison but he had to admit that in everyone’s opinions, Jeonghan must be more attractive and more seductive than Joshua. However, they got people’s attention also because this omega was being pregnant yet Mingyu had just brought him here for the first time. People could not help being curious and surprised.

In a moment, Mingyu doubted whether it would be a good idea to bring Jeonghan to the ball with him, since he hated seeing his bunny so scared like this. The traumatizing event happening about two months ago must have affected the rabbit a lot. Mingyu did not dare to imagine in details how violent Wonwoo had been when raping Jeonghan. The hybrid was still pretty normal after ten years of living as a sex slave, but just after the tragic caused by the lead alpha, Jeonghan lost his ability to speak, traumatized and frightened until now.

Finally, a few of Mingyu’s friends at the company came to greet his and ask questions about his companion. Proudly, the giant man smiled and introduced his lover.

“This is Jeonghan. He’s my omega.”

Like Joshua, the rabbit was trying very hard to stop himself from bowing to other people, too used to being a pet instead of someone’s omega. Jeonghan managed to smile in his most friendly way to his alpha’s friends, receiving similar smiles from those men, but they were still excited to ask more questions.

“We have never seen him before! Why are you so fast, Gyu? He’s already pregnant now!” One of them exclaimed. “When are you going to marry him?”

“Uhm…” Mingyu grinned a bit shyly, scratching his head. “I will, soon. Of course before my baby is born.”

The giant man could see Jeonghan snapping his head at him and staring at him in utter shock. Mingyu knew they had not had a proper conversation about this and he seemed to be stepping over his limit but he did not think they had any other choice. If Jeonghan was not going to get married with Wonwoo, then this was the only way they could follow to make the baby - or babies - have a legal alpha father who was a noble like they would be. Furthermore, the rabbit had already promised to stay here forever. Mingyu gave himself the audacity to believe that his bunny would have no problem with becoming his official spouse I the near future.

The alpha’s friends clapped enthusiastically at the good news, saying that they were all eager to attend his wedding ceremony. Right now, Jeonghan was not scared anymore. Instead, the omega was shocked and dumbfounded, still staring at Mingyu unblinkingly. However, things only got worse when another friend asked one more question with a very confused expression.

“What about the omega you brought here in the past? What’s his name?”

“Joshua! You’re talking about Joshua, the boy with brown hair, right?”

“Right! Right! Joshua! We haven’t seen him for a long time! You’re having two omegas now? Or you broke up with him?”

“You have two omegas and one alpha?”

“Wow that’s a lot, Gyu!”

“You dated no one for years and then suddenly in just a few months you’ve brought here three lovers! And one of them is having your kid! You’re really surprising, Gyu!”

“I’m amazed, too! You’re still dating the other two or you’ve broken up with them?”

“Hey guys!” Mingyu had to raise his voice to stop the rain of questions and comments. “I didn’t break up with Jun or Joshua. Can I go to my office now, please?”

Those friends still wanted to talk more but Mingyu was determined to end this conversation here and he just led his bunny towards his personal office. Eventually being inside a safe space with only his alpha, Jeonghan could relax now, but he could not stop staring at his giant man with wide eyes, immobilized right at where the man had let go of his hand. Trying desperately to ease out the tension, Mingyu awkwardly walked around his office to do some meaningless things, pointing around the room to his omega to show Jeonghan the corner where he could nap and to show him the restroom. Nonetheless, the hybrid actually did not hear even a single word Mingyu was speaking now, because his mind was still just thinking about what the alpha had told his friends previously.

After everything, Mingyu was the first man in Jeonghan’s life to seriously talk about marrying him. Mingyu was the first one to ever announce to other people that he was going to marry Jeonghan, who was just a rabbit hybrid. The omega had never thought it was possible for him to end up being married to a noble human alpha who was talented, nice, wealthy, sincere and reliable. Staring at Mingyu, Jeonghan could see that his face was showing a lot of guilt, but it was terribly red. So were the alpha’s ears. The omega had never seen anyone as awkward as Mingyu right now. Why was he shy after telling everyone he was going to marry a hybrid? Was he not sad?

Jeonghan knew Mingyu could not take his words back, because his friends seemed to be talkative and this news would be spread like wildfire soon. Everyone who had seen Mingyu today knew that he took a pregnant omega with him to the office this afternoon.

While the alpha was still flustering in front of the glass window of the room, staring at nothing outside, he was startled to hear his bunny sniffling. Hurriedly turning to look at Jeonghan, Mingyu was surprised to see his omega running to him faster than how he had ever moved. In that split second, the giant man saw the streams of tears on the hybrid’s face, and his first natural reaction was to feel deadly worried and terrible for his beloved bunny. However, when Jeonghan straightly ran into his embrace and hugged him tightly around his neck, Mingyu knew that everything was fine.

Smiling in utter happiness, he squeezed his omega, enjoying the outburst of Jeonghan’s feelings. Cooing to the rabbit, Mingyu told him not to cry, because he was there, and everything would be just fine. In heaven, the hybrid heard so many confessions of Mingyu loving him that he was eventually convinced both Jun and Mingyu were the angels fate had given to him to compensate for his whole tragic life. From now on, Jeonghan would just live in a peaceful and happy life with his alphas, one of whom was blushing at the mention of their marriage. The pain would never come again, since Mingyu would treat him with all of his tenderness and respect. In spite of being a super dominant noble alpha, his giant man adored Jeonghan as if he was his precious little prince.

“Would you marry me, Hannie?”

The rabbit nodded without the slightest hesitation, sobbing in the embrace of his future husband, causing Mingyu to jump in ecstasy and swing his bunny around in the air. If Jeonghan could speak, right now he would croak out to Mingyu just three short words.

_“I found you.”_

Following his heart and forgetting about everything else, pulling away, Mingyu gently held his bunny’s face in his hands, and wholeheartedly leaned over to kiss Jeonghan on his lips. The rabbit was surprised in the most delightful way he had ever known in his life, willingly parting his lips and moving them to receive his alpha’s kisses and to kiss him back, regardless of his own shyness and embarrassment. The taste of flower on his tongue made Mingyu’s intoxicated, and he would memorize this moment till the end of his life. The alpha guessed this was the longest and most tender kiss he had ever had, and perhaps would ever have in this whole universe.

Mingyu swore to God that he would make up for all the gentleness Jeonghan had always been craving for through the past ten years.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love GyuHan ;_; Seriously they're so sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!! ><  
I hope you love their development too >< 
> 
> I want to share more of my feelings but I'm having a terrible headache and an awful cramp now so I'm sorry I need to stop here T_T Anyway, I can say that the ball is coming soon!!!!! 
> 
> Please stay safe and be healthy!!!! Don't let yourself be constantly sick and in pain like me >< I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!1


	84. Doubts and stress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu had hundreds of things to worry about.  
Meanwhile, Wonwoo was trying to safely get rid of some stress without hurting his kitten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't long but I'm afraid it will take a lot of time for the next chapter, so I post this first.

Mingyu had really thought that his long day with Jeonghan would be a perfect chance for the rabbit to ask about his reunion with Joshua. However, the blonde omega actually did not say anything about that incident.

Trying very hard to observe every single expression on the hybrid’s face, Mingyu wanted to figure out if Jeonghan was waiting for him to say it out by himself or not, yet there was no sign of curiosity or eagerness in the rabbit. Jeonghan just lived as if nothing happened; as if it were just Mingyu’s business only. The alpha could not understand. It was difficult for him to concentrate on his work while the questions kept lingering in his mind. Whereas, Jeonghan was sitting on a chair right next to him, silently and calmly reading a book he had brought along.

Nonetheless, there was one time when Mingyu turned to look at his omega and saw him staring at the kitty and the rabbit plushies placed at the corner of the desk, right next to the frame containing a photo of the three cousins. In the first few seconds, the giant man was embarrassed of his own decoration, afraid that Jeonghan would find him childish when putting those stuffed animals on his working desk like this, but his way of thinking quickly changed. The omega stared directly at the kitty for a whole minute straight, and it seemed like he would just sit there to stare at it for much longer with a heartbreaking sadness in his eyes.

Thinking back from the beginning until now, Mingyu realized that Jeonghan had never really talked about his own feelings. The omega always tried to cheer other people up regardless of his own emotions, ready to sacrifice his everything if it could help his beloved people. The rabbit had never said he missed Joshua or anything similar, yet his stare at this moment told everything. When Mingyu picked up the kitty and gave it to Jeonghan, the omega simply received it by both hands, and kept staring at the lovely toy. No words were spoken, but Mingyu’s heart kept sinking deeper and deeper to the bottom of his stomach. The way the rabbit stroked the kitty’s head was so tender that the alpha thought his tears would begin to fall soon if this scene did not stop.

Nevertheless, what scared Mingyu most was that, after a few minutes, Jeonghan stood up and leaned over, reaching out his arm to grab the frame. Sitting back down, the omega got rid of his shoes, getting both legs on the chair, hugging the kitty into his chest and staring at the frame being held by his both hands. It was hard to tell exactly who Jeonghan was looking at in the photo, but Mingyu had thought that the rabbit would be frightened or disgusted by the presence of Wonwoo in it. On the other hand, Jeonghan was just fine, even able to look at it in a very long period of time without a sign of letting go soon.

In despair, Mingyu was forced to think that, perhaps Jeonghan had not asked anything about his reunion with Joshua because the rabbit was _scared_ of hearing about it. Jeonghan obviously missed his best friend not less than how Mingyu missed his kitten, but their situations were considerably different. It was so easy for the giant man to keep going back and forth to visit the cat now, but Jeonghan could not. Mingyu’s story about the positive results of his reunion would give the rabbit dreams and hopes which did him no good. The luxurious mansion Joshua was living in was where Jeonghan’s heart and body wanted to run into but his mind could not allow that to happen.

In fright, Mingyu desperately hoped Jeonghan was not staring at Wonwoo in the photo. The impact of the mark was seriously scary. Even though the rabbit had been raped and bitten without his consent, right now Jeonghan himself was still craving for the scent of the man who assaulted him. The omega never talked about it, but Mingyu guessed his body even craved for some other things, and Jeonghan just could not help it, like how Jun had been suffering for the past seven weeks. The impact might be different, because Jun anyway was still a healthy alpha. However, Jeonghan had never been that healthy in his whole life. The rabbit was an omega, weak, and having the child or children of Wonwoo inside him. Not only Jeonghan wanted his alpha but the babies wanted their father as well.

Usually, the pregnant omegas would love to have the presence of their children’s alpha father to feel safe and relaxed. In this case, Mingyu was confused, unsure if Jeonghan would be purely frightened or a bit happy to be with Wonwoo. Would it be possible to separate them after they reunited? The giant man was afraid that his cousin would be horribly triggered by the fact that Jeonghan was pregnant. Everyone knew that Wonwoo was awfully possessive and he was very likely to claim whatever belonged to him, especially when Joshua wanted his best friend too. Before he could come up with a solution, perhaps keeping the rabbit away from Wonwoo was the best option.

After work, Mingyu took Jeonghan out for dinner, and when they got home, they watched the TV together as usual. Jun would not call until ten o’clock, so they would just watch a movie while waiting. The giant man was happy to see how fast his bunny was in getting used to his routine. The rabbit made the chocolate drinks for both of them without being told, carrying the two mugs to place on the coffee table in front of the television. On the way back home previously, Mingyu did not forget to stop at a supermarket to buy some more food with his omega. Consequently, Jeonghan now had a huge bowl of fruits mixed in yogurt to eat while enjoying the movie on the screen. If Jun were also here now, this would be a perfect night Mingyu would wanted to keep in his mind forever.

The rabbit was obviously extremely happy to see Jun again when the time for the video call came. Mingyu was delighted as well, contented to see his cousin smiling brightly. Jun explained that since his parents were still walking along the beach together, he was now in the hotel room alone, so it they could talk comfortably with each other. Jeonghan seemed to be very amazed at the information about Jun’s fathers. Observing the omega’s face, both of the alphas could guess that their bunny was dreaming of something similar to the two old men’s night walk. They definitely must take Jeonghan on the trip to somewhere one day.

Soon, Jun had to ask about the problem he was most curious from the moment he left home. He did not believe that Jeonghan was able to sleep alone, yet he was not sure how his bear had solved that trouble.

“How did you two sleep last night? Is everything okay?”

The omega immediately blushed at the mention of _“last night”_, giving Jun the chance to believe that something must have happened. Also a little shy, Mingyu explained everything, and quickly saw the scowl on Jun’s face. Knowing exactly what his cousin was upset about, the giant man hurriedly promised.

“I swear he will sleep in bed tonight. I… I didn’t know he came to the couch. It won’t happen again.”

“You mean he will sleep in bed with you there too, right?” Jun demanded a confirmation. “Or you’re going to just tell him to sleep there?”

“I…” Mingyu scratched his head, glancing at Jeonghan nervously, ears red. “I actually haven’t asked him yet… I just think so… I’m very ready to sleep there but…”

Sighing in exasperation, Jun gritted his teeth.

“I really want to punch you right now, Gyu. What time is it now? You still haven’t asked yet? What are you still waiting for? You want Hannie to directly to tell you to sleep with him? He already gave you a huge green light! He came to the couch with you!”

Embarrassed, the hybrid did not turn to look at Mingyu anymore, only staring at the screen and gently letting his finger wandering on the screen where Jun’s face was on. The action was so tender and so lovely that Jun felt his heart melting, and all of a sudden he just wanted to run back home to squeeze his little bunny into his chest. Jun swore to himself that if Jeonghan later told him that Mingyu had left him sleep alone again, he would make sure to shower his bunny with love for months to make up for these days.

Mingyu changed to topic, starting to ask Jun about his first day in Jeju, as Jeonghan was eager to know as well. Fortunately, Jun was also excited to tell his lovers about what he had done with his parents. At that moment, they all realized that Jun going on a vacation with his fathers was a perfect decision. He was happy, spending a lot of time with his parents going to many places, eating a lot of delicious food, and taking numerous photos. Jun was seriously one of the rare alphas who were spoilt by everyone around him for his whole life, and his parents were undoubtedly the most willing people to give him everything.

Their video call ended at eleven o’clock, because it was time for both Jeonghan and Jun to go to sleep, as neither of them was fully healthy to stay up late. Just a few seconds before the call came to an end, Jeonghan showed his gentle alpha his piece of note with only two sentences.

_“Good night, Junnie. I miss you.”_

Combusting in happiness, Jun tried his best to endure the heart attack to reply to his omega. He could die after saying this to Jeonghan.

“I miss you too, bunny. Love you!”

Now Jun was ready to die for his beloved rabbit.

That night, Mingyu brought the humidifier back into the bedroom, putting some peppermint oil into it and turning it on, getting everything ready for bed time. Sitting on the bed nervously, Jeonghan watched his alpha do all these things, wondering if the giant man would stay or not. It turned out that magic did happen tonight. The alpha did not take out any blanket or pillows. After finishing the task with the machine, Mingyu turned off the light, only leaving the one on the nightstand on, and then joining his bunny on the fluffy bed. It was not until now did Jeonghan finally lied down happily with a shy smile on his face. The rabbit flung himself into the alpha’s open arms instantly, indulging in the warmth and love of his future husband.

Hugging the omega intimately, Mingyu loved this peaceful moment to the utmost, and loved to feel the presence of this lithe and soft body in his embrace. Jeonghan particularly loved to use the alpha’s thick bicep as a pillow rather than using the real pillow to support his head, and this fact just made Mingyu happier. Giving a kiss on the rabbit’s forehead, the giant man whispered _“good night”_ quietly to him before slowly and tenderly stroking his omega’s back until he fell asleep completely.

Mingyu hoped his loud heartbeats would not wake Jeonghan up. Would he be able to sleep like this tonight? The alpha was not sure, since he just loved to watch his bunny sleeping too much. Perhaps, he would never feel enough with this.

\----------------------------------------

Saturday was a peaceful day for both Mingyu and Jeonghan. As the alpha did not have to go to work, he could bring his omega out to buy groceries or whatever the rabbit liked. Unsatisfied with the amount of clothes Jeonghan had for himself, the giant man made his bunny buy many more things to wear. The rabbit was happy to choose new clothes, but like Joshua, he was a good omega who was used to living a life without asking for anything, so he did not need much and was just happy with whatever he received.

Mingyu spent his whole morning shopping, cooking and doing household chores together with Jeonghan so that they could have the whole afternoon free. The alpha took this as a perfect chance for him to ask the hybrid to help him learn the sign language. However, Jeonghan thought that his alpha was already very intelligent and learned very fast. There was not much for him to explain to the bigger man anymore. As a result, the rabbit just mostly sat by the dining table with Mingyu, watching him learn and practice, which was a comfortable and peaceful moment for both of them.

From the morning to the evening, Jeonghan still asked no question about Mingyu’s reunion with Joshua, which helped the alpha confirm his guess of the rabbit avoiding this topic. This fact only made the man feel more depressed when he saw his bunny turning on the humidifier at noon and the scent of peppermint started to spread around the whole bedroom. Whenever Jeonghan went to sleep, he would use the machine to provide himself with that only specific scent. The rabbit only used the essential oil of pine when he was awake. After all, Jun still had not bitten the hybrid yet, and his absence did not cause the omega to find it hard to sleep. Whereas, the impact of the unwanted mark on Jeonghan’s neck was really tremendous.

Since Jun was not here, Mingyu definitely had to help Jeonghan take care of the bleeding mark. It look so horribly familiar that the alpha could not help but wince every time he saw it, recalling of the days when Wonwoo’s mark on Jun had not become normal yet. Thanks to the medicine, the mark stopped bleeding, but it still looked very painful. Mingyu had tried many times to think why Wonwoo had bitten Jeonghan, because it did not seem to do anything good to the lead alpha. Was raping him not enough to satiate his monstrous anger? Wonwoo did not think it was enough to kill Seungcheol’s heart by assaulting Jeonghan?

The rabbit had got all the worst consequences of a rape - he was bitten, pregnant, traumatized, and having too many possibilities of running into his rapist again, yet Mingyu was still wishing for a miracle to come. His eldest cousin might have changed; Wonwoo might have already regretted his action and he maybe would apologize to Jeonghan when they met again. Nonetheless, a simple _“I’m sorry”_ did not seem to be enough to solve the huge mess Wonwoo had created.

At night, the couple had a video call with Jun again, extraordinarily happy to see their lover with even brighter smiles today. Jun was obviously enjoying the trip with his parents so much, always smiling and excited to tell his mate and his bunny about what he had gone to with his two fathers. Everything was so beautiful that Mingyu wished this was all about their life. In vain, the giant man wished all of the other problems could just vanish as if nothing had ever happened. It would be just perfect for the three of them to live a life like this together forever. Jeonghan was being safe and comfortable, while Jun was having the opportunity of enjoying a happy time with his parents. This was how a good life was supposed to be, and Mingyu was aghast to realize that he missed this definition.

_A good and peaceful life._

It was something he thought he had found a long time ago, but then everything gradually had started to fall apart one day. These days, Mingyu thought he had just found this kind of a magical life from Jun and Jeonghan. His heart desperately wished to find the unmatched beauty of a peaceful life from both Wonwoo and Joshua too.

Mingyu could never stop himself from overthinking as if it had become a bad habit of his. Even when the rabbit had fallen asleep in his embrace at night, the alpha was still thinking about how to pull their lives all back together without hurting anyone. In this chaos, Jeonghan perhaps would end up being the one who received the most pain, since no one was scared of another one as much as how the rabbit was being scared of Wonwoo now. Mingyu did not want his fragile angel to receive more pain even just the slightest. Jeonghan and his babies deserved nothing but the sweetest and warmest things.

Until now, Mingyu still could not understand how people could have hurt this adorable rabbit while he himself was even afraid of squeezing the hybrid too tightly in his arms, too scared that he might unintentionally crush and hurt his bunny. Jeonghan’s porcelain skin should never be blemished. His ethereal body should never be bruised, and his beautiful soul should never be broken by any reasons in this world.

\------------------------------

The thought of visiting Joshua again did go through Mingyu’s mind, but he knew that he could only do it after Jun came back because he refused to leave Jeonghan at home alone. The alpha certainly knew his bunny was able to take care of himself in a few hours yet his heart did not find that a proper thing to do. The rabbit needed to be watched and comforted by someone who really cared about him. It was possible to let Seungcheol do this, but Mingyu seriously disapproved of this idea.

To confirm whether it would be suitable to bring Jeonghan to the ball, Mingyu nervously contacted his client who had invited him to the event, asking if any other kinds of drinks rather than alcohol would be served. Fortunately, the answer was _“yes”_, but the client could not help asking about the reason of this question. When finding out the fact that Mingyu’s omega was pregnant, the man gave him hundreds of congratulations and all of a sudden, the giant alpha was scared of how this piece of news was starting to spread.

Many people were going to see that Mingyu had had a new omega who had long hair and smelled like lavender. This information could come to Wonwoo before Mingyu could do anything stupid enough to accidentally spill the beans. Nonetheless, the giant man guessed he had already been stupid by taking Jeonghan out around everywhere prior to finding out a way to deal with his troublesome cousin. On the other hand, it was too late now to cancel this plan, because he had confirmed his attendance at the ball, and the rabbit might be sad if he suddenly lost the chance of being introduced to some other people as an alpha’s omega.

Mingyu had to admit that it felt extremely satisfying to see his bunny trying to groom himself for the ball. The rabbit was originally beautiful, but when he was taking care of his appearance carefully like this, he just even looked better, downright ethereal and angelic. The light blue and white suit only made Jeonghan look more like a real angel. Although the mask had covered most of his face, Mingyu knew that everyone looking at those eyes, lips, and hair would all know that this must be a breathtaking person. Moreover, Mingyu was contented with the fact that his bunny really liked his clothes and his accessories for this ball, since the omega had been given the chance to choose everything by himself, from the suit to the sophisticated white mask decorated with shining diamonds and an elegant white feather.

Today, the choker was not used, as the shirt’s collar and the rabbit’s long hair were enough to cover the bandage on his bleeding mark. However, Mingyu hated the fact that Jeonghan had somehow got the aroma of peppermint on himself as if he had used peppermint perfume. Standing a meter away from the omega, Mingyu actually could not smell it, but when hugging his bunny, he could easily find the scent somewhere. The exceeding use of peppermint essential oil in the humidifier every night was enough to make the giant man agitated, yet the rabbit’s act of abusing the scent was even driving him madder and also scaring the hell out of him. Jeonghan obviously found comfort from the scent, no matter he wanted the mark on his neck or not.

Mingyu had no complaints with Jun needing and enjoying the scent of peppermint because he knew better than everyone that Jun had never stopped loving Wonwoo so much. However, Jeonghan’s case was immensely different in a very bad way. The rabbit was abusing anything that helped him cope with all the hardship he was going through. At some dark moments, Mingyu even doubted if the omega got comfortable with him so quickly simply because the similarity he shared with Wonwoo. They were cousins, noble alphas, sharing the same kind of pheromones. Mingyu was literally a relative of Jeonghan’s child, which could totally make the rabbit feel a bit safer.

Jun was not and could never be pregnant, but the same thing could work for him too. Perhaps he found Mingyu a little similar to Wonwoo in some particular ways.

Trying to inhale deeply, Mingyu told himself that this was not a suitable time to talk about this problem. He had better let Jeonghan do whatever he wanted this time, and then would help him get used to living without _his mate_ later. Moreover, _“overthinking is bad”_. Mingyu had to repeat this mantra in his mind more than a thousand times. It would be very mean of him to underestimate Jun’s and Jeonghan’s feelings for him. He would break their hearts if they found out how he was thinking about them and doubting them in this horrible way.

Mingyu knew it would be better for him to concentrate on helping Jeonghan enjoy the ball in the best way he could. Furthermore, the giant man had to focus on one more important matter, which was that his client would introduce him to some other potential business partners. He should prepare himself for a proper conversation with these people who could help him make progress in his career.

\----------------------------------------

“Please don’t drink too much.” Minghao warned, still not happy with this idea. “I know you need a break but please don’t get drunk.”

“I will try.” Wonwoo sighed, opening the door into his car.

“Don’t go home if you’re drunk.” The omega glared fiercely, pointing a finger at his friend. “I won’t let you live in peace if you do something to Joshua.”

The alpha was not happy with the way his omega friend was talking to him, but he did not retort, knowing that Minghao had reasons for being like this. Shaking his head to make himself stop thinking too much, Wonwoo sat in his own car, heading to the place where he would get what he thought he needed. He needed some rest. He could not drink at home. Surprisingly, just a few days ago, he had received an invitation from one of his friends to a masquerade ball where he guessed he would not be recognized by anyone by the mask on his face. Moreover, this guy was a pretty close friend in his high school, not a friend in business. Wonwoo hoped no one would care about his identity there, and he would be able to just drink and drink and drink at a quiet corner, listening to some gentle music with a glass of whisky or vodka in his hand.

He had already asked his friend to kindly spare him a room to sleep through a night in his huge mansion in case he was too drunk to go home by himself. Whereas, Minghao and Jihoon were at home to help him watch Joshua who was sleeping soundly in his bed. Before returning home, Wonwoo would make sure to wash off any scents of alcohol and strangers so that his kitten would not freak out or get triggered. Instead of going to a club or a bar alone, the alpha chose to do this, guessing perhaps this was a much better choice, as Wonwoo knew he was just drinking at his friend’s enormous house which was almost like a castle.

Wonwoo was convinced that everything was under his control.

So was Mingyu.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha... I guess you know what might happen next.  
I'm excited :">  
Also, Seventeen will comeback tomorrow >< I'm super excited ><   
I'm so sorry for posting not as frequently as I used to but I really don't feel well in the recent months T_T I can't write much T_T I'm really sorry ;_;
> 
> As always, I'm eager to know how you feel about this chapter and what you guess about the next chapter!!!!
> 
> Please take care and stay safe!!!! Love you ^^


	85. Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They found each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you all know what will happen in this chapter.  
Let's see!

In the first ten minutes walking around the giant room chosen for the ball to take place at the mansion where Mingyu’s client lived, Jeonghan doubted if he had made the wrong decision. The rabbit felt dizzy by the intense pheromones of so many alphas surrounding him in this place. At places where there were many powerful and rich people like this, the scents and pheromones were also considerably stronger, leaving the omega a bit uncomfortable. Thankfully, Jeonghan felt better after being introduced as Mingyu’s omega several times, since he was distracted by how his alpha seemed to be whenever voicing out this statement.

Tonight was the first time Jeonghan had ever felt happy with the fact that he was mute now. He never had to answer any questions coming from other people. Mingyu would always speak for him, which also meant that nobody could start a conversation with the rabbit when he did not expect it. Jeonghan in fact did not want to communicate with anyone except for Mingyu, even the omegas, because he simply did not trust anyone. Moreover, writing was tiring and he did not want to waste that much energy to talk to people he did not like. Besides, Jeonghan did not think that people would have enough patience to wait for him.

Only Jun, Mingyu and Seungcheol had.

Jeonghan knew that the alphas usually felt proud whenever someone complimented on their omegas, but he always cringed when some people told Mingyu that _“your omega seems pretty”_. Those guys had not even seen his face thoroughly but were throwing out compliments while ogling his body up and down through those dirty eyes. Mingyu might not notice the problem, but as a hybrid who had been bought and sold and abused by the filthy rich bastards for year, the rabbit tended to judge every alpha he met. In just about twenty minutes, he could conclude that Mingyu was undoubtedly the most decent man with best manner here. The host of the ball seemed quite polite, but Jeonghan was still not sure.

Anyway, Mingyu was his best man now.

Right when the giant alpha was free from the conversation with the people his client had introduced him to, he quickly took the opportunity to take his bunny to find some food and drinks which were being served in buffet style. Jeonghan gladly tried different drinks, but he shook his head at every dishes Mingyu pointed to. The alpha was concerned by his omega’s lack of appetite even though they had not eaten anything at home before coming here. Jeonghan usually ate a lot these days. It was really strange to see him refuse to try some new food.

The rabbit felt something not very nice in his stomach but he did not know how to let his alpha understand. Jeonghan had stopped feeling dizzy for a short while, yet now he was being extremely anxious again. Glancing around nervously, the rabbit wondered what might cause him to feel this way, but he did not notice anything abnormal. Mingyu was still with him, and nobody was having signals of being about to attack them.

It was an understatement to say that Jeonghan only felt unwell in his stomach. Honestly, the hybrid felt sick in his whole body. All kinds of worries and anxiety were creeping up his chest, filling up his mind to the point that Mingyu’s presence was starting to lose its magic. The conscious part of Jeonghan’s brain knew that the more he felt abnormal, the better it was for him to stay close to his giant alpha. Nonetheless, his body wanted to leave. His legs somehow kept trying to drag him away from Mingyu, which caused the hybrid to try very hard to focus on his partner. Right at this time, Mingyu was dragged to another conversation again, completely oblivious to his omega’s problem.

After ten more minutes, Jeonghan finally failed and his hand just slipped out of Mingyu’s one. However, the omega was still sober enough to walk to the nearest table and get a drink for himself instead of going too far away. The alpha was startled, but when seeing his bunny pick up a glass of drink, he was relieved, thinking that his omega was just thirsty or attracted by a new kind of drink. Desperately trying to focus on swallowing the liquid, Jeonghan still pathetically failed to stop his heart from threatening to jump out of his ribcage and lead him to another place too far from his alpha.

The rabbit was not even sure what the hell he was drinking, only knowing that it was not beer or alcohol. Nevertheless, his brain suddenly began to spin, which was a whole new level of dizziness. Jeonghan seriously wanted to seek for comfort now. His body, his mind, and his soul were all screaming at him to look for someone who could ease out these uncomfortable feelings right away. The rabbit could not register why he was triggered with no warning like this. Were these all symptoms of morning sickness during pregnancy? It had better be the explanation for this, or Jeonghan was about to freak out soon. The worst thing to happen was collapsing right here in front of so many people and embarrassing Mingyu.

Before Jeonghan could stop himself, he was already walking away from the table displaying food and drinks, walking away from his alpha.

In a split moment, Jeonghan thought of using his inhaler, but it was in fact a bad idea, because he was evidently not in panic now. The inhaler would be just useless. Placing his own palm on his cheek and then on his neck, the rabbit wanted to check if he was having a fever or not, but the realization shocked him to the utmost. He was truly heating up. His skin was hot, yet his feet were still moving on its own accord. The further he moved, the less dizzy his head became, but the faster his heartbeat became in his chest. Holding onto a huge pillar to ground himself, Jeonghan tried to take a deep breath, telling himself to calm down.

All of a sudden, the scent hit his nostrils, strongly and lively, like a devastating wave. It smelled so good, so nice, so wonderful that Jeonghan thought he had fallen into euphoria in just one short second. Every single nerve in the omega’s brain told him that it would be heavenly for him to indulge in the air filled with that scent, as not only he himself but also his baby was craving for _its source_. He would find his comfort there. His mate would protect him and his child. His mind began to scream those stupid things to him over and over again from then on, driving Jeonghan crazy rapidly, making him just want to bang his head on a wall before anything nastier could come to his ruined mind.

Snapping his head around, nearly in panic, the rabbit tried his best to speedily find where the scent of peppermint was coming from. The poor hybrid had had the slightest hope of the scent coming from someone else, but fate was not usually nice to him. _The bond_ helped him locate the source of the scent almost in the blink of an eye. _He was here,_ just about ten meters away, standing near another table, with a glass of whine in his hand. More than half of his face was hidden behind the black mask, but Jeonghan could never mistake those eyes with anyone else’s. They were directly glued on the rabbit, intensely and fiercely in the darkest shade the poor omega had ever seen.

Instantly trembling, Jeonghan found his way back to Mingyu, knowing that he needed to leave this place as soon as possible. Nonetheless, all the omega could do was just running blindly like a drunk man to his alpha and falling into his chest. Closing his arms around the hybrid immediately, Mingyu worriedly let his bunny lean against him properly, asking him in utter concern.

“Are you okay, Hannie? You look sick now.”

Before Jeonghan could find a way to answer, the person who had been talking to Mingyu voiced out his question.

“Oh… Is your omega okay? Should we talk about my plan later?”

Right at that moment, the rabbit’s intention of begging Mingyu to bring him home vanish completely. As the stranger mentioned _“my plan”_, Jeonghan guessed they were discussing something important and related to Mingyu’s career. It would be not nice at all for the potential client to see Mingyu dropping a talk because of his omega. Jeonghan refused to let this happen, although he knew his giant man was really ready to give up anything to take care of him.

“What’s wrong, Hannie?” Mingyu was obviously still concentrating all his mind on the rabbit, deadly worried. “I think we should…”

Shaking his head vigorously, the hybrid pulled away, and hated himself for being willing to do it this time. His body did not want Mingyu now. It wanted another person. Too lost in the chaos of his soul and his brain, Jeonghan failed to remember that the giant man had not mastered the sign language like how Seungcheol had. His hands began to move frantically in order to transmit his message.

_“I’m quite dizzy. I think I should go to the restroom for a while.”_

Mingyu was caught off guard by the sudden use of sign language, but his mind luckily found these simple expressions easy to understand. When the idea of _“dizzy”_ clicked in the alpha’s mind, he quickly concluded that his bunny was suffering from morning sickness. Without a second thought, he agreed with his rabbit.

“Okay okay. I will bring you there. Let’s go now.”

Unfortunately, the person he had been talking to was a jerk this time. The man interrupted when Mingyu had just held his bunny’s wrist, intending to take him away.

“Come on, Mingyu. You don’t have to be that serious. He’s just dizzy. The bathroom is near. Nobody is going to eat him alive here.”

The worse thing was that, Jeonghan had no intention of sticking to Mingyu anymore_. He wanted to leave_. Why the hell did he say he would go to the bathroom? Did Jeonghan intend to hide from that person or did he just want a reason to leave? The omega soon forgot his own intention, driven crazy by his own chaotic thoughts which seemed to have lost direction. Yet even in that daze, the rabbit still could see the burning gaze placed on him from afar, knowing that the Satan had not taken his eyes away from him in just a second.

_Wonwoo must have detected the scent of lavender coming from Jeonghan too._

Wasting no time in listening to the two men arguing to each other, the rabbit began to walk away from his alpha, heading straightly to the way which he had been told previously to reach the bathroom. Instantly, Jeonghan felt the aroma of peppermint following him towards the same direction, as it did not fade away in the air even a bit.

Breathing heavily, the rabbit wondered if it was a good thing when the way to the restroom led him out of the ball room into another long hall, deeper and deeper into the house. Everyone’s scents and pheromones started to be left far behind the hybrid. Soon, Jeonghan could not smell or feel anything except for the strong scent and striking pheromones of a noble alpha reeking of peppermint only a few meters away from him. His ears no longer heard the gentle music of the ball. Instead, he only heard his own crazy heartbeats, his fear, his breathing, and the footsteps of the person chasing him.

Jeonghan honestly just desperately wanted to give up, to stop everything he was doing so that _his alpha_ could catch him, and then everything would end. The longing feelings would end right away. The darkest desire of his body would be satiated if he did one simple thing, which was stopping running. Even the pheromones of the monster were silently commanding the rabbit to stay still. It was extremely difficult for a weak omega like Jeonghan to resist the urge to obey an alpha’s order, but his brain still could not agree to give in. Perhaps this distance was close enough for his process of staying away from Wonwoo for a year to be ruined, but it did not mean Jeonghan could mess up his life this easily. He needed to run. He had better run.

Dizzy and trembling, the rabbit stopped in a second in front of the restroom’s door, wondering if it would be a good idea to come in there, because this was such a quiet and empty place that he was afraid nobody would see him or be able to help him. Consequently, Jeonghan had a stupid decision of turning to another direction where the hall continued and led him to another longer hall. The rabbit might not recognize it, but he was actually not sober enough to think wisely anymore. An alpha was never allowed to step into the omegas’ restroom. Everyone would take action to help him if Wonwoo followed him into the toilet.

Jeonghan had chosen an even more quiet and empty place, which was just perfect for the alpha to speed up his running.

Before the hybrid could turn back to watch where Wonwoo was, he felt a strong grip on his right wrist. In the blink of an eye, Jeonghan was pulled into an opened door. The said door was closed like a flash, leaving the poor rabbit trapped inside a dark room he had never known where. The clicking sound scarily announced that no other one could ever walk into this room to help him, or interfere with whatever he was going to do with _the father of his baby_.

In an insane moment in the darkness, Jeonghan completely lost the devastating fear in his heart, even though he was still breathing heavily. The hybrid’s brain totally lost the wish to move. He just leaned limply against the wall, trying to control his breathing, annoyingly relieved to be able to stop running. Jeonghan had not really wanted to run away, and now his body was evidently relishing in this moment when the alpha in front of him was locking him to the wall, leaving no space left between the two bodies.

The rabbit took in a deep breath, contented to the utmost to feel his lungs filled with the most authentic and unique aroma of peppermint. He was not supposed to feel this way, yet the omega still felt a strange sense of safety and protection. His mate was being right here with him and his baby. As an omega, he did not wish for anything as strongly as having his alpha with him during this period of time where he and his baby were the most vulnerable. The last conscious part of Jeonghan’s brain told him that it was so shameless and embarrassing for him to get those feelings from his rapist, but he was failing, and failing.

The thick and heady smell of alcohol clouded the omega’s mind, making him choked in a second. Falling deeper and deeper into the daze, Jeonghan registered one last thing.

_“He’s drunk!”_

Perhaps Wonwoo did not even know whom he was facing right now.

The dark room was lit up only by the moon outside the glass window, too dark for Wonwoo’s hazy eyes to see clearly the omega in front of his eyes. On the other hand, he did not need his own eyes to be attracted and seduced by this beauty. The alpha was not sure whether he had been drunk or not, just knowing that he had never been drawn towards anyone like this for his whole life, as if he were just a little piece of iron while this omega were a giant magnet. The flowery scent was like something coming from heaven, driving Wonwoo’s mind crazy more powerfully than anything had ever done. The alpha did not understand why, but right at the moment his eyes caught the image of this omega, he just wanted to protect, and to take as his own.

However, his targeted omega began to run, causing his mind to wonder if this little beauty was trying to run away from him or actually was trying to lure him into this private place for only two of them. Wonwoo knew he had to follow at all cost, and now he had this mysterious angel in his arms. The omega seemed somehow nervous and scared, so fragile and vulnerable, and this fact made the alpha’s heart melt. The flower was heaving heavily, obviously trying a lot to breath, so Wonwoo let him take his time, silently waiting for the omega to get calmer.

Jeonghan was grateful for the silence, but this fact also helped him confirm the fact that Wonwoo was absolutely drunk. It was impossible for the lead alpha to remain silent and staring at him intently like this when they ran into each other. In the rabbit’s mind, there were flashbacks of the day he was molested inside the monster’s car, yet they disappeared so fast that the hybrid almost got a mental whiplash. The person trapping him to the wall currently was partly alike that monster, but somehow was not that monster at all. The alpha’s dark, sharp and burning eyes were boring holes on Jeonghan’s face, ogling him up and down with an incredible amount of sexual interest that the rabbit found it hard to breath normally again.

Under the moon light, Wonwoo could only vaguely saw the tender eyes, the milky skin, and the sharp jawlines of the omega, but those were enough for him to feel how breathtaking this person was. Unable to resist the temptation, and also thinking that there was no need to contain his desire since both of them were already in this situation, the alpha kept one arm leaning against the wall to make sure his target would not have a way to escape, while his other hand moved to gently caress the omega’s face. The soft and unblemished skin were hot under his cold fingers, but surprisingly smooth and alluring, making him want to peck those cheeks.

“So beautiful.” Wonwoo whispered, finally saying something, sending shivers up and down Jeonghan’s spine. Five minutes had not even passed since they entered this room, but the alpha’s deep voice was already raspy and full of lust. “I’ve never thought a male with long hair would look this pretty. What’s your name, angel?”

The rabbit had no intention of pushing Wonwoo away, frightened and embarrassed to feel his own body getting hotter by second under the alpha’s touch. The physical reaction caused by the unexpected bond between them was just about to destroy Jeonghan’s mind completely. The hybrid tried in vain to keep himself conscious, but every notions of his own cruel reality were slipping out of his brain, leaving him with the only primal instincts of an omega in front of his mate.

_“Oh, he’s gentle tonight.”_

The realization broke one last piece of consciousness in Jeonghan’s soul.

The rabbit shook his head right when Wonwoo’s hand had moved to his chin, still gently caressing every inch of the skin on his face.

“Don’t wanna tell me? Why?” The alpha murmured another question, seeming to be interested in the omega’s attitude. Wonwoo was seriously drunk.

Jeonghan pointed one finger to his own throat and shook his head one more time. Eventually, the alpha got the idea and clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“What a pity.” Leaning over even closer, Wonwoo held the omega’s chin by four fingers while his thumb moved to the lips, sensually touching and feeling those soft and kissable things with great thirst. “Thought that I would have a chance to hear your voice, and know your name, angel.”

Jeonghan had not known when Wonwoo started to move so dangerously close to him, but at the moment he realized it, the alpha had already pressed their bodies to each other. The rabbit’s first reaction was to squirm, but that turned out to be a bad idea, because he had just accidentally made their lower bodies rub against each other. Caught off guard, Jeonghan let out a feeble moan from his mouth, utterly embarrassed but severely turned on by the grunt from the man trapping him. Startled to feel something wet down there, the rabbit desperately tried to close his legs, yet he knew he had failed everything. The alpha’s smirk told it all.

“You smell delicious, angel.” Leaving Jeonghan’s face, Wonwoo’s hand moved to sneak under the omega’s long hair to hold his neck lightly, gently pushing him to tilt his head. “Like a flower.”

The rabbit intentionally inhale deeply to take in the scent of peppermint, feeling himself rapidly relax his muscles and also his mind. His skin was still hot and his breathing was still abnormal, but those intense feelings were being brought by another kind of sensation. Jeonghan suddenly hated the essential oil he had been using, because the scent he was smelling now was better than any fake ones in this world. Not only his heart but also his baby seemed to be dancing around in the happiness of living in the air filled with this scent and these pheromones. The alpha’s breath ghosting over his face only drove his mind insane further and further.

“Mated.” Wonwoo mumbled when seeing the mark on the omega’s neck, but he soon chuckled. “So we’re having an affair here, huh?”

Jeonghan could not help letting out another moan when the alpha pressed his lips closely to his left ear, nibbling his earlobe while blowing hot air into it and speaking with his deep and seductive voice.

“You can be mine for tonight, right?”

The rabbit definitely could not answer anything, yet the smell of his slick was getting clearer very quickly, causing the man to be evidently excited and satisfied. Wonwoo soon felt that there was no need to block the way out anymore, because this angel obviously had no intention of escaping. Instead, the alpha lowered his arm, slowly placing his palm on the omega’s hip under his suit. Pulling away a little to watch the beauty, Wonwoo used the other hand to touch the white mask, intending to take it off so that his eyes would have the opportunity to see how gorgeous this angel was.

Frightened, Jeonghan hurriedly hold the alpha’s writs, shaking his head vehemently.

“Why?” Wonwoo mumbled in slight displease, growling a bit. “Let me see how beautiful you are, omega.”

Nonetheless, the rabbit kept shaking his head over and over again, although he knew this mask would be inconvenient for them to _do anything_. However, Wonwoo did not relent, since his thirst had taken control over his brain completely. In one quick move, the alpha removed the mask thoroughly from the omega’s face, leaving Jeonghan drowned in panic.

“Don’t you think the masks will be in our way?” Wonwoo murmured and took off his own mask, throwing both of them carelessly on the floor, resuming the task of caressing the ethereal face in front of him. “You know what I mean right?”

With no hesitation, the alpha was shortening the distance between their faces, holding the omega’s one in his hand, lowering his head while forcing the shorter person to look up, locking their eyes in a long and intense contact. Staring into those lustful eyes, Jeonghan was intoxicated by the alpha’s dominance, but the scent of peppermint and alcohol. The rabbit had no choice but to admit that he knew what was about to happen, and he was painfully anticipating it to come right away. The omega’s shaking hands had unconsciously gripped tightly on the alpha’s shirt, but Jeonghan was not sure he was trying to push the taller man away or to pull him closer.

Jeonghan guessed human’s eyes could not see his face clearly in this darkness, but as a hybrid, he could observe every inch of Wonwoo’s face, for the first time feeling that the Lucifer looked better than anyone else in this world. That man was his alpha, the father of his child. _His alpha. His mate. His alpha._

When Wonwoo began to devour the omega’s lips by his own ones, they both knew that this would not stop until the two of them finally got what they desperately wanted.

Jeonghan’s soul welcomed the pair of lips on his own with all of his eagerness and satisfaction, eventually relieved to get the contact, the intimacy, the affection he had always been longing for from his mate. With no reservation, the rabbit soon allowed the man’s tongue to enter his mouth and explore everything he could reach.

The sweet and unreal delicious taste of flower on his tongue was poison for Wonwoo’s mind and body, putting on the powerful flame of thirst in his heart. He wanted to own and protect this omega. It was so abnormal to wish to protect a stranger like this, and Wonwoo really could not understand. Nonetheless, he could not care about that confusion anymore, knowing that by all cost, he had to have this omega tonight, and this angel needed to be treated with all of his tenderness. This angel needed to be protected.

Lost in euphoria, Jeonghan did not realize since when his legs had begun to melt, but it was lucky that the alpha had been standing so close to him that the rabbit could not fall anymore. He was literally sandwiched between the wall and the man’s body, having no more space to move, yet it was not necessary to move either. The only parts Jeonghan needed to move were his lips, so as to kiss his mate and receive the most passionate kisses he had ever had in his life.

The rabbit felt his body pleasantly warm as the alpha’s arm formed a tight hug around his waist, pressing the two bodies even closer to each other, allowing him to realize that both of them were already hard at this point. Wonwoo’s maddening thirst was being slowly burned but also being satiated at the same time by the sweet lips he were enjoying and the enticing scent of the slick he could smell in the air. Some vaguely conscious parts of the alpha’s brain registered something abnormal in this omega’s scent and pheromones, something that made him very different from normal omegas, yet he did not really care to find out what that was.

Overall, Jeonghan was too weak and unprepared for this kind of deadly temptation of his alpha after months of longing and suffering. Meanwhile, Wonwoo was too drunk and had been on edge for too long to realize what he was doing and going to do. They did not care anymore. They both just wanted to vent their own frustration on each other to extinguish the constant burning fire in their bodies.

Breathless moans instantly slipped out of Jeonghan’s mouth when Wonwoo left his lips only to scattered kisses along the omega’s neck, even nibbling and biting lightly. The hybrid was too lost to care about the mark or hickeys which could be left on his skin. If Jeonghan could speak now, he would just murmur _“alpha”_ continuously to Wonwoo’s ear, feeling his own slick gushing out and threatening to destroy his clothes soon. The rabbit certainly could feel it when the alpha slowly unbutton his shirt to reveal his collarbones and his shoulders, but he did not fight back, only leaning against the wall behind him and enjoying the feelings of being slowly taken, part by part.

“So good that you still can moan.” The man chuckled while leaving hickeys along the omega’s left collarbone, hands gripping his waist tightly. “I really wish to hear you moaning my name, but I guess we still had better be quiet tonight.”

If it had not been for this notification, Jeonghan would have completely forgotten the fact that he was going to do have this affair in a house of a person whom he did not really know, in a room he did not know exactly what it was. Right at this moment, his phone suddenly went off, buzzing annoyingly in his own pocket and causing the alpha to groan in anger.

Both Wonwoo and Jeonghan frantically tried to get the phone out of the rabbit’s pocket, but with totally different intentions. The alpha wanted to turn the damn phone off instantly, yet the omega panicked and all of a sudden realized he was doing something seriously wrong. He should not be here right now. Mingyu must be terribly worried about him. He must get out of here before it was too late, before nothing could drag his mind back anymore.

Unfortunately, Wonwoo was undoubtedly stronger than the hybrid. Easily, he snatched the phone out of the omega’s hand, throwing it recklessly to the corner of the room. In the blink of an eye, the room went back to its silent state previously. Between the four walls, there were only the sounds of heavy breathing coming from both people inside it, and an annoyed mumble from Wonwoo.

“Screw that phone! _Don’t let anything ruin our moment!_”

Jeonghan wanted to protest, yet he could not say a single thing. Before he could do anything else, his lips had been taken one more time, shut by the continuous chain of deep kisses. Sliding two hands down to grope the omega’s butt cheeks, Wonwoo caused him to moan again prior to lifting him up, wrapping the omega’s legs around his waist so that Jeonghan would straddle him. The rabbit yelped in shock, but the sound came right after that was just another moan, since this position just made his crotch rub harder to Wonwoo’s one, bringing more friction to both of them, intensifying the alpha’s pheromones and sweetening the scent of the hybrid’s slick.

It was difficult for Jeonghan to get his mind back, but it was extremely easy for him to fall deeply into the sexual daze for _his alpha_. Neither of them cared why they were attracted and glued to each other like this so rapidly. It was impossible for Wonwoo not to comply when the omega hugged him intimately and tried to kiss him back shyly yet enthusiastically at the same time.

Jeonghan did not know when he was placed on the comfortable mattress of a large bed in the dark room. His back dipped so deeply into the soft surface, perhaps because he was having another body hovering above him, almost crushing on him. The rabbit wondered what had caused him to need his alpha so badly like this, yet he frantically tried to hold Wonwoo back at the moment the alpha just wanted to pull away so as to take off his own clothes. Realizing the panic in the angel’s attitude, Wonwoo shushed his whine by numerous more tender kisses, letting the omega help him undress clumsily. Jeonghan did not even know that before he could take off Wonwoo’s shirt, he himself was already lying naked under the skillful hands of his mate.

At this point, Wonwoo did not care about ogling the omega’s body through his eyes anymore, since his craving heart just wanted to feel the angel’s body with his own. Sweet moans kept coming to his ears as his hands caressed the unbelievably smooth skin of the ethereal body. However, it was easy to see how nervous the omega was, and this fact was also shown in his scent. Burying his face in crook of the beauty’s neck to give him kisses and bites, Wonwoo did not stop trying to take in more of the alluring scent, and finally, he realized the problem.

“Are you pregnant?” Staring at the omega beneath him through hazy eyes, Wonwoo asked softly, adoring the angelic look of the person he was having in his arms in the darkness.

Jeonghan anxiously nodded. His instincts allowed him to be sober enough to worry about his baby. The rabbit was not supposed to have sex when his pregnancy was just about two months now, but he failed to stop himself or stop Wonwoo. Moreover, he was blindly convinced that he would feel better after this. The hybrid just pathetically craved for his alpha’s touch, awfully eager to feel him inside his own body so as to feel satisfied and protected. His alpha was here with him and his child. He was not supposed to worry too much anymore.

Wonwoo had no idea about the reasons, yet he felt warm in his heart to know that this omega was carrying a little baby. Although the alpha had already had the desire to protect this angel from the beginning, the urge to treasure him was even greater now. His movement became a hundred times more gentle when stroking the omega’s cheek and kissing his lips seductively.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle with you.”

The intoxicated rabbit trusted his alpha’s words with no hesitation, as if Wonwoo had always been a reliable person in his life. Melting into the alpha’s arms, Jeonghan let go of everything, closing his eyes to feel Wonwoo’s touch on his chest, his thighs, his bottom, and then to his hard cock. The omega was nearly mewling now, seeing stars at the back of his eyes while his mate was stroking him down there and sucking his sensitive nipple. Jeonghan literally lost the capacity of caring about his own morals or the consequences of all these things, because his soul knew nothing but his mate right now. He was having to himself his alpha who had promised to be gentle with him after acknowledging the fact that he was pregnant.

Wonwoo was really gentle tonight, particularly for Jeonghan only, when he was seriously drunk, letting only his instincts taking control over his actions.

The rabbit had been longing for his alpha for so long that it did not take him long at all to have the first orgasm, when Wonwoo was still just trying to open him. Right at the moment he could sense the omega’s climax coming, the alpha took this chance to wrap his lips around the hybrid’s cock to suck it and swallow everything down his throat. The man only moved back to his original position after preparing the omega enough for what was about to come, whispering into the smaller male’s ear.

“Do you know our scents combination is one of the best one in this world?” Until now, Wonwoo was downright lost in lust for his omega. Even his brain could not register if he really had recognized Jeonghan or not. He only knew that this angel smelled like lavender, but something in his scent smelled similar to his own one - the aroma of peppermint. He only knew this omega belonged to him. _“Be mine, omega.”_

Jeonghan felt like it was the first time he had sex after years of being lonely. The alpha’s penetration wrecked his body completely, sending him to ecstasy faster than anything had ever magically done to the rabbit. Every single cell in his body cheered in utter happiness, extraordinarily contented to feel and to have Wonwoo. Those surreal feelings only got stronger when the alpha kissed him roughly and told him by his deep voice.

_“You’re mine.”_

Wonwoo made love with the omega in his arms as if there would be no tomorrow. He was not violent even a bit, but madly passionately and enthusiastically, loving every second of this moment. There was no need for the alpha to try to restrain his partner because Jeonghan simply had no intention of running away, just staying there submissively to take the inexorable thrusts. Since the pain did not come, the rabbit could wholeheartedly indulge in the erotic feelings of having the dick of his alpha plugging so deep inside him, relieved to be treated with tenderness.

More and more hickeys were created.

Sweats dropping on the omega’s milky skin, mixing their scents together as one, sticking to the rabbit’s body. Both of them wanted to find their orgasm from each other, yet neither of them wanted this to end soon, wishing to lengthen it as much as possible to satisfy themselves after a so long time of being separated.

Without any kind of control over his behavior, Wonwoo ripped off the bandage on the omega’s neck. If the alpha wanted to bite, he should bite on wherever he could on the rabbit’s neck, but Wonwoo did not know what had led him to that only specific position to dig his teeth deeply in the slightly bleeding mark. The feeling of being bitten and the taste of Jeonghan’s blood sent them over the edge simultaneously. The rabbit’s long and angelic moan was muffled by Wonwoo’s neck, where he was burying his face into in order just to fill his lungs to the utmost with the virile scent of peppermint.

If it had not been for Wonwoo’s state of being too drunk, Jeonghan would have been knotted. Fortunately, it did not happen, and it was not what the hybrid wanted either. The couple cuddled and kissed in a few minutes after their sex, but that was also the time realization slowly creeping back into the omega’s mind. When Wonwoo finally fell asleep with the angel in his arms, Jeonghan had his own moment of silence to calm down, and getting his consciousness back to his brain.

Nonetheless, it was already too late.

Wonwoo was too drunk to be woken up by the deafening scream of the omega who had just jumped out of his arms, out of the bed. In extreme panic, Jeonghan frantically put his clothes back on, crawling around the floor to search for his own phone in tears without realizing that the object had been broken. The first thing came to Jeonghan’s mind was getting out of this room as soon as possible. He ran like a maniac out of the dark room, leaving the monster behind, running, crying, sobbing and whimpering along the empty hall back to the ballroom.

The second thing Jeonghan had in his shattering mind was nothing but Mingyu only. With disgust and hatred for himself, the rabbit pathetically tried to scream his alpha’s name, his real alpha’s name, but no word could get out of his mouth, only whimpers and ugly screams going out continuously. His body was gross, filthy, disgusting, and shameful. Drowned in misery, the broken omega only wished for his future husband to accept him in this ruined state and welcome him back into his arms again. He did not know where to go except for running to his Mingyu, his giant alpha, who was his true alpha of this life, not that monster.

Jeonghan did not know where to go, forgetting the way he had gone through previously, accidentally getting lost in the huge mansion. Crying pathetically, he collapsed on the floor in horror and misery, punching into his own chest to vent out his frustration.

_“Mingyu, where are you? Please help me!”_

_-_to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me ;_;
> 
> Uhm... I don't really know what to say now TvT Please just understand that neither of them did anything wrong here. If you think back about Jun, you will see that Jun was also longing for Wonwoo after being bitten without his consent too. So, our poor Hannie was too weak to resist and Wonwoo was drunk T_T 
> 
> Please don't hate me ;_; I'm not creating more drama. This is truly the way for some problems to be solved because they still kept many secrets away from each other and it's time for them all to be revealed through proper talk and action. 
> 
> Next chapter is about Hannie for sure. Junnie is going back home. He will be there for his bunny.
> 
> I love you ><


	86. Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They cried together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really worried when some of you weren't happy with Hannie after the previous chapter ;_; I hope this chapter can save your love for him ;_;

Mingyu thought he could kill the host of the party right away.

“I’ve already checked the restroom! I told you! Your omega isn’t there!” The man said in a tired voice, shaking his head and scrunching his face.

“Then check everywhere else! He can’t vanish into the air!” Mingyu nearly screamed to the face of his client, too impatient to just stand at one place. One more time, he stormed out of the ballroom to walk along the hall leading to the restrooms.

“Hey, Mingyu! Don’t go there! You can’t do that! I told you I’ve already checked it! Please don’t be rude to my guests here!” The host quickly followed the giant man, strongly pulling his arm back.

“He must be somewhere around here! I saw him walking towards this direction!” Mingyu pulled his own arm back, ignoring his client’s effort. “Why don’t you check everywhere in your mansion? He must be lost or kidnapped! Isn’t he one of your guests too? Why don’t you fucking do something?”

The host was about to combust in anger but Mingyu did not care, because his ears had just heard the frightening screams coming from somewhere not far away from his position. Startled and petrified, the alpha hurriedly followed the miserable sounds. Running across the long hall, he took a turn right in front of the restrooms, entering another longer hall. Mingyu had checked this place already and there had not been anyone around previously. Nonetheless, at this moment, his eyes finally caught the image of the person he had been searching for in panic.

However, the feeling Mingyu received was not a relief. His own panic in the past minutes was nothing in comparison with the agony he was witnessing right now. In front of him, his bunny was curling up on the floor, collapsing in his own blood and tears. His neat and formal clothes looked terrible as if Jeonghan had just had a fight with someone, and his beautifully smooth hair was an awful mess. The sounds the omega was giving out were not just screams. They were whimpers, sobs, and endless hurtful sounds of a person in extreme pain.

It did not take long for the crying hybrid to sense his alpha’s presence. Snapping his head towards the giant man, he scrambled to stand up, trying to run to the man as fast as possible while the streams of tears on his cheeks were doubled in the blink of an eye. Nevertheless, in that condition, the omega was not able to control his movements well, just ending up falling forward. Yet, where he landed on was nothing but only Mingyu’s wide chest and open arms.

Holding the rabbit tightly in his embrace, broken by the state of his love, Mingyu could not open his mouth to ask a single question. He was shocked, drowned deeply in pain, and killed by the way how his bunny’s limp body leaned against him completely as if there was no energy left. Jeonghan pressed his whole face into the alpha’s chest, gripping the man’s shirt so tightly that his own nails were threatening to make him bleed. In utter fright, Mingyu realized that his bunny was not only bleeding; his skin was seriously very hot, reminding him of the time when the strokes hit Jun and made him suffer.

Jeonghan was bleeding at nowhere but the mark on his neck. The bandage was long gone, and the omega hastily pushed his alpha’s hand out of his neck and his hair immediately in panic. The moment of seeing the mark was very short, but Mingyu could register that it did not simply look like it had just been bitten recently. _It must have been just bitten maybe a few minutes ago_.

Jeonghan had clothes on his body, but he had not put on them really properly, causing Mingyu to feel the great urge to take off his suit in order to cover the hybrid’s body. In a combination of extreme anger and pain, Mingyu rapidly bent down to carry the rabbit in bridal style by both arms, keeping him securely and bringing a considerable sense of protection to the omega. Trembling too severely, Jeonghan could not hold onto his alpha, just hiding his face in the man’s chest and still gripping his shirt as if his life depended on it.

If Mingyu had not been busy carrying his broken bunny, he would have broken his client’s jaw. The heartless man did not seem to be bothered even a bit by the omega’s condition.

“Okay, you found him now. I need to go find my friend. He’s disappeared for a long while.”

“Stop!” The giant man was enraged now, growling at the other man. “You think you can just leave it like that? My omega was harassed at your house! And now you aren’t going to do anything about this?”

“Are you sure your omega was harassed?” The host snickered, irritating Mingyu to the utmost by the dirty look he gave Jeonghan. “According to what I can see, your omega isn’t injured even a bit. He only reeks of sex. If something had happened, it must have been consensual. You didn’t watch your omega well. It can’t be my responsibility.”

Feeling humiliated, Mingyu wanted to attack the host instantly, but another terrifying fact caught most of his attention. The giant man thought that when being accused of something he had not done like this, Jeonghan must at least shake his head or let out some sounds of protest. However, the rabbit did not say anything, only shrinking and trying harder to hide his face.

Even Mingyu started to shiver now.

In fright, he tried sniffing his bunny carefully instead of focusing on his tears, blood, and whimpers. The smell of slick was not fresh, which meant it was not being newly produced, but had been there for a while. Besides, Jeonghan had on himself the scent of someone else, yet this scent was horribly familiar to Mingyu. He wanted to deny this fact, wanted to think that he had mistaken it, but it was too distinct. His omega, his poor bunny, was covered in the scent of peppermint. That was not the smell of perfume or essential oil. It was the scent of a person Mingyu had known very well but had never expected to encounter tonight.

Trying desperately to swallow the lump in his throat, and to push back his own tears, Mingyu asked the host, voice shaking due to mixed emotions.

“You said… your friend has disappeared for a while? Who is he?”

“Hey, I can’t find him, but it doesn’t mean he’s involved in this.” The host defended his friend, frowning. “He’s my friend, and I have a room for him to stay here tonight. It’s normal if he isn’t in the ballroom. He must be in the guestroom then.”

“The guestroom is around here, right?” Mingyu mumbled, using the last piece of calmness in himself to ask.

“What do you want to do?” The host stared back warily. “Wonwoo is not only my guest but also my friend. I don’t allow you to do anything to my friend in my house.”

Mingyu was hurt and thrown to hell in a split second as the rabbit in his arms instantly had reaction at the mention of Wonwoo.

Jeonghan shrunk and trembled even more violently. The shaking hand gripping Mingyu’s shirt was like begging him to protect the bunny, to help him out of this agony, and to bring him out of here. The giant man was torn apart, struggling in the effort of keeping the hybrid securely in his arms. His legs, his mind, his arms, and his whole body just wanted to give up, to die, to collapse because he had failed. He had let Jeonghan slip out of his watch, and now his beloved bunny was crying pathetically in his arms, reeking of his rapist.

Mingyu could not care about why or how Jeonghan could have done it with Wonwoo consensually. He only knew that his bunny was crying now, clutching onto him, whimpering and sobbing in agony. His mark was bleeding. That was enough for the giant man to know that he had failed to protect his bunny. This was wrong, and it was his fault. He was the one who brought Jeonghan here, while the rabbit could have been at home peacefully, waiting for Jun to come back and everything could have been fine. Mingyu brought him here, and had not been with Jeonghan when the rabbit needed him most.

Mingyu wanted to break Wonwoo’s skull.

Mingyu wanted to get a gun in his hand to shoot his own head.

No. Mingyu could not do that. If he died, who would take care of and protect Jeonghan and Jun? He had failed so many times. He had to take responsibilities of these miseries. He needed to make his bunny feel safe and loved again.

Like a flash, Mingyu ran out of the ball, crazily heading his own car, too scared of the possibility of himself snapping and searching for Wonwoo to make him pay for what he had done to the rabbit. Revenge was nothing now, because Jeonghan must be the priority of this moment. Mingyu had to focus on his bleeding lover, who was crying and being scared. He must have had a stroke, or something similar to it, or he must be having it right now. What was Jeonghan thinking and feeling?

Mingyu did not dare to imagine, afraid that he would collapse for real and fail to bring his bunny to the hospital.

The alpha kept his omega on his lap on the way to their destination. Jeonghan had no protest, still sniffling and burying his face into Mingyu’s chest. He did seem to calm down a little bit when being inside the private space of him and his alpha only, but Mingyu was highly wary of the heat on the rabbit’s body. Jeonghan did not move even a bit, but the giant man started to get more and more agitated as his nostrils caught the sweet scent of slick getting intense in the air. Just a few minutes later, he could feel it right on his thighs where his bunny was sitting on.

Jeonghan was definitely having a stroke. This was serious.

Trying to stay calm and not to panic, Mingyu contacted the doctor he had brought the rabbit to see on Friday. Fortunately, the said man was still in Seoul and was ready to see him in the same hospital in fifteen more minutes. The doctor kept reminding Mingyu that even if they arrived at the hospital early, they were not allowed to give Jeonghan to any other doctors there. The hybrid’s condition was complicated; giving him to a random doctor was not advisable. Nobody could understand his health better than the one who had been following his progress from the beginning until now.

Hanging up, Mingyu discarded his phone recklessly, hurriedly placing his hand on the rabbit’s head to stroke his hair in an attempt to give him some comfort, murmuring soothing words to his bunny.

“Don’t worry, Hannie. We’re going to the hospital. Your doctor is there. We’ll take care of you. Don’t be scared.”

Jeonghan did not nod or shake his head, which kept worrying Mingyu more and more. The rabbit had been very unresponsive from the moment he was found until now but the alpha could not detect the reason. Jeonghan did not seem to be really scared now. He had calmed down considerably; even his sobs had subsided yet there still seemed to be something dreadful stuck in his mind. The omega had symptoms of a stroke, but he did not act like he was having a stroke at all. Jeonghan did not even seem to be horny. If Mingyu were a beta, he would surely sense nothing abnormal. This fact brought the alpha no relief, since he knew his bunny must be suffering horribly to endure and hide the stroke.

When Mingyu reached the hospital, he still had no idea what had actually happened to the rabbit.

They really arrived at the place before Jeonghan’s doctor did. Consequently, the couple was guided to an empty room to wait for their doctor to come. Mingyu carried his bunny inside, keeping the omega on his lap for the whole time, hugging him, soothing him and stroking his hair continuously, hoping for the streams of tears to stop flowing but it was impossible. Jeonghan did not want to escape. He did not try to avoid Mingyu. He just sat there and cried silently in his alpha’s arms.

Jeonghan had no reaction towards the appearance of his doctor. He had no answer when the beta asked them what had happened. Mingyu had no answer either. No matter how hard they tried to convince the hybrid, the rabbit just kept silent while shedding more and more tears, ducking his head until his chin touched his chest. The doctor had no choice but to ask Mingyu to help him pull the omega’s hair away so that he could check the mark.

On the hybrid’s neck, what they saw was not only the mark. There were also numerous hickeys yet Mingyu was sure they had not been there before the ball tonight. He bit Jeonghan every day, so he knew it. There were no bruises, only hickeys.

The doctor did not say much before starting his job of taking care of the bleeding mark.

“Things are actually not as serious as they seem. It’s just bleeding a little. You can deal with other things at home. Some proper talk will help. You’re his boyfriend. You can talk to him.”

“Deal with other things at home?” Mingyu felt his heart dropping to the bottom of his stomach. “Are there… are there any ways to help him here? At… at home?”

“Don’t tell me that you can’t feel anything.” The doctor glared at him. “_Something_ has triggered a heavy stroke. You’re his boyfriend. Why didn’t you take care of him? You hadn’t given him what he need, so you have no right to blame him for what happened this time. Just bring him home, and set everything straight between you two.”

Sitting in a cold silence, Mingyu was lost deep his own thoughts while the doctor put some special antiseptic on the wound. All pieces of information the giant man had got were already enough to make a conclusion, but he was too scared to admit it. Never had he ever been able to think that it would be possible for Jeonghan and Wonwoo to run into each other in the middle of the ball. Never had he been able to think that the price for not taking care of the strokes properly could be this much. Never had he ever been able to think that neither Jeonghan nor Wonwoo could fight against their powerful primal instincts. Perhaps, thing would not be like this if Mingyu had paid more attention to the hybrid like how he had taken care of Jun.

Jun was an alpha, and he even had a lot of strokes because of Wonwoo’s bite. Then what Jeonghan had gone through? Mingyu and Jun had been both like two idiots leaving the poor rabbit dealing with those difficult and vulnerable situations on his own. They were the cruel ones who had left the rabbit’s desires unfulfilled, causing the omega’s body to end up willingly welcoming _its real mate_ when it had the chance.

And now, Jeonghan was crying his eyes out, having no sign of a stop. He was silent now, but he had screamed a lot while being alone at the mansion.

When the doctor said that he had to give the rabbit an injection, Mingyu had no choice but to help his omega roll up his sleeve. This moment, the omega began to show obvious discomfort, whimpering more loudly and hiding his face deeper into his alpha’s chest. Mingyu instantly understood the reason; there were countless hickeys scattering the rabbit’s arm. Like his neck, the arm had no bruises. Jeonghan really had no sign of being assaulted, and now he was evidently severely embarrassed of this fact.

Mingyu’s heart broke when his hands left the omega’s arm to come to his hair and stroke it. Jeonghan flinched and dodged, immediately forming a very tight hug around his alpha’s body. It was not difficult at all for the alpha to know that his bunny was scared of being pushed away.

“I’m here. It’s okay, Hannie.” Leaving kisses on the shaking omega’s hair, Mingyu whispered in broken voice. “Just one shot and then we’ll go home. Okay?”

It was not until now did the rabbit had the first reaction to his alpha. He nodded, choking out a sob as the needle pierced through his flesh.

Mingyu did not wait a single second after the doctor finished his job with the mark. The giant man bolted back to the parking lot, driving his bunny back home with no hesitation. In desperation, he could only hope that home would bring the hybrid more comfort and safety. An omega having a stroke was not much different from an omega in heat. He knew Jeonghan could not feel safe at all when they were still on the road like this. He needed to be brought back home as soon as possible.

Nonetheless, Mingyu did not expect his bunny to jump out of his arms right away after he entered their apartment. Leaving the alpha no chance to say or do anything, Jeonghan ran to the bedroom. The giant man tried to follow, but when he reached the bedroom, he only saw the hybrid disappearing behind the door into the bathroom, and it was soon locked. There was no sound left in the room except for the running shower.

Even the fact that Jeonghan rushed to the bathroom to wash himself so hurriedly broke Mingyu’s heart brutally one more time. In high distress, the alpha quickly changed his own clothes just because he was too irritated by the scent of Wonwoo lingering on them, and then paced back and forth anxiously around the room, trying to figure out a way to help the rabbit but he could not come up with anything. This situation was difficult. He was pretty sure Jeonghan would be still crying when walking out of the bathroom as a stroke could not go over that fast. It was just half past nine. There was still a long while to wait until Jun came back here.

Mingyu had never thought that it could be this devastating to wait for someone to get out of the bathroom. Five minutes, ten minutes, and then fifteen minutes passed by. Jeonghan was still inside, and the sounds of running water were still loud, as if the hybrid could not feel enough of rubbing whatever Wonwoo had left off his body.

“Hannie, are you still okay there?” Mingyu needed to knock on the door and asked, since he was too nervous. “Please don’t stay in the shower too long. It’s already late. You’ll get sick. Please get out quickly. Okay?”

The water was suddenly shut, giving the man the hope of Jeonghan coming out a few minutes later, but nothing happened. Everything was strangely quiet, yet the sweet scent was slowly seeping out of the thin space between the door and the floor. Mingyu was so worried and heartbroken that the alluring scent almost had no impact on him; it only made his heart heavier. Until now, the man was forced to think that Jeonghan was not only taking a shower; the rabbit was hiding himself away from him. There were various reasons for him to do that, but Mingyu had wished that the rabbit could have enough faith in him to just walk out here and talk, and find a proper solution. Mingyu was sure Jeonghan would be sober enough not to beg him to have sex; he just wished the rabbit would come to him to seek for emotional comfort.

Mingyu had thought Jeonghan would do that after all the sweet moments and acknowledgement they had shared with each other in the past few days. Nonetheless, at this time, the omega shut down completely, denying communication, locking himself alone in a room where he definitely got no help from anyone or anything. The problem now was not just the stroke anymore; it was also what he had just done with Wonwoo at the ball.

Kneeling by the door, pressing his ear to the wood surface and holding his breath, Mingyu felt his heart clenching as he heard his bunny sniffling, crying, and breathing heavily. In a split second, the alpha wondered if he should just let Jeonghan stay alone as he wanted and then slowly calm down. However, he rapidly got rid of that thought, because he guessed the hybrid would be very likely to feel like he was abandoned and that Mingyu felt disgusted of him. Jeonghan could not be left alone now. No matter what, he needed someone to be with him. Mingyu had to make him know that he did not do anything wrong and whatever he had done or would possibly do with Wonwoo could never change his love.

“Can you please come out here with me, bunny?” The alpha lowered his voice, trying to use his most tender voice to talk to his omega who might be sitting right behind the closed door. “It’s cold there. You should come out of the bathroom. I will put you in the blanket, and maybe make something warm for you to drink. Do you like that?”

There came no answer. The rabbit kept sniffling and torturing Mingyu by his melancholy scent of sadness and despair. Jeonghan really did not reek of fear. Perhaps he actually had had a consensual sex with Wonwoo and he was not traumatized this time, but the impact of that incident was horrendous. Mingyu felt no hatred for disgust towards the fact that Jeonghan had had sex with the man who had raped him in the past, yet he could figure out that the omega was hating himself for letting it happen.

Or…

_“Is he mad at me because I didn’t protect him?”_

The thought all of a sudden sunk in Mingyu’s mind, and he had no way to forget it. This could be the truth.

“I’m sorry, Hannie. I’m really sorry. I should have been with you all the time. I’m really sorry. It’s all my fault. I… I should have been with you.” Once Mingyu had started to feel horribly at fault for his beloved bunny’s misery, he could never stop. He continuously apologized to his omega over and over again, begging for forgiveness even though the rabbit had not told him anything or even given him an angry look. “I’m sorry. Can you please… please forgive me once and come out here with me? Please, Hannie! Please come here with me! I know… I know you won’t let me help you, but Junnie’s coming home soon. He will help you! Can you come out here with me so that I can at least hug you or watch you? Please, Hannie, please!”

In the middle of his chain of profound apologies, Mingyu did not dare to expect that the door would open this early. The rabbit was kneeling on the floor when he appeared in front of his alpha, face wet by streams of tears. Jeonghan just shook his head vigorously before frantically crawling closer to Mingyu. The alpha did not realize that his own tears were falling until his bunny used both hands to hold his face and wipe them away. The hybrid kept shaking his head, staring into his alpha’s eyes deeply, desperately trying to tell him that it was not his fault. This thought simply had never crossed Jeonghan’s mind and it was definitely untrue. Mingyu did nothing wrong.

Smiling to his bunny regardless of his own tears, the alpha gently tucked the hybrid’s hair behind his ears, rubbing his shivering back.

“Don’t cry, Hannie! Everything’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. There’s a reason for _it_.” Mingyu looked tremendously wrecked and depressed right now, but he was smiling, giving sunshine to Jeonghan as if he were in no pain at all. “You heard what the doctor said, right? It’s my and Junnie’s fault for not taking care of you well… We… we really suck. We’ve been too stupid. Please forgive me, Hannie. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Jeonghan could not take this anymore. He just flung himself into Mingyu’s arms and let the man hug him tightly while both of them were crying in mixed emotions. The giant man was painfully happy to get the rabbit back in his embrace, to have the opportunity to give his omega some comfort instead of just listening to his sobs and sniffles in agony. Whereas, Jeonghan was overwhelmed by everything. His mind had not recovered from the shock about his own action yet, and now he was attacked by how much Mingyu still adored him after everything.

The giant man literally knew everything but his love was not affected even the slightest.

Not spending too much time on the floor, Mingyu soon carried his bunny to the bed and used the blanket to wrap around Jeonghan. It did not take the man a lot of time to realize that the rabbit was wearing his shirt which seemed to be extraordinarily large on him and Jun’s sweatpants. Therefore, Mingyu tried to give his omega more comfort by covering him with the blanket which smelled considerably like Jun.

The situation was extremely weird. Jeonghan was still suffering from his stroke, leaking slick and even wetting Mingyu’s lap, but the giant man was almost not influenced by the omega’s condition since his mind was fixated on his bunny’s miserable tears and sniffles. The rabbit just stayed still on his alpha’s lap, burying his face into Mingyu’s chest again, hugging his legs closely to his own chest. At this point, Mingyu understood that his omega felt embarrassed and humiliated for having a stroke like this, being horny because of Wonwoo in front of him - his future husband, the man who adored him so much just like how Jun did.

Jeonghan wanted to hide, but wanted to stay with Mingyu at the same time, desperately seeking for some peace and warmth from the giant man’s love. He hated being alone, especially in occasions like this one, when he felt most vulnerable and insecure about everything. Right now, Jeonghan just considered himself as a filthy omega hybrid who had had sex passionately with his rapist. Mingyu kept telling it was not his fault, but the rabbit could not shake the horrible feelings off his mind and his heart. He did not deserve his alphas. He must have disappointed them a lot.

How would Jun think when he came back home and found out what had happened? How could Jeonghan hide the truth this time? He had hickeys all over his body and Jun would blame Mingyu if they lied and said that the rabbit was assaulted by a random alpha. Jeonghan could not let it happen, yet he was too scared to let Jun know. He was too scared. Above everything, he was scared of losing Jun most, too scared of killing his beloved gentle alpha’s love for him.

To Jeonghan, Jun was one in a billion. He knew, such an angel would never come to him again. He only had this angel whose name was Jun and he thought he would die if one day Jun did not love him anymore.

The rabbit could not exactly describe what happened in his heart, but a sob immediately wrecked him at the moment Mingyu squeezed his hand tightly and tangled their fingers together. Jeonghan tried to hold his alpha’s hand back as tightly as possible, feeling like Mingyu was silently giving him an assurance to let him know that he was still loved no matter what.

“It’s okay, bunny. It’s okay.” Pressing a kiss on the tip of Jeonghan’s head, the alpha gently rubbed his lover’s back. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Junnie is coming home. He will help you. Believe me. He won’t be mad or anything. We both love you.”

For half an hour later, Mingyu was still whispering his sweet and soothing words into the rabbit’s ears and did not stop in even a second. There was nothing that love could not do; Jeonghan no longer sobbed heavily, only shedding tears in silence, relaxing a bit under his alpha’s tender hands. Mingyu registered this was seriously a very heavy stroke. It kept being there although almost an hour had passed since Jeonghan started to have the first symptoms. The alpha had had to use a towel to place on his lap so that his bunny would be less embarrassed by how his slick was wetting their pants.

Mingyu did not hear the door into the apartment being opened, but he felt the hybrid in his arms tensed up all of a sudden. Instantly, the man guessed that Jun had just got home. Mingyu was really stunned by how sensitive Jeonghan was towards Jun’s presence even though they were in two completely different rooms with all the doors locked. However, the omega began to shift nervously on his alpha’s lap, showing signs of a wish to run away. Refusing to let the rabbit slip out of his grasp again, Mingyu tightened his hold, hurriedly murmuring sweet words to shush the omega’s upcoming whimpers of fright.

Until now, the giant man had to chance to understand thoroughly why Seungcheol had said that Jun was Jeonghan’s last hope. The hybrid had been anticipating for Jun to come back to him, but scared of facing the said alpha at the same time. The omega’s scent was currently dreadful, revealing the most devastating fear Mingyu had ever found in his bunny.

The big alpha only heard the fast and thumping footsteps in a few short seconds, and then the door soon swung opened as Jun hastily ran towards them. The horrible pheromones of fear and the heady scent of arousal were so thick in the air of the whole apartment that Jun could not wait any second; he had to run to the bedroom right away, already knowing that something serious must be going on. He was relieved to see that both of his lovers were still here with no scent of blood, yet the sight of Jeonghan curling up and crying on Mingyu’s lap broke his heart into thousands of pieces before he could reach the bed.

“What happened?” Jun asked in shock, running like a flash to his lovers, sitting down on the bed right next to Mingyu. “What’s wrong with Hannie? Why is he crying? Baby, are you okay?”

Leaning over, the older alpha intended to touch his bunny, but Jeonghan flinched and sunk more deeply into Mingyu’s chest, avoiding his touch. Jun instantly turned to look at Mingyu in panic, searching for an explanation, even more shocked to see that Mingyu seemed surprised and hurt as well. At least, this situation allowed Jun to believe that his lovers were not being mad at him. Jeonghan was acting like this because of another reason.

“Is he… having a stroke?” Jun nervously asked his cousin. “He’s pregnant… He can’t be in heat. Right? Gyu?”

Mingyu nodded with a solemn expression on his face, voice shaking since he was worried as well, but mostly for himself.

“Yes, Junnie. That’s a stroke.”

“But… but why is he crying?” Jun still had no way to understand, and he finally ignored the hybrid’s attempt of staying away from his touch, because he could not endure this anymore.

Since Mingyu was hugging Jeonghan tightly, the rabbit could not move away, giving Jun the chance to stroke his hair. The omega sobbed again, squeezing his eyes shut as tears gushed out even more despite the fact that Jun was just giving him an utterly tender caress on his hair. The alpha was so scared of spooking his bunny, desperately wishing to make Jeonghan relax slightly by an intimate but tender touch on his head. The hybrid was obviously too mentally hurt to resist the affection from the alpha he loved most in this world, easily melting under Jun’s hand and having no protest. As a result, Jun could move his hand further, until it unintentionally pulled some of the omega’s hair away, revealing his neck which was scattered by freshly red hickeys.

Unfortunately, Jeonghan opened his eyes just in time to see the alpha’s shocked face. He pushed Jun’s hand away right on the spot, hiding his face into Mingyu’s chest and wishing to disappear forever. He knew Mingyu had tried to convince him that neither he nor Jun cared about the fact that he had had sex with Wonwoo and _enjoyed it_, but Jeonghan was still too embarrassed to face Jun again.

“You two…” Jun began, but then trailed off.

Mingyu shook his head, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“No, it wasn’t me. That’s…”

The older alpha was even more shocked to witness Jeonghan frantically gripping Mingyu’s hand tightly and shook his head vigorously, staring into the giant man’s eyes with countless unspoken pleas in his own eyes. In response, Mingyu shook his head as well, eyes filled with pain and regret but he was determined.

“We can’t hide this anymore, Hannie. We have to tell Jun. We have to.” The younger male emphasized strongly on every word in every sentence. “_He_ might come here to find you right tomorrow morning. We had better just tell Jun now.”

“Tell me about what?” Jun began to feel really scared now. He saw no choice but to beg. “Please… please tell me, Gyu! No matter what it is, I need to know! Please, Gyu, Hannie!”

Inhaling deeply, trying his best to be cruel just once, Mingyu ignored the trembling omega in his arms, ignored the shake of his head to tell Jun everything, from the beginning until what had happened an hour ago.

The next half an hour, Mingyu just sat there, watching Jun hugging Jeonghan desperately tightly after the older alpha stopped holding himself back and brought the rabbit onto his lap. The floodgate was opened right after Jun made his broken bunny straddle his lap and the omega frantically hugged his guardian angel as if he would die if he ever let Jun go. The couple sat there and cried together. Jun sobbed so hard that his apologies to the rabbit were almost inaudible, but Jeonghan understood all, shaking his head vehemently, wishing he could say that Jun did not do anything wrong.

Mingyu knew he could not do anything. He had to let them cry, because _this one_, this problem of _whether Jeonghan had been hurt by Wonwoo or not_, was what had mentally destroyed Jun two months ago. In the end, it took Jun so much time to find out that Wonwoo really had done it. It was impossible for him to think that he was not at fault for this, since in Jun’s mind, Wonwoo only hurt Jeonghan because the lead alpha wanted to use the hybrid as a means to control Jun. He had failed to protect his bunny so many times, leaving Jeonghan wounded, traumatized, and pregnant.

That day, if Jun had not left Jeonghan at the hospital, this tragedy would not have happened. If Jun had been braver to stand up and fight back to defend Jeonghan and his love for the bunny, and to just bring the rabbit home and announce their relationship to both Joshua and Mingyu, Jeonghan would not have had to suffer more than anyone else. Thinking of what the rabbit had told him on the first day of their reunion in the park, Jun hated himself more than ever in his whole life.

_“I didn’t leave you, and I won’t leave you. You’re the one who left me. Remember?”_

_“I was so scared, but you listened to him and left. I thought you had had enough with me.”_

_“I promise, I will be with you forever.”_

_“Please don’t cry, Junnie. I’ve cried enough. You shouldn’t cry more.”_

Mingyu decided to just let his two lovers cry together, since they needed to let everything out, and after that, he would wish them to carry on so as to be happy till the end of their lives. With his own broken heart, the giant man wondered why fate had treated Jun and Jeonghan this unfairly. They were probably the sweetest and kindest people in this world, doing nothing wrong, yet they were both forced to go through many tragic events, especially the rabbit. On the other hand, the more Jeonghan got hurt, the more devastated Jun became.

Nonetheless, from now on, they would share every pain together, because Mingyu would not allow anyone or anything to separate them again. The big alpha had already made up his mind; he was ready to fight Wonwoo to keep his lovers happy and safe regardless of the lead alpha’s feelings. Wonwoo had treated them without a care of their emotions too many times; he deserved being treated in the same way yet Mingyu was sure nothing could ever hurt his eldest cousin as much as how Wonwoo had hurt other people.

Sometimes Mingyu thought he could forgive Wonwoo for what he had done, but now, watching Jun and Jeonghan crying, he was extraordinarily livid. In Mingyu’s opinion, Wonwoo was really stupid whenever he was angry. Wonwoo had made all of the worst decisions in this universe while there were numerous other ways of solving the problems.

The crying couple was so lost in their pain to even recognize the anger in Mingyu’s pheromones. They stayed like that in almost an hour, hugging each other without a care of time or anything else. Jun was running the risk of losing his voice due to his constant mantra of apologies yet he did not care, and Jeonghan could not stop his angel either. Despite having never blamed Jun for anything, the rabbit was forced to admit that it felt nice to hear apologies, as if those statements gave him the assurance of himself being loved and respected. The more Jun apologized, the more Jeonghan felt loved and healed as if his angel really had brought magic to his soul.

Only with Jun, the rabbit felt safe enough to let all his guards down, cry his eyes out, and just hide his face in the crook of the alpha’s neck without caring about the world. Even if the sky fell down, he would still be in Jun’s arms. After today, he was convinced that if disaster came one more time, his gentle angel was willing to die with him instead of leaving him alone like how it had happened in the past. Separation would just never occur again.

Jeonghan loved Jun unconditionally, having no reason to doubt.

In the end, Mingyu was the one who calmed down first to wrap his arms around both of his lovers, snuggling them closely into his chest, giving each of them a kiss on their head.

“Please don’t cry, Hannie, Junnie. We’re together now. We will take care of each other. We won’t ever leave each other again. Everything is okay.”

They both nodded and silently pressed themselves into the biggest man, giving Mingyu a bit of relief to know that they were still aware of his presence and able to listen to what he had said. Once again, Mingyu did not know he himself was crying until a sniffle prevented him from continuing to talk. Trying to swallow the tears, he forced out a smile in tears.

“You see? I’ve never lied to you, right? I told you, Junnie. Hannie always loves you and he won’t ever blame you for anything.” Saying, Mingyu pressed a kiss on his mate’s head before turning his attention to the hybrid and repeated the same action of affection. “Do you believe me now, Hannie? Jun isn’t mad at you, because you didn’t do anything wrong. He’s crying for you and hugging you. See, bunny?”

Squirming to get out of the two alphas’ arms, the poor rabbit looked up at them through his red and wet eyes, trembling while making some gestures to transmit a message.

_“I’m sorry. Please forgive me!”_

“Please don’t say so, Hannie. Please don’t! Please!” Jun begged his bunny, holding the omega’s face by his shaking hands. “Please… Please…”

Unable to force out more words, Jun abruptly leaned over a little more to seal Jeonghan’s lips by his own ones, using his kisses to make the rabbit know how much he loved him and believe that he did not care about what had happened at the ball. However, the alphas did not expect the hybrid to pull away and shake his head vehemently. This action reminded him of the fact that Jeonghan was still in agony because of his stroke. Jun’s kisses absolutely got him more horny. It was seriously high time to take care of the rabbit, since the stroke had lasted for more than one hour.

“Please allow me to help you, baby.” Jun lowered his voice to beg Jeonghan one more time. “Can you please let me be your alpha, Hannie? You love me, right?”

The rabbit nodded to confirm that he did love Jun a lot, but he was scared and embarrassed.

“Do you want me to become your alpha, your mate?” Jun asked another question, staring deeply into his lover’s eyes as his thumbs gently wiped the tears away.

Jeonghan undoubtedly nodded again, even many times. The hybrid had never had the second thought about himself loving Jun and wishing to become his omega. Nonetheless, it was just overwhelming for him to believe that this angel falling from the sky would still be willing to accept him after everything. Jeonghan considered himself as the most filthy hybrid in this world, because he had been sold to too many people, and he had just had sex with his rapist an hour ago. Jun, his angel, his flawless alpha, was begging him to become his official omega.

Seeing the expression of being shocked and overwhelmed in the hybrid’s eyes, the two alphas decided to wait for Jeonghan to calm down more. Jun remained a gentle and loving eye contact with his bunny, but also showed his determination for the whole time. Although his own tears had not stopped falling, he was effortlessly giving Jeonghan the most heavenly feelings of being loved and adored. The rabbit wanted to be drowned in Jun’s love forever, wishing to have the honor to belong to the alpha who had everything he had ever wished to find from a person he could rely on forever. Jun was his angel. Jeonghan knew it. Jun was definitely his angel, which was a fact that would never change at all cost, because they were destined for each other.

The alpha only waited for a light nod of his bunny to smile in tears and kiss him again, squeezing him tightly in his arms and not willing to let go again.

Watching them in relief, Mingyu was also in awe, unable to believe that their kisses still seemed to be so tender and sweetly intimate at this moment. The giant alpha only let the notion of misery of pain slip out of his mind in a second and now he was fully wary of how sickly sweet Jeonghan’s slick was. Was Jun not aware of it or was he trying to hide his true emotion to prioritize the omega’s comfort? The answer was not really necessary, because no matter what it could be, Mingyu finally confirmed that Jun and Jeonghan were definitely destined for each other. They matched so well, so perfectly, and the rhythm of their kisses seemed too good to be real.

Mingyu suddenly felt like doing a sinful thing by watching two angels kissing each other and being about to make love. He should not interfere with such a private moment where both Jeonghan and Jun were so emotional like this.

Slowly sliding out of the bed to make room for his lovers, Mingyu whispered quietly, a little bit flustered.

“I… I’m sorry I will leave now. You two can…”

Surprisingly, the giant man could not walk away that easily, because he felt two hands holding his both wrists instantly. Turning back to look at the two people on the bed, he saw that not only Jun but also Jeonghan was staring at him and trying to hold him back. While Jun’s eyes were being gentle and loving, the rabbit seemed to be so sad and desperate that Mingyu just wanted to jump back and hug him tightly.

“Don’t go, my bear.” Jun shook his head lightly, using more force in his hand to pull his lover back, forcing Mingyu to sit down again. “See? Hannie wants to keep you here, too.”

Sitting nervously on the edge of the bed, Mingyu stared at Jun in bewilderment and then switched to Jeonghan, eyes filled with both concern and anticipation as he tried harder than ever to check if they were mistaking the hybrid’s attitude or not. His bunny looked really sad now, as if he were about to burst into tears one more time if Mingyu really left him here with Jun only yet the younger alpha seriously had never wanted to make his omega feel abandoned. He just thought that he was not accepted or allowed to be present here at this special moment of Jun and the rabbit.

“I… I really can stay here? …Hannie?” Mingyu asked with shaking voice, carefully holding Jeonghan’s hand with all of his tenderness and adoration.

The man thought the rabbit would need some time to reconsider his decision, but Jeonghan literally did not have any hesitation. He nodded, quickly and clearly, squeezing the bigger hand in his own little hands much more tightly. The rabbit had never thought there would be one day when he willingly wanted to have two alphas with him in this way, but right now, his heart just could not bear letting Jun or Mingyu walk out of this room. He needed both of their presence in his life, and in this moment. They were both his alphas; even though he could only take one mark tonight, he desired to have Mingyu by his sides too, ready to give and take anything so as just to relish the happiness and security of having the giant man with him so closely.

Jun was honestly really amazed at how much Jeonghan and Mingyu had become more intimate with each other in just a few days, but beside being surprised, he did not know what to feel except for combusting in happiness. His poor broken and fragile omega had finally got more love for his life, earning a beautiful relationship with the alpha whom Jun had always been considering as the best man in this universe. Jun knew he himself was not good enough for his bunny; he was the exactly gentle alpha the rabbit wanted, but he was not strong enough or confident enough to be someone whom Jeonghan could rely on thoroughly or seek for the best protection like how Jun had felt towards Mingyu.

Jun believed Mingyu could bring heaven to the hybrid’s life and make it colorful.

Jun was willing to give Mingyu, the guardian angel of his life, to Jeonghan if this action could compensate for all of the mistakes he had done to his beloved omega in the past. Nonetheless, he knew this would not happen, because neither Jeonghan nor Mingyu was someone who could accept something like this to occur. He just loved both of them too much. Jun had no reason not to give the best things to Jeonghan, and had no reason to feel uncomfortable with sharing his omega to Mingyu.

He belonged to Mingyu from his soul to his body, so whoever belonged to him should belong to Mingyu as well. Mingyu made his life complete, gave him the opportunity to get Jeonghan back into his life, and did magic to him by washing away the tremendous guilt in his heart by giving love to the rabbit. Jun knew he owed Mingyu everything. He needed to let his giant bear know this soon. He needed to make both of his lovers happy.

To do it, he needed to stop crying now and focus on his bunny’s pressing need to mate. More than anyone, Jun understood how distraught it was to refrain from having sex with someone when the strokes came.

“Don’t be scared, baby.” Jun left a tender kiss on Jeonghan’s temple before scooting until he was sitting in the middle of the bed. “If you don’t want Mingyu to go, he won’t go. I want to have him here too.”

Lightly tapping his cousin’s arm, Jun wiped his tears one more time to clean his face for good, and then told his mate lovingly.

“Can you help me bring our bunny here?”

“Are you sure, Junnie?” Mingyu did not dare to let go of Jeonghan’s hand, but he was still super nervous when looking at his cousin. “I…”

Before the giant man could stop talking, the rabbit had begun to move on his own, crawling until he settled in the middle of the bed next to Jun. Having no more to lose, the omega leaned over and grabbed Mingyu’s arm to pull him closer, forcing the man to move towards him and sit on the other side. The place where Jeonghan had sit previously left a lot of slick wetting the mattress but the rabbit did not seem to care about it anymore. He was staring at Mingyu, pleading through his wet eyes while trying pathetically to wipe all the tears away. Jun helped his bunny by using the sleeve of his shirt to clean the omega’s face, cooing soft words to his ears to shush his feeble whimpers.

Gulping, Mingyu inhaled deeply, and eventually decided to move towards his two lovers, realizing that he should not make his bunny suffer any longer. Waiting no more, the hybrid scrambled to move into the space between the giant alpha’s legs, sitting comfortably with his back pressed to the man’s chest and lifting up his head. Catching the hint, Mingyu bent down to kiss his omega’s lips sensually, closing arms around the soft body and listening to his bunny’s delicious moans.

Smiling in front of the sight, Jun tugged the rabbit’s legs onto his lap, massaging them gently to help Jeonghan relax bit by bit, but also to give him some gentle stimulation. Nevertheless, the rabbit did not seem to have that much patience. Pulling away from Mingyu’s kisses, he stared at Jun and shook his head vehemently, tugging at the waistband of his sweatpants in a poor attempt of pulling them down. Taking the hybrid’s hands away and pulling them back to place on the omega’s heaving chest, Mingyu kissed Jeonghan on the forehead and gave him a reassurance.

“Calm down, Hannie. Junnie will take care of you. Don’t worry.”

“Do you allow Mingyu to touch you, Hannie?” Jun asked slowly but clearly, making sure that his bunny could hear every single word and understand all.

Like how he had reacted to the previous questions, Jeonghan rapidly nodded one more time regardless of the fact that his cheeks were in a deep shade of red due to shyness and embarrassment. The giant man seriously could not wait anymore, especially when his omega had eventually granted him a permission. Still gently as always, the younger alpha bent down a little more, amazed and satisfied to see his bunny tilting his own head almost immediately. Carefully pulling the long hair to a side, Mingyu decided not to care about the available hickeys and just proceeded to deliver kisses along the hybrid’s neck.

Jeonghan almost let out a moan owing to the erotic feelings of having Mingyu’s lips on his sensitive skin, but all of his sounds were muffled by Jun’s sensual kisses. Things had not even really started yet but the omega already felt overwhelmed, knowing that he would be fully blissed out, and unable to walk out of bed tomorrow.

“Because you can’t talk, we need some other kinds of signals.” Jun whispered on the hybrid’s lips, hands slowly rubbing Jeonghan’s thighs which was being forced to spread out so as to give room for the older alpha.

Jeonghan opened his eyes and looked deeply into Jun’s eyes, waiting for him to continue, but it was hard to concentrate when Mingyu did not relent.

“When you want us to slow down, tap my or Mingyu’s arms twice.” Jun stopped there, and only continued when Mingyu finally looked up at him. “And if you want us to stop, tap three times. Understand, baby?”

Jeonghan nodded quickly.

“Do you want to tap any of us now?” Jun checked again, slowly sliding his fingers under the omega’s waistband.

The rabbit shook his head instantly, highly wary of where his alpha’s hands were being at. Smiling in satisfaction, Jun kissed his bunny’s cheek while Mingyu just did the same thing. They both gave Jeonghan a promise.

“We won’t hurt you. Let us take care of you, bunny.”

Again, the hybrid nodded, instantly feeling his own little hole down there gushing out so much more slick when Jun slowly pulled his pants along with his underwear down his legs, revealing his bare lower body, his slender and smooth legs. In embarrassment, the omega folded both of his legs and pressed his knees into his chest to cover himself in front of the two men’s burning gazes. Chuckling at the rabbit’s cuteness, the two alphas together showered their pretty omega with kisses all over his face and his neck, melting the rabbit in their arms and under their tender kisses. As Mingyu held Jeonghan’s delicate wrists in his big hands, Jun unfolded the shy hybrid’s legs, guessing that his bunny was being nervous today because of Mingyu’s presence, yet that was fine. He and his mate had enough patience to make their little lover feel comfortable to receive all of their ministration.

Jun was eager to be a slave for his bunny tonight, and till the end of his life.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I broke down in the middle of writing JunHan crying part and I cried in almost an hour ;_; I think... with their level of pain, it's definitely possible for them to hug each other and cry in an hour T_T They could even cry for longer if Hannie isn't sufferring from the stroke.
> 
> I wonder if you want a detailed chapter of JunGyuHan smut or not... Or should I just write about it shortly?
> 
> Anyway, I feel so relieved after writing this chapter ;_; Our beloved JunGyuHan finally have no more secret and they are a true family now >< 
> 
> Please let me know how you feel >< I'm sad because of the loss of readers but at least I'm cheered up a bit thanks to the appearance of some new ones T_T 
> 
> I love you!!!


	87. A healing night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had sex.  
Jeonghan was finally marked by his angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skip this chapter if you're too young, or if you don't like JunGyuHan smut.  
Check the tags before reading to see if you'll be comfortable with this or not.  
I've never been this insane ><

Jeonghan felt it lucky that he had already been sitting on the bed and leaning against Mingyu’s body from the beginning, because he was pretty sure he would fall flat on the ground if he were standing on his own. His head was spinning even though his alphas had not started doing something too serious. On his left, the giant alpha was bending down slightly to nibble his neck, while Jun was sitting on his right side, devouring his lips and swallowing his moans. Until this moment, the rabbit began to sense the alphas’ intense arousal in their pheromones and scent, which made him feel incredibly hotter in his body. In a split second, Jeonghan was scared by the striking dominance Mingyu’s pheromones were giving off, but the omega calmed down quickly, since his big man was still holding his hand gently and whispered into his left ear.

“I love you, Hannie.” Mingyu pecked his omega, staring into the beautiful eyes when Jun pulled away from the kisses. “Relax, and don’t worry. You’ll be okay.”

“There might be one thing you will really like, Gyu.” Jun’s eyes suddenly twinkled as his mind remembered something interesting. Caressing the hybrid’s cheek and turning him to look at him at the same time, the older alpha politely asked, trying his best to make his bunny know that he was not commanding. “Can you let your rabbit ears and tail appear, Hannie? They’re really cute.”

Jeonghan immediately blushed at the sudden compliments. Jun had never told him that his ears and tail looked cute, but the omega certainly believed it right now, knowing that his alpha had no reason to lie. Gulping, the bunny nodded, inhaling deeply, and then letting it all go. He had nothing to hold back now. Jeonghan now was in his true form of a human-rabbit hybrid, and in one of his most vulnerable conditions - an omega having a stroke in the arms of two alphas. It took him an enormous amount of love and trust to expose everything to his alphas like this, but the two men had the unique strength of making him feel safe and comfortable. They had no problems with hybrids; they would surely not pull his ears or his tail like how some crazy bastards had done in the past. Moreover, they would not treat him any less than how they treated a human just because of some features of an animal he had.

Mingyu was struck by a heart attack right on the spot, in awe to see the long and white fluffy ears on Jeonghan’s head. The fur was white while the omega’s hair was blonde, but Mingyu thought the fur matched his skin color perfectly, and his bunny seriously looked like a little ball of fluff. If this was not a rabbit, then Mingyu believed this person must be an angel falling from heaven. One of the lovely ears twitched when the alpha’s hand lightly touched it, but Jeonghan did not try to stay away, so Mingyu became bolder and started to carefully caress and stroke it from the base to the tip. The man was just mesmerized and wrecked for his bunny, loving to death the feelings of a soft rabbit ear in his rough fingers while Jeonghan had just stopped staring at him in anticipation because his eyes squeezed shut and a moan went past his lips.

“That’s right, baby.” Jun encouraged, smiling in satisfaction. He himself could not resist the temptation of the ear either, using one hand to stroke the other one, watching the hybrid melting in their hands. “As long as you’re gentle with our bunny, he will love it. But keep it in mind. Be gentle.”

“I will always be. I promise.” Mingyu said firmly, pressing his lips to the rabbit’s ones to start a new session of sensual kisses involving more than just lips.

Jun really loved the fact that Jeonghan did not seem to be too reserved towards Mingyu anymore. In comparison with the first time he helped the omega through his heat, the rabbit currently was much more comfortable, seeming to trust Mingyu a lot and truly having special romantic feelings for the giant man. Their chemistry was so good that Jun decided to stop worrying for good, acknowledging the fact that Jeonghan really had no problems with doing something sexual with Mingyu tonight. He must have known what would happen when he decided to ask the younger alpha to stay with them.

Jun knew Mingyu was always gentle. He knew Jeonghan would be fine.

Unable to let go of those cute ears, Mingyu kept stroking them while kissing his omega passionately, and Jeonghan seemed to like that. The rabbit’s body rapidly becoming softer and softer, and his mind was so clouded that he barely noticed Jun pulling his legs out, spreading them and crawling to sit between them once again. The hybrid only noticed it and hissed sharply when two familiar gentle hands all of a sudden touched him down there, one on his hard cock, and one on his right inner thigh. The sounds got Mingyu’s attention, and the man instantly looked downward to watch what Jun was doing. The giant man felt his throat dry and hot just to watch Jun pumping the omega’s little red cock in his hand. The rabbit’s legs were just beautifully smooth and soft and milky. The sight made Mingyu lick his lips unconsciously, feeling the hunger burning in his stomach.

It was possible to just eat Jeonghan alive right away.

“Can I, Hannie?” Jun asked slowly, wanting to make sure if his bunny wanted this now or he needed some more before this. Judging by the amount of slick and the time the stroke had lasted, Jun guessed that his omega would not want to wait longer.

Just like what he had guessed, the rabbit nodded eagerly, desperately wishing to get a release from Jun soon, but this time he was embarrassed and self-conscious due to Mingyu’s presence by his side. However, there was no way back now; he had already chosen to have the giant man here and his heart really wanted to have the younger alpha by his sides. Consequently, he would fight against his own embarrassment to just enjoy his alphas’ love for him.

Jun only needed that nod to begin giving small licks over the tip of his bunny’s cock, locking eye contact with his omega and watching him crumble in pleasure. Wanting to let Jeonghan see this, Mingyu did not kiss his lips anymore, and he decided to turn his attention to the hybrid’s neck and shoulders. Right at the moment Jun stopped the licks to engulf the whole length in his mouth, Mingyu also started to unbutton the omega’s shirt to reveal his slender shoulder. Using his chin to pull the shirt off, the alpha lavished Jeonghan’s shoulder with kisses and light bites, leaving marks regardless of the hickeys which had already been there. Who needed to care about them?

Jeonghan felt his mind already falling apart and becoming hazy, thick with arousal and pleasure brought by both of the alphas, especially Jun who was sucking his cock enthusiastically. The omega really wanted to find his climax quickly, trying to buck up his hips to fuck into his alpha’s mouth, but Jun did not allow him to. Using two hands to hold the omega down and rubbing his thighs at the same time, the older alpha instead bobbed his head up and down, letting the cock slide out of his mouth from time to time and creating slurping sounds which made the blush came from the omega’s face down to his chest. It was too hot and too erotic to look at, but Jeonghan did not want to miss this scene either. He tried to keep his eyes open so as to see how his angel was taking care of him, having no idea what Mingyu was doing to his shirt.

The omega did not even recognize it when Mingyu took his shirt off completely, leaving him fully naked and exposed. While the hybrid was lost in euphoria, the giant man spent time ogling the appealing body in front of his eyes. There were some small scars on the fair skin, but they did not make Jeonghan ugly even a bit. They were just remnants of a sad past which made not only Mingyu but also Jun want to love the rabbit more and treat him as gently as possible to make up for all the pains he had to bear in the past. It was totally understandable that Jeonghan desired utter tenderness and was unable to endure any rough treatment in terms of sex.

A few seconds after that, Jeonghan felt Mingyu’s hands all over his torso but it was already too late. Despite the fact that the rabbit was squirming and gasping, he could not really tell he did not enjoy it, especially when his alpha’s hands were caressing him so gently but sensually, turning him on even more although he thought he did not have the capacity of becoming more horny. Like how Jun had done, Mingyu kept murmuring compliments like _“You’re so beautiful”_ and _“I love you”_ to his bunny to make Jeonghan feel more loved and believe that they were all doing this together because of nothing else but love.

The omega’s heart started to race when he saw Mingyu’s hands slowly going up from his abdomen to his ribs, and perhaps they would reach his chest soon. Biting his lips to stop the sounds from coming out, Jeonghan still whined desperately as Jun sucked even harder than previously, doing a very deep throat for his lover to make the rabbit see stars. Moving his lips from the omega’s shoulder to his cheek, Mingyu shushed him tenderly.

“Just let it out, Hannie. Don’t be shy. Let us hear you. Let Jun know how good he makes you feel.”

Given the encouragement, Jeonghan could not keep his sounds anymore. Complying with his alpha’s words, the rabbit stopped biting his lips just in time the giant man’s hands moved up to brush over the little pink nipples, causing the omega to convulse and even jolt. Loud moans escaped his mouth instantly, sounding wanton and delicious. Nonetheless, Mingyu was still testing his bunny’s reaction and did not keep his hands there for long. He was just roaming his hand over the front of his lover’s torso, making sure he was warming up the rabbit thoroughly.

“Where is he most sensitive, Junnie?” Mingyu asked curiously.

Pulling away, Jun smirked at hearing his bunny’s loud whine, but still answered his cousin.

“If he’s comfortable enough with you, every single part of his body is super sensitive.” Jun slowly spoke while also slowly pumping his lover’s cock which was leaking a considerable amount of precum. “But for sure, he also easily gets hurt. So, please be careful.”

Nodding in understanding, Mingyu gave Jeonghan a kiss on his cheek, causing the rabbit to look at him through hazy eyes.

“Don’t worry, bunny. I won’t ever hurt you.”

Trusting his alpha, the hybrid nodded back, closing his eyes to enjoy the skillful lips of the giant man on his own ones while Jun resumed his act of attacking him with pleasure by wrapping his lips around the red swollen cock. There had not been much going on between him and Mingyu, but through the way the younger alpha kept asking questions and giving promises, Jeonghan knew he would be fine with both of them. Jun was there to watch, and Mingyu was a reliable man who had sincerely promised to protect him and love him with all his heart. Jeonghan guessed he really could let it all go this time. He had never had a threesome before, and it was seriously nerve-racking for him right now, but the rabbit shyly admitted he wanted to try.

However, Jeonghan had to break away from the kisses when Mingyu began to tease his nipples, since it was difficult to focus on kissing while his mind was spinning uncontrollably. Gasping and moaning, the rabbit did not know where to focus on - his cock, which was being sucked madly or his chest, which was being toyed with tenderly. Mingyu was being gentle but it did not mean his fingers’ movement did not bring much sensation. They actually brought the rabbit a lot, making him whine and squirm and frantically try to find something to clutch onto. Both men willingly gave him their hands, squeezing the hybrid’s soft and smaller ones to make him feel safe and loved to the utmost.

“You smell so good, bunny.” Mingyu whispered to his lover, mesmerized by everything of Jeonghan, addicted to the feelings of fondling the rosy nubs between his calloused fingers. “I’m eager to taste you.”

The rabbit unintentionally let out a high-pitched sound, gripping his alphas’ hands more tightly while he felt something really hard pressing to his back. It was extremely hot to realize that the alpha behind him was also aroused now, and his pheromones together with Jun’s were drowning the hybrid in a heady atmosphere of intense sexual desires. It was heavenly to know that they were also into this now but he was the only one to receive pleasure, which made Jeonghan feel like he was being prioritized. His men were not using him as a tool for them to find a release; they were eagerly giving it to him, encouraging him to trust them thoroughly and let them deal with everything.

Jeonghan was eventually unbelievably ashamed when his orgasm washed through him extremely fast and hard. His body convulsed violently and his cock twitched, shooting cum down Jun’s throat with no warning. The omega was vocal during his climax but not very loud. Nevertheless, his sound was still enough lewd and alluring in his alphas’ ears, letting them know how good he had been feeling. Jun was determined to suck till the last drop, licking his lips and smiling in satisfaction when pulling away. Whereas, the bunny was trying hard to get back his normal breathing in Mingyu’s arms, looking at his gentle alpha through hooded eyes, chest heaving heavily.

“Are you okay, baby?” Sitting straight up, Jun caressed his omega’s face, checking his reaction.

Jeonghan nodded, giving his alphas a huge relief and happiness by smiling weakly to both of them, leaning to the tender touches on his face and his ears. Deciding to give the omega some time to calm down, both Jun and Mingyu spent a few minutes cuddling and kissing their bunny, contented to smell Jeonghan pleasantly sweet. At this point, the rabbit had melted completely in his alphas’ arms, very confortable to be snuggled and touched by both of his lovers. The most obvious evidence was his little sweet smiles and the sparkles in his shining eyes.

Before Jeonghan thought that he really had calmed down after an orgasm, he was already sitting between his two alphas who were ravishing his neck with countless kisses and small bites. His long hair was quite troublesome but neither of them cared. They had no trouble even when the hair got in their faces since they both loved their bunny’s beautiful long hair. Jeonghan could not help shivering when feeling Jun’s tongue running on his skin from his neck to his shoulder.

Until now, the rabbit realized that Jun always loved to lick him, and he had always done that from the first time till this one. Jeonghan was particularly embarrassed this time because he still could not forget what he had done with Wonwoo at the ball, yet Jun did not seem to be bothered by it. Together with Mingyu, he covered his bunny with his own scent, his saliva, and his new hickeys, knowing how much Jeonghan loved to feel adored and treasured. He truly was, as he was Jun’s and Mingyu’s most precious treasure in this world.

“I have to ask you one thing, bunny.” Jun roamed his hand over the omega’s torso while asking in a low voice. “Will you allow Mingyu to help me open you, baby?”

Mingyu was grateful that Jun helped him ask those questions which he could not speak out on his own. The giant man was unsure about his limitation here, so he was glad to get the answers from the omega in order not to make him scared or uncomfortable.

Jeonghan’s breath hitched right at the idea of the giant alpha putting a finger in his whole, and he could not stop himself from nodding without thinking any further. The rabbit knew his own face was as red as a tomato due to embarrassment, but he still intently eyed the way his two alphas were slowly pulling his legs apart and caressing his inner thighs. Not only Jun, but also Mingyu was doing this right now. Soon, Jeonghan felt his head spinning crazily again and there was nothing he could do except for leaning against Mingyu completely, submitting his whole body to his alphas, anticipating for what they were going to give him.

When they laid him down on the mattress, Jeonghan was still clueless. When he saw both of them leaning over and lowering their heads, he still had no idea what was about to come.

As a result, the rabbit was definitely caught off guard and moaned very loudly and wantonly as the two alphas stuck out their tongues to lick his nipples at the same time, as if they had somehow discussed this strategy with each other. Each alpha placed a hand on Jeonghan’s shoulders to keep him still, and had the other hand stroking the hybrid’s thigh sensually, slowly inching towards the puckered clenching hole which was leaking more and more slick. Jeonghan was seriously overwhelmed now because of what was happening and also because of his own anticipation. This was really too much, too good to be true.

The two alphas felt interested to realize their bunny was getting impatient as Jeonghan used both hands to tangle in their hair, and shyly used a little force to push them towards his chest. Not wanting to torture their omega even a bit, the two men easily complied, starting to suck the daylight out of their bunny. Jeonghan was mewling now, getting back to his aroused state so rapidly that he himself even thought he was currently in heat. The fingers dancing on his thighs were getting so close to his entrance, and Jeonghan honestly just wanted something inside right now. He did not want to wait any longer. The desperate hybrid began to whine and squirm, hating the fact that Jun had not set any signal for telling them to speed up.

Stopping his action of sucking the omega’s right nub, Jun reached up to kiss his omega and shushed his whine tenderly.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’m here. It’s okay.” He pecked the rabbit, giving him an assuring look. “We just want to make sure you’re ready and you won’t get hurt.”

Jeonghan barely had the ability of paying much attention to what Jun was saying because Mingyu did not relent, still sucking him and nibbling his nipple passionately, enjoying it to the utmost and burning the omega’s face constantly. Mingyu was really feeling it. He was eager, extremely eager. Seeing the neglected nipple which Jun had left a few seconds ago, the giant man just altered to take care of it as well, making moans and moans come out of the omega’s mouth continuously. Jeonghan was relieved to have his head being supported by one of Jun’s arms now, somehow a little afraid of falling apart but Jun was already here with him. He felt safe in Jun’s arms, and felt horribly turned on when Mingyu whispered attractively into his ear.

“I love you, flower.”

Wasting no time, Mingyu gave Jeonghan a quick deep kiss, and then turned his attention back to the hard swollen nipples. Watching how wrecked the omega had already been, Jun could not help kissing his bunny as well, drowning the rabbit in an intimate cuddling session of the two tongues. Jeonghan ran his fingers through his two alphas’ hair, weakly pulling their heads towards himself, caressing their scalp as a way of telling them how much he also wanted them.

Jeonghan did not know why but he did not need any special reason to recognize the first finger to enter him as Jun’s one. Nonetheless, the hybrid had no chance to moan because he and his alpha could not feel enough of each other’s taste on their own tongues and in their own mouths. The omega had already been loose enough after more than an hour in his stroke, and it did not take long for Jun to push the second finger inside. He almost lost himself in the feeling of the tight muscles clenching around his fingers and inviting him to go deeper.

Jeonghan began to feel very desperate now and he started to try bucking up his hips again, wishing Jun to use those fingers to fuck him right away. He loved those tender fingers and just wanted them to move. His body always reacted in the most beautiful way to Jun, welcoming him in with all of his eagerness. Every cell in the omega’s body just loved how gentle Jun had always been with him, and he wanted that familiar feeling to come back again.

However, Jeonghan was still conscious enough to whine loudly as a protest when Mingyu pulled away and leaned back to watch what was happening down there. The younger alpha needed to take a look to make sure when it would be a suitable time for him to go further, and perhaps it was time now. To shush the omega’s whine, Mingyu reached up to kiss his bunny’s face as well. Seeing his mate coming, Jun pulled back a little so as just to give enough room for Mingyu to devour Jeonghan’s lips. The omega was attacked by both of his alphas who took turn to kiss his lips sensually and hungrily. His hands were being held down on the mattress above his head but Jeonghan could not care, too lost in the pleasure given to his body. He just wanted to howl loudly as the third finger came in his hole, but he was one hundred percent sure it was absolutely not Jun’s one anymore.

“Fuck.” Mingyu hissed and growled, staring into his omega’s eyes intensely. On the other hand, the alpha was startled just a second after that, afraid that he might have just scared his bunny, and he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Hannie. I just…”

Jeonghan shook his head instantly, trying to tell Mingyu that it was fine, and it was even hot to see the giant man lost himself in a short moment like this. Seeing the rabbit trying to push up his head, Mingyu got the hint and immediately sealed his lips again with more kisses, hearing an encouragement to move from Jun at the same time. Trusting his mate’s judgment, Mingyu began to thrust his own finger in and out, having an eargasm by listening to Jeonghan’s chain of breathless moans. Leaving the hybrid’s lips to Mingyu, Jun decided to went back to do his favorite thing, which was licking his bunny, especially licking his cute nipples to drive him crazier.

So as to let the rabbit moan, Mingyu soon left his lips too, and followed Jun to resume his task of sucking and biting his lover’s pink nub. Jeonghan felt like his alphas were bullying him, ganging up on him right now, and he almost wanted to cry because of this overwhelming stimulation. However, it was also Jeonghan who wanted to get more, starting to grind impatiently on his men’s fingers. The hybrid’s mind was gone too far for him to hear what Jun had just told Mingyu quietly. Being caught off guard one more time, the omega gasped and shivered to feel the fourth finger entering him without bringing him any pain or discomfort. It was not very easy to slide in, but it could, and when it finally started thrusting in and out like the other ones, Jeonghan would rather die than trying to keep his mouth shut.

They were so gentle, but so cruel as well. Jeonghan was unable to know what he was letting out of his mouth anymore. A minute later, the two alphas stopped playing with their bunny’s nipples to sit up and watch his face which was completely blissed out due to pure sexual pleasure. The omega’s whole body was covered in a thin layer of sweat, looking even more tempting and delicious, causing Mingyu to lick his lips while Jun tenderly brushed some hair out of Jeonghan’s face to watch him more clearly.

“Are we giving too much to him?” Mingyu asked nervously, but failed to stop himself from scattering kisses on the omega’s milky thigh.

“His stroke is not a light one. He surely wants this.” Jun assured his mate. “Don’t worry, Gyu. He can’t endure what he doesn’t like. If something goes wrong, we will see it very obviously right away.”

Leaning over to kiss the rabbit, Jun asked him endearingly.

“Do you want us to make you cum like this, Hannie?” He said gently, but his fingers made a very hard thrust that hit the omega’s prostate and made him give out the sexiest moan they had heard tonight.

However, Jeonghan shook his head vigorously, evidently not feeling satisfied enough with just his alphas’ fingers like this. He wanted more. Nonetheless, the hybrid lost his focus on the talk rapidly because Mingyu had just followed Jun’s movement, going bolder and thrusting harder as well, also hitting his bunny’s prostate, making him tremble. Jeonghan seriously wanted a dick now, or to be more exact, he really wanted to have Jun’s dick now. It was enough for this foreplay. He was sure he had never been this wet for his whole life, even in his most intense heat in the past.

Mingyu also leaned over to kiss his omega tenderly, giving him another question.

“There’s one thing I want to do before Jun takes you. Is it okay, Hannie?”

Jeonghan did not know what it would be, but he nodded, whining at the loss of the four fingers in his hole. Embarrassed by his own eagerness, the omega just wanted to hide in one of his alpha’s chests, yet they just chuckled lightly and pulled him to sit up. One more time, the hybrid failed to hear what Mingyu had just told Jun, and the words only came to his ears when the giant man talked to him directly while the hands were stroking his long ears.

“Can you get on all fours, bunny?”

Did Mingyu intend to eat him out?

Frightened, Jeonghan shook his head, causing Mingyu to look at Jun in panic, afraid that he had just asked the rabbit something he should not have asked.

Fortunately, Jun understood his lover. He knew the reason for Jeonghan to reject now was not that he disliked being eaten. Cooing softly to his bunny and wrapping him in his embrace, Jun stroked his omega’s hair lovingly.

“Don’t be ashamed, Hannie. We don’t care about it. We just want to take care of you. We love you. Don’t think of anything or anyone else except for me and Mingyu. Okay, baby?”

Realizing what the rabbit might have been thinking, Mingyu just wanted to squeeze him into his chest and tell him that it was fine. Mingyu did not care about the fact that Jeonghan had just had sex with Wonwoo about two hours ago. If his own action could help the omega feel being cleansed from Wonwoo’s touch previously, then the giant man was even more than eager to help his bunny feel better. Moreover, Mingyu was pretty sure Jeonghan had washed himself inside out very carefully when he spent a considerable amount of time in the shower. Everything was just fine.

“Jun is right. Just think about us, Hannie.” Mingyu scattered more kisses on his bunny’s face. “We love you.”

The alphas’ confessions were so sweet and sincere that Jeonghan did not hesitate for too long. The hybrid shyly moved, getting on all fours like what Mingyu had asked him previously, showing his rear to the giant man. Mingyu could feel his own dick twitched excitedly in his pants although nobody had ever assured that he would have the chance to fuck this delicious ass tonight. Nonetheless, it was blissful enough to just have a perfect view like this.

On the other hand, one unexpected thing caught Mingyu’s attention and almost made him pass out.

Too hypnotized by the long ears, the giant man had forgotten that his bunny also had a very adorable fluffy little tail above his bottom. The small tail was right on the end of Jeonghan’s tailbone, making Mingyu’s throat dry and hoarse in less than a second. The image of the omega having a rabbit butt plug popped up in the alpha’s mind, but Mingyu thought this reality was so much better. Falling head over heels for the cute white tail, the younger alpha curiously poked at the tail, and then began to caress it.

It twitched, as the hybrid whined feebly.

“Fuck.” Mingyu muttered, too quiet for Jeonghan to hear but Jun could, and he smiled, touching the tail as well.

“He’s so cute.” The older alpha cooed, leaving a kiss on one of his omega’s ass cheeks.

“Real rabbits can’t be as cute as Hannie.” Mingyu concluded without any doubts, still teasing the bunny’s tail lightly, causing Jeonghan to wriggle his ass.

“Agree.” Jun nodded, slowly smoothing his hands over the back of the omega’s thighs.

Jeonghan’s entrance looked a little red, but it did not seem to be in pain, giving both alphas the relief to know that their omega had not been hurt before. Kneading the round little butt cheeks, the two mean spread their bunny’s ass to expose him even more, watching the slick gushing out while the omega whined in utter embarrassment. Jeonghan was being very self-conscious now, aware of the two burning gazes on his ass and the two hands of two different people very close to his clenching hole.

The hybrid gasped and moaned lewdly as he felt someone licking over his entrance and creating a horribly embarrassing porn-worth sound. Just a second later, he heard Jun’s chuckle and a hand running along his spine, perhaps Jun’s hand too.

“I’m sorry, Gyu. I’ve had his cum before. This is for you. I shouldn’t be too greedy.”

Despite saying so, Jun pushed his index finger into the hole one more time, drawing more slick out and getting some on his own finger so as to bring it to his mouth and suck it, loving the taste of his bunny too much. Eyeing his lover’s action carefully, Mingyu could not wait any longer. Just waiting for Jun to move away a bit, the giant man gently massaged his bunny’s cheeks before murmuring in a hoarse deep voice.

“I love you, Hannie.”

Jeonghan definitely did not expect to be eaten right after such a sweet confession.

The rabbit’s face fell on the mattress because his arms instantly gave up, unable to hold himself up while his whole body was trembling due to the great pleasure being sent to him by Mingyu’s tongue which was playing with his sensitive hole without mercy. Certainly, the alpha could not hurt his omega by his tongue, so there was no need to resist anything. He just pushed in as far as he could, making his bunny crumble in ecstasy. In an attempt to help his lover relax, Jun ran a hand up and down Jeonghan’s sweaty back, but it seriously did not help, because the rabbit felt every touch of his alphas on his skin overwhelmingly sensual and hot. He had always loved Jun’s hands too much, because they were always gentle, and the feeling of them caressing his skin was not less heavenly than having it inside him.

Jun at first just intended to watch Mingyu tongue-fucking their omega, but Jeonghan suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled it desperately.

“What, Hannie?” Jun bent down to watch the rabbit’s face.

Jeonghan tried to pull his alpha’s arm towards the empty space in front of himself, patting frantically on the mattress, hoping that Jun would understand he wanted Jun to move here. Luckily, the older alpha was very good at understanding his lover’s nonverbal language, and he quickly complied, scooting until he was kneeling face to face with his bunny. Lifting himself up on his elbows, Jeonghan shook his head once to get rid of his own embarrassment, using two shaky hands to clumsily work with Jun’s belt and trousers in an effort of taking them off.

“No, you don’t have to do it, Hannie.” Startled, Jun held his omega’s hands and shook his head, saying worriedly. Jeonghan had never given him a blowjob in the past, and he remembered hearing the omega once saying that he disliked it because the bastards had forced him to do it for them too many times. “Just let us take care of you. Don’t force yourself to do anything.”

Nevertheless, the hybrid shook his head, staring deeply into his alpha’s eyes, trying to tell him that he really wanted to do it now. To him, Jun was not a stranger or a bastard. They were lovers; Jun was about to become his alpha, his mate, and his heart sincerely loved Jun more than how he had ever loved anyone. Consequently, Jeonghan wanted to do this for his angel, not just because he knew Jun would like it. The rabbit himself wanted it as well. He was just a normal omega who could become possessive of his alpha. He wanted to have his alpha’s dick and have a taste.

Jun was nervous but he could not stop Jeonghan when the rabbit seemed to be so determined like this. Still moaning because of Mingyu, the rabbit eventually needed Jun’s help to pull his trousers and boxers down to set his hard dick free. Gulping, the hybrid had to admit that he missed it. He missed this dick which had brought him the first real orgasm of this life, letting him know how good it felt like to have an intercourse with someone who truly made him comfortable. Gripping it in his hands and stroking it, Jeonghan found his mouth water at the sight of the impressively long dick, feeling hot all over his body because of the deep grunts Jun was letting out.

Jeonghan licked it slowly, from the base to the tip, circling his tongue around the tip, and then putting all into his mouth, forcing it all down his throat in just one smooth movement. The fact that Jeonghan did not really like blowjob did not mean he could not do it. Of course he could, and right at this moment he was happy to do this for Jun, trying to look up at his alpha to check his reaction. The omega was blissed to see Jun closing his eyes and hissing through his teeth in sinful pleasure, happy to feel his angel’s hand tangling in his long hair gently.

Jun thought it was possible for him to pass out when he realized that he was having sex with both of his lovers, and the scene in front of his eyes was just incredible. Besides, Jeonghan was moaning continuously, sending vibrations which made Jun sigh and growl. His hands willingly caressed the hybrid’s hair and stroked his face, letting the omega know that he was doing magic with his mouth and his tongue.

Meanwhile, Mingyu was completely drunk and ruined by the sweet taste of flower, already addicted and knowing that he would not be able to stop before Jeonghan reached his climax. It was impossible not to love the taste, even though the giant man had already tasted the rabbit’s blood before. His slick was even sweeter, so alluring, inviting, urging the alpha to sneak one hand to the front to grab his omega’s neglected cock. Mingyu began to stroke it in a not very slow pace, deciding to give Jeonghan a good orgasm before Jun fucked him for real. Anyway, Jeonghan was a hybrid; he must be capable of having multiple orgasms in a night and _he was even a rabbit_.

Shocked in a delightful way, Jeonghan whined and moaned loudly even though his mouth was occupied by the large thing. The omega’s back arched so beautifully that Jun relished in watching the sight, allowing himself to move his own hips slowly, seeking for some more friction. Since Jun was still careful and Jeonghan was already too lost, the hybrid had no protest, even moving his own head so that his alpha could fuck his mouth.

Understanding what Mingyu wanted, Jun leaned over a little in order to sneak two hands under Jeonghan’s torso, aiming at his nipples and playing with them to attack the omega thoroughly.

The onslaught on pleasure on every part of his body was seriously too much for Jeonghan. He could not endure it any longer, and the second orgasm of the night rapidly wrecked him, forcing him to let go of Jun’s dick and fall on the mattress, letting out a dirty moan that was even louder than his own one in the previous time. The omega convulsed and trembled violently on the bed as his alphas watched him and adored this breathtaking scene. Jeonghan felt his legs shaking more than they had ever done, and hole was clenching tightly around nothing, already missing having Mingyu’s fingers inside. His nipples were so sensitive that even a slight contact with the soft mattress made his face burn with embarrassment.

When Jeonghan was fully conscious again, he found himself sitting between his angel’s legs and leaning against Jun’s chest, being wrapped by the warm embrace of the person who was going to become his official alpha. Meanwhile, Mingyu was sitting in front of him, gently caressing and massaging his legs. Each of the alphas was holding one of his hands, giving the rabbit enough comfort to make him feel his body lively and healthy again to take what was about to come. Receiving the tender smile showing a little concern from Jun, Jeonghan smiled back to his alpha, trying to sit up a little, but he did not really need to, because Jun soon understood his wish and bent down to kiss him slowly.

“Are you still good, baby?” He asked carefully, sincerely. “Was that too much for you?”

Jeonghan shook his head, giving a great relief to both of his alphas. Nonetheless, the rabbit felt shy and blushed when Mingyu pecked him with a contented smile and a compliment.

“I love your taste, flower.” The big alpha nuzzled lightly into his omega’s neck to take in the sweet scent of lavender. “I won’t ever forget this scent, and this taste.”

The rabbit wanted to let Mingyu know that he loved the aroma of sandalwood too, but perhaps he would wait for another chance. Trying to find some paper and a pencil now would kill the mood, while Jeonghan was already extraordinarily eager to become Jun’s omega forever.

Seeing the message in each other eyes, neither Jun nor Jeonghan needed to speak out to understand what the other one wanted. While Mingyu walked out of the bed to get the bottle of lube, the hybrid helped his alpha take off his clothes completely during an intense make-out session. The rabbit had completely forgotten his own problem of having a stroke; he currently only considered this as an intimate night of him together with his beloved alphas. After two orgasms, Jeonghan did not feel his skin exceedingly hot anymore, and the need to mate was not too severe. Instead, he felt the desire of doing this with only his alphas and no one else.

Everything was so sweet, warm, and gentle. How could he not like it? When true love was involved in consensual and tender sex, everything was perfect.

Jun whispered something to the rabbit but Mingyu could not hear, and also thought that he had better not eavesdrop on their conversation, since he was not supposed to be here anyway. They had already given him a lot of love; he should give them some privacy. By the time Mingyu was back, Jun was already stark naked in bed, eagerly waiting to get the bottle from his mate. Nonetheless, he suddenly stared at the younger man and frowned.

“Why are you still fully clothed, Mingyu?” Jun cocked his head to a side, questioning his lover.

The giant man stared back at his cousin confusingly, hesitantly sitting back down.

“I… What?”

Jun growled in frustration, very upset with how dense his mate was in this situation, as if he had Jeonghan had not made it clear enough. Grabbing the bigger alpha’s collar, Jun pulled his mate closer and pressed his lips to Mingyu’s ones with no warning. Mingyu was caught off guard by the sudden kiss, but he did not reject; of course he would never.

Much as the giant man was interested in the kisses Jun gave him, he still noticed it when his mate’s hands tried to undress him. Pulling away and grabbing his lover’s hands, Mingyu asked anxiously, glancing at the hybrid who was eyeing them intently.

“Are you sure, Junnie? Hannie might feel uncomfortable…”

“No, he isn’t. I already asked him.” Jun pouted and shook his head, going on unbuttoning Mingyu’s shirt. “I’m not like you, Gyu. If you aren’t sure, then just ask. Don’t just assume that he isn’t comfortable with you.”

“But…”

“You’re so silly tonight, oppa.” Jun sealed Mingyu’s lips to shush him, playfully biting his lower lip hard. “This is not something just about me and Hannie. It’s is _us_. Don’t you understand? Come on, don’t kill the mood. You’re making our bunny wait!”

A deep growl escaped the bigger man’s throat and Jeonghan had to admit it sound sexy as hell, as he had never seen Mingyu really show his dominance and authority although he really had all of those things. When the giant man glanced at him through those dark and lustful eyes, the rabbit thought he could fall down immediately even though he was still lying on the bed. Swallowing with a lot of difficulty, the omega could not tear his eyes away, holding his breath while watching Jun expertly took every piece of clothes off Mingyu’s body, gradually revealing his tanned skin and huge muscles.

Because Mingyu had always been too weak to resist his lovers, he was soon naked like both of the other ones. Jeonghan had been there with them without any clothes for a while, but now he still blushed to ogle his two alphas’ body, embarrassed to find himself hard and horny again just by observing them kissing and taking clothes off like this. The omega could not explain in details but he could not stop staring at them, and the way he looked make the two bigger men feel proud all of a sudden. Even a reserved and traumatized omega like Jeonghan found them sexually attractive at this moment.

That was perfect.

The rabbit could not know how, but he was already sitting very closely to Mingyu, both legs draped over the man’s thick thighs on two sides. His shaking hands found their way to the alpha’s dick, but they stopped halfway, as the last part of consciousness in the hybrid’s mind still made him too shy to touch it. Smirking, Mingyu grabbed his omega’s hands and led them to his rock hard dick, wrapping Jeonghan’s slender fingers around it. Being encouraged, the rabbit became bolder, and started stroking gently and curiously, causing a chain of deep groans to get out of his alpha’s throat. Jeonghan had never paid much attention to the bastards’ dicks in the past because he hated them, but he knew this one was big, definitely bigger than Jun’s, although Jun’s one was outstanding in terms of length.

With Jun, he could be hit at the deepest place in his body. With Mingyu, Jeonghan knew he would be stretched deliciously around this thing which seemed to be the same size as his own wrists, or even a little bigger. With both of them, the rabbit knew he could not wake up to make breakfast tomorrow morning.

Before Jeonghan could figure out what his alphas were doing, Mingyu had already devoured his lips again while wrapping both of their dicks in one hand and stroking them together. The rabbit moaned into his alpha’s mouth, and only moaned louder when he felt Jun’s lips on his neck. They were surely trying to warm him up again to make him ready to be taken. Jeonghan thought he was already ready, but he did not complain anything, letting his lovers give him more and more stimulation, wholeheartedly enjoying having four hands on his body. Mingyu’s hands on his dick, and Jun’s ones teasing his nipples.

Just a short while later, the rabbit was laid down on the mattress with his head on Mingyu’s lap, and Jun began to spread his omega’s legs, taking the empty space between them. Jeonghan held his breath, biting his lips, waiting anxiously and eagerly. Just feeling the tip of his angel’s dick pressing against his entrance, the rabbit had started to whine, wanting to have it inside immediately, but Jun leaned over, caging the hybrid between his arms and whispering on his lips.

“I love you, Hannie.”

Instantly, Jeonghan wrapped both hands around Jun’s neck, pulling him closer and kissing him passionately to silently confess _“I love you”_ to his most beloved alpha. At the same time, Jun eventually allowed himself to let go of the control over his sexual desires, and entered his bunny till the deepest place in just one smooth and slow movement.

There was no need to wait for Jeonghan to adjust to the intrusion, since he had been stretched enough, and neither of them could wait any longer. Jun began to thrust right after his omega whined for more. As always, the alpha was slow and gentle. He dragged his dick almost all the way out, and then moved back in, still slowly, yet easily hitting Jeonghan’s prostate precisely. Every of his thrust was deep and rubbing against everywhere of the omega’s walls, making the rabbit moan in satisfaction. He felt so relieved, so happy, so contented, so complete to finally have Jun inside him again, feeling as if he had not done this with his angel for decades.

It was always like that. Their sex was slow, gentle, not very intense, but still extraordinarily sensual, and giving Jeonghan the best feelings he had ever known in this life. Jun could read him like a book, knowing the exact pace his bunny liked, or perhaps it was just that they loved the same pace. With this agonizingly slow speed, Jeonghan still could hug his alpha intimately, feeling the heat of his alpha’s skin on his own body, and taking the drops of sweat from Jun’s body. Sneaking his hand under the omega’s body, Jun also hugged his bunny, making Jeonghan feel loved and adored more than anyone had ever done.

Watching them kiss and make love in that torturous pace, Mingyu was stunned. He had never seen anyone having sex like that, even in porn. It was really alike watching two angels in their intimate moment. They obviously shared a special connection which Mingyu knew he would never be able to understand fully because it was a divine thing between the two of them only. Both of them smelled surprisingly sweet and pleasant, which only proved how happy they were right now to be with each other. Jun did let out a few quite aggressive sounds, but Jeonghan did not seem to be scared by those, since he obviously completely trusted his alpha.

Mingyu was sure the slow pace had been maintained for a very long while before Jun brought the omega’s legs up to throw them over his shoulders and sped up. Jeonghan intended to keep his legs but Jun did not let him. Instead, the alpha was the one to lean over, pushing the rabbit’s legs up until the knees touch his chest. Jun pinned the hybrid’s hands down on the bed, tangling their fingers together and beginning to pound into his lover. Jeonghan gasped at the more intense feelings the new position brought to him, feeling like it was impossible for his man to get any further inside than this.

It was hard for them to care about Mingyu now, and the giant man certainly did not mind, as he knew he himself would not have that ability either. Moreover, Mingyu was sure Jun did not have to wonder if he was hurting the rabbit or not, since the omega was evidently not enduring any discomfort. The expression on his face currently was pure sexual bliss, which perhaps could only be brought by Jun.

“I love you, my bunny.” Jun whispered to Jeonghan, smiling between his heavy breathing and groans, causing the hybrid to feel his own breath hitch.

The rabbit could not do anything except for nodding and trying to smile back to his alpha, but the tightening muscles told Jun all. Above all, this would always be the confession Jeonghan loved to hear most from his angel. He knew Jun had complimented him so many times, but the most heavenly things to hear was always _“I love you”_, and it was sweeter than anything else in this world to be called _“bunny”_ by Jun. Jun was the first one to ever call the rabbit by this loving pet name, and Jeonghan was willingly to be his little bunny forever.

Jun murmured one last thing seductively before sealing his omega’s lips.

“Cum for me, baby.”

Jeonghan did not understand how it was possible, but his alpha seemed to know that they definitely could reach their own climax at the same time now, and he could never be wrong. The sweet and soft lips on his lips and the constant thrusts hitting his prostate relentlessly rapidly brought the rabbit closer to his orgasm. Everything was just reaching its perfect state, as he was being connected so deeply, closely, and tightly to the love of his life, with no fear of being found out, no fear of the consequences. They really belonged to each other now. Even without the mark, Jeonghan still felt like they were destined for each other and the fact Jun was his angel would never change.

The omega’s moans during his long and intense but sweet orgasm was like a beautiful song in Jun’s ears, bringing him over the edge just a few seconds after his lover. Jeonghan trembled and convulsed in his alpha’s embrace, letting the climax drift him away completely without a care of anything because he knew he was being with his angel, and this was heaven. The rabbit could feel it, feel the hot and thick liquid spilling into his body, loving to have it, to clench tightly around his alpha’s leaking dick to milk it dry thoroughly till the last drop.

Mingyu was mesmerized through the whole thing, watching unblinkingly and feeling himself incredibly harder just by witnessing how sweet and loving it was when Jun and Jeonghan reached their climax together. The giant alpha used his own hands to caress the rabbit’s hair to help him feel calm and comfortable, hoping to prepare him for the pain to come, but he was perplexed to see Jun just stay there and kiss Jeonghan without biting or anything. Jun pulled away from the omega not very long after that, letting his dick slip out, causing his lover to whine, but he shushed the hybrid right away by a tender kiss.

“We’ll go back with this later, okay?”

Jeonghan nodded, which made Mingyu find it even more difficult to understand. Had they discussed something when he was not here? He thought Jun was about to mark the rabbit tonight? Why were both of them staring at him now?

“Do you need a moment, baby?” Jun asked, wiping some sweat out of the omega’s face.

This time, Jeonghan shook his head, willingly pulled himself sit up when Jun carefully brought the rabbit’s head to place on his own lap, turning his lover to face Mingyu now, swapping position. The giant man still did not understand anything yet, but he failed to tear his eyes away when they caught the sight of the rabbit’s red hole. It was slowly leaking Jun’s cum out, looking erotically messy and Mingyu almost wanted to eat the omega out again. Embarrassed by the alpha’s burning gaze, Jeonghan shyly closed his legs, blushing from his cheeks down to his chest.

“Our bunny is shy.” Jun chuckled, and then turned his attention to his cousin. “Do you want to fuck Hannie, my bear?”

Gulping, Mingyu stared at his mate in disbelief.

“Why… why are you asking this?” He asked back nervously, glancing at the omega anxiously, and suddenly feeling bad when seeing Jeonghan’s worried eyes directed towards him. Mingyu did not want to make the rabbit feel like he was unwanted. He started to stutter. “Of… of course I want… I sincerely want… but…”

Jun rolled his eyes.

“You should do this by yourself, Gyu. Ask him if he wants to do it with you or not, because I’ve already known the answer.”

Mingyu still had not asked, but judging the way Jun hinted about it like this, he lost a heartbeat by knowing that Jeonghan _wanted _to. Understanding Jun, he knew his cousin would never put his omega in this situation if he had not been assured that his lover really agreed to do this willingly. The rabbit was seriously very embarrassed now, all of a sudden wondering whether it was a wrong decision to put himself in this condition where Mingyu perhaps did not want him that much. However, staring down at the man’s hard dick, he saw it twitch in excitement, and the striking pheromones were getting heavier and heavier by seconds. Jeonghan found his mouth water just by smelling Mingyu’s virile scent at this moment.

Inhaling deeply to brace himself, the giant man leaned closer to the rabbit and asked, one hand stroking his cheek tenderly.

“Can I, Hannie?”

The omega’s skin burned under his alpha’s fingers, but he nodded. In this emotional state, Jeonghan thought he would cry immediately if he got rejected by Mingyu, and the two alphas could already see the unshed tears in his eyes. Frightened, Mingyu quickly scattered kisses on his bunny’s face and tried to assure him.

“Don’t cry! Please don’t cry, bunny! I’m… I’m sorry. I’m really stupid. I’m sorry.” Mingyu hurriedly apologized over and over again while Jun felt relieved that his cousin finally said sorry for being stupid about other people’s love for him.

“Don’t worry, baby. Mingyu is just too worried. He doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.” Jun tenderly stroked Jeonghan’s hair, helping his mate in the attempt of comforting their omega.

“You’ve just cum… Do you need a minute?” The younger alpha asked, placing a kiss on his bunny’s lips, and Jeonghan shook his head.

As a result, there was no need for any further question or any waiting.

Jun intended to hand Mingyu the bottle of lube which had been discarded to a side previously, but he ended up squirting the lube on his own hands and applied it on his mate’s dick by himself, just because Jun liked it. He was not sure if they would have enough energy tonight, but he really hoped to get it inside him after he marked Jeonghan as well. Would Mingyu like that? Jun sincerely hoped he would.

The younger man gave his mate a kiss to say “thank you”, but before starting, he suddenly remembered that perhaps it was necessary to use a condom in this case. However, Jeonghan did not let his man leave. He frantically held his big alpha’s arm and shook his head vehemently, not wanting Mingyu to leave him even a second, and not wanting to use the condom either. He wanted _to feel it_.

Mingyu felt like this was a dream.

It was a great effort not to lose himself just from the moment he spread the omega’s legs to take the space in between, aligning his dick with Jeonghan’s leaking hole. The rabbit was obviously nervous, but also anticipating, and his cock was actually hard now, red, and cute. Seeing the white substance on the hybrid’s stomach, Mingyu could not help using a finger to collect some of them to bring to his mouth, getting a taste of his bunny’s cum. He in fact had had it a while ago, when the omega came hard in his hand, but it was still not enough. He loved it, and loved the whining sound of embarrassment Jeonghan let out because of the show of sucking finger he put on.

Nonetheless, Mingyu thought he could turn crazy right on the spot when the rabbit impatiently wriggled his hips, wishing to get the large dick inside him as soon as possible. The more Jeonghan moved, the more he blushed, but he was really on the verge of getting desperate now, since Jun had made him severely horny now and the idea of making love with Mingyu had been planted in his mind. The rabbit could not feel enough without having the giant man’s cum in his ass. He wanted to do it. Nobody forced him to; he just wanted his alpha to stop worrying and _do it_.

Nevertheless, Jeonghan did not expect Mingyu to enter him that abruptly. The hybrid lost his own breath when feeling the enormous dick going through all the way into his hole until there was no more to push in. His own butt had already met the alpha’s balls but no pain came. Jeonghan had been stretched and lubed enough to take Mingyu without any kind of pain, which was a huge relief and a magnificent turn on for the hybrid. Jeonghan honestly had been pretty nervous about the monstrous thing, yet now he was astounded to find himself flying across the universe.

Mingyu used all of the strength he had ever had in his whole life to resist the urge to pound, growling fiercely at the feelings of being snuggled tightly between the clenching muscles. In front of him, the rabbit squeezed his eyes shut, lips parted while gasping for air, but the omega soon opened his eyes again to stare back at his alpha. If Mingyu could restrain his body’s movement, he had to let the sounds out, unintentionally growling and groaning very fiercely and holding the rabbit tightly in his arms. However, Jeonghan was not scared. Like what he had done to Jun previously, the omega wrapped both hands around Mingyu’s neck as well, hugging him, running his hands in the man’s hair, roaming a hand over his sweaty muscular back, and locking heels behind his back.

Understanding it as an encouragement to move, Mingyu gritted his teeth, and began thrusting. He knew he could never be as slow or as gentle as Jun, but he would try his best to make sure that Jeonghan feel comfortable and satisfied without getting hurt. It was difficult, but the alpha was determined to do it for his bunny. Even though Jeonghan had just had an orgasm a few minutes ago, he was moaning seductively again all because of the dick in his ass.

The rabbit had no choice but to admit that he was glad Mingyu was not as slow as Jun because he really could not take it if the giant man decided to fuck him madly slowly like what his cousin had done. After the first round, Jeonghan was eager to get more and more, and even more than what Mingyu was giving him. He did not think it was necessary for the alpha to control himself that strictly, since the omega knew, if Jun could have sex with Mingyu without any complaint, then Mingyu was certainly just perfectly fine enough for Jeonghan too. The younger man was just too cautious, too afraid of hurting his lover. This fact only caused the rabbit to love his alpha more.

As the love was greater, the pleasure was also more intense.

Hearing the breathless moans by his ears and smelling the sickly sweeter scent of lavender in the air, Mingyu decided to allow himself to speed up a bit, and Jeonghan was seriously wrecked, becoming a moaning mess now, unable to hug his alpha anymore since his mind was clouded by sexual pleasure and his body was immobilized by everything. The rabbit felt Jun’s hand caressing his hair just once, and then all of his senses were gone. What stayed in his mind was the place where he was being connected with Mingyu in the most intimate way.

Knowing that staring at Jeonghan in this moment could not help at all, Mingyu turned his bunny to lie on his stomach. Pressing his whole body to the hybrid’s back, slightly crushing him down, the alpha entered his lover again, fucking him harder in this position. Jeonghan thought he was about to be jolted up because of the hard thrusts, but it did not happen in that way, since his alpha had held him securely in his strong arms, wrapping him in a warm protection of this heated moment. Turning his head, the rabbit reached up one hand to grab Mingyu’s hair, desperately trying to make the alpha bend down so that their lips could find each other in a chain of wet, sloppy, and noisy kisses.

Realizing that it was hard for Jeonghan to keep his head up, Mingyu placed one hand under the omega’s chin, slightly grabbing his neck, but the purpose was just to lift up his face and keep it there, making it convenient for their kisses to last longer and longer. The rabbit surely knew Mingyu had no intention of choking him, yet he did feel some tightness around the way where air went through. Nonetheless, he felt nothing but a thrilling sensation about it. He was feeling it more and more clearly now. Mingyu’s dominance. Mingyu’s authority.

Jeonghan was fully aware of the fact that Mingyu was never his master, but it was hard for him to get rid of this thought completely. In the end, Mingyu was Jun’s alpha, the leader of this place, the person holding control. No matter what, Jeonghan was still a hybrid, and it was impossible for a hybrid to exclude the wish to submit to his master and please him thoroughly, even if the rabbit did not want to keep any of these. This moment, Jeonghan felt himself vulnerable and submissive in Mingyu’s arms, giving his whole body to the alpha to taint. However, there was nothing to feel scared of, since the rabbit could remembered clearly in his mind, that Mingyu was also his lover.

Mingyu would never hurt him.

Mingyu loved him as much Jun did.

Mingyu did not force him to submit. Jeonghan submitted to the alpha by himself.

It felt too good; the rabbit never wanted it to end. He was right; Mingyu did not make him feel hurt even a bit, but it was still so intense, almost knocking air out of the hybrid’s lungs. Even when they had to break the kisses since the thrusts were too hard for them to keep on kissing, Jeonghan could feel Mingyu’s lips on his neck, or Mingyu’s teeth on his earlobe, his shoulders, and could hear the alpha’s heavy breath by his ear. Perhaps the giant man did not do it on purpose, yet as the rabbit felt his alpha’s thumb on his lower lip, he automatically opened his mouth wider to get it inside. Jeonghan guessed he had turned crazy; he failed to resist the temptation of swirling his tongue around the calloused finger, sucking it regardless of the fact that this action was causing himself to drool.

“Fuck.” Mingyu hissed and growled. Drowned in the maddening pleasure, he forcefully pulled Jeonghan’s legs to open wider by the other hand before squeezing one of the omega’s cheeks very hard.

From that moment onwards, his thrusts kept hitting the rabbit’s prostate mercilessly. Jeonghan wanted to reach the climax at the same time with his alpha, but he could foresee that it would not happen, because Mingyu still seemed to have endless stamina to continue for much longer yet the hybrid was seeing stars and feeling his orgasm approaching. Nonetheless, Jeonghan would not complain if Mingyu just kept going on after that. He had never dared to think that one day he would give his own body to two alphas in just one night; if he had already crossed one limit, then he was willing to try being used past his own other limits as well.

Jeonghan’s most vulnerable moments were always when hearing his alpha whispering to him in their deep and hoarse voice.

“I love you, Hannie.”

This time was not an exception either. He lost it, right when Mingyu told him how much he loved him.

Jeonghan did not exactly know when or how he passed out. He was pretty sure that the orgasm hit him so hard that his head spun uncontrollably. When consciousness came back, he was not lying on the bed anymore. Instead, the rabbit found himself leaning against Mingyu’s chest, but surprisingly, the huge dick was still inside him. With just a light wriggle of his hips, Jeonghan definitely could feel it so thick, so big in his ass, and he whined, as if still not feeling enough. Behind him, his alpha growled, but did not move. He was having his both arms under the omega’s knees, holding him up, showing all of the hybrid’s front to the other alpha in the room.

Part of Jeonghan’s mind appreciated the few minutes Mingyu halted his movements to give him some time, but another part of the rabbit just wanted to make his alpha cum as well. However, he had no idea how to let his alpha understand it. Nevertheless, Jeonghan felt calm again when he saw Jun approaching him, kneeling so close to him, and kissing him tenderly. His angel asked him some questions, all of which Jeonghan just kept nodding to without thinking.

Afraid that the omega might be too lost to understand it thoroughly, Jun carefully asked again, using all ways to make sure that his bunny was aware of the situation. Jeonghan felt nervous but he still nodded, whining when Jun kept asking him over and over again, frantically pulling his angel closer to kiss him, to make him shut his mouth for good.

As long as the hybrid could initiate some intimate actions on his own, Jun was confident to say that his bunny had the capacity to give consent now.

Using a finger which had been heavily lubed up to touch the place where the omega’s hole was stretching around Mingyu’s dick, Jun tried nudging the finger in, amazed to find his lover so easily more stretched. It almost felt like he could take one more finger, but Jun decided to have some worries for the rabbit’s well-being, waiting for the hybrid to fully adjust to the amazing thickness. Meanwhile, Mingyu just groaned and kissed Jeonghan’s neck to distract him from any possible pain.

When Jun pushed the third finger in, Jeonghan was literally thrashing now, whining loudly because he did not want to wait any longer. The idea had sunk in his mind fully and he was just extremely eager to accommodate both of his alphas. Jun had been using a lot of time preparing his bunny for this to come, still concerned that this could be too brutal for a fragile omega but Jeonghan obviously wanted it now. Behind the rabbit, Mingyu was sweating heavily, but murmuring sweet coos into his omega’s ear, encouraging him to wait a little more, and giving him more confession of _“I love you”_. The hybrid’s cock was hard again in Jun’s other hand.

“I love you, Hannie.” Jun whispered on his bunny’s lips, a hand guiding his own dick to the stretched hole, a hand groping the omega’s butt cheek.

Mingyu followed with a similar confession, holding the omega tightly while his cousin began pushing in, hissing at the first contact between their dicks.

Jeonghan guessed he might have turned insane, but this was actually madly enjoyable. It was really painful at first, taking Jun a lot of time to slowly and carefully push in, but it was overall perfect. The rabbit trembled violently between his two alphas, being sandwiched between the two bigger men, yet it felt strangely safe in this position. If Jeonghan were being with someone else, this was truly an abuse for him, but this was in fact just a loving moment of him and his own alphas, because he was being with the two people he trusted most in this world. The rabbit could feel them both in his ass, his walls squeezing so deliciously tightly around those rock hard dicks.

Effortlessly, Jun hit the omega’s prostate, and pressing constantly against that super sensitive bundle of nerves. Instantly, Jeonghan cum fast, and hard. His voice went so high that his alphas were startled, thinking that he was screaming due to pain until they saw the thick white liquid squirting out of the hybrid’s overused cock. Jeonghan shuddered, losing his consciousness in a few seconds again, but he was back faster this time, ashamed by how sensitive he was in this condition. He could not help it. It felt too good, not much different from having a knot in his body. It was different and more intense because this was the combination of two alphas’ dicks which were about to bring Jeonghan the pleasure he had never known in his whole life.

The rabbit was practically boneless in the alphas’ hands now, yet there was no need to worry about anything, since he knew his lovers would take care of him well.

To both Jun and Mingyu, this was also a heaven they had never dreamed of, even with Joshua or anyone else. This pleasure was unmatched, purely perfect and even overwhelming. The two alphas could feel each other’s dick when they moved, growling at the feeling of being rubbed against all of their sensitive spots by everything. They easily found a nice rhythm of push and pull, taking turn to attack the rabbit’s prostate not too hard, but not too gently either. Jeonghan was panting and moaning, hands gripping Jun’s shoulders tightly yet showing no sign of a wish to stop.

With the help of Jun in holding the rabbit up, Mingyu could move his hands a little until they both reached Jeonghan’s nipples to pinch and tweak them relentlessly. Hissing at the erotic sight in front of his eyes, Jun groped his bunny’s cheeks harder, spreading him more to push in further. The sounds of skin slapping against skin echoed around the small bedroom in the dirtiest way. Jeonghan’s broken moans sounded like a sexy song in the alphas’ ears. They were always attentive, trying to use the last piece of their minds to make sure their beloved omega was still enjoying this.

Jeonghan lost the count of his orgasms, only vaguely guessing that he had reached climax at least two more times before Mingyu finally released inside the rabbit. The alpha let out the most fierce and sexy sound Jeonghan had heard when he came, biting harshly on the omega’s shoulder in order just to stop himself from biting the hybrid’s neck and claiming him forever. Jeonghan could not help screaming when feeling filled to the utmost by the giant’s seeds, feeling like it was so slutty of him to have two alphas’ cum in his body at the same time.

The thought was washed away immediately by Mingyu’s confession, which came again, not any less sincere than all the other times.

“I love you, Hannie.” He whispered breathlessly, panting by his omega’s ear.

Trying to turn his head, Jeonghan easily met Mingyu’s lips, and they kissed enthusiastically even though the hybrid did not have much energy left in his exhausted body. If he could speak now, he would try his best to let Mingyu know how much he loved the giant man too, but he could not, so perhaps kissing was the best option.

Jun hissed and growled just by watching his lovers kissing each other, all of a sudden feeling strangely jealous and furious. Licking his own teeth hungrily, he felt the strongest urge to bite, to claim, to own this omega forever. Mingyu’s cum painting the abused walls which were squeezing Jun’s dick made him feel his own climax coming, but it woke up his instincts of an alpha as well.

When Mingyu pulled out, Jeonghan whimpered, but he stopped very quickly as feeling the other dick inside him starting to get bigger. Before the omega could understand what was happening, he was pushed to lie with his back on the mattress, and then, Jun was pounding into him like a maniac. In other occasions, Jeonghan would not love this, but now he did, because he willingly submitted to his alpha who was going to officially claim him tonight, although they both had always wanted to do this a long time ago. Jun was holding the rabbit possessively, keeping him closely, and kissing him passionately while his hips did not stop moving for even a split second.

Jeonghan still remembered the first time he had sex with Jun in the hotel, while his heat had been torturing him cruelly. It still felt like a dream where the rabbit found out the most gentle alpha in this universe, the angel of his life. It was the first time for him to feel loved and respected by an alpha. Jeonghan would never forget that day, and would never forget this moment.

Feeling the knot starting to inflate, Jeonghan held his breath, tilting his head, baring his neck to his alpha, waiting for the moment he had desired desperately. His angel, who understood him more than anyone else, gave the rabbit the firm assurance he needed most.

_“I love you, my little bunny.”_

It was perfectly the same as the sentence Jun had told Jeonghan on the day the hybrid found the audacity to ask the alpha to give him a loving confession.

Jeonghan was thrown instantly to heaven when he felt Jun’s teeth on his neck. They dug in so sweetly and heavenly, bringing the rabbit over the edge for the last time of the night. It was the last, but was also the most satisfying experience for him, as he was both physically and mentally contented. The bite was deliciously painful. The sweet taste of the rabbit’s blood was something Jun would keep in his mind till the last day of his life. This omega was eventually his. Jun would never lose his beloved bunny ever again.

Finally, they belonged to each other wholly.

Drowned in euphoria, Jeonghan relished in the feelings of being filled completely by his alpha’s seeds. The rabbit slowly found his sweetest slumber in the middle of the chain of gentle kisses his angel gave him, contentedly falling asleep in Jun’s embrace, with the knot locking them together.

The last thing Jeonghan heard was still his alphas’ confessions. They were not his dreams or illusions. They were all real.

“I love you, Hannie.”

Jeonghan wanted to reply, _“I love you too.”_

-to be continued-  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye you all! Goodbye my brain! I finished this and now I have a horrible headache :">  
This is probably the last smut of this story so it's quite... intense? Is that enough to be described "intense"? 
> 
> Anyway, Wonwoo will appear again in the next chapter. Things will be crazy when he finds out what he did last night. It also means... THIS FIC IS GOING TO END SOON!!! T_T I CAN CRY NOW T_T
> 
> Anyway... I'm just crazy after writing this smut ><
> 
> Please let me know how you feel about this chap ^^ 
> 
> Besides, I'm so sad that Seventeen's promotion for this album didn't last long :< I still want to see more stages of "Left&Right" >< The album is so perfect and I listened to it while writing this smut!!! Even if you aren't a fan of Seventeen, I suggest listening to the song "Kidult" in their newest mini album. I'm addicted to this song now ;_; 
> 
> Please stay safe and take care of yourself! I love you ^^


	88. Broken souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua was not fine.  
Jeonghan was not fine either.  
Mingyu and Jun had to decide who was the first priority of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been quite long >< I'm sorry it took a lot of time again.   
Also, no Wonwoo yet, but he will show up in the next chapter, for sure.  
I hope you enjoy this chapter!!!

Mingyu got out of bed to get washed first and then came back to the bed with two big glasses of water for his two lovers. Jeonghan was sleeping soundly on Jun’s body, and the alpha had to sit up to drink some water. The rabbit must be really exhausted because he did not even stir when Jun moved, just whining feebly as the knot shifted slightly inside him. Finishing drinking, the older alpha insisted using his mate’s bicep as a pillow for his head, and Mingyu instantly complied in happiness. He covered all of them by the thick blanket, and snuggled his cousin as much as they could in this position. The two alphas languidly used their hands to stroke the hybrid’s long hair and fluffy ears, which made his scent slowly get comfortably sweeter and sweeter.

Sighing contentedly, Jun nuzzled into his alpha’s shoulder, whispering.

“Thank you, Mingyu.”

“For what?” Mingyu slowly asked curiously, gently stroking his cousin’s hair.

“For everything.” The older alpha smiled, using his free hand which was not being placed on Jeonghan’s back to hold his bear’s hand.

The giant man expected his mate to say something more, but Jun just ended there and nuzzled more into his shoulder and his neck. Mingyu was about to protest and say that he had not done much for his cousin, but he luckily shut his own mouth on time, knowing that Jun would not like to hear that right now. Instead, the younger male just smiled back to his lover, delivering a loving kiss on Jun’s forehead and squeezing his hand tightly.

“I love you, Junnie.”

“Will you stay awake with me?” Jun asked another question with a strange anticipation in his voice.

“Don’t you intend to sleep? I thought you’re very tired now.”

“I am, but I will have to wake Hannie up to pull out anyway.” Jun murmured, pressing his face closer to Mingyu’s neck until his lips touch the giant man’s skin while he spoke. “Do you still have much energy left?”

Mingyu stared at his cousin suspiciously, yet there was no other possible hint in that question. Gulping, the bigger man believed his own dick had just twitched in excitement again, since he had never been less interested in having sex with his beloved Junnie. Nonetheless, he had not expected it to come tonight after they had done a lot like this; he thought his cousin must be tired now and no longer wanted to get involved in any further sexual activities.

“But you’re tired…” Mingyu asked nervously, but the dark shade in his voice was unmistakable.

“It’s no problem. I just need to lie here while you do the job.” Jun seductively kissed his mate’s neck, very close to his prominent Adam apple. “The important thing is… Are you still healthy enough?”

Mingyu bit his own lips harshly.

“Who am I, baby?”

Jun decided to destroy his alpha’s mind by giggling delightfully and answering in a sweet voice.

“_My beast_!”

“You want to stay in bed with Hannie tomorrow, Junnie?” Mingyu growled, making his mate relish in the act of teasing him even more.

“That’s fine. It’s not a problem to me. I was so jealous when you fucked him.”

The giant man snickered.

“That’s not how you should feel in our relationship, baby.”

“I couldn’t help it!” The older alpha whined. “And it’s all your fault!”

“But… Is it okay for us to do it here? Hannie will see us!”

“He will get used to it, baby.” Jun kissed his mate’s neck one more time, loving to breathe in the scent of sandalwood in this intimate position. “We’re mated. We can’t hide in the bathroom every time we have sex! We aren’t doing something wrong. Also, he’s too tired now. I think he will just fall back asleep quickly.”

Mingyu had no choice but to listen to his cousin, because Jun was right. They had just had a threesome together; it would not make sense if the two alphas could not have sex together after that. Therefore, Mingyu stopped arguing about this topic, waiting for Jun’s knot to deflate so as to do it, but during this time, another problem kept lingering in his mind. Sensing his concern, Jun looked at him expectantly, waiting for his mate to tell him about it.

“Do you think Wonwoo will come to find us tomorrow?” Sighing, Mingyu asked.

Another sigh came after him.

“I guess he will.” Jun answered and absentmindedly ran his hand along Jeonghan’s back. “But I think… we only need to focus on making Hannie less frightened of Wonwoo’s appearance. This is our house. He has no right to jump into our bunny and take him away.”

“I know… but…” Mingyu could not help sighing again. “I’m still worried, Junnie. He told me Joshua really wants to see Hannie these days. He might want to take our bunny. You know Wonwoo. He might do everything to get what he wants.”

“We won’t let him achieve it.” Jun gritted his teeth. “I even want to take Joshua back to us, but sure, I know it’s impossible now. They’re already married.”

“We can’t afford the medical fee for Joshua, baby.” Mingyu winced just by thinking of Joshua’s mental condition. “And… I don’t think it’s suitable for Joshua to live with a pregnant omega. He’s too unstable. It isn’t good for Hannie and his baby.”

Jun moved his hand out of the rabbit’s back only to scratched an itchy spot on his face, but Jeonghan suddenly whined and shifted, as if he was about to wake up. Startled, the alpha quickly put his hand back and rubbed his omega’s back soothingly, heart melting to the softest. His fragile bunny was so adorable, so cute. Jun would do everything to protect his omega from Wonwoo. He had failed to protect Jeonghan once, or even twice. What had occurred at the ball tonight was not exactly a cruel thing Wonwoo had done to the rabbit, but in the end it still negatively affected the omega’s feelings. Jun would never let all those kinds of things happen again. He would learn everything and do everything he needed to make the hybrid live safely and happily. What Mingyu had just said was right. According to what the giant man had told him about Joshua, Jun believed that the cat was not capable of playing with a baby. He might be even triggered by another omega who was having _his husband’s baby_.

“Is it possible for us to make… an agreement with him?” Jun whispered nervously, desperately wishing for a peaceful solution which involved no aggression or anger. “We won’t bring Hannie to Wonwoo’s house but perhaps he can bring Joshua here?”

“I’m not sure.” Mingyu sighed again. “With what I’ve heard, I don’t think Joshua can leave his house without Wonwoo.”

The two alphas fell into a long silent moment, trying to make their brain work as hard as possible to find a good solution, but they both felt exhausted. Right at this moment, all both of them wanted was just indulging in this happiness of being together in the warm and cozy bed. Without saying a word, they coincidentally thought of the same thing. After whatever they had struggled so hard to achieve, was there anything else they actually wanted? Certainly, they both wanted Wonwoo and Joshua back in their lives, but it obviously seemed impossible.

Should they just let go of this wish and just focus on this happy life with Jeonghan only?

Everything had changed drastically since the day Jun got Jeonghan back to his life, and sometimes he felt as if his life was finally fulfilled even though the first love of his life, and his beloved kitten were still out of his reach. In his mind, they were not much different from a long gone beautiful dream of the past. They used to be so happy with each other, but then everything changed. Wonwoo chose his greediness; Joshua chose Wonwoo; Jun chose a peaceful life with Mingyu. Now with Jeonghan, Jun even drifted further away from the person he used to love most in this world. He could not let Jeonghan live in the same house with Wonwoo. He could not let Wonwoo be the father of this child.

Jun could forgive his love for what he had done to himself, but he could not easily forgive Wonwoo for what he had done with Jeonghan.

And even for what Wonwoo had done with Joshua.

Jun would only change his mind if he could see some real changes in Wonwoo.

Having heavy hearts filled with thoughts and worries, neither of the alphas slept while waiting for the knot to deflate although it took a lot of time. However, Mingyu could see that Jun kept glancing towards the clock on the wall, which proved how much the older alpha really wanted to do it with his superior mate. The giant man had been worried that their talk about the serious problem related to Wonwoo could have killed Jun’s mood, yet he was obviously still determined to get fucked tonight. Certainly, Mingyu could never resist a willing and eager Jun.

After an hour, Jun finally woke his bunny up, quietly telling him about what he was going to do. Mingyu might have mistaken it, but he thought he saw Jeonghan sulk, as if the rabbit did not really want to take the knot out. Perhaps it made the hybrid feel connected with his angel. This fact only left Mingyu more amazed to see how much Jun and Jeonghan were in love with each other. The rabbit might have a lot of boundaries with other people yet he never seemed to have any problems with Jun in anything. In the giant man’s opinion, this was definitely a match made in heaven.

“I will help you clean up, but can you please wait for me a little more, baby?” Jun tenderly asked his omega after placing him to lie on the mattress.

Jeonghan stared at his alpha curiously but nodded, intently watching his angel lying back down right next to him while Mingyu moved away a little to give him room. It was not until now did Jun start to get flustered and blush really hard.

“What should I do now? It suddenly feels so embarrassing.” He covered his own face and laughed shyly. “But I feel so bad to leave our bunny here alone.”

The rabbit kept looking at his alphas with hundreds of questions in his eyes, only slowly starting to get the hint when Mingyu moved to kneel between Jun’s open legs, pushing the blanket away. Realizing what they were going to do, the hybrid excitedly turned to lie on his side so as to have a good view of his two alphas, causing Jun to blush even more.

“Where is your confidence, Junnie?” Mingyu asked with a grin, gently caressing his lover’s thighs, already making the older alpha moan. “You said Hannie wouldn’t have any problem with this. Now I can see that he’s even eager to see you get fucked.”

Smiling to his angel, Jeonghan moved closer and gently pushed his alpha’s hands out of his face, placing a sweet kiss on Jun’s cheek to give him a silent encouragement. The rabbit had never watched other people doing this. He had not even had the chance to watch porn. He would not count the times of watching Joshua being tortured by the previous owner because it was much more like watching a horror movie. Nonetheless, at this moment, looking at his naked alphas with their hard dicks, he guessed this would be a nice scene to adore.

In order to distract Jun from his worries, Mingyu decided to just begin his job after taking the bottle of lube in his hand again. Like what he had expected, Jun stopped staring at Jeonghan nervously right when a finger entered his hole slowly. In awe, the rabbit watched his alpha being fingered and opened by his other alpha, watching Jun crumbling under Mingyu in sexual pleasure. He was seriously loud, but Jeonghan enjoyed listening to those sweet moans from his beloved alpha, interested in how much they were different from the deep and sexy sounds Jun usually gave out when he played the dominant role.

Jeonghan had thought that Jun had good stamina, but in the end, the older alpha was still nothing in comparison with his mate who was a noble. Jun still seemed embarrassed during the whole time but there was nothing he could do except for moaning while Mingyu fucked him senselessly. The giant man loved his shy cousin so much, adoring the sight of the red blush covering almost his whole body. The rabbit’s presence seemed to make Jun more sensitive than usual, which caused him to moan so loudly, wantonly and also become so greedy.

No matter what position they were in, Mingyu always made sure Jun could look at Jeonghan directly in the eyes simply because the younger man wanted to drive his mate insane. Fortunately, the tired hybrid was interested in this as well, keeping his eye contact with his alpha and having no discomfort when Mingyu brought his cousin up to kneel with his knees placed on two sides of the omega. Fucking Jun from behind, Mingyu bent his lover down to make him hover above Jeonghan while he kept Jun’s arms behind his back. Thanks to the hands holding him at the back, Jun could not fall, but could not move anywhere either, completely helpless at his alpha’s mercy.

Gulping, Jeonghan realized the enormous effort Mingyu had used to restrain himself while having sex with him previously. The big alpha looked incredibly dominant and intimidating now, yet he seemed to be just a little bit rougher than Jun when he fucked the rabbit. Jeonghan had not known that Jun surprisingly enjoyed being fucked so intensely and so kinky like this. The hybrid even blushed when hearing his alpha call the younger man _“oppa”_ over and over again in this heated moment. It was interesting to realize that despite loving to fuck slowly and gently, Jun loved to get dicking with a hard pace.

Jeonghan was glad that he had the opportunities to watch this. He was very eager to see it many more times in the future.

Jun really felt satisfied and contented tonight. He thought he could fall asleep right away after his own last orgasm, yet he tried to keep himself awake for other important stuff of the night. His greedy body protested and his mouth whined loudly when Mingyu eventually pulled out, but the giant man shushed him tenderly.

“I will knot you on another day, Junnie. You should rest today.”

Jun stopped whining but still sulked, still heaving heavily when his bunny leaned over to peck him tenderly. Smiling shyly to his omega, Jun tiredly pulled the rabbit closer to give him a kiss on his lips.

“I think I will stay with you in this bed tomorrow, baby. I don’t want to walk anymore.”

Jeonghan giggled happily and laid himself on his angel’s chest, fluffy ears tickling the alpha’s neck in a pleasant way.

Mingyu ended up walking to the bathroom first to wash himself, fill the bathtub and then bringing his lovers one by one into the tub filled with warm water. After putting both of them in, Mingyu intended to walk away, but Jun gripped his hand tightly and sulked again.

“I know this tub is small but I don’t care what you should do to fit in. I will just punch you right away if you don’t join here with us now!”

“You’re so demanding, Junnie! I really have spoilt you too much!”

“I’m your older cousin, Mingyu. Of course I can tell you what to do!”

Mingyu pouted but obeyed his mate, stepping inside the bathtub while both Jeonghan and Jun moved to give him some room. It was difficult for them to have a comfortable position in this small space but it was easy to snuggle with each other like this. Consequently, the process of cleaning up was enjoyable for all three of them. If it were in the morning, they would lengthen the time in this restroom, but it was already too late in the night now. As a result, they tried not to spend too much time there, and then the two alphas prioritized their bunny by helping him get dried and dressed, as if he was their little prince.

Jeonghan was very tired but he was not too weak to do things on his own. Nonetheless, the rabbit just happily let his alphas do all those things for him, since it was rare for him to indulge in this kind of treatment in his life. The two alphas got dressed very quickly, but spent a lot of time carefully and gently drying the hybrid in a soft towel, dressing him in a pair of pink and white pajamas which felt so nice that Jeonghan almost wanted to fall asleep. Helping him blow dry the long hair, the two men talked about sleeping after this, but the rabbit shook his head and rubbed his stomach lightly.

In panic, Mingyu realized that his omega had not eaten anything for dinner yet, and he felt horrible for making his bunny starve after such an intense and long sex. Therefore, the giant man hurriedly stormed into the kitchen to make some food while Jun smiled and stayed there with his omega, finishing the other part of his task.

During the time of taking care of the long blonde hair, Jun had the chance to see the new mark on Jeonghan’s neck. He was happily surprised to see that it looked as if he had already bitten his omega for a very long time. The mark looked perfectly normal, bleeding no more, which meant the rabbit sincerely and wholeheartedly loved to become his mate forever. Jun had never seen Jeonghan being really clingy before, yet he thought the hybrid was acting extraordinarily clingy and showing a lot of affection now. The omega insisted on staying as close as possible to his alpha, and when the job of drying his hair was done, he naturally wrapped his both arms around Jun’s neck to hug him intimately. Also missing his bunny after days of being away, Jun utterly treasured this moment and hugged him back tightly, willingly bringing the hybrid on his own arms into the kitchen.

Jun was happy to see that Mingyu had made some delicious fluffy pancakes for all of them to enjoy, and he was impressed to see how fast and professional his mate was. The smell was so nice that not only Jeonghan but also Jun found their mouths water. Mingyu also cooked some instant noodles but this dish was not for the rabbit because they did not deem it healthy enough for a pregnant omega. The giant urged his lovers to eat first while he chopped some more fruits into a bowl and then added some yogurt for the hybrid. Jeonghan smiled brightly to receive the bowl of delicious fruits mixed with yogurt, making both of his alphas feel warm in their hearts.

They both saw the rabbit ears appearing again, but neither of them asked any questions, guessing that it was comfortable for Jeonghan to live with his true self and hide nothing in front of people he trusted. This fact helped them feel more proud of themselves, even floating in the clouds thanks to the rabbit’s love for them. Slowly but comfortably, Jeonghan easily ate everything his alphas gave him, ending the late supper by a glass of warm milk. His face looked obviously tired and sleepy, yet nothing could cover the glow of happiness in those eyes which used to break their hearts because of the pain and sadness.

That night, despite the fact that the bed was too small for three people, they slept together and had no problem with anything. Jeonghan lied between his two alphas, feeling like he had never found such a perfect place to sleep in his whole life. This situation somehow made him vaguely think of living a happy and safe life with his two parents who loved him more than anything and were ready to spoil him forever, but the thought was drifted away quickly, since Jeonghan had never lived this kind of life with his real parents. In the end, they were just Jun and Mingyu, whom he loved utterly and wished to spend the rest of his life with.

With them, Jeonghan would create his new little family. In this sweet and loving family, his children would never have to live the life he had been through in the past, since his mates were the real angels who had the purest hearts in this universe.

\-----------------------------------------

Mingyu thought he could sleep soundly until his alarm clock went off, but he suddenly woke up because of a call coming to his cellphone. Groaning, the alpha felt annoyed in a few short seconds, but he quickly snapped his eyes open due to a fear. When someone called him at this time, there must be something urgent. He had better pick up the phone as soon as possible.

Abruptly sitting up, Mingyu did not realize Jeonghan’s head was being on his right shoulder, and his movement caused the omega’s head to fall on the pillow. The rabbit whined and scrunched his face in displease, making the giant man afraid that he was going to wake up. Nonetheless, Mingyu sighed in relief as the hybrid just kept whining a little more and then turned to Jun who was groaning on the other side. Hastily picking up the call on his phone without looking at the name of the caller, Mingyu did not miss the scene of his lovers starting to cuddle with each other and falling back asleep as if nothing happened.

Mingyu almost jumped because of the noisy sounds from the other end of the call.

“I’m sorry Mingyu but I have to call you right away! Is Wonwoo at your place? Do you know what happened to him?”

Minghao spoke so fast in such a shaking voice that the alpha did not really hear what his friend just asked. However, he was really scared by the sounds of screams and things broken around the omega. Mingyu felt the urge to calm his friend down first. He quickly walked to the kitchen so that his conversation would not disturb his lovers’ slumber.

“Hold on hold on, Hao! Just slowly! What’s going on? What’s happening at your house?”

Mingyu could heard his friend trying to take a deep breath to calm down, yet the surroundings at his place seemed seriously chaotic. It was hard to stay calm.

“I’m sorry, Gyu, but I need your help right now. Is Wonwoo at your place now?”

“No, he’s not.” Mingyu answered nervously. “What’s wrong? He… he isn’t at home now?”

“Shit.” The omega groaned, feeling depressed as the brightest possibility had just been destroyed. “I’m at his home now. Last night he went out to attend a party and he said he would return by midnight. He asked us to stay at home to watch Joshua but it’s already four now and he’s still not back yet. But… but Joshua…”

“What’s wrong with Joshua?” Mingyu began to feel his mind going crazy. “What’s wrong? How is Joshua? How…”

The giant man’s saying was cut off because of a sudden scream of Minghao’s name which seemed to came from someone deep in panic. Losing a heartbeat, Mingyu was frightened to realize that it was Joshua’s voice.

Scared by the scream, Minghao turned back just to face Joshua who had just picked up a mug on the counter to throw at his direction. The human omega lowered his head just in time to avoid being hit by the flying mug, but he was so scared that he almost forgot his talk with Mingyu.

“Who the hell are you calling?” Joshua continued to scream at his full volume, face pale and red eyes wide in terror. “Don’t lie to me! I know you aren’t talking to Wonwoo! What do you want? You’re going to ask the damn doctors to come here and get me? You want to throw me back to the pet shop?”

“No no no! I don’t call any doctors or pet shops, Shua.” Minghao hurriedly explained. “I just want to contact Wonwoo’s relatives to check…”

“I don’t believe you!” Joshua shook his head vigorously, pointing an accusing finger at Minghao. “You’re liar! Liar! You said Wonwoo went out because his dad had an accident! Why doesn’t he answer my call? Why? Wonwoo never ignores me! He never ignores me like this!”

Neither Minghao nor Jihoon could have imagined that things could turn out to be this tragic.

Wonwoo had been absent for too long without any notice. The human omegas had thought that Joshua would just cry due to his husband’s absence, but things ended up a thousand times worse. The effect of the drug on the boy’s faded away when Wonwoo was still nowhere to be found. This incidence had never happened before. The lead alpha had always made sure to come back before his kitten might wake up. This time, he was late, and he did not answer the calls from Joshua, from Jihoon, or from Minghao.

An hour ago, they had told Joshua that Wonwoo went out without a proper notice because his father had a serious accident. However, as time went by, Joshua gradually panicked, starting to frantically call his alpha but there was no answer. Minghao and Jihoon tried their best to come up with many explanations but nothing could cool the hybrid down. The more they tried to keep the cat at one place, the more out of control Joshua became. In the end, the boy was standing at the corner of the counters in the kitchen, screaming and throwing everything he could reach, tears streaming down his face endlessly.

“Please trust us, Shua! We don’t want to lie to you! Wonwoo is just…” Saying, Jihoon tried one more time to approach the hybrid.

“I don’t believe you! You’re liar!” Joshua threw another plate at the short omega, sobbing heavily. “Where’s Wonwoo? Why isn’t he back? Why? Why does he leave me? Why does he abandon me? I didn’t do anything wrong! I’ve never wanted to leave him! Why does he still hate me? WHY???”

It was fortunate that almost nothing in this house was made of glass. Even if Minghao or Jihoon failed to avoid an object Joshua threw, they would only feel hurt a little bit. When the mugs, plates, and bowls fell on the floor, they did not break and did not create sharp pieces which could injure all three of them. However, it was still very difficult to approach the cat because Joshua kept hissing at them and throwing more objects mercilessly. The two poor omegas were extremely wary of the sharp claws they had never seen on their friend before. They were nervous, and also scared.

Joshua obviously did not trust them anymore at this point. He thought they lied to him. He thought they wanted to do something very cruel to him. The omega couple knew they had better not mess up further with the hybrid, since he evidently considered them as enemies now. Moreover, it was impossible to predict what was going to happen to a person with unstable mental condition. Joshua was downright volatile.

“Please, Shua. We don’t have any reasons to lie to you.” Jihoon kept on lying, but he really had no bad intentions in doing this. He and Minghao only wanted good things for their poor friend. “You… you must think that Wonwoo is busy. Maybe his father is severely injured and he accidentally missed your calls. I’m sure he doesn’t abandon you. I promise he will come home! I promise!”

“NO!” Joshua shouted and threw one more plate to his short friend, frantically scratching his own head as if he was about to rip his own hair off his scalp. “I don’t believe you! I don’t believe you! Where is Wonwoo??? What did you do to him? What did I do wrong? Why does he leave me? WHY???”

At the other end of the call, Mingyu began to tremble in utter worries for his kitten. His feet started to pace back and forth crazily in the kitchen as Minghao asked him.

“What should I do, Gyu? Joshua has been crying for an hour and screaming like this for half an hour! I don’t know what to do with him. He doesn’t listen to us anymore! He keeps throwing things and saying that we’re liars!”

“You can’t contact Wonwoo?”

“No. We’ve tried many times but we all failed. What should I do? What should I do now?”

“Can you and Jihoon hug him or pet him or give him some kind of affection to calm him down?”

“He was fine with that at first but after failing to call Wonwoo a few times he pushed us away and ran to the kitchen. We can’t approach him anymore!”

“Please try to control him! Try again! Joshua really wants affection.”

Listening to the giant man, Minghao and Jihoon tried to step closer to the hybrid, telling him hundreds of soothing words but the boy no longer trusted them even a bit. All of a sudden, Joshua opened one of the counters and took out the last thing anyone expected to see at this moment. Holding out a long and sharp knife towards the two human omegas, the cat cried out loudly.

“Don’t come here! STAY AWAY FROM ME! I know what you want to do! I won’t go back to the pet shop again! I won’t! I WON’T!”

Minghao had to stop talking on the phone to help Jihoon trying to persuade Joshua.

“Please calm down, Shua! We won’t bring you anywhere! We just want to hug you, okay? You’re crying. You just want to soothe you. We will take care of you until Wonwoo goes back. Can you please come here with us, Shua? Your alpha will be back soon! I promise!”

Nonetheless, every effort was useless as Joshua had lost all of his faith in everyone. The hybrid kept shaking his head while his trembling hands did not stop pointing the knife at the other two omegas. His screams were so loud that even Mingyu could hear clearly every single word and detect how petrified the cat was.

“I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK TO THE PET SHOP!!! GIVE WONWOO BACK TO ME! I WANT WONWOO! WHERE’S WONWOO???”

From that moment onwards, Joshua kept screaming only a few sentences repeatedly, but this kind of behaviors let his friends and the giant man understand his greatest and most devastating fear in his life.

_“I don’t want to go back to the pet shop!”_

_“What did you do to Wonwoo?”_

_“Give Wonwoo back to me!”_

_“Why does Wonwoo abandon me? I didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve tried my best to be a good cat.”_

_“Where’s Wonwoo?”_

_“I don’t believe you!”_

_“Liar!”_

Mingyu could not see Joshua now, but his heart was already aching, breaking, and dripping blood just by listening to the frantic screams of the helpless cat. The alpha was too scared to imagine how Joshua was feeling right now. He knew his poor kitten must have freaked out because of Wonwoo’s absence, and was frightened of being abandoned by his husband. Mingyu knew such a bad thing would not happen but the hybrid simply did not have the capacity to think in this way. Joshua had already been broken, always living on a thin line between crazy happiness and torturous fear of everything.

“What should I do, Gyu?” Minghao cried out exasperatedly, unable to keep calm anymore. “Joshua is having a knife in his hands! He doesn’t allow us to come to him! Can you please come here? Maybe… maybe you can calm him down.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hao.” Jihoon voiced came to the phone. “Joshua might not recognize him in this state. He will just freak out more due to an alpha’s presence. I think it will be better if we can get Jeonghan here for him…”

“That’s impossible!” Minghao sighed and groaned at the same time. “None of us knows where he is. We can’t get him here that easily.”

Mingyu lost another heartbeat at the mention of Jeonghan, all of a sudden feeling guilty and too ashamed to face Joshua ever again. He understood what the two omegas were saying; Joshua used to call out for Jeonghan in his most depressing situations and it was definitely reasonable for anyone to think that the rabbit could help in this case. However, Mingyu could never let Jeonghan enter that house even when Wonwoo was not there. It was not any different from murdering his bunny. Jeonghan surely could see Joshua later, but at somewhere else without Wonwoo’s presence and with Mingyu’s or Jun’s presence.

Even if there were hundreds of police officers in that house, Mingyu would not think Jeonghan was in a good mental condition to step in the house of his rapist. Things seemed to be nice before the rabbit fell asleep, but the alpha still felt like Jeonghan could collapse at any times if he and Jun failed to give him enough love, assurance and attention. Mingyu doubted his own ability of going to Wonwoo’s house as well. What would happen if Jeonghan woke up and could not see Mingyu anywhere? The rabbit must be still ashamed of what he had done with Wonwoo at the ball, and the feelings of being abandoned would ruin him terribly.

Mingyu could not help Joshua by hurting Jeonghan.

On the other hand, he could not let the cat drown deeper and deeper in depression like this.

“Where did Wonwoo go, Minghao?” Mingyu asked, but there was no answer, because the scared omega was worriedly talking to Jihoon about Joshua, and the loud screams were partially blocking his ears from listening to the man. Having no other choice, Mingyu had to use his firm alpha tone to force his friend to oblige. “Minghao, I ask you, where did Wonwoo go?”

Instantly, the omega answered, stuttering a bit.

“He… he went to a friend’s house to attend some kind of party. I told him not to go home if he got drunk, but… but I didn’t know he would be away this long. He doesn’t leave any messages or anything.”

“Do you know that friend’s name? I may know him. I’ll give you his phone number so that you can call and check.” The alpha lied, but giving his friend a bright hope.

In that way, Minghao eventually got the numbers to call the host of the ball so as to check if Wonwoo was there or he had gone somewhere. Mingyu could only pray that Wonwoo was still at that mansion. If the lead alpha was not there, he would have to leave and seek for his cousin. That was when things became very serious and even dangerous.

“Hold on, Hao! Wait! Don’t hang up!” Mingyu still used his alpha tone to command, afraid that his friend would stop this call to make another call. The alpha succeeded, as Minghao halted his movements to keep listening. “I think I can try…”

In the middle of his rapid pacing around the room, Mingyu suddenly caught the sight of a slender body standing at the door from the bedroom to the kitchen. He froze immediately, taken aback to see Jeonghan holding to the door frame, staring at him in the darkness in utter silence. Nonetheless, the moonlight gave the alpha enough brightness to see the glistening streams of tears on the omega’s cheeks. Mingyu could not speak anymore.

He was right about Jeonghan. The rabbit was not stable yet. He was not fine at all. He needed so much more love and assurance to fully believe that he did nothing wrong and his alphas still loved him as much as they had always done.

Perhaps Joshua’s screams were so loud that Jeonghan could hear them while standing three meters away from the phone. Mingyu was torn apart between the two omegas. He intended to tell Minghao that perhaps he could try talking to Joshua through the phone in an attempt to calm the cat down, but he was not sure if this method would help or Joshua would just want only Wonwoo. Nonetheless, Mingyu was one hundred percent sure Jeonghan needed him right now. It was hard to figure out all of the things messing up in the rabbit’s mind, but he knew Jeonghan needed him. He needed to be with his bunny. His bunny was crying silently, and he was about to leave right after realizing that the alpha had noticed his presence.

“Please update me about Wonwoo, Hao. I’ve got things to do now.” Mingyu hastily told his friend, and then hung up, carelessly throwing his phone onto the dining table while he bolted to the door.

The alpha reached the door just in time to grab Jeonghan’s wrist before the door could be closed. Using a little more force, Mingyu pulled his bunny back into the kitchen, gently closing the door but hurriedly pulling the crying omega into his chest.

“Don’t cry, Hannie! What’s wrong? Why are you crying? You had a bad dream? Can you tell me?”

Mingyu tried to pull Jeonghan to come to the table but the rabbit was very reluctant, not willing to sit down, but he soon gave up as the giant man decided to force him to sit on his lap. The omega began to sniffle after sitting down, turning around to look for something to write because he did not bring along his notes and pencil. The alpha rapidly grabbed his phone back and opened the note app so that his bunny could write. His heart literally broke just by watching the hybrid typing in tears.

Jeonghan had just been marked by the love of his life; he was supposed to be happy and contented now, not crying like this. His message left the giant man devastated and even more determined not to leave this apartment.

_“Joshua is in panic because of me. If something happens to him, it’s my fault. You should go check him.”_

“No, Hannie. It’s not your fault. Please, don’t think so.” Mingyu exclaimed in broken voice, squeezing the rabbit and rubbing his back in a soothing manner. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Wonwoo is already drunk anyway. Even if he hadn’t met you, he wouldn’t have gone home either. He’s drunk and you didn’t cause that to happen. Don’t cry, bunny. It isn’t your fault!”

Jeonghan buried his face into the man’s chest and cried quietly, obviously in despair because of his best friend’s condition. The more the hybrid in his embrace shook in tears, the more Mingyu felt hurt for his omega. The fact that Jeonghan got out of bed just because one of his alphas was not there was devastating enough. No matter what the rabbit said, Mingyu knew that his bunny was not fine. He was not mentally hurt by the incidence with Wonwoo, yet his own self-esteem was broken and something that had occurred merely due to a monster’s fault suddenly became his fault too. While Mingyu blamed himself for not taking care of Jeonghan properly, the rabbit was highly ashamed of his own behaviors and thought it was slutty and dirty of him to enjoy a consensual sex with his rapist. Joshua’s condition just made him feel a thousand times worse.

Pulling away from the alpha’s chest, Jeonghan typed another message again.

_“Please, Mingyu. You need to go and check Joshua. He’s in danger.”_

“Stop that, Hannie!” Mingyu decided to snatch the phone out of the rabbit’s hand, leaving no room for argument. “I won’t go anywhere. I stay here. I’ve already given Minghao the phone number of the host, and even the address. Wonwoo will be back home quickly. I won’t leave you.”

Jeonghan kept shaking his head vigorously but Mingyu did not want to argue. One more time, he hugged the rabbit tightly, wrapping the omega thoroughly in his arms, pressing kiss after kiss to his hair.

“Don’t cry, Hannie. Listen to me. It’s not your fault. Don’t cry. I’m here. I’m here with you.”

The long-haired omega was too weak to protest for long, since his heart had no sincere wish of letting Mingyu get out of this place. Hating himself for his own selfishness, the rabbit hid his face in the giant man’s chest again, sniffling and sobbing under the gentle hands of his alpha stroking his hair and his back in an attempt to bring him some comfort. The thoughts and fears were so chaotic and painful that Jeonghan did not know exactly what he should think about anymore - himself or Joshua. He just cried and cried helplessly in Mingyu’s arms, clutching to the alpha as if Mingyu was the last one he could rely on. For the first time, Jeonghan just desperately wished to pass out right on the spot so that he would no longer have to think about anything else.

Jeonghan was too tired. He did not want to think anymore.

Scooping up the rabbit, Mingyu brought the crying omega back to the bedroom, carefully placing him back in the middle of the bed where Jun was still sleeping soundly. Woken up by the sobs and the dreadful scent of his depressed omega, Jun abruptly sat up in the blink of an eye, startled to see Jeonghan crying and Mingyu deep in mental pain. The two alphas kept their bunny tightly between their bodies, making sure to give all of the warmth from both of them, leaving no part of the rabbit out of their reach. Jun could not help asking what had happened, and Mingyu explained in just a few short sentences.

It did not take Jun much time to understand what Jeonghan was probably thinking about or feeling at this moment. He knew nothing could heal the rabbit better than his and Mingyu’s love. Jeonghan needed their love to keep moving forward and know that he did nothing wrong; he was just a victim of everything, and he deserved happiness.

In his mind, Jun kept apologizing to his kitten over and over again, but he knew he would regret it forever if he did this in a different way now.

_“I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry.”_

Mingyu and Jun would not leave, and they would not let Jeonghan enter Wonwoo’s house either. It was decided. Nothing could ever change their mind. They kept hugging the rabbit in their arms, cooing sweet words to his ears continuously until the omega was too tired to stay awake any longer. Jeonghan soon fell back asleep again in Jun’s embrace. It was not until this moment of silence did Mingyu realize tears were also streaming down his cousin’s face.

Reaching out his arms further, Mingyu hugged both Jun and Jeonghan in his arms, giving light kisses on the tip of his mate’s head and whispering gently to him.

“It’s okay. Don’t cry. It’s okay, baby.”

Although Jun could not convince himself to fully believe that it was okay to leave a person he claim to love alone in such a dangerous and vulnerable condition, with Mingyu saying this to him, he tried his best to think that in the end, everyone had to decided who was the first priority of their own life. With his chosen life, Jeonghan was his first priority over everyone else in terms of lovers. The only person who could be compared with the rabbit in this could only be Mingyu. Jun could never care for both Jeonghan and Joshua while the cat was being away from him, and right in his home, there was a crying and depressed rabbit whom he wished to take care of till the last day of his life.

In the last week, Mingyu and Jun had not really understood what Seungcheol meant when saying that Jeonghan was terribly depressed and his life would be at risk if he did not get his last hope - Jun. During the last few hours of the night before the sun appeared, they had the chance to know it all. It was heartbreaking. All of the rabbit’s weakest spots were brought up to the surface after what had happened at the ball. Jun only left the bed for a short while to wash his face and use the toilet, but Jeonghan woke up and sat up from Mingyu’s arms just a few seconds later. Seeing Jun nowhere, the hybrid began to cry again, as if he was traumatized by the idea of being abandoned.

When Jun returned, the two alphas spent fifteen more minutes trying to calm their bunny down. They only felt relieved again when Jeonghan succumbed to his exhaustion again, yet neither of the alphas could sleep anymore. Until this moment, Mingyu had figured out what happened when he left this bedroom to answer the phone call. Jeonghan must have woken up like this too, and then left the bed to try looking for him. Mingyu knew he had better call for another day off at work. He was running the risk of losing his job since he had been absent for too many days without early notice, but losing a job was an absolutely endurable thing. Losing Jeonghan meant death.

A short while later, his phone buzzed off, and Minghao came up on the screen along with a new message. The giant man shared his phone with his mate so that they could read the message together.

_“I’m sorry for texting you late. I called. Wonwoo’s there and will come home soon. Joshua’s still holding the knife and screaming, but he seems better when we don’t try to approach him. Thank you for giving the number.”_

Looking at each other nervously, they felt a little more relieved, but also anxious to know that they had better sleep to brace themselves for what was about to come tomorrow. Wonwoo could show up in front of their door at any times.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hannie... T_T Our poor Hannie T_T  
Poor our Joshua T_T He's living in pain and fear >< Why did I push him in this kind of life? T_T 
> 
> I'm sorry but I was haunted by the comment of one of the readers. She said Joshua will be released from all these pains and sufferring if he dies in the end... It's heartbreaking, but I think it's somehow true ;_; I can feel his pain. It's too much. He's crazy now, and he forgets what Wonwoo did to him, but the fear is still there and just waiting to wake up with full force when things don't go well for Joshua. 
> 
> It's tragic ;_;
> 
> Sorry I'm just used to the thought of ending lives to end the pains. I'm still thinking about it for myself. I can't escape my childhood. My family says I seem to refuse to grow up and I just seem to become more and more childish every day. I tried listening to the relaxing music, but it just makes me sadder. I just want to hide in a corner, stay away from everyone, talk to my own imaginary friend in my mind. 
> 
> I guess I will feel empty after this fic ends...
> 
> Please stay safe and healthy!!!! I love you!!!
> 
> Oh no I'm tearing up again now


	89. Only one last hope of this life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo woke up and realized many things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for our toxic WonShua!!!

Wonwoo was extraordinarily annoyed when a pair of hands violently shook his shoulders to drag him out of his slumber, and he even growled in frustration, causing his friend to reel back a little. Nonetheless, Wonwoo still opened his eyes and stared at the person in front of him, squinting because of the lights being turned on in the room.

“What the f…” Wonwoo mumbled with a deep frown, but the friend cut him off.

“It’s time to wake up, Wonwoo! You have trouble at home!” Walking away from the bed, the host bent down to pick up a shirt which had been thrown on the floor last night to throw it at Wonwoo’s face. “You’re done, man! There are so many omegas in the ball but why did you have to pick the mated one? Not only his alpha was angry but your omega is pissed too.”

“What?” The lead alpha abruptly sat up at the mention of _“your omega”_. “What the hell? What do you mean? How do you know about Joshua? What the fuck happened?”

“Oh, come one, look at yourself, Wonwoo.” The friend scoffed, throwing pieces of clothes to Wonwoo one by one. “I didn’t think that you come here to hook up with a random omega. Don’t remember anything? I bet you had a good fuck last night, huh? That omega seems delicious as fuck.”

“Wait… Wait!” Wonwoo did not intend to command his friend but the commanding tone still slipped out due to his fear and confusion. “Tell me one by one. What’s wrong with Joshua?”

“Your friend called and said your omega is holding a knife at home and doesn’t allow anyone to approach him.” The host answered nonchalantly, but still helped his friend picked up enough things to get dressed. “You had better go home as soon as possible if you don’t want anything to go wrong with him.”

Wasting no more time listening, with a racing heart and trembling limbs, Wonwoo jumped out of bed to put clothes back on himself instantly. However, that was also the moment he saw the remnants of his sex with an omega last night. The flashbacks vaguely came back to his mind. Wonwoo surely could remember he definitely had had sex with someone, but the room was dark and he had been severely drunk. It was hard to recall everything clearly. On the other hand, in a few seconds of watching the dried cum on the bed sheet, Wonwoo finally took in a deep breath.

The scent was so familiar that the lead alpha instantly lost a heartbeat.

Meanwhile, his friend was still talking, smirking at his friend’s shocked face, thinking that Wonwoo did not even know he had had sex the previous night. He did not know which was killing Wonwoo was the realization about the identity of _his partner in this affair_.

“Shit! You dirtied my bed, man. You were so drunk that you didn’t get washed last night? I guess you had no condom either, right? Lucky for you. That omega is pregnant or else you would be in huge trouble now. Please tell me you didn’t rape him in my house!”

Wonwoo did not dare to say he did not rape that omega, because he could not remember that much. He remembered pulling the smaller male into this room and every actions had been initiated by himself. He could remember the strange but strong wish to protect that omega, and he had even recognized that the omega was pregnant and mated. No, Wonwoo could not be that brutal. He could not have raped a pregnant omega even when he was deadly drunk.

Trying to put his clothes back on speedily, Wonwoo all of a sudden found something which did not belong to him lying on the floor. It was a white mask with some delicate decoration and a gorgeous blue feather on one side. The flashback flooded his mind again, causing him to lose a heartbeat again when recalling how reluctant the omega had been when he tried to take the mask off. What Wonwoo remembered most was still the scent, and that flowery aroma was still evident on the mask which had been attached to the beauty’s face before Wonwoo detached it.

“Do you know who that omega is?” Wonwoo could not ignore this matter. He would wanted to forget it forever if it were just a random omega, but in this case, he knew that person was _not random_.

“I don’t remember his name, but his alpha is an architect I’m having a project to do with.”

“An architect?” Wonwoo frowned, still tightly holding the white mask in his hand. When the hell did Seungcheol become an architect?

“Yeah. Mingyu. What’s his omega name??? I can’t remember, but I swear he looked stunning even with the mask on. They are about to get married and the omega is already pregnant. If he weren’t pregnant, I would think that he intended to drag you into trouble. Let me tell you. That Mingyu guy freaked out because his omega disappeared in about twenty minutes and when we found the omega, he was crying in the hall. Mingyu thought his omega was assaulted but I had already assured him that he wasn’t. Please tell me I was right, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo’s mind immediately went fuzzy and overwhelmed by the chain of shocking pieces of information.

“That omega was like a joke. What a slutty bitch!” The friend snickered. “If you had raped him, then I must have heard him screaming when you dragged him somewhere, right? He didn’t even have a scratch or bruise on his body, but you know what? When his alpha found him, he was crying, screaming and whimpering as if someone molested him. That Mingyu guy almost ran around madly to beat you to death but lucky for you, he needed to care for the omega first. His neck was bleeding then.”

It took Wonwoo a minute standing like a stature to wait for everything to sink in, and then he bolted, rushing back home in both fright and anger.

He was right. Mingyu did hide something. Mingyu had told him a hundred of lies. Mingyu knew it. Mingyu knew what he had done to Jeonghan, and _they were about to get married_.

Wonwoo wanted to focus on thinking about Mingyu first, but his brain kept reminding him of the fact that he had just had sex with Jeonghan behind Joshua’s back. Without a doubt, Wonwoo knew the rabbit did not intend to get him in trouble; he was already able to detect thousands of reasons for the sex to happen. Wonwoo wanted to point a gun at his own head and pull the trigger. No wonder he found that omega so alluring, so attractive. No wonder the desire to protect and to mate was so powerful.

And then, he was forced to think of a bigger problem, which was that, Jeonghan was pregnant.

It might not be his child, but the rabbit was seriously pregnant.

Jeonghan was pregnant.

Wonwoo almost caused a few accidents on the way back home as he finally decided that he had better concentrate on Joshua first instead of thinking about anything else. He had never driven with this maddening speed. Other matters could wait, but Joshua could not. The boy was in danger and in panic. Wonwoo did not need more explanation to understand that Joshua was frightened by his absence. His poor kitten must be so scared now. Wonwoo had to return as soon as possible so as to save his omega out of this tragic moment.

Nonetheless, the damn flashbacks of last night kept ruining his mind, making him feel utterly guilty, sick, and weird. Wonwoo could never imagine that in only his rarest night of taking a rest after almost two months, he committed a crime for the second time. It was hard to tell whether Jeonghan had been drawn towards him as well or not, because Wonwoo still remembered the omega’s reluctance. Wonwoo could swear he had never intended to rape the rabbit again, but somehow it still happened. There was a possibility of Jeonghan actually having consent when doing it but Wonwoo knew after all, the impact of this would not be much different.

It was such a huge mess that Wonwoo thought he might go insane right away.

Jumping out of his car, the alpha ran like a flash and met Minghao in the middle of the way. Wonwoo knew his friend had been too nervous about Joshua to stay still and wait, yet he thought it was not necessary for Minghao to come out here anymore. As a cat hybrid, Joshua caught the sounds and scent of his alpha so quickly; it did not take him much time to realize his husband was coming home for real. The cat was so fast that he soon ran past Minghao to jump into his alpha’s embrace in the blink of an eye.

Jihoon also ran outside a few seconds later, and the two human omegas were relieved to the utmost to see Joshua eventually dropping the knife. The cat had already got the person he wanted now. They supposed it was the end of their duty today. They wanted nothing but a good sleep at home after this horrible beginning of the day. Nobody got hurt physically, but they were extremely exhausted in all ways.

Wonwoo was heartbroken by the heavy sobs Joshua was letting out, devastated by the cat’s effort in holding him as tightly as possible. The hybrid was trembling so violently that in a second Wonwoo was deadly worried that he was having a seizure. Fortunately, such a terrible thing did not happen as the cat was still able to talk.

“Where were you? Why didn’t you answer my call? Why?” The boy croaked out, whimpering loudly in greatest pain since the fear was still lingering.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m really sorry.” Wonwoo knew Joshua did not care about the reasons. He had better just apologize and try to make up for this. “Everything’s fine now. I’ll stay at home with you all day. I’m sorry, kitten. I’m sorry.”

However, the peaceful moment did not last long. Everything broke down once again when the cat tried to sniff his husband as his own habit of seeking for comfort from the alpha’s scent.

All of a sudden, Joshua pulled himself away from Wonwoo to stand on the ground again, shocking everyone instantly. They were even more frightened when the boy screamed fiercely at Minghao and Jihoon in tears, asking them to leave right away. In horror, Wonwoo tried to calm the cat down, but Joshua pushed his hands away, rejecting every kind of touch from his own husband and just insisting on his friends leaving first. Having no choice, Minghao and Jihoon hesitantly left with heavy hearts, desperately wishing that Wonwoo could handle Joshua on his own. The boy snapped so fast that nobody could predict anything about him.

The next thing Wonwoo knew after locking the gate behind Minghao’s car was that, Joshua had just screamed again and then scratched his head furiously while running back into the house, his scent dreadful and his voice broken. Having no idea of the reason why Joshua became like this, Wonwoo rapidly followed his kitten, heart racing and threatening to kill him at any time.

It was too dangerous. Wonwoo knew Joshua could just pick up the knife again. Moreover, the boy’s claws had already been cutting into his scalp and the alpha could see blood on the back of the cat’s head when running behind him. Too scared of the boy approaching the knife, Wonwoo hurriedly caught the omega’s wrist before he could come closer to the place where the sharp thing was. Unexpectedly, Joshua immediately flinched, and when he was turned to look at his husband, his eyes showed nothing but pain and fear. The happiness in his voice a moment ago had already vanished.

“What’s wrong, Joshua? What’s happening? Why are you running? Why…”

Wonwoo had so many questions to ask, but Joshua shook his head vehemently, shedding tears continuously as he tried to break free. Nonetheless, the crying boy was too weak to escape from his alpha. Furthermore, Joshua was scared. Wonwoo had just asked him many questions and of course the alpha must demand some answers. The cat kept crying harder and harder by second, squirming and writing, but at least the claws had disappeared.

The boy’s voice and words stabbed knives directly into Wonwoo’s heart brutally.

“Why… why did you go out to see Hannie without me? Why did you lie? They said your dad had an accident. You came to see Hannie. You two had sex. Why didn’t you bring me with you? Why?”

It was not until now did Wonwoo realize that as he rushed back home, he did not have the chance to wash himself, and the cat could easily smell lavender all over his body. Even more than just the aroma of lavender, the hybrid found his husband reeking of sex and cum and everything he would never expect to smell from his spouse.

In almost a minute, Wonwoo was immobilized, unable to come up with anything to say, feeling as if death had just hit him. Joshua knew it. The boy had found out this affair, and he was broken again. Wonwoo unintentionally broke him one more time by unconsciously having sex with the cat’s best friend while he had been drunk. The alpha had no possibilities of covering this fact or denying it since everything was as clear as crystal to Joshua. His heart crazily urged his brain to come up with some reasons, some excuses, but he could not find anything. Nothing sounded good enough in this situation. Nothing could be acceptable. It was true that Jeonghan was Wonwoo’s mate, but there was also another important fact which was that he and Joshua were married. It was definitely wrong to sneak out of the house to fuck someone else but lie to him that his father had an accident.

The more Joshua tried to break free, the more strongly Wonwoo held his wrists, which caused the boy to wince in pain, so the cat gave up early. Instead, he just cried, sobbed, being about to fall like a boneless and soulless body onto the ground, but Wonwoo caught him on time. Squeezing the hybrid into his chest, the alpha frantically apologized and begged his omega, too scared that his kitten _would be gone forever_.

“I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I… I don’t want to cheat on you. I never want to leave you. Please, Joshua! I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I just… I just…”

“Why did you lie to me? You said your father had an accident.” Joshua cried out, hands hitting his husband’s back repeatedly in utter madness. His words seemed angry, but his voice and his scent did not seem angry at all. They were just terribly sad and exasperated. “It turns out that you didn’t answer my calls because you were busy fucking him… Why? Why did you ignore me because of him? Why did everyone lie to me because of him?”

“No! I never ignore you, Joshua! I’m sorry! I love you! I love you more than anyone else, Joshua. I’m sorry. Please, forgive me. Please, I beg you.” Wonwoo did not dare to loosen his arms around the boy in just a split second, his words becoming more and more frantic and broken just like the cat in his embrace. The alpha’s tears were streaming down at the realization of Joshua feeling like everyone was cheating on him with Jeonghan, over and over again.

Joshua began to sob so hard that it was difficult for him to speak, or even to breathe.

“I know he’s better than me… you can have sex with him… but I can’t… please don’t… please don’t leave me…”

“No, baby. It isn’t your fault. You’re the best to me! I love you! I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry. I’m…”

Before Wonwoo could finish his sentence, he was caught off guard when the cat suddenly pulled him away forcefully. In fright, the man thought his kitten wanted to run away, but it turned out that the cat had a different intention. Still crying, sobbing, and whimpering, Joshua madly and clumsily unbuttoned his own shirt, causing his alpha to feel confused and frightened at the same time.

“What… what are you doing, Joshua? Baby… what…”

Frustrated with his own inability of taking the shirt off quickly, the boy turned to pull his pants down first, successfully taking them off within two seconds. At this point, Wonwoo was really scared. Hurriedly grabbing both of the cat’s arms, the man forced him to stop everything, asking in panic.

“What are you doing, Joshua? Talk to me. Don’t do that! Why…”

“If you want to have sex, do it with me.” The boy begged in tears even though he was trembling in fear also because of the idea of letting his husband fuck him. “Please… I… I’ll be good. I’ll do anything you want… Please don’t hate me… don’t abandon me… Please use me as you want to… don’t leave me…”

With wide eyes, Wonwoo shook his head a hundred times, hugging his omega tightly once again.

“Please don’t, Joshua! Please trust me! I will never leave you! You don’t have to do that! I know you’re scared! I can’t do that to you! I can’t do…”

“But you’re bored of me… I know you are… Please do it… I’m your omega… I have to… I have to submit… I will do anything you want…” Joshua kept on begging and whimpering although his arms were slowly wrapping around Wonwoo’s neck to hug him, subconsciously searching for love and comfort from his husband, just wanting to live in peace with his alpha again.

“I’m not bored of you. I love you, Joshua! I love you. I will always love you.” Temporarily pulling away, Wonwoo rapidly fixed Joshua’s clothes, putting everything back into its original position. His tears were doubled when he cupped the boy’s face and stared into those red and puffy eyes which had been shedding tears for hours. “You said you would do anything I want, right? I just want you to believe that I love you, kitten. I love you. I don’t want anything else from you. Please just let me hug you and soothe you. Can you, baby? Please?”

Not waiting for an answer, Wonwoo just lifted the boy up, forcing the cat to wrap his legs around his waist and hugging tightly in their familiar position. The crying hybrid automatically clung to his husband and hugged him extraordinarily tightly, burying his whole face in the alpha’s neck to cry his eyes out. Between his wrecked sobs, Joshua kept begging Wonwoo not to ever leave him, telling the alpha that he was scared. Promise after promise came out of the alpha’s mouth together with the confession of _“I love you.”_

Wonwoo felt like the force Joshua was using in holding him could kill him if he kept doing this for long, but he could not care. His kitten was evidently so scared and frightened of everything that Wonwoo did not know how to put the broken pieces of his own heart back together. The alpha was no longer sure if what Joshua was scared of most was being raped or being abandoned by his husband forever.

With no warning, the cat bit Wonwoo so hard that the man winced in pain, but he endured it and allowed the hybrid to do whatever he wanted, hoping that it could soothe the boy even just a little. Wonwoo knew the cat’s teeth broke his skin and made him bleed, and the boy was possessively sucking on it to drink his blood like a mad vampire, yet he did nothing to stop his omega.

Slowly, Wonwoo walked into the bedroom with the hybrid in his arms. Keeping a slow and gentle pace, the alpha kept walking around in their most familiar and safest space, quietly murmuring countless times of _“I love you”_ and _“I’m sorry”_ to Joshua. In the next fifteen minutes, the cat’s sobs gradually subsided into sniffles. The tensed body had melted in Wonwoo’s arms as the cat hid his face in the man’s shoulder. For the whole time, Wonwoo’s hands kept stroking Joshua’s back tenderly, from time to time reaching up to caress his hair and scratch his fluffy ears lightly, doing all he knew his kitten always loved. The alpha heart was still beating crazily in his chest now, since he was still too scared of losing Joshua forever. It was frightening and devastating; even half an hour after that, Wonwoo’s tears still had not dried away on his cheeks, and the cat in his embrace did not stop crying either.

“Why don’t you bring Hannie home?” Joshua asked in a feeble voice which sounded hoarse and downright awful. He had screamed too much and cried too much. “Why did you have to sneak out to see him? Why don’t you just bring him here?”

“I’m sorry Joshua.” Wonwoo repeated, placing a kiss on the tip of his omega’s head. “I didn’t sneak out to see him. I swear I just accidentally ran into him. It was a coincidence.”

The hybrid choked out a sob, tightening his arms around the alpha.

“You… you ran into Hannie at the hospital… and fucked him there?”

“No… Joshua, not like that.” Wonwoo wanted to punch his own face, hating himself for dragging his own self into this mess. There was literally no good explanation now. The more he spoke about it, the further he lied to his kitten and perhaps Joshua might burst into tears again. Wonwoo guessed he had better distract the boy by another idea. “Do you want to see Jeonghan? I can take you to see him. Do you want to?”

Joshua nodded without hesitation, but just a second later, he suddenly shook his head vigorously. Having already had a grasp of the cat’s way of thinking currently, Wonwoo hurriedly assured his omega.

“Don’t worry, kitten. You’ll always be my only kitten. You’re my love. I won’t abandon you for anyone. I just want to let you see him. That’s all. If you don’t want to see him, then we can just stay home today. Don’t be scared. It’s okay, baby.”

The insecurity could never leave the poor hybrid but at least for now he just stayed still in his husband’s arms and said no more. Wonwoo tried to spend a lot more time soothing Joshua, humming a soft lullaby to the boy in an attempt of luring him into sleep. Even when the alpha buried his nose in the cat’s hair, he could not smell his scent anymore, which proved how exhausted the cat was after the chaotic hours. Wonwoo really, really wanted to go to Mingyu’s place to search for a confirmation of all the shocking news he had heard, but he doubted the ability of Joshua leaving home today. In this state, the boy might just want to cling to him all day long, while Wonwoo was ready to do everything he could to compensate for the pain he had caused to his kitten, although it was just unintentional.

Carefully, Wonwoo lied down on the bed with the cat on top of him, snuggling closely with his boy and draping the blanket over both of their bodies. Joshua was still sniffling lightly and shedding tears, but he had his eyes closed while he tried his best to stay close to Wonwoo as much as possible.

Nonetheless, the alpha did not expect his kitten to suddenly speak again.

“Can you please…” The boy started with a deep frown, one hand gripping his husband’s shirt. “…go take a shower?”

Wonwoo was taken aback, but quickly complied. Putting a kiss on the cat’s forehead, he soon walked to the wardrobe and fetched some new clothes before heading to the bathroom. Behind his back, the hybrid’s eyes followed every of his movements intently. Right after the door was closed, Joshua sat up, glancing around the room through his blurred eyes. Eventually, his arm reached to the nightstand, and knocked off the rabbit plushie. Hiding himself under the blanket, the boy continued to cry, wishing for his alpha to come back quickly, so that he would not be drowned alone in his horrible insecure feelings of being abandoned.

Joshua wished his husband did not lie to him like _someone _had done.

Joshua wished no matter what, Wonwoo would always choose him, unlike how _someone_ had done. He wanted Jeonghan back in his life, or even wanted to live in the same house with his best friend, but he could not accept it when his husband preferred the rabbit in terms of anything.

Joshua wondered why it always had to be Jeonghan. What was the problem? Why did Jeonghan always get involved in between the relationship of Joshua and _his alphas_?

Sobbing in the bed, Joshua regretted not joining Wonwoo in the bathroom, hating this moment of waiting to the utmost. Between his sobs, the boy whimpered and then, without any proper thoughts in his mind, he scrambled out of the bed to pick up the rabbit plushie on the floor, hugging it tightly in his chest while crying pathetically in the mess of blanket and pillows on the bed.

Wonwoo tried to wash himself very carefully but in a very short amount of time, too worried to let Joshua stay alone for long. As the shower started to run, the alpha hissed in pain, seeing blood streaming down from his neck along with the water. Joshua really did leave a harsh bite this time, making Wonwoo wonder if he would have to use a bandage to cover this wound.

As soon as the alpha got used to the pain on his neck, his mind was dragged back to what had happened last night. As time went by, everything slowly became clearer and clearer. Wonwoo could remember the feelings he had had then; it was such a powerful temptation that he had terribly failed to control himself even a bit. At that time, Jeonghan was not any different from a giant magnet while Wonwoo was just a little piece of iron. He had been even drunk, and had not been able to get off in almost two months. He literally ran into his omega, and his instincts instantly told him to mate with the rabbit.

At that crowded place, Wonwoo was pretty sure he could only do that to Jeonghan because the rabbit did not fight back, which meant perhaps he had not raped the hybrid again. Since Wonwoo had not eaten or drunk anything after waking up, he still had the taste of blood mixed with lavender in his mouth, fully aware that he must have bitten Jeonghan. The more he thought about last night, the more horribly his head ached and Wonwoo did not even know how he should feel about this incidence. Certainly, he knew that was not a good thing. It was very bad, very very bad.

According to what Wonwoo still vividly remembered about what he had done to the hybrid two months ago, he was one hundred percent sure Jeonghan was scared of him to death. In that moment of being subconsciously attracted to him, the rabbit might not feel very frightened, but Wonwoo guessed the aftermath was devastating. If he was thinking about it a lot now, perhaps Jeonghan had been thinking about it too. While the blonde omega was scared, ashamed, and heartbroken, Mingyu and Jun must be extremely furious. They surely knew it. Wonwoo was not sure whether his two cousins would let him enter their place even when he simply wanted to bring Joshua to see his best friend.

Wonwoo had to admit, he was severely nervous about Jeonghan’s pregnancy. This baby could be Seungcheol’s child, or Jun’s, or even Mingyu’s, yet his heart kept telling him that _it was his_. The urge to protect and treat the rabbit tenderly last night was stronger than any primal instincts Wonwoo had ever had in his life. He had had the pressing need to mate with his omega, and he also knew he had never liked gentle sex, but he clearly had treated the rabbit extraordinarily tenderly even in that drunk state. He should have been slightly triggered if the baby was the child of another alpha.

If Jeonghan was really carrying Wonwoo’s child, what was he supposed to feel or to do?

The alpha was completely lost. His head was a tremendous chaos. It was difficult to detect his own feelings were fear, guilt, or anything else. Happiness? Wonwoo did not think he was feeling in that way. He did not have to right to feel so. He literally committed a crime by raping Jeonghan two months ago; even if that baby was truly his child, he would not be allowed to get involved in anything with that kid. His friend said Jeonghan had cried, screamed, and whimpered a lot when Mingyu found him. Things must have been a thousand times worse on the day Wonwoo threw the rabbit out of his car in the middle of the highway.

Thinking back about it, Wonwoo shivered under the hot water, feeling scared by his own actions, knowing that he could have practically killed a person by leaving him alone in such a place, bleeding everywhere and having nothing to cover his body. Jeonghan really had made things go crazy, but the omega literally had never directly done anything harmful or unfavorable to Wonwoo. Wonwoo had treated him as if they were enemies. The flashbacks of two months ago hurt the alpha’s head more violently than the incidence yesterday.

_It was a crime._

_It was a sin._

_It was cruel._

That day was the moment Wonwoo forgot one important fact he had tried so hard to remind himself of. The alpha remembered that when he helped Jun save Jeonghan out of the hotel, he forced his furious mind to think of Joshua before judging the rabbit in anything. If Joshua had not luckily been sold to him, the same things could have happened to the cat, and his life would end up tragic like Jeonghan’s. Jun once told him the rabbit had been bought and sold and abused in ten years. If Wonwoo had to gather all the pieces of facts he knew about Jeonghan, he was forced to admit that he had brutally picked the weakest person with no ability of fighting back to take revenge and torture.

Wonwoo had not only raped Jeonghan but also beaten him to a battered state.

Was this huge mess of feelings a sign of regret for what he had done in the past? Was Wonwoo thinking about it in the right way? What would be the best solution for all? The alpha tried to use his alone time in the bathroom to think about how to solve the problems and crimes he had done, yet nothing could be found. He was just dragged further and further into hell as the realization of how badly he had messed up everything.

In the end, Wonwoo stepped out of the bathroom with no new idea in his mind.

Nonetheless, the alpha was startled to see Joshua crying relentlessly on the bed again with two rabbit plushies in his arms. As the man got back into bed with his kitten, the cat quickly buried himself into his chest and embrace, trying to make his own body as small as possible in Wonwoo’s arms. Wonwoo hugged both his omega and the rabbits, asking questions to check why the hybrid cried so much again, but Joshua just shook his head and refused to answer. Nevertheless, the good thing was that Joshua did nothing except for crying. He did not do any abnormal things and allowed Wonwoo to soothe him by sweet coos and gentle stroke on his shivering back. Understanding that his boy did not want to talk, Wonwoo decided to comply and perhaps he would ask later.

It was already six o’clock in the morning now, but the alpha believed his kitten needed some more sleep now. They could think of any other plans later, when both of them had been calmer and wiser.

Squeezing the cat into his chest, Wonwoo tried to hold back a sigh, knowing that he himself would not be able to become any calmer even in ten more days. The only one thing he was sure about was that, he needed to pay a visit to Mingyu’s apartment to sort things out as soon as possible.

Wonwoo knew he should not be feeling this way, but his heart broke and felt strangely betrayed by his youngest cousin while he thought he had been very honest to Mingyu in the past seven weeks. Taking a deep breath, the lead alpha used every mental strength to comfort his own mind, telling himself that if he were the giant man, he would just do the same thing.

All of a sudden, Wonwoo realized he actually knew a lot of things. He perfectly knew what was wrong and what was right. He was even able to imagine how other people were feeling. How did he end up in this situation, making an omega pregnant by raping and marking him, losing his first love by treating him brutally, pushing his cousin away by all of those actions, and making the kitten in his arms fall into this crazy condition without knowing the day when he would become normal again?

Hugging Joshua more and more tightly, burying his face in the boy’s hair and listening to his sniffles, Wonwoo found his own tears falling and wetting the cat’s hair. Everything seemed to be too late. Wonwoo had lost everything, apart from Joshua. Nonetheless, it was not wrong at all to say that he actually had lost half of the kitten he loved. The fated omega of his life seemed to be able to slip out of his life at any time. No matter how hard he tried to make up for Joshua, to protect and take care of the boy, that cruel possibility still could happen, because Wonwoo had destroyed everything beyond repair by himself.

Wonwoo found no reason for him to keep on living if one day Joshua was not here with him anymore.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor my WonShua ;_;   
For sure, the reunion is coming soon (which also means the ending of the fic is coming soon.) I really want to give Wonwoo a lot of things but, certainly, it can't happen.   
I think he might get depressed by the life he is living now ;_;
> 
> I want to thank all of you who have given me comfort in the comments of the previous chapter... I don't know why I suddenly had severe breakdown like that those days but I think I'm a bit better now. Thank you a lot for your precious love and support for me T_T I will always remember you even when I'm buried under the soil and go to another world. 
> 
> Still, I'm eager to know how you think about this chapter. 
> 
> Please stay safe and healthy!!!! I love you!!!


	90. "I love you" is an understatement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun, Mingyu, and Jeonghan were like living in their sweetest honeymoon together.  
Meanwhile, Wonwoo realized he had always been wrong. He had not understood Joshua well.   
The poor cat just wanted his God to love him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this takes so much time ;_; I tried so hard to solve some things between WonShua and I got stuck. It was so difficult ;_; 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter!!!!
> 
> If you see the hint of smut, don't skip it, because it's very light. It's almost not even there.

Jeonghan blushed right after opening his eyes, as he realized both of his alphas were staring at him as if they were adoring a piece of art. Rubbing his eyes lazily, the rabbit unconsciously yawned, making his boyfriends chuckle by how cute he was. The omega had just felt so shy by their looks, but once he felt Jun’s tender hand caressing him from his forehead to the tip of his head, he just wanted to fall back asleep. However, Jeonghan was confused, unsure whether to turn to the right side to bury his face in Jun’s chest, or to the left side to curl up in Mingyu’s big embrace. Smiling at the adorable bunny, the two alphas exchanged a meaningful look before maneuvering the omega to a position they had thought of previously.

Mingyu offered his right arm as a pillow for Jun to rest his head on, while the older alpha rolled Jeonghan until the omega was lying on his belly on top of him, face pressed to his chest, perfect for the rabbit to tuck his head under his angel’s chin. The giant man turned to lie on his side and drape his free arm over the hybrid’s torso, hugging both of his lovers. This position was similar to the one they had been in when Jun knotted Jeonghan, and they all decided that they wholeheartedly liked it. Soon, the rabbit would not be able to lie on his stomach anymore, so they had better make use of the time they still had left to indulge in this close and sweet sleeping position.

Mingyu and Jun had given up sleeping for a few hours, but they found it just fine to keep staying here to watch Jeonghan sleep. They had already been updated about Joshua’s condition thanks to Minghao, but it was still impossible for them to find some peace, especially when they were expecting Wonwoo’s visit today. Knowing the lead alpha’s personality, they understood that their eldest cousin would definitely come here as soon as possible. It was advisable to wake Jeonghan up early so that the rabbit could prepare for the dreadful moments instead of being dragged out of bed when Wonwoo came here, but they seriously just wanted their bunny to enjoy the peaceful moment a little longer.

Whenever Jun needed to go to the bathroom, he would place Jeonghan on top of Mingyu’s body, and the omega did not even stir. His condition was so much better this morning; he no longer woke up and cried when one of his alphas left the bed. However, he still whined feebly in his slumber, aware of his alpha’s absence by his sides. Jeonghan once had to wake up to go to the bathroom too, but when he got out, he naturally walked back to bed and willingly curled up in the arms of the first alpha who pulled him into their embrace. That person was actually Jun, but Jeonghan was too sleepy to pay much attention, only knowing that it was one of the men he loved. Hugging the hybrid, Jun was sad to realize how exhausted the rabbit was. Ten hours of sleep did not seem to be enough for him at all.

Jun guessed it might be better if he learned how to make breakfast for other people instead of being fed so that his bunny could have more time to sleep every morning.

The two alphas let Jeonghan sleep freely until the omega woke up by himself again. That was also the time they heard the rabbit’s stomach growling furiously and the poor omega looked up at them through sad eyes, one hand rubbing his belly, ears dropping. They almost forgot it. The rabbit ears were still there. In combination with those sad and beautiful eyes, they looked so cute that not only Mingyu but also Jun found themselves gulping before smiling to the hybrid.

“Sorry, baby. Let’s go have lunch now. Okay?”

Hearing the word _“lunch”_, Jeonghan stared at Jun in confusion with wide eyes, hurriedly darting his eyes towards the clock on the wall. He was startled to realize it was already ten past ten in the morning. No wonder he felt terribly hungry, yet he really had not expected to sleep this much. Nonetheless, the long and peaceful sleep with his alphas helped him feel so much better. Jeonghan did not feel sleepy or too tired when stepping out of the bed. His body was quite sore, but he was generally fine, unlike the times when he had been tortured by his previous owners or even by Seungcheol in the past. Jeonghan could walk on his own, blushing hard as his alphas observed him limping around the house.

However, the rabbit instantly giggled when seeing Jun limping as well. Chuckling shyly, Jun mumbled.

“My dads gave me a nasty look when they saw me like this. I walked normally in two days and now I’m limping again.” All of a sudden, he punched Mingyu’s arm while the giant man was checking himself in front of the mirror after putting on a shirt. The younger male winced while Jun gritted his teeth. “I hate you!”

“Junnie!” Mingyu whined loudly, rubbing his arm to ease the pain. “Do you have to punch me that hard?”

“It’s nothing in comparison with mine, baby.” Jun growled before happily taking Jeonghan’s hand, leading the omega to the wardrobe. “Let’s go to the bathroom. I will help you get dressed, bunny.”

The rabbit did not feel like he was too weak or in too much pain to change clothes on his own, but he willingly agreed with Jun, happy to be called _“bunny”_ by his angel, and happy to be adored by his alpha. Standing still and aghast, Mingyu pouted and sulked, but he knew Jun meant nothing more than _“I love you”_ by that statement of _“I hate you.”_ However, the giant man was startled when Jun suddenly ran out of the bathroom. Staring at him with wide eyes, Mingyu definitely did not expect his mate to playfully smack his bottom and then run away with a loud laughter. Soon, the door into the bathroom was closed, but not locked. Chuckling to himself, Mingyu found it interesting to realize that Jun really loved to tease him a lot.

As Mingyu stared back at the door to the bathroom again, he found it slightly opened, as if inviting him to get in. Hesitating for a short while, the alpha smirked and then decided to walk towards that direction, joining his two lovers in whatever they were doing or intended to do there.

When Jeonghan got dressed, Jun suddenly realized one special things. From the first day he had the rabbit here until now, he had never seen him wearing anything except for the clothes they bought together at the shopping mall. The clothes Jeonghan brought here from Seungcheol’s place were still in the wardrobe but the hybrid simply did not touch them. It was not good to jump into conclusion, but Jun guessed it was a sign which showed Jeonghan preferred things of this new life instead of those he had had while living a miserable life with Seungcheol in the past. The rabbit wanted a fresh restart. He still loved Seungcheol, but he wanted a new Seungcheol, and a new happy life.

If that was the case, Jun decided that he and Mingyu should take the omega out to buy some more clothes before lunch. They still had plenty of time anyway.

Nonetheless, they did not leave the bathroom soon. How could they do that when they were together in a little space to change clothes? Moreover, the gorgeous omega was there, and he was the center of attention.

\----------------------

Wonwoo woke up and was frightened to death as he did not see Joshua anywhere in the bedroom.

Bolting out of the bed, he checked the wardrobe first, then the bathroom, and then he ran out of the room, along the hall, into the kitchen. The man instantly sighed heavily in great relief to see the boy standing right next to the dining table with a glass of water in his hand. Hearing his husband’s footsteps, the cat instantly snapped his head towards the door and stared at the alpha while his ears and tail twitched in excitement. Putting the glass on the table, Joshua smiled delightfully ran towards Wonwoo without any hesitation, flinging himself into the man’s arms and he was lifted up immediately. While the cat clung to the alpha, Wonwoo hugged him tightly and buried his own face into the boy’s neck, inhaling his scent desperately to calm his own mind and heart down after the panic.

As a cat, Joshua could hear Wonwoo’s heartbeats easily, which caused him to ask in concern, voice innocent as if he were not the one who had brought so much fear and worries to his husband.

“Daddy, why is your heart beating so fast? What’s wrong? Did you have a bad dream?” The boy asked and tenderly rubbed his hand along Wonwoo’s back.

“I’m fine, kitten. I’m fine.” The alpha shook his head, but squeezed the hybrid in his arms more and Joshua just giggled in contentment, happy to be embraced.

It broke Wonwoo’s heart brutally when the man realized that his omega seemed to remember nothing about what had happened just a few hours ago.

“You overslept.” The boy whispered softly before trying to sniff his alpha. “Don’t you have to work today?”

“No, baby. Today is for you only.” Wonwoo was still in a frenzy, tightening his arms around Joshua more and more, shaking his head vehemently. “I just want to be with you today.”

The cat beamed like a real five-year-old kid, wriggling to get himself off Wonwoo and suddenly, he said with a proud expression on his face, pointing to the kitchen floor.

“The house is so messy! I’ve just cleaned up everything! You see. I did a good job, right?”

In agony, Wonwoo tried to fake a smile, stroking his kitten’s hair as he knew Joshua wanted to get a praise.

“Yes, you did very well, baby.”

Beaming again, Joshua voluntarily pressed himself as close as possible to his husband, wrapping his arms around Wonwoo’s waist while he placed his chin on the man’s chest, looking up at him through his breathtaking eyes which had always stolen the alpha’s heartbeat.

“Am I a good omega to Daddy?” The boy asked, strangely seeming to be nervous.

“You are the love of my life.” Wonwoo bent down to hug his kitten thoroughly, heartbroken to see Joshua was still desperately trying to get his love and his attention. The alpha had been trying so hard in the past seven weeks to make the boy feel loved and wanted but it was still not enough. Joshua had never been able to get rid of his insecurity, always scared of being abandoned or hated.

In utter happiness and excitement, the boy squeaked before jumping up to straddle his husband’s waist again. Wonwoo wanted to pull away when Joshua held his face tenderly by his hands, obviously wanting to kiss him. The alpha knew he had just woken up and he was gross, but the cat did not care even a bit. He still proceeded to kiss his man intimately and passionately, whining in desperation as Wonwoo did not move his lips. Defeated, the lead alpha soon forgot his own reluctance to join Joshua in the kisses, devouring the boy’s lips and earning a light giggle from him again.

Later, Wonwoo eventually had the chance to go to the bathroom and brush his teeth, but with a clingy cat on his back. Joshua was wrapping himself perfectly around the alpha to keep himself attached to his husband all the time. The boy stayed silent while Wonwoo was brushing his teeth and washing his face, acting like a very good and obedient kitty for his master. Nonetheless, this was also the chance where Wonwoo saw the boy’s hands in the mirror, and he was drowned in guilt. The cat’s bandage had not been changed yet, and it was already late in the morning. He had better take care of Joshua’s wound as soon as possible.

As Wonwoo took the box containing things he needed to work with the wound out of a cabinet in the corner of their bedroom, he could hear the omega’s sniffles behind him. Tears quickly wetted his shirt while the boy cried in despair, knowing that he was going to get hurt again. However, Joshua was terribly strange today. No matter how much he cried, he stayed still wherever Wonwoo put him. Having the cat on his lap, the alpha peeled off the bandage, unintentionally causing the hybrid to cry out in pain. His eyes squeezed shut, one hand gripping Wonwoo’s shirt so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Trying pathetically to hold back a grimace, the alpha gave his kitten a kiss on his cheek and rubbed his back soothingly.

“It’s okay, baby. Just a little more. You can do it. It will heal soon. You’ll be fine.”

Joshua whimpered yet did not move, giving Wonwoo the chance to proceed his task. The poor omega just almost screamed when antiseptic was applied on his wound. The alpha had to use more strength to keep the cat from jolting because of the pain. The whole process was heartbreaking, but it was considerably easier than what Wonwoo had to dealt with in the previous days. As a result, it did not take much time to finish, and the alpha then could hug his kitten in his chest to soothe him and calm him down after minutes of pain.

The more Joshua cried, the more Wonwoo found his heart aching to acknowledge that the cat was evidently heavily influenced by what had happened although his actions seemed like he did not remember anything. The boy was trying very hard to be a good boy, cleaning the house, staying still when Wonwoo asked him to, and his worries caused him to become extraordinarily clingy to his husband. This fact was good in some ways, but devastating to the alpha’s heart.

Wonwoo desperately just wanted to let Joshua know that no matter what happened, they would always be together. Wonwoo would never abandon the cat due to any reasons.

At least, the man thought he had better “reward” Joshua something for his good behaviors and also to make him feel more comfortable after the breakdown in the early morning.

“Do you want to buy some new toys, baby?” The alpha gently wiped the tears on his omega’s cheeks while staring into his wet eyes. “We can get some new toys before lunch. Or some new clothes for you. Which one do you like, kitten?”

Still gripping his husband’s shirt, the cat stayed silent, only letting out small sniffling sounds while considering the options. Wonwoo had not stopped rubbing the boy’s back in even a second in order to give Joshua more and more love. To be honest, the hybrid just wanted to stay at home with Wonwoo and nothing else. He would rather have nothing to play with or even have nothing to wear instead of going out of this house. However, the boy gradually cowered under his husband’s expectation, feeling scared since he knew Wonwoo wanted an answer. He could not lose Wonwoo. He could not make Wonwoo hate him by disobeying him or making him disappointed.

As a result, Joshua spoke weakly.

“Some… some new clothes… and…”

Quickly understanding what his kitten wanted, Wonwoo gave him a smile and a tender question.

“You want some new clothes and some new toys too, right?”

The cat nervously nodded, wiping his own tears by the sleeve of his shirt. Heartbroken by the sad and scared boy, the alpha hurriedly pulled the hybrid into his chest and whispered softly into the fluffy adorable ear.

“Okay, kitten. Whatever you want. If you want to go somewhere else to buy something, just tell me.”

Hugging Wonwoo back, Joshua nodded, temporarily hiding his face in the crook of the man’s neck again. Nonetheless, his scent seemed to be a little sweeter, which allowed the alpha to feel relieved and know that he was doing the right thing. He was trying to show his love to Joshua. The more he showed it, perhaps the happier and safer the boy would feel.

Therefore, Wonwoo spent a lot more time at home cuddling with his omega and telling him how much he truly loved him. Joshua did not say a single word, only indulging in the confessions he had always wanted to hear from his husband. He was fully calm now, but Wonwoo still sensed something wrong going on in the boy’s mind. Even when Joshua straddled his lap and they made out passionately in the dining room, the alpha could not stop feeling worried to death.

It was really worth worrying about. Joshua seemed to obviously regress, always acting like a little kid, but at times like this, he was kissing Wonwoo with all of his heart as if he was now a real adult again. Sometimes, Wonwoo felt like he was being a bastard abusing an underage kid when kissing the cat like this. It felt somehow right and wrong at the same time.

Sometimes Joshua even called him _“daddy”._

Wonwoo thought he could get mad if he tried too hard to understand what the boy was thinking in his mind. He desperately needed someone to tell him that he was not doing the wrong thing. He needed someone to tell him that Joshua considered him as a real husband. He did not want to be the boy’s daddy. He did not even need to be the boy’s God or anything else. It was good enough to be his husband.

Wonwoo was perplexed when Joshua murmured a question on his lips.

“I want to do one thing for you.” The boy seemed nervous, but determined. “Can… can I?”

“What do you want to do, baby?” The alpha could not help asking back, not any less nervous than his omega.

“Please let me _serve_ you.”

Much as Wonwoo was shocked, he still could not figure what his kitten’s intention was until the boy climbed out of his lap to kneel down on the floor. In fright, the man rapidly held Joshua’s shoulders before he could do anything further.

“No, you don’t have to do that, Joshua.” Wonwoo shook his head vehemently, too scared that things could go terribly wrong. “Please, baby. I don’t want you to force yourself to do something like this.”

“I’m your omega. We’re married. I’m supposed to do this for you.” The boy did not relent, hands reaching towards Wonwoo’s waistband without asking for permission, eyes innocently staring into his husband’s eyes, as if he were not doing such an obscene thing. “We haven’t done this for a very long time…”

“I don’t ask you to do it because I don’t want to force you, kitten. Please, Joshua, don’t.” Wonwoo was literally begging his omega now, trying to hold the boy’s hands as gently as possible.

However, his rejection had different meaning in the poor cat’s mind. Tears welled up in his eyes as he asked, voice shaking.

“You… you really don’t like me doing this for you? We… we…” Joshua began to sniffle while tears streamed down his cheeks. “We… we used to do this almost every night… but one day… you just stopped… You don’t like me anymore?”

Wonwoo could not believe it.

He had never thought that Joshua still remembered it. He could not believe that the boy did not understand anything. Joshua seriously did not understand anything. Wonwoo had always thought that his omega was severely scared of anything related to sex now, and his childish soul did not like to think of those things either. However, reality was completely different. The cat was fully aware of the fact that Wonwoo had stopped doing those things to him in a pretty long while without announcing a proper reason.

“I… No! No, it’s not like that, Joshua.” Wonwoo stuttered in disbelief, pathetically trying to wipe the boy’s tears by shaky hands. The alpha hated to talk about this topic, but now he had no other choice. “You… Don’t you remember about the robbery, kitten?”

Wonwoo did not know he could be even more heartbroken when Joshua interpreted his question in a shockingly unexpected way. The tears on his face were doubled and he even choked out a painful sob, obviously trembling violently now.

“You… you feel that I’m filthy… you don’t want me anymore?”

“NO!” In fright, Wonwoo hurriedly protested, unintentionally raising his voice, causing the poor omega to reel back and flinch. Scrambling to hold the boy’s cold and shivering hands, the alpha frantically explained. “You’re the love of my life, Joshua. Nothing can change this fact. I love you, kitten. I love you. I don’t do it to you anymore because I don’t want to make you scared. Please trust me, baby. I love you.”

Unable to endure with this any longer, Wonwoo had to get out of the chair to bend down and scoop up his omega, placing the crying cat back to sit across his lap. It was impossible for the alpha to ever think that an affair with another omega could drown his kitten in so much insecurity and pain like this. In the past seven weeks, Joshua seemed to be perfectly fine with this life, contented and happy by Wonwoo’s sides, but now the man discovered that his omega did not feel relieved even a bit, and yesterday incidence just intensified his fear.

“Do you really want me?” The boy asked between sniffles, wet eyes filled with sadness, expectation and hopes. “I can serve you… I… I can do anything other omegas can…”

“I don’t need you to be like any other omegas, Joshua.” Wonwoo firmly stated, although his heart was being shattered into pieces. “I just need you. Please don’t say that. I don’t want you to serve me. I just need you to be happy.”

Shaking his head, Joshua tried to sit up and moved his legs until he straddled his husband’s lap again. The boy suddenly grinded on the alpha’s lap and made a not very subtle movement that caused the man to fail to hold back a warning growl. Evidently in a frenzy now, Joshua wrapped his arms around Wonwoo’s neck, kissing him seductively while grinding down a few more times.

“If you really want me… why don’t you touch me now… why…” The cat whispered on the alpha’s lips, placing Wonwoo’s both hands on his hips. At the fifth time of his grinding, the alpha growled one more time as he heard his kitten moaning softly. “I miss your touch… Wonwoo… If you love me… please just once…”

It was not until this moment did Wonwoo start to realize that Joshua was also affected by their bond, regardless of the medicine he had been taking. It seemed that the pills could only ease the impacts and lengthen the peaceful time before the cat could go crazy. What had happened yesterday was certainly a tremendous trigger Wonwoo had never thought of. Joshua was sickly possessive. He was surely triggered by his husband “cheating on him” with another omega, especially when this was not the first time for him to witness _his alpha lying to him to sneak out and have sex with his best frien_d.

Nonetheless, Wonwoo was really scared. He could not risk watching Joshua threatening to take his life again. Wonwoo was unable to predict all of the possibilities, so he had better be extremely wary and he really did not think touching his kitten in a sensual way was a good idea, even when Joshua asked for it.

However, Wonwoo could not stop the bulge in his pants from growing bigger and bigger when Joshua’s relentless movements on his lap kept driving him insane. Still kissing his husband deeply, the boy continued to shed more tears, too scared to admit that perhaps his alpha really did not want him anymore. It was just impossible for Wonwoo to make the boy understand now. He could not tell Joshua that he was the one who had raped him brutally and made him traumatized and downright crazy now. He could not tell the hybrid that he was afraid of waking up the forgotten memories in his mind. Without the truth, Joshua could never fully understand why he did not feel scared of some sexual activities with Wonwoo except for the intercourse but his husband was strangely reluctant.

“Why… why… Wonwoo…” Joshua could not finish a proper sentence now, still desperately trying to find some actions from his alpha. The cat was crying, face slowly burning in utter embarrassment. He was trying so hard to provoke Wonwoo, but the man stayed completely still, as if he were not interested even a bit. “I… I always… always want your attention… but why… why don’t you…”

“I… You’re my priority, kitten. I…” Wonwoo stuttered, shocked by the mention of “attention”. Why was Joshua talking about it now? Had he not given the boy enough attention?

“You don’t want me anymore…” The poor boy sobbed, stopping his movement for good, too ashamed to keep going. “You used to… You used to say you wanted me… but now… you don’t… even the way you look at me… Why? Am I… Am I not a good omega to you?”

In horror, Wonwoo suddenly realized, Joshua had never innocently driven him crazy. The boy actually understood it. He had always known what he was doing when he grinded on the alpha’s lap, when he put the pink cat ears on himself, or when he tied a little bow around the tip of his tail. _He wanted the attention_. He thought Wonwoo did not want him anymore. It was scary and terrifying for Wonwoo to realize that even though Joshua was so frightened of getting fucked, he desperately wished his husband would always want him like how he had always done. The boy’s insecurity was insane. He had no trust in himself. He did not believe that Wonwoo still could love him without sex. He actually did not understand anything. He did not remember anything about the “robbery”. In his mind, his life turned upside down after _that day_ and all of a sudden, his husband _stopped touching_ him forever.

Now Joshua even wanted it more than how he had normally done in the past, because he desperately wanted to please Wonwoo so as to keep the alpha’s love for him.

In the end, Wonwoo knew he had to take actions. He had been wrong about the boy’s thoughts for so long. It was impossible to firmly state he had eventually understood everything now, but the best option to fix his mistakes now was to follow his kitten’s wish.

Holding the cat possessively in his arms, Wonwoo walked back to the bedroom, swallowing his special pills before gently placing the hybrid in the middle of the bed. With the release he had got yesterday and those pills, the alpha believed he would not lose himself in front of Joshua. If he had been able to have sex with Jeonghan gently last night even though he was horribly drunk, then in this sober state, he definitely could control his desire. He would not use his dick on the boy. He would only do what they had usually done in the past, and it would be the boy’s choice whether to give him a blowjob or not.

Joshua was still crying when Wonwoo slowly unbuttoned his shirt, but his sniffles turned to sweet moans when the alpha began to trail kisses down his neck to his collarbones. After a long time of having no more than just hugs and kisses, the cat was extraordinarily sensitive under his alpha’s touch. He was soon writhing under his husband, letting out lewd sounds between kisses while Wonwoo’s hands roamed over his body, stripping his clothes, leaving him naked. It was so strange. The alpha was so gentle, much more gentle than what Joshua remembered from the last time they did this together, but it was a nicely welcomed surprise and the boy fully relished in being treasured and loved by his husband.

It felt surreal for him when finally, his God was adoring his body again. He was willing to devote himself, eager to please, happy to be accepted and wanted. Closing his eyes, the boy utterly enjoyed the feelings of having Wonwoo’s lips on his body, knowing that those kisses would leave countless marks on himself for days, and he would have something to look at in the mirror in a good period of time. The boy could not say anything properly anymore, only letting out breathless moans and erotically calling _“daddy”, “Wonwoo”_, or _“alpha”_.

Joshua was lost in euphoria when Wonwoo told him _“I miss your candy taste.”_

His oversensitive body caused him to scream when the alpha thrust his four fingers into his heat, yet his sounds were soon muffled by the man’s passionate kisses. The boy did not bother to count how many times he had cum in this intimate moment. He was happy and contented enough to have multiple orgasms in his husband’s arms, wrapped in his warmth and love to feel safe and desired.

The last thing that ended his chain of orgasms was still what the boy loved to hear most.

_“I love you, Joshua.”_

Joshua was too lost to reply, but his mind vaguely thought that such a confession was an understatement to describe his love for Wonwoo. Nonetheless, he guessed his alpha understood it. He would not fully devote himself to anyone except for his God and his God only.

Following his own wish, the boy willingly and happily sucked his alpha’s dick after that to get him off, letting Wonwoo cum on his face, and trying his best to swallow all of it, licking it clean on the corner of his lips, not wanting to waste a drop.

During the rest of the morning, the couple just spent time cuddling with each other in the bathroom, listening to each other sweet whispers, and giving each other tender kisses.

“You still want to go pick up some new clothes and toys, kitten?”

“Can I get some new cat ears? I like the white ones.”

“Yes, you can. But your own ears are the cutest to me.”

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you can see what is going to happen soon. They were all going to head to somewhere with the same intention :">
> 
> I know Joshua's love for Wonwoo is sick but, I can relate, and I'm glad at least he has someone to hold on ;_; He just needs to be less insecure and trust Wonwoo's love for him so as to be happier. His insecure is also something that can make him get better. Because he's scared of being abandoned, he's trying very hard to follow what Wonwoo wants him to do. I believe that is a small improvement.
> 
> By the way, I want to let you all know that I have just posted a new fic named "Our angel". I will be very happy if you can give it a try ^^ 
> 
> As always, I'm eager to know how you feel about this chapter >< 
> 
> Love you!!!!!!!


	91. Unexpected excitement and panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter could have been posted days ago if it had not been for some serious technical problem >< I've been so angry with my computer ><
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this chapter!!!!!!!

Wonwoo took Joshua to the toy store first, thinking that it would take the boy a lot of time to pick some new clothes so it would be better to go to the shopping mall later. The cat was literally shaking, one hand holding his husband’s hand extremely tightly while the other one gripped the alpha’s arm as if his life depended on it. Joshua pressed himself as close as possible to the man, looking around warily. He was wearing Wonwoo’s clothes, practically covered by the alpha’s scent and pheromones, yet he still disliked being out of his house. Wonwoo pushed out his pheromones to the utmost in order to scare off anyone who had the intention of staring at him or his kitten. Fortunately, this method successfully stopped everyone from caring about them.

The boy only started to act a little more comfortable when he saw what he liked in the store: the rabbit plushies. After what had happened last night, Wonwoo thought Joshua would not like those stuffed animals very much anymore, yet the boy seemed to be very consistent with what he loved. They spent some minutes standing in front of those rabbits until Joshua happily chose two of them and put them into their cart. The next thing which caught the hybrid’s attention was definitely some colorful cat ears for him to put on his head. Wonwoo grimaced at those things, hating his own suffering when seeing those cute things on his kitten, but he could not say _“no”_ to Joshua. He had no choice but to let the cat get whatever he liked. Joshua had been very obedient today; it would be not nice to ignore this improvement of behavior.

Wonwoo was relieved because Joshua did not lash out at anyone today. No matter what, he still had to be careful so as to prevent such a thing from happening.

Nonetheless, he was more afraid when taking the cat to the shopping mall, because there were many more people at that place and the chance of Joshua getting triggered was much higher. Wonwoo had better push out all of his pheromones from the beginning, or else an omega might glance at him and Joshua would turn mad again.

…

From the day Jeonghan presented as an omega, he had never been able to imagine that there would be one day in which he walked out in the public between two alphas. The two tall men were both holding his hands comfortably and happily, walking very slowly so that he did not have to struggle to walk faster to catch up with their long legs. They were both eager to take him into any stores he wanted, helping him look for something he might like. Having already gone shopping with the rabbit once, Jun definitely knew what his omega liked. Mingyu only needed a few instructions before joining his lovers in the process of picking some nice clothes for their bunny.

It was surreal for Jeonghan to feel like he was being spoilt rotten now, and he guessed he was already addicted to this kind of attention now. He just loved it. The omega was a bit overwhelmed by how much his alphas cared about him instead of themselves, yet he was receptive to everything. Sometimes, Jeonghan luckily ran across something which seemed to look nice on Mingyu or Jun, and they grinned brightly right at the moment he showed them the item. They were so much like two fools in love, which made Jeonghan feel warm and touched in his heart.

There were times when the three of them only walked along the long hall in the shopping mall without browsing through any stores, and in those times, Mingyu would volunteer to carry Jeonghan on his back, since the two alphas felt their heart aching when watching their bunny limping. Jun was also limping, but he was still much better, since the rabbit had been put in the center of attention and he literally took two dicks last night. Jeonghan felt shy to be carried around in this crowded place, but still happily nuzzled into Mingyu’s neck and tightened his arms around the giant man.

Jeonghan wanted to stop his alphas from entering a store of a luxurious brand, but the two bigger men were determined to give their bunny something nice. They wanted to at least give their omega a special set of clothes in his wardrobe, simply because he deserved it.

The staff at the store did not need much to realize their customer today was a spoilt omega and they were eager to please the alphas with the most elegant and gorgeous items for the breathtaking omega. It was not usual to see more than one noble alpha in their store at the same time.

Nevertheless, Jeonghan started to feel unwell after stepping into the store. He did not dare to tell his alphas about it, but this feeling was familiar. He had just felt it yesterday. It was like he was being sick, and his body needed comfort. Trying to be careful and subtle, Jeonghan pressed himself very close to Jun, warily looking around the store to seek for the reason of his discomfort. He did not see anything, but it did not mean he could stop feeling worried or even scared. He could not mistake this feeling when it had just come to him the night before. Jeonghan no longer had the need to walk away from his alpha to come closer to the source of _that scent_, yet he could sense it.

It did not take the omega long to realize that Jun was looking around anxiously as well. He almost forgot it. His gentle alpha was mated to _that man_ too.

Jeonghan lost a heartbeat when he finally saw what he was scared of most in this world. That person was not far away from him at all. Only a few meters away in front of his eyes, there was a tall figure standing outside the dressing room. The aroma of peppermint was coming directly from that man, attacking the rabbit’s nostrils and sending all of his nerves on alarm. The omega did not find himself loosening his arms around Jun’s one. He only knew he had to run. He needed to escape. He could not let anything happen again.

Nonetheless, it was late. The monster had just turned his head and saw him, locking the prey in his sharp and dangerous eyes.

Joshua frantically stepped out of the dressing room, and in the blink of eye, he saw what his heart was looking for. He had smelled the scent of lavender from there, and he was right, it was his best friend who was standing a few meters away from this position. However, his best friend had just begun to run out of the store. Without any hesitation, Joshua instantly followed.

As a cat, Joshua certainly ran much faster than Jeonghan, especially when the rabbit was being pregnant and even limping while walking. The rabbit had no idea about a cat hybrid chasing him, only thinking that he had to escape from Wonwoo as soon as possible. Consequently, he was frightened to death to feel someone jumping at him and grabbing him with no restraint. Jeonghan shrieked in terror, yet his poor attempt to break free only caused him to end up falling onto the floor. In fact, it seemed like he fell because his body was not prepared to catch the person who had just jumped into him, and they both fell down, with that person on top of the rabbit.

Jeonghan scrambled to turn his body and used all of his strength to push that person away from himself, drowned in utter panic as he tried to crawl away but that person did not agree to give up. Jeonghan heard someone calling his name by a very familiar voice, but he was too scared to look back, just crawling and crawling until a hand grabbed his shoulder and forcefully pulled him back. Literally screaming in fright, Jeonghan strongly pushed that hand out of himself. However, it turned out that he did not need to do so, because another bigger figure had just appeared between him and that chasing person. Jeonghan recognized his angel in the blink of an eye, frantically moving into his alpha’s embrace while the man firmly stopped the other person from attacking the rabbit, commanding in a very fierce tone.

“Don’t touch him! Back off!” Jun was mad, extremely mad. His bunny had been standing right next to him peacefully in the store, but then he started to run, and now Jun saw this person strangely trying to catch his omega. The alpha was just livid, enraged by the rude and crazy person who dared to make his pregnant bunny fall and so scared like this.

Like Jeonghan, Jun was not calm enough to really see who that person was before speaking or acting. When he finally spent more than a second staring at that one, it was already too late. The cat was staring at him with wide eyes which were filled with not only panic but also pain. Joshua froze at his position in a second, and then he frantically ran away like how Jeonghan had just ran away from him a few seconds ago. Fortunately, the cat soon found his husband who was also worried to death by watching him running uncontrollably. The boy ran into his alpha’s chest instantly and cried his eyes out, whimpering pathetically to his husband, body trembling and reeking of so much fear.

“Jun… Jun hates me… He yelled at me! He hates me!”

The situation easily pushed the two alphas into feral conditions. They were both mad when staring at each other intensely, each of them with a spooked omega in their arms. Joshua remained his position in Wonwoo’s chest, but right at the moment Jeonghan could sense Wonwoo’s presence so close to him, he quickly moved to hide behind Jun, gripping the alpha’s shirt tightly with shaking hands. Their height difference was just enough for the rabbit to be covered by the taller man’s body, but Wonwoo had already seen him before. The lead alpha knew what had caused his kitten to run, and he knew he was indirectly facing the omega he had met yesterday. This was exactly that scent - the aroma of lavender. Authentic, sweet, and alluring. It was tainted by fear right now, but still enough for Wonwoo to confirm everything. The other scent coming from the rabbit hybrid was definitely nothing but _Wonwoo’s child_.

Both of the alphas understood the situation, but they were on the verge of failing to control their instincts now. Wonwoo and his kitten scared Jeonghan, while Jun had just yelled at the cat angrily. The two alphas were enraged, feeling blood boiling in their own bodies and they honestly just wanted to jump towards each other to start a fight right on the spot. Wonwoo was even madder, because he was severely triggered by both of the omegas. _Jeonghan was his too, and he was carrying his pup_. Nonetheless, the rabbit was being with another alpha who was obviously trying to block Wonwoo from touching the long-haired omega by all means.

Jeonghan should have recognized Joshua now, but the fact that Wonwoo was being here had messed up his mind severely and he was just unable to calm down. He could feel the pheromones of the noble alpha, feeling clearly how much that man’s power was overshadowing Jun’s one. However, there was one fact he did not know. It was that, Jun was scared as well. He had never seen Wonwoo even once from that day, the day he got a seizure due to fighting against the lead alpha’s power. The flashbacks of that dreadful moment were flooding his mind brutally, making his soul want to cower, too scared of experiencing that kind of epilepsy again. On the other hand, the presence of the rabbit behind him reminded him how much he had always desired to protect his omega. He could not let Wonwoo hurt Jeonghan ever again. It was already enough. He could not be a weak and pathetic alpha who failed to protect his lover one more time. If Jun had to fight, he would fight. He would do anything so as not to give Wonwoo the chance to get Jeonghan.

Jun was so mad that he just could not care much about the fact that he had just unintentionally hurt and scared Joshua. The cat was still crying, smelling horribly sour as he was scared by the alpha’s anger. He was scared of everything. He was scared of other alphas, but he was also scared of his own husband, who was in fact trying to protect him and give him comfort. Joshua’s mind was a chaotic mess now, since he registered that he had just caused troubles again. Wonwoo could get angry at him and give him a punishment later. It would be the death of him. Joshua would be beaten to death.

If it had not been for the fact that _Jun was also Wonwoo’s mate_, the lead alpha could have started a fight in less than fifteen seconds and broken Jun’s jaw in less than one minute. The bond between him and his first love and the burning love he still had for his cousin were the two last things holding Wonwoo back now. On the other hand, Jun’s love for Wonwoo and his fear of the lead alpha were telling him to calm down, yet his love for Jeonghan was screaming at him and demanding him to punch his eldest cousin right in the face. That man had raped his bunny. That man had called his omega a _“slut”_. That man had beaten Jeonghan and left him traumatized, wounded deeply in his heart and soul.

Jun was the first one to make a move towards the other two people standing four meters away from him.

Surprisingly, a huge figure all of a sudden appeared in front of Jun’s eyes, blocking his view completely, forcing him to look up at that person’s face. Mingyu was here, interfering between the two mad alphas just in time to stop Jun from attacking Wonwoo. Jeonghan only waited for this moment to step out of the position behind Jun to fling himself into the giant man’s embrace. It was natural for him to feel that Mingyu could protect him from Wonwoo better than Jun, so his soul just dragged him to the bigger alpha instantly, seeking for protection and comfort from the man who was also his alpha. Jeonghan was not crying, but he was evidently struggling to breathe now, causing Jun to get even angrier.

“Listen to me, Junnie.” Mingyu tried to keep his cousin focused, gripping one of his shoulders tightly in order to prevent him from running away. “Can you bring Hannie to the parking lot? He’s scared. Can you take care of him there? I will deal with things here and go back to you later. Okay?”

Jun was still agitated, squirming uncomfortably under his mate’s restraint, but Mingyu was certainly stronger, keeping him in place since the giant man did not want his cousins to have a physical fights right in the middle of a shopping mall at all. Whatever they wanted to do, it should only occur at home where it was safe for all of them, especially when Jeonghan had already freaked out. He could not dare to imagine how scared the rabbit would be if his alpha fought with his rapist here and lost the battle. He was sure Jun would not want to see that either; the older alpha only needed a little more time to calm himself down.

Fortunately, Jun’s mental system had magically got used to Mingyu for a pretty long time after all they had been through each other, and no one could have such a powerful impact on him like Mingyu. The giant alpha did not need to use a commanding tone to force him to obey. The younger man only used his determination and his sincere care for the well-being of his lovers to help Jun clear his mind to get a better thought about everything. He enveloped both of his lovers in his big arms, Jeonghan being sandwiched between them while Mingyu’s hands stroked Jun’s back soothingly and tenderly. The biggest man was tall enough to block Wonwoo out of Jun’s view as he intentionally pushed his cousin’s face into his shoulder, hoping that his scent could help him feel calmer and relax.

Jun complied, trying to take deep breathes, so that his lungs were filled by Mingyu’s scent and his mind was a bit lighter. It was not until now did he realize that he was having difficulty in breathing as well, and perhaps this was the reason why he had failed to make Jeonghan feel protected. The rabbit did not need more air; he just needed more sense of being protected by his alphas so he had no problems with being pressed tightly like this.

Wonwoo had to admit that he hated what he was seeing now. The ugly jealousy was burning in his heart, and he could clearly see the three of them were treating each other as true family. While Wonwoo triggered not only Jeonghan but also Jun, Mingyu could hug them, give them comfort, and cool them down without using any extreme methods.

Meanwhile, the cat in the lead alpha’s embrace was squinting to look at the back of the huge alpha more carefully. Wiping his own tears, the boy clutched tightly to Wonwoo’s shirt and asked, voice seeming to contain excitement.

“Is that… Is that Mingyu? Daddy, is that Mingyu?”

Hearing the cat, Mingyu worriedly tried to push Jun away from him, urging his mate to leave.

“Please, Junnie! Take Hannie back to my car and wait for me there! Okay? Joshua is running back here soon!”

Jeonghan had not recognized Joshua’s presence but now he did, and he instantly pulled himself away from Mingyu’s chest in order to look towards the direction where the voice of his best friend came from. Wonwoo was still there, but now all the rabbit could see was Joshua, the cat who was staring at him and Mingyu with big wet eyes. The boy was asking about Mingyu but his eyes immediately lit up and concentrated fully back on Jeonghan again when the rabbit eventually got out of his hiding position. Without any hesitation, as if he had never been yelled at before, Joshua scrambled to get out of Wonwoo’s arms and ran towards his best friend.

Nonetheless, Jun was much faster. Realizing what was going to happen, he quickly scooped up the rabbit and ran to the nearest elevator. He was not sure why he had to act this way; the person running to his bunny was Joshua, not Wonwoo, but he somehow believed it was not good for Jeonghan to be greeted by the cat who seemed to be in a frenzy now. Joshua shrieked when seeing his best friend being carried away, screaming the rabbit’s name in panic. Witnessing the cat in this state, Jeonghan soon panicked as well and he eventually cried. Wonwoo had not made his tears fall but now he was literally crying a whole river, scrambling to get out of Jun’s arms so as to find his own way to the cat but to no avail.

The door into the elevator was closed, and Joshua was held back strongly by Mingyu’s arms wrapping around his body. The boy thrashed and kicked and screamed, crying out his friend’s name loudly but Wonwoo had soon rushed to him and hugged him tightly. The lead alpha was even more enraged now, and his eyes were shooting flames right into his cousin’s face when he glared at the giant man.

“Let’s go home to talk, Wonwoo.” Mingyu sighed, trying to speak politely, temporarily resisting the wish to punch this rapist. “This isn’t a good place.”

Disregarding the angry man’s growl, Mingyu stroked Joshua’s hair tenderly, causing the boy to look up at him through teary eyes.

“Don’t cry, kitten. We’re going to my apartment now. You will have all your time with Hannie there. Trust me, okay?”

“R… Really?” The boy sobbed and trembled, voice full of insecurities and distrust. His tears and the tremendous pain in those eyes broke the alphas’ hearts brutally. “Please… please don’t lie to me… Where is Hannie? Why does Jun take him away? He doesn’t want me to see Hannie? Is he mad at me? Does he hate me?”

“He doesn’t hate you at all, Joshua!” Mingyu hurriedly cupped the Joshua’s face by both hands, wiping the streams of tears by his thumbs. “He loves you! Both of them love you so much!”

Unfortunately, his words could not convince the boy easily. Joshua kept shaking his head and sobbed harder. In the end, Wonwoo had to pick the cat up as he could see his kitten was slowly losing his strength and balance. The poor hybrid frantically clung to his husband and hugged him tightly, crying pathetically and calling his best friend’s name over and over again. It was hard to tell what might be going on in the boy’s mind, yet the alphas were both heartbroken and remembered that Joshua used to cry so much when Jeonghan left their apartment in the past. The event of being taken away from the rabbit had seriously traumatized Joshua so heavily; this familiar scene today broke his heart one more time.

Joshua had already been crying for thinking that Jun hated him. Now he was crying harder because of losing Jeonghan. Mingyu felt nothing but guilty, wondering if he had made the wrong decision by asking Jun to rapidly bring the rabbit back into his car. He tried talking to the cat more to soothe him and make him believe that he was going to be reunited with Jeonghan soon, but the cat kept shaking his head and buried his face in Wonwoo’s shoulder, refusing to listen to or look at the giant man. His words held no power to Joshua now. The hybrid could take in his words when he was sober, yet it was impossible for him to do such a thing in this state. As Joshua was deep in his own trauma and panic, Wonwoo was the only one that mattered to him.

Unable to keep calm with a distressed omega in his arms, Wonwoo unconsciously commanded his younger cousin.

“Go to your apartment. _Now_.”

Mingyu growled in annoyance, but speedily stormed into the elevator anyway. He knew the faster they got back home, the sooner Joshua would be able to meet his best friend. Consequently, this was the best thing to do now and he should not bother to argue with Wonwoo until they stepped inside the apartment. At least he was glad that he did not have to quarrel with the lead alpha about whether they should go to his apartment or Wonwoo’s mansion. Mingyu swore he would never let Jeonghan enter that house, except for when no place else in this world was safe enough for him.

…

Jun felt extraordinarily awful for separating Jeonghan and Joshua away from each other. The rabbit did try to get out of his alpha’s arms previously, but once they were locked in the elevator, he gave up completely, only crying and sniffling silently, yet his scent was too heartbreaking for Jun to endure. The alpha was not sure if Jeonghan would like to be babied like how Joshua did, but at this moment he could only think of one position to not only carry the rabbit but also hug him and rub his back. He carefully maneuvered the hybrid until his omega was straddling his waist and locking heels behind his back. Jeonghan was obviously surprised by this, yet he was quick to hug his alpha and nuzzle into his neck.

“Don’t cry, my bunny.” Jun whispered softly, also nuzzling into his omega’s hair. “We will let you see Joshua later. Just not now. Joshua isn’t stable, and he isn’t calm now. He has just jumped at you and made you fall. I literally freaked out when you fell. Are you hurt somewhere, baby?”

Jeonghan shook his head. The rabbit could not say a single word, but Jun still somehow got the signal that his bunny understood the reasons for his actions and he was not questioning anything. The omega was just sad, trying to seek for comfort from his alpha. Without Wonwoo being close to them, it was easier for him to calm down, yet the moment when Joshua called out his name in tears kept lingering in his mind. Jeonghan shed tears continuously on his alpha’s shoulder, even when the sniffles had subsided considerably.

In the car, Jun took the front seat, keeping Jeonghan on his lap while waiting for Mingyu. When Wonwoo was finally out of his sight completely, Jun had to admit that he was scared. He was intimidated by _his mate, his first love_. His heart was still throbbing and beating so fast that Jeonghan had been subtly rubbing circles on his chest in an attempt to calm him down. Jun sincerely appreciated his lover’s consideration, and even felt grateful for it, but he was also ashamed to be like this in front of his omega. He was the one who pathetically failed to protect Jeonghan, and now he was scared when facing the bunny’s rapist. How was he supposed to keep his omega safe in this state? Jun considered himself useless, not enough of a strong alpha for Jeonghan to rely on. He was too weak. He could never win against Wonwoo. Even if he did somehow, he would just be left wounded and traumatized like how he was now.

Jeonghan seemed like he was able to read alpha’s mind, as his nostrils caught the fear, the insecurities, and the hatred in the man’s scent. Sitting up a little so as to look at his alpha in the eyes, the rabbit tried to lift up his head to place a tender kiss on Jun’s cheek. His kiss was long, soft, and so sweet than Jun felt like his own heart almost stopped beating in that moment. His breath was even taken away when he realized, the rabbit’s index finger was drawing a heart on the left side of his chest, where his real heart was being. This was not the first time for Jeonghan to do this, and Jun understood exactly what his bunny was trying to tell him.

Jun did not know he could feel this heart when magic came to him and showed him how much Jeonghan understood him, felt for him, and loved him unconditionally. Jeonghan had always been a vulnerable and weak omega who needed a lot of protection, yet he had never seemed to care about the fact that Jun was not the most ideal alpha who could protect him from all kinds of danger. He just simply loved Jun.

“Thank you, Hannie.” Jun smiled in tears, kissing his bunny slowly. “I… I’ll try harder for you. Okay?”

The rabbit shushed his alpha by placing a finger on his lips, silently asking Jun not to make such a promise because he did not need it. Instead, he just needed Jun’s love, which was more than enough to make his life fulfilled. Pulling his long hair to one side to reveal his neck, Jeonghan tilted his head to show his new mark to the alpha, tightening his arms around Jun a little, giving out a wordless plea for a bite on his mark. Jun could not help complying quickly, sinking his teeth deeply in the mark to feel the omega melting to the utmost in his embrace, overwhelmingly happy and hurt to know that he finally could send comfort and love to Jeonghan in this divine way.

Jun only stopped biting his omega when the car door was opened. The couple was surprised to see Mingyu entering the car so quickly, only five minutes after the moment he told them to leave and wait in the parking lot. Seeing the giant man, the rabbit reached out one hand towards him instantly, seeking for Mingyu’s hand and the alpha warmly took it in his own bigger one, asking his lovers with a soft voice.

“Are you two still okay?” He asked, worried by tears on their face.

Both of them nodded, but that did not ease the anxiety in Mingyu’s chest at all. He pulled his two lovers into his embrace, squeezing them hard and murmuring quietly.

“Wonwoo will bring Joshua to our home. Is it okay?”

One more time, the two crying people nodded to the giant man, but spent more time indulging in his warm hug to gain some more strength and comfort. The two alphas knew it was cruel to force Jeonghan to face his rapist, yet he would not be able to keep his relationship with Joshua if he tried to avoid Wonwoo forever. They had better sort everything out today so that their bunny would not be stuck in his problem with the lead alpha and too scared of seeing him anymore. They would force Wonwoo to make compromise about not ever hurting Jeonghan again, physically or mentally.

Jeonghan stayed on Jun’s lap during the whole way home, and nobody said a single word. They actually had not had the opportunities to properly discuss how they should deal with Wonwoo, but they did not want to talk about it now either. They were only sure about one thing, which was that, no matter what Wonwoo wanted, they would never let go of the rabbit, and Wonwoo could never have Jeonghan. Those critical principles seemed to be enough for them to make a conclusion. Wonwoo would not have any rights towards the kids; he would only have responsibilities of giving child support and any other things he could do for them with his money and his high rank in this society.

Jun could recognize Wonwoo’s car in the parking lot of the building where he lived. The car gave him hundreds of memories, making him wonder when the last time he stepped into that car was. The past stabbed a sharp knife through his heart and made him wince. All of a sudden, he did not want to get out of this car anymore. He did not want to see Wonwoo. He had made such a good progression in the past seven weeks, having a perfect life with Mingyu and now with Jeonghan also. He had been pampered and spoilt rotten by so much love that sometimes he even forgot what pain was until Wonwoo showed up in his life again. Jun was scared to death to think that his happiness and peace could be taken away by this reunion. Whenever thinking about Wonwoo, he just wanted to remember their sweet memories in the years prior to the day he found out the fatal secret. Nonetheless, now, Jun could not help being attacked by the dreadful moments of being bitten and raped by the same alpha who was the first love of his life.

Shivering in his seat, Jun found no strength in himself to move, freezing and staring absentmindedly at nothing. His soul was slowly slipping out of his body, leaving him drowning and drowning in his tragic thoughts about Wonwoo and how everything had turned wrong in their love. Jun knew better than anyone else that he had never stopped loving Wonwoo, or even had never loved him any less. Flashbacks of the day he had broken down for the first time flooded his mind, destroying his heart and suddenly causing him to ask himself if it was not Wonwoo but him who ruined everything. Wonwoo had promised to divorce Soonyoung after two years yet Jun was the one who decided not to trust the lead alpha. Wonwoo had always claimed to love Jun so much but Jun chose not to trust that confession by himself. Nobody forced him to do anything; Jun had ruined everything on his own.

He had destroyed the most beautiful love of his life, the love that had been following him from the first day he knew what happiness was till this moment. In the end, he was still the one who had _killed_ all of the best things. Wonwoo would not have been that enraged and crazy if it had not been for Jun’s stupid actions of protest. Everything could have been so fine if Jun had acted in a different way, to Wonwoo, to Mingyu, to Joshua, to Jeonghan, to Seungcheol, to everyone. It was literally his fault to make everyone end up in this miserable situation. Above everything, the biggest mistake Jun could never repair was that, because of him, Jeonghan had almost died, had been raped, bitten, traumatized, pregnant, and was about to give birth to the child of his rapist.

Mingyu had been trying to call Jun’s name a few times but the older alpha did not respond. Panic gradually seeped in the giant man’s mind, while Jeonghan was also trying to shake his alpha to get his attention yet every effort was useless. Right at this moment, Mingyu hated himself more than anyone else in this world, realizing that in the past few days, he had been so occupied with the rabbit that he forgot a very important problem. He had already considered bringing Jun to see a psychiatrist to deal with his serious trouble - his hatred for himself.

Mingyu had a déjà vu of watching Jun scratching his own body furiously one more time.

In fright, the man hurriedly got out of his seat, jumping out of the car to run to the other side, quickly swinging the door opened. He got the confused and heartbroken omega out of the car first before unfastening Jun’s seatbelt to bring him to a more spacious place. However, the older alpha screamed right at the moment Mingyu tried to carry him out. Instead, Jun got out by himself, but to run away from his mate. He ran and screamed at the top of his lungs, freaking the hell out of his two lovers, and shattering their hearts into pieces. Mingyu tried to chase his cousin, ending up locking Jun in the corner of the parking lot in the basement. In utter panic, Jun collapsed on the floor, trying his best to press himself as close as possible to the wall behind his back. He screamed and continued scratching himself madly.

It did not take much time for Mingyu to see blood on his lover’s clothes and fingers. Jun had always been so gentle and tender with everyone, but never had any mercy for himself during these panic attacks. He easily hurt himself, cut his flesh, left more and more scars on his blemished skin which used to be scratched in the past. The more Mingyu tried to hold his lover’s wrists, the harder Jun tried to break free, thrashing and screaming at the same time. The younger alpha had no choice but to do what he used to do in the past. Swallowing his own tears, Mingyu forced Jun to sit between his legs, using them to restrain his lover’s legs, holding them down to the ground while his hands tightly held Jun’s hands in order to stop himself from causing any further damage. Nonetheless, this action seemed to send Jun further into his panic, making him scream louder, sob, and shed a lot of tears.

“It’s okay, Junnie. I got you. Your baby bear is here with you, Junnie.” Mingyu spoke in shaking voice, tears streaming down his cheeks in sync with his lover. “I’m Mingyu. I’m here. I got you, Junnie. Don’t be scared.”

It was not until now did Jeonghan manage to catch up with his alphas, as he was pregnant and limping. Kneeling down in front of his mate, the rabbit watched Jun screaming uncontrollably with true horror in his eyes. The omega had seen a familiar scene before, but he had not had the chance to see the panic attack destroying Jun with its full force. Right now, Jun literally collapsed in front of his eyes, and Jeonghan knew he himself was one of the reasons for his angel falling apart. To the hybrid, Jun was the savior, the angel of his life, but he knew in Jun’s mind, he would forever be the alpha’s biggest regret in his life, a reason for him to hate himself forever even though Jeonghan had never had the slightest thought of hating Jun.

“It’s okay, Junnie. I’m here. Hannie is here with you too.” Mingyu kept trying to soothe his mate by sweet and loving words, reminding him that he had them by his sides. “Mingyu is here with you. Jeonghan is here with you too.”

Magically, Jun instantly reacted to the name of his beloved omega right at the moment his eyes managed to recognize the rabbit in front of him. Hearing the choked sob and feeling the tremble that had just wrecked Jun’s whole body, Mingyu let go of his hands, and the older alpha did not waste any seconds. He frantically pulled Jeonghan into his chest, hugging him extraordinarily tightly and whimpering pathetically as if they had been separated from each other for centuries. That was also the time when Mingyu felt there was no need for him to restrain Jun’s legs anymore, because his cousin had really stopped moving.

Mingyu felt as if last night was replaying, as his two lovers were hugging and crying together one more time. Their shared pain was too great for them to just cry and end everything in one night. The impact would be there for a very long time, and Mingyu knew Jeonghan was the only person who could heal the wounds in Jun’s heart. The rabbit hugged his alpha not any less tightly, pressing his whole face into Jun’s shoulder. However, nobody had expected Jun to suddenly dig his teeth in the mark on Jeonghan’s neck and bite him very hard. It was not punishing bite, so Jeonghan was not terrified, but he let out whimpers of pain, scaring Mingyu considerably. Nonetheless, he did not know how to stop Jun. He used to see how possessive and angry his cousin could be when it came to Jeonghan. Moreover, the rabbit did not try to make his alpha stop at all. He was just whimpering, and clutching tightly to Jun while enduring the bite as his alpha desperately wanted to intensify their bond.

Mingyu only waited for the moment Jun detached his teeth away from Jeonghan’s neck to sink his own teeth in the mark on the older alpha’s skin. Jun was caught off guard, and he almost jumped in horror, yet the giant man’s arms wrapped securely around his waist to keep him still. The comfort flowing to his body through the bite was unexpected, but welcomed, and strangely warm in every single nerve. The rabbit could not bite his alpha or speak to him like how Mingyu was doing, yet he desperately wished to give Jun more love as well. Wriggling out of the man’s embrace, he tried to sit up so as to scatter small kisses all over his angel’s face. Jun kept sobbing and sobbing for the whole time, staring at his omega with eyes full of pain. His tears were all dried up by the rabbit’s lips, and the agony he was suffering seemed to subside bit by bit thanks to Mingyu’s bite on his neck.

Afraid that he might make his mate bleed if he bit for too long, Mingyu stopped biting to take a short break, but his lover was extremely impatient and needed it so much. Jun quickly squirmed in discomfort and whined, hands frantically looking for his cousin’s ones to shake them hard, demanding his lover to give him the bite back. A few seconds ago, Mingyu had thought that his bite was nothing in comparison with whatever Jeonghan was doing for Jun, but the truth turned out to be very different. Jun evidently needed them both. Once he had hold Mingyu’s hands, he did not let them go ever again, squeezing them very tightly and he only stopped whining as he felt the giant man’s teeth on his neck one more time.

Mingyu felt relieved to see that there was nobody in the parking lot now. He was not sure how Jun and Jeonghan would react if a stranger approach them now. He was even scared of letting them see Wonwoo and Joshua in a few more minutes. However, it was impossible to avoid them now because at this time, Wonwoo and the cat must be already standing in front of their apartment front door. As a result, Mingyu decided that he had to help his lovers calm down at all cost before going upstairs.

With the help of his two lovers, Jun did not need too much time to get back to his mind. The pain was still there in his chest, but at least he was fine enough to stop sobbing or shedding more tears, and the way he held his lovers was not as frantic as previously anymore. Instead, the older alpha was leaning limply against his cousin, panting and trying to breathe normally. Meanwhile, Jeonghan gently rubbed his chest and attentively watched his facial expression. Seeing the streams of tears on the rabbit’s face, Jun tried to hold back a grimace, slowly reaching up a hand to wipe them away. His omega rapidly nuzzled into his palm, giving him one more kiss on his lips, tracing a small heart on his chest again. While Mingyu told _“I love you”_ through his bite, Jeonghan used this adorable and silent way to confess the feelings in his own heart.

Busy taking care of Jun, Mingyu was very annoyed when his phone went off. He was even more irritated when seeing Wonwoo’s name on the screen. The giant man could not help groaning lowly before bringing the phone to his ear.

“Where are you guys?” The lead alpha asked, voice cautious. “Did something happen?”

“Can’t you fucking wait?” Mingyu unintentionally hissed. “You’re standing in front of my home! We’ll be there in a minute.”

“I’m just asking!” Wonwoo bristled, anger going straight through the phone. “We left the same place to the same destination but I’ve been waiting for you almost fifteen minutes. Am I not allowed to think you had an accident or something?”

Instantly, Mingyu felt bad and guilty again for misunderstanding his cousin and throwing curse at him, but he could not force himself to apologize again even when his heart truly wanted to do so. He was torn apart by his love and his grudge towards the lead alpha, unable to figure out how he was supposed to act in front of his eldest cousin. Sighing in frustration, Mingyu hated himself, hated Wonwoo, and hated everything between them.

“Just wait a minute. We’ll be right there.”

Not waiting for a response, the giant alpha hung up, carelessly pushing the phone back into his pocket. Jeonghan was observing him nervously yet Jun still seemed to be a bit lost in a daze, not really aware of things around him very much. The other two people guessed he was still thinking deeply about the constant pain buried deeply in his heart. They wondered if seeing Joshua and hugging the cat in his arms again would help him ease out some tension or not, but there was not much to choose now.

“Can you stand up now, Junnie?” Mingyu asked softly, a hand gently caressing his lover’s hair and cheek, causing Jun to turn his head and look at him. “Hannie and I will take care of your wounds. Let’s get inside our home. Okay?”

Fortunately, Jun nodded without thinking, and he was able to walk by himself to the elevator after being helped to stand up by his bigger mate. This time, Jun was the one to walk between his lovers, one hand holding Jeonghan’s one, while the other one was being squeezed securely in Mingyu’s rough one. His hands were decorated by blood, yet neither of them cared. They just wanted to love him and take care of him, tightening their hands around his to assure him of their presence, and also because of their own anxiety. Although Jun was drowned in agony, he was still sober enough to understand that the person who was going through the most hardship now was no one but Jeonghan.

The three of them held their breath when the door of the elevator opened, and Joshua was already running towards their direction with a bright smile of extreme excitement on his face. Jeonghan had always missed his best friend so much, struggling in misery to fight against his wish of seeking for the cat he adored. Nevertheless, this moment, he was too scared to move, highly wary of the alpha standing at the door into his apartment. The distance was huge, yet the stare of that monster was enough to make him feel his knees buckle, and the ground seemed to be shaking violently under his feet.

_The monster_ was about to come into his home. _The monster who had slept with him yesterday._

_-to be continued-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe let's see how they will talk to each other in the next chapter. I'm eager too~~~
> 
> But really, poor Junnie ;_; He's literally broken too and Wonwoo traumatized him as well. We're all proud of Jun for fighting against Wonwoo on that day but that event also left him wounded and scared of his mate T_T My Junnie T__________T
> 
> And poor Hannie too ;_; Poor Joshua. Our broken boy doesn't understand anything ><
> 
> Aaaaaaaah I'm eager to know how you think about this chapter ^^
> 
> By the way, the pandemic is getting more and more serious in my country. There're already three dead people and I'm going to freak out soon ;_; I'm going to be broke as hell because schools are going to be closed again TvT Please take care of yourself and stay healthy!!!!
> 
> I love you~~~~


	92. "All of you end up having him… but not me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone had their own chance to know what love was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ I'm back with a new chapter ^^ Hehe the previous chapter left some of you frustrated and I'm really happy about that >< Hope that you will enjoy this chapter!!!

Jeonghan did not move until his alphas gently pulled and pushed him out of the elevator. Whether he wanted to go to greet Joshua or not, he still needed to get out of there now, and the rabbit felt even more exposed and vulnerable although he had just closed the distance between him and the monster by one step. Nonetheless, his fear of the rapist was temporarily interrupted by a cat jumping to him for the second time. Jeonghan was unable to keep his balance but fortunately his alphas were already right behind him this time, keeping him standing still thanks to their support. However, they were still not fond of the cat hugging their pregnant omega so tightly while jumping and handling him with not much care like this. They knew Joshua was excited and emotional but they really could not bear it.

“Be careful, Joshua.” Jun tried his best to be tender when prying the squeaking boy away from Jeonghan and talking to him. Sadly, the cat flinched, still haunted by the moment he had been yelled at by the same alpha previously. Joshua let go of his best friend instantly, looking at Jun nervously and slightly trying to move away from his hand. Tears were already cascading down the hybrid’s cheeks, and the cat could only stop hugging Jeonghan in literally five seconds. Soon, he resumed squeezing the rabbit tightly. This time, Jeonghan did not topple over anymore, calm and fine enough to hug his friend back and also burst into tears.

“I’ve tried to call you so many times but I always failed!!! You never called me or texted me!!! I thought you hate me! You don’t want to see me anymore!” Joshua sobbed hard and loudly, pouring all his heart out to let his friend know how much he had always missed him. “Where have you been? Why don’t you come to see me anymore? Why? Why?”

Jeonghan just closed his arms more tightly around the younger omega without saying a word, desperately trying to think of a way to tell Joshua how much he loved him, but he could not find anything. On the other hand, the rabbit was appalled by the strange questions Joshua had just asked him. He understood nothing, yet he was unable to care too much about the reasons either. All Jeonghan could think of right now was that he eventually saw his best friend again, and Joshua did not seem to hate him or hold any grudges towards his affair with Jun. It was still too soon to tell what the cat was feeling, but his words were enough to voice out his love for Jeonghan.

Unfortunately, when Joshua was being extremely emotional like this, it was impossible for him to have a good control over his actions, causing the rabbit’s alphas to be alarmed when Jeonghan let out whimpers of discomfort. Not only Jun but also Mingyu instantly interfered, detaching Joshua’s arms away from his friend and the cat immediately flinched one more time. Even though two alphas were both touching him, the boy only reacted strongly to Jun, as if the incidence in the shopping mall had really triggered him. This fact caused the devastated alpha to be more heartbroken. Although Mingyu was the one Joshua had been scared of at first, but in the end, Jun knew he was the one who directly hurt the cat by cheating on him with his best friend.

Now, the boy was starting to cower and hide himself behind Jeonghan, but still held the long-haired omega’s arms tightly so that nobody could take his friend away. The boy would have moved further if it had not been for Mingyu standing behind Jeonghan already. What hurt all of them more was that, Joshua flinched again when Mingyu placed a tender hand on his shoulder. The boy did not push that hand away, but he looked at the giant man very cautiously, gripping his friend even more tightly and anxiously.

“Don’t… don’t be scared, Joshua. Do you remember Jun? He comes here to see you.” Mingyu tried to talk to the cat, lowering his voice to the utmost, making himself sound sweet and soothing. “You miss him, right?”

The boy sobbed after darting his red eyes towards his once beloved alpha.

“But… but he yelled at me… He pushed me… He was very angry…” The more Joshua spoke, the further his voice broke, and he was trembling, lost in agony. “He hates me!”

Jun had been told about Joshua’s craziness, but nothing could ever prepare him for this brutal reality. It was the first time for him to see the cat face to face after almost two months, and this moment was more devastating than whatever the alpha had imagined in his mind. His tears fell as he was shocked by how much his naïve and innocent kitten had changed. Joshua was scared of him, acting as if he were a monster, as if the boy truly believed that Jun hated him terribly. If this were simply a misunderstanding, then Jun could solve things by a proper explanation, but it hurt a thousand times more because of his own knowledge about the fact that his broken kitten was not in his right mind anymore.

Jun tried stepping towards Joshua, but the cat stepped back right away, starting to move further in order to hide behind Mingyu. The giant man tried his best to soothe the hybrid and kept telling him that Jun loved him and wanted to hug him, but the nothing could make the cat stop staring warily at the mentioned alpha. It was easy for all of them to register Joshua’s attitude as fear instead of hatred. The boy stared in silence, spending a lot of time observing and evaluating the alpha’s attitude towards him. The scene broke Jun’s heart, and made Jeonghan sob heavily.

The long-haired omega had never known that his best friend had turned into this state. He had just reunited with Joshua in a few minutes, yet the way the boy acted and talked was already alarming and frightening to Jeonghan. The rabbit knew many other things had contributed to the cat’s condition today, but he could not help taking all of the responsibilities for this, knowing how much he had hurt his best friend when the truth about him and Jun was revealed to the poor boy. Jeonghan just wanted to squeeze Joshua tightly in his arms again, yet before he could move, he was startled to see Jun kneeling down on the floor.

Understanding his alpha’s intention in the blink of an eye, the rabbit quickly followed Jun, kneeling down right next to him, causing Joshua to stare at them with wide eyes.

“What… what are you two doing?” The boy stuttered, lost in confusion. Unable to watch his alpha and his best friend like this, the cat also kneeled down in order to be on the same level with them.

Joshua finally voluntarily reached out his arm to touch Jun, but the alpha had never thought that his first interaction with his kitten after all this time would be the boy trying to make him stand up. Shaking his head, Jun knew he did not have the right to stand up before Joshua forgave him. He had never felt that he had had enough opportunities to apologize to Joshua in the past. Consequently, the greatest urge in his heart was to say sorry again, to beg for forgiveness.

“I’m sorry, Joshua.” Jun tried to speak up, but his voice just ended up sounding broken and awful. His tears were falling down as he looked deeply into the cat’s red eyes. “I’m sorry… We’re sorry… Please… Please forgive us! I beg you! Please…”

“What… what are you talking about?” The boy kept stuttering in panic. He did not seem to fake this attitude at all. The boy was clearly drowned in panic, causing Wonwoo to feel annoyed and irritated to see that his cousins did not know how to handle Joshua at all. Whenever the cat turned out not to remember something, they had better just brush it off immediately or Joshua would just get more and more frightened, like how he was being now. “What are you saying sorry for? Be-because you yelled at me? Please stand up, master! Please don’t say that!!! I… I know I made Hannie fall and you were angry… I have to apologize!!! Please stand up, master!”

Jun felt a dreadful pain in his chest when Joshua called him _“master”_ as if nothing had ever happened to their relationship. He had stopped being the cat’s owner for a long time; he did not deserve being called by this way anymore. He did not deserve Joshua’s love. He did not deserve anything from the boy he had cheated on.

However, it was difficult for Jun to get out of the agony he had been through for the last two months because of Joshua. He could not get rid of these haunted memories until he truly received the boy’s forgiveness. His tears only cascaded down more when the cat used shaking hands to hold his and Jeonghan’s hands.

“Please forgive us, Joshua. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Jun said repeatedly, but now Joshua was startled by the blood in his alpha’s hand. He was slow in observing and realizing things, yet once he saw it, he panicked.

“What… what happened to you two? Why is blood… blood… blood everywhere… why…”

Understanding how easily Joshua could be triggered by blood, Wonwoo hurriedly walked to the three people kneeling on the floor to stop Jun from his mantra of apologies and also to calm his kitten down. Nonetheless, when Wonwoo approached, another problem came in. Seeing the monster walking towards him, Jeonghan hurriedly stood up, abandoning his alpha and his best friend on the floor without a care about anything else. He only had one thought left in his mind - _run_. So he ran. However, the rabbit’s way was blocked by Mingyu who quickly pulled the omega into his embrace and soothed him by the strong arms wrapping around the rabbit in panic.

“I got you, bunny.” Mingyu announced firmly to Jeonghan, trying to make him feel protected. “You’re safe. It’s fine. Nothing will happen. Don’t be scared. I’m here.”

At this moment, Jun was severely torn apart by too many things going on around him, and it was overwhelming. Joshua was the only one unaffected by Wonwoo’s presence because he had nothing to be scared of his husband. As a result, the boy still highly concentrated on the blood on Jun’s body, searching for all of the wounds, which only caused him to sob more heavily.

“Why… why are you saying sorry? You’re injured.” The cat tried to talk in broken voice. “You’re bleeding! I… I’m sorry! I made Hannie fall! I swear I didn’t intend to hurt him! Please forgive me, master! Can I… can I take care of these wounds? I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I won’t ever do that again!”

Joshua’s apologies and pleas to take care of the wounds broke Jun down completely.

Seeing Jun opening his arms, Joshua flung himself into the alpha’s embrace without hesitation. Still staying on the floor, hurt too much to stand up, the couple cried on each other’s shoulder while hugging the other one tightly as if they were both too scared of losing their lover again. The alpha was given the chance to understand how much force Joshua had put in his hug previously, because right now he also felt like his bones were going to break under the omega’s strength. Nevertheless, he did not want to complain and would never say anything about it, knowing that he himself was gradually losing control over his actions and was about to crush his kitten as well.

It was terrifying and scary for Jun to think of watching Joshua slip out of his life again. It was unendurable. He was ready and willing to do anything to stop that from happening, using all of the strength left in his soul and his body to keep the cat forever. Perhaps it was already too late to get back the perfection they used to shared, but Jun desperately wished to just take something back. It was enough for him to get some little love, some little care, some little affection from Joshua again. The pain Joshua’s embrace gave him brought Jun the ability to acknowledge this magical moment as reality. He was convinced that it was not a dream, that he was not the only one pouring out painful confessions coming from his sincere heart.

Joshua cried even more loudly than his alpha, whimpering while asking questions that broke everyone’s heart.

“I miss you!” The cat frantically nuzzled into Jun’s neck, trying to take in the scent he loved but had been missing for so long. “Why didn’t you come to see me? Master… why? You… you don’t love me anymore?”

“I’m sorry, Joshua. I’m sorry.” Jun did not know how to explain. The only thing he was sure in his heart was that he had never stopped loving Joshua. It was the only think he could think of now to tell his beloved kitten. “I love you! I love you, Joshua! My kitten, I love you! I’m sorry!”

“I love you too!” The cat croaked out in tears, and also in utter happiness. “I love you! I love you! I… I…”

Joshua cried so hard that he ended up coughing heavily, causing Wonwoo to worriedly crouch down to pat his back and help him get back his normal breathing. The cat and Jun had to pull away from each other but the younger alpha was still highly concentrating on his kitten, temporarily forgetting Wonwoo’s presence so close to him right now. Surrounded by love and comfort, Joshua did not have to struggle much to be fine again. Once he stopped coughing, a smile decorated his face and he clutched to the shirt of the alpha in front of him.

“Master, I want to see your house!!! Can we come inside? Can I take care of your wounds? Please, master! I’ll be good! I’ll behave!”

Jun swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding vehemently to his kitten.

“Of course… Of course you can. Let… let’s go now, baby.”

If it had not been for Jun’s injuries, Joshua would have tried to cling to his alpha so that the man would carry him into his apartment. In this case, the cat was still aware of his alpha’s condition and decided to let go of Jun, even helping him stand up. However, the cat shrieked and jumped when his back hit someone and he instantly looked back, fear tainting his wet eyes. It turned out to be just Mingyu, but everyone was sad to see Joshua easily getting scared by things and people around him like this. On the other hand, the cat was now busy watching his friend curiously and nervously, wondering why Jeonghan was burying his face into Mingyu’s chest as if he did not want to see anyone all of a sudden like this. He tried reaching out to his friend, but Mingyu shook his head, patting the boy’s hair to get his attention instead of pushing him away.

“Junnie, Joshua, can I take Hannie inside first?” The giant man asked and before Joshua could answer, Jun had already left his spot to come to Jeonghan to check his condition. The rabbit was so scared that he kept trembling even when he was enveloped safely in Mingyu’s arms or when he was being sandwiched between his two alphas. After a lot of effort of coaxing the rabbit, Jun eventually managed to make his bunny turn to hug him and straddle his waist while he lifted his omega up to carry him. Jeonghan soon hid his face in Jun’s shoulder, which seemed to prevent him from breathing easily but the rabbit was determined to struggle in his safe spot instead of risking looking up and seeing that monster.

“I will do it.” Jun cleared his voice, surprisingly sounding much more stable and calmer as his protective instincts were provoked by his frightened omega.

Joshua still wanted to protest and ask question, but Mingyu had held his hand firmly and assured him while Jun had already walked to his apartment, disappearing as fast as a flash.

“We will talk when we get inside, kitten. Just let Junnie bring your best friend inside first. Hannie isn’t fine now. Okay, baby?”

“Hannie?” Joshua echoed, finally taking his eyes off Jun to look at the giant man. “Hannie? You and Hannie?”

“They’re going to get married soon.” Wonwoo eventually spoke for the first time, making his kitten look up at him without getting scared. Instead, the boy was completely shocked.

“Get married? You and Hannie?” The boy stared at Mingyu in bewilderment, babbling. “Re…really? You two? Why don’t I know anything about it? How? Why? How can it happen? I don’t understand!!!”

Sighing, Mingyu found his heart dropping to his stomach as he figured out, perhaps he had just broken Joshua one more time by this piece of news. He had lied to the boy again, on the day he visited Wonwoo’s mansion. Consequently, he had nothing to explain now. Mingyu could not do anything except for staying silent and sighing once again. The giant man wanted to hold his kitten’s hand and apologize but Joshua had already looked at him with a hurt expression displayed all over his wet face. According to what Mingyu remembered, he actually had not lied to Joshua about Jeonghan; he simply had not let the boy know about his relationship with the rabbit. However, he knew it did not seem to be any better to the cat, especially when the boy used to be treated in this way once in the past and his heart considered it as a betrayal.

Neither of the two alphas felt surprised when Joshua began to sob hard in distress just a few seconds later. However, what came out of the boy’s mouth was what left them aghast with complicated feelings.

“Why… Why do you all chose Hannie instead of me?” The boy slumped and covered his face by both hands, scent turning incredibly sour and unacceptably distraught. “All of you… all of you end up having him… but not me… you and Jun don’t live with me anymore… but then with him… and you two haven’t ever even proposed to me yet… Jun… Jun has just said he loved me… but then… then he just brought Hannie with him and left… without saying a word… without a care about me…”

Mingyu had not cried before, but now his floodgate was opened just by the boy’s words, and his heart had just been crushed violently by the weight of the correct accusation.

It did not make Joshua seem like a nice and generous omega to talk like this about his best friend, but everyone knew he had the right to. No matter what, Wonwoo, Jun, and Mingyu had bought him, bringing him into their lives and practically forcing him to get used to them at that time. The boy loved them all back, but then this situation was what they had given to him. He lost his alphas to his best friend, who was supposed to be living with another alpha that did not have anything to do with Joshua.

The worst thing was the next messy chain of sentences Joshua struggled to croak out.

“What… what about your promise… about our house… and our children?… Don’t you want to do that anymore? You… you’ve had enough with me… right? You haven’t even texted me from the last day you visited me!”

Wonwoo tried in vain to hug Joshua in an attempt to soothe his kitten but the cat pulled himself away, wriggling out of his husband’s embrace and nothing could calm him down except for some strong reassurance of Mingyu’s love for him. All of a sudden, the boy punched Wonwoo right in his chest, crying out with his head still ducked down.

“Why did you lie to me too? I knew it… I knew they left because they can’t put up with me anymore… They hate me… They don’t want to live with me… Why did you have to lie? I know… I know they don’t love me anymore…”

“No, Joshua! It’s not like that! I…” Wonwoo hurriedly explained but Joshua started to run.

Nevertheless, it was impossible for the boy to escape when he was being surrounded by two noble alphas. The cat just ended up jumping into Mingyu’s chest and being locked by the man’s strong arms closing around his body. The boy immediately thrashed and screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to break free from the alpha fruitlessly. Wonwoo had seen this too many times, but for Mingyu, this was the first time, after two months from _that fateful day_. The giant man was not crying any less than his kitten, and his sobs sounded just as depressing and heartbreaking as the boy’s whimpers and screams. Surprisingly, the awful sounds coming from the miserable alpha seemed to do wonder to Joshua’s heart, as he slowly stopped thrashing, giving Mingyu a chance to speak.

“I love you, Joshua! I swear to God I have never stopped loving you or loved you any less than before!” His voice sounded utterly awful and painful, but he was not stuttering even a bit, since those were the most sincere words coming straight from his heart. “I love you! I remember my promise… Please… Please, Joshua… If you still allow me, I will do everything you want me to do! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please forgive me! I beg you! Please forgive me, Joshua!”

“I don’t believe you!” Joshua cried, using all his strength to pull Mingyu away but to no avail. “You left me! You abandoned me! You don’t want me anymore!”

The giant man knew what Joshua had just said was not true at all, because Joshua chose to be with Wonwoo by himself, yet his mind somehow had to admit that the boy was right at some points. Mingyu really had left them. He was the one who decided to move out with Jun, putting Joshua in the position of being forced to choose between Wonwoo and his two other alphas. It was unfair for the boy then, because it was difficult for a broken person like him to make such an important and difficult decision at that moment. Now, Joshua was suffering from mental health issue. Mingyu was unable to find any reasons in his mind to judge the cat’s actions. Perhaps, he had never done that and he would never do that. Forever, Mingyu would just hate himself and blame himself for anything that had hurt his beloved people, including his crying kitten.

“I’m sorry, Joshua! I’m sorry! I have… I have never meant that… I… I…”

Wonwoo was startled to see his cousin’s legs give out, but his help could only make Mingyu fall down more slowly and gently onto the floor. The boy in his arms also fell down on the alpha’s lap. A few seconds later, Mingyu was not any different from a mother crying over her dead child in her own embrace. The younger alpha hugged Joshua as tightly as possible, and his frantic words were inaudible to both Wonwoo and the cat, yet neither of them really needed to listen to understand what Mingyu was trying to say. The lead alpha was genuinely shocked, having never seen his youngest cousin crying pathetically like this. It was not until now did Wonwoo realize how much Mingyu had been mentally and emotionally wounded after the day he almost raped Joshua and scared the boy to death.

The most unfair thing was that, they both broke Joshua, but the cat remembered everything Mingyu had done. On the other hand, he was absolutely clueless about the fact that his house had never been robbed or his husband had never been the hero to save him from anyone. Ironically, Mingyu was being blamed by the boy for leaving him, yet Joshua had never stopped considering Wonwoo as the God of his life. Deep in Wonwoo’s heart, he knew this was unfair for Mingyu. He admitted he held grudges towards the youngest cousin for taking Jun away from him, for lying to him about his relationship with Jeonghan, but he acknowledged that Mingyu had never done anything wrong.

And now, that most innocent person was crying relentlessly and saying _“sorry”_ over and over again. Joshua had also stopped saying, only hugging his alpha back just as tightly and sobbing continuously. In Wonwoo’s mind, he had never thought the bond between Mingyu and his kitten was this profound, but this realization seriously hurt too much. Judging the way Joshua cried in the giant man’s embrace, Wonwoo had every reason in this world to believe that the boy loved Mingyu so much and he did not want to remember their painful past anymore. He was not sure if Joshua was ready to make progress with Jun and Jeonghan or not, but he was one hundred percent certain that the omega could step forward with Mingyu from now on.

Despite this knowledge, Wonwoo still could not ease the pain in his chest while watching the heartbreaking scene.

Crouching down, the lead alpha was flustered and hesitant, unsure what to do, because he suddenly felt out of place in front of his miserable cousin and his omega who had been broken by no one but _him_. It would be so disgusting for him to try to soothe them after all miseries he had created to them. Wonwoo clearly remembered that, he had never done anything to help Mingyu get out of the impression of him hurting and breaking Joshua even though that was not his fault at all. Wonwoo remembered that he had never listened to Mingyu’s feelings. In fact, in the past two months, Wonwoo was the only one who shared a bit of his feelings, while his younger cousin remained calm and attentive for almost the whole time, listening intently without inserting any of his thoughts or feelings in the middle of those talks. Wonwoo even had never actively talked to Joshua about Jun or Mingyu. He even tried to skip the topic of his cousins, too afraid that his kitten would desire them _too much_.

All of a sudden, Wonwoo knew the best word to describe himself was nothing but “selfish”. He did not do what he was supposed to do because he was selfish. He just wanted Joshua for himself. He did not think of his poor cousins who also loved Joshua with all their hearts. He did not think of Joshua’s love for the other two alphas who used to be _his owners_. Jun even used to be the person the cat adored most among three of them. Mingyu even used to make Joshua love him and trust him enough to let the giant man knot him and mark him before Jun.

Wonwoo had destroyed it all.

For the first time, Wonwoo suddenly thought he did not deserve it when Mingyu looked up at him through red and hurtful eyes. That man, the silly cousin Wonwoo had easily agreed to take into his shared dorm room with Jun seven years ago, still loved him so much after everything.

Wonwoo thought Mingyu was drowned in the agony created by his ruined love story with Joshua, but it turned out that the giant alpha still had his cousin in his mind and his heart right now.

Reaching out one arms towards Wonwoo, like a flash, Mingyu hurriedly and frantically pulled his eldest cousin into his embrace as well, squeezing not only Joshua but also Wonwoo into his chest as if he would never feel enough. Mingyu was still a horrible crying mess when he cried out to both of the people he had in his arms.

“I’m sorry… I have never wanted to leave you… I never… I just… I couldn’t take it anymore… and I… I…” The younger alpha was too emotional, hurt too deeply to speak normally. The sobs even made it harder for him to tell his beloved people about his own thoughts. “I couldn’t think that you wouldn’t want to leave with me… I just… I didn’t know what to do… That was what I could think of… I didn’t want to abandon you… I never want to… I’m sorry, Joshua! I’m sorry, Wonwoo! I’m sorry!”

Before Wonwoo could ever come up with something to reply to Mingyu, he found himself wetting the bigger man’s shoulder with tears. Wonwoo found himself on the verge of breaking, desperately wishing that Mingyu would not say that particular confession, because he was afraid that he would break at hearing that sentence. Nonetheless, his heart was racing madly, thumping in his chest, frantically begging fate or God or destiny or anything to allow him to hear it just once from _the only blood relative who made him feel like family_.

When Mingyu was being in this state, Wonwoo’s brain and heart took the giant alpha’s words as the most sincere coming from his precious heart. Mingyu could not endure it anymore, or he could not control himself anymore. No kind of embarrassment meant a single thing in his mind now. Mingyu continued to sob so hard, so loudly, yet the sentence still managed to get out of his mind, broken but clear and honest.

“I love you, Wonwoo! I love you! I have never wanted to leave you! Why don’t you understand that? I love you! I love you! I love you, Wonwoo!”

Wonwoo had thought that hearing it once was already too much for him. However, Mingyu was playing a mantra of this confession to his cousin and his kitten, driving Wonwoo insane and dizzy.

Something broke loose in Wonwoo’s heart, and his mind blacked out.

\-------------

Wonwoo woke up with the feelings of something heavy on top of his body. It did not cause him to feel uncomfortable. Instead, the feelings were familiar and surprisingly warm. Under his chin, something was tickling his neck, and it did not take the alpha much time to realize that Joshua was lying on him, head tucked right under his chin.

Opening his eyes, Wonwoo looked at his kitten first to check if he was still fine. The alpha sighed in relief to see that Joshua was sleeping soundly and breathing calmly, giving off a normal scent. Contented with the cat’s condition, he turned to look around the room, spending a minute to think why he was being in this strange bedroom. As the memories slowly came back, Wonwoo was quite embarrassed to remember that he literally had passed out in the hall of the apartment building. Mingyu must have brought him into his only bedroom in the apartment and Joshua simply could not stay away from his husband. Instead of spending time with his best friend and his other alphas, the boy lied in bed together with his husband and naturally fell asleep.

The air in the room generally smelled like peppermint, but the bed thickly reeked of all Mingyu, Jun, and Jeonghan, making Wonwoo scrunch his nose at this realization. _The three of them shared a bed_. The lead alpha found himself getting jealous of his cousins’ life one more time, wondering why they were enjoying such a happy time. His thought only changed when he closed his arms around Joshua to hug the boy more tightly, reminding himself of the fact that although he lacked many things, he still had the most important person of his life, and that was no one but Joshua.

The cat stirred awake when Wonwoo scratched his fluffy ears gently and rubbed a hand along his back. The comfort brought by those actions made the boy feel it hard to open his eyes. Consequently, he just quietly purred and murmured feebly.

“Wonwoo…” His voice sounded sleepy but so sweet that the alpha lost a few heartbeats. “Are you awake?”

“Yes, kitten.” He left a kiss on the tip his baby’s head. “How long have we been sleeping here?”

“I don’t know.” The boy answered lazily, and then went silent again, as if he still had not slept enough. Wonwoo could only chuckle at his kitten and lied there, trying to think what he was supposed to do now. He knew he had to wake up, but then what should he say to Jun, Mingyu and Jeonghan? Everything had turned out to be a bigger mess and it was extremely difficult to face the rabbit now. Wonwoo himself knew he had the urge to come here to see the omega and also to talk to his cousins but he had never been really sure what he wanted to talk about. What was the point of seeing Jeonghan? They would certainly never allow him to be the father of that baby. His presence here could only make the poor rabbit suffer more.

Lost in his complicated thoughts, Wonwoo almost jumped when hearing the door opened. Snapping his head towards the direction of the sound, the alpha saw Mingyu stepping out of the bathroom. Freezing to watch his older cousin in awe in a few seconds, the giant man unexpectedly turned crazy and bolted to the bed. Wonwoo was still in shock as Mingyu ran to him and forced him to sit up. It was not very reasonable but the lead alpha really thought he was going to be punched in the face until Mingyu frantically hugged him tightly one more time. Soon, the huge man was a crying mess again as he sobbed and stuttered, accidentally knocking Joshua off his comfortable sleeping position.

“Thanks God you’re still okay! I’m so sorry Wonwoo! I’m sorry! It’s my fault! It’s my fault!” Mingyu literally had no calmness in his voice or his action, arms squeezing Wonwoo even more tightly than how he had done previously. “I’m so sorry! I’m… I’m…”

“Stop… stop it!” Wonwoo said quite sternly, wriggling in discomfort. “You’re going to crush me to death!”

Nonetheless, the lead alpha did not expect his words to have such a huge impact on Mingyu like this. The younger man hurriedly pulled away, panic displayed all over his face and he scrambled to increase the distance between him and his cousin, babbling again.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t… I didn’t mean to…”

“Master, please calm down!” Joshua suddenly spoke, voice amazingly sweet and honey-like while his two hands gently held Mingyu’s arms. “The doctor said Wonwoo was fine. You didn’t make him faint.”

“But I… I…” The crying man still could not let it go, sniffling and staring at his cousin through apologetic eyes. “Wonwoo has never passed out before… it must be… It must be me… I hugged him too tightly and then…”

Wonwoo was shocked to know that they really had called a doctor to check on him but now he temporarily concentrated on Mingyu first, sighing and slapping his arm.

“Don’t be silly, Gyu. I didn’t pass out because of you. I’m fine.”

“But… but then why?” Mingyu could not stop being utterly nervous, obviously trying to observe Wonwoo very carefully in order to detect problems. “What is the reason? Should we bring you to the hospital to check?”

“What did the doctor tell you?” Wonwoo narrowed his eyes and asked, a bit confused.

The younger alpha wiped his tears and answered.

“We didn’t call a doctor. A doctor happened to pass by right when you fainted so he checked you a little and said that if you woke up after about less than one hour then you would be fine.”

“How long it’s been?”

“Just… forty two minutes.”

“Then I’m fine.” Wonwoo shook his head and got ready to get out of the bed. “I’m not ill, Gyu. Don’t worry.”

“But then why did you pass out?” Mingyu exclaimed, holding Wonwoo back, not allowing him to leave. “We really should take you to the hospital. Nobody is supposed to suddenly faint for no reasons.”

“Okay okay okay!” The lead alpha had to make an agreement or his cousin would do anything to escort him to the hospital for real right now. “I’ll go there later. Just not now. I’m already here now. We have to talk. Remember?”

Joshua’s eyes brightened up immediately. The boy beamed like a kid, jumping out of the bed and chirping on his way of running to the door.

“Aaaaah, Hannie!!! Hannie’s going home!!! Hannie!!!”

“What? What?” Mingyu got shocked instantly, but the two alphas were slower than the cat who had already bolted into the kitchen to find his best friend.

Jeonghan was in the kitchen sitting as stiff as a statue on the chair by the dining table while Jun was walking towards the bedroom since he heard Mingyu’s loud sobs coming from the said room. As a result, he was taken aback when the cat ran out of there, going past him like a flash straight to the rabbit at the center of the room. Jeonghan had been so tensed for the whole time but he instantly looked up and smiled brightly to see Joshua. Startled, Jun went back to his omega in case the cat would make his friend fall again. Fortunately, the boy was eventually calmer now, just hugging Jeonghan tightly and squeaking uncontrollably.

“Hannie! Hannie! Hannie!” He called out his friend’s name repeatedly, eyes twinkling in utter excitement. “I miss you so much!!! Where have you been all this time? Did you change your phone number? I couldn’t call or text you! Did Seungcheol take your phone away? Has he beaten you again? How did you manage to get here?”

Jeonghan’s smile disappeared right away after hearing the long chain of questions from his best friend. It was overwhelming to hear those questions which just proved how horribly the cat was being out of his mind right now. Joshua did not seem to remember anything at all even though according to Mingyu had told the rabbit previously, Jeonghan knew the cat certainly remembered everything about the _betrayal_. Moreover, Joshua was acting like the real demon of Jeonghan’s life was still no one but Seungcheol only. The rabbit could not do anything except for staying silent. Even if he were able to speak, he would be just speechless due to his own mixed and complex emotions.

Consequently, Joshua soon got confused as his best friend did not answer him. Pulling away to look at the rabbit in the eyes, the cat cocked his head to a side, face covered by thousands of questions. At this moment, Jeonghan finally had a peaceful minute to look at Joshua properly to notice his mark and his cat ears. The rabbit had never expected to see the younger omega in this shape ever again, since he knew Joshua just loved to be treated like a human. Nonetheless, at least he was relieved to see the mating mark perfectly fine on the cat’s skin. Joshua might be mentally ill now but he was physically healthy and definitely well-fed.

Feeling the need to speak for his omega, Jun slowly walked to the two omegas, trying his best to be gentle and cautious so as not to spook Joshua.

“Hannie can’t talk anymore, Joshua. If you want to talk to him, please be patient and wait for him to write it down.”

Joshua was conflicted right at the moment he noticed Jun’s presence. Much as he wanted to keep asking questions about Jeonghan, the boy just wanted to fling himself into his once beloved alpha immediately. The temptation was incredible but the urge to find out what had happened to his best friend was powerful as well. If the other two people in the kitchen were not heartbroken by the cat constantly, they would, they would burst into laugh because of the boy’s silly but adorable face now.

In the end, Joshua chose to jump into his alpha’s embrace first.

“Master!” The boy cried out delightfully, making Jun wince in pain due to that word.

_“Master”_

It was wrong, but Jun would rather be called like that instead of being ignored and hated by his kitten again.

Quickly using both hands to support the cat’s weight, Jun let Joshua straddle his waist and hugged him tightly, happy to feel the boy closing his arms around him again like how they had done in the past. The flashbacks of the first night Joshua came to their apartment torn his heart apart violently, reminding him of how Joshua had scrambled out of Wonwoo’s embrace to seek for his arms while tears were streaming down his cheeks. Jun still remembered he was the first one to have Joshua in his bed, to cuddle with the boy, and to be the first one to give him a bite on his neck.

Joshua had given him so many chances of being the boy’s first times. Yet, he betrayed the cat. Jun did not think he deserved Joshua’s love. He had lost it. He would never be able to get it back, and he would regret this till the last day of his life.

All he could do now, was trying to make up for the pain he had brought to his kitten.

“I miss you!” Joshua whined and nuzzled into his alpha’s neck to inhale his scent. It had been so long since the last time he took a good breath of his favorite aroma, and the cat almost rolled his eyes as if he had just taken some catnip. “I miss your scent too!”

“I miss you too, kitten.” Jun gently stroked Joshua’s back and ears, overwhelmed just by being able to do things he knew his baby would like. The cat smelled so much like Wonwoo now but Jun really could not complain. “You look so good today, honey.”

The boy giggled into his alpha’s neck, yet the man soon found the cat’s teeth on his skin. As nobody had ever warned him about this, Jun nearly yelped in pain when Joshua bit him very harshly and possessively. Jeonghan was downright shocked by this strange behavior, since biting was not typical of omegas at all. It could only mean one thing, which was that Joshua was sickly over-possessive towards his alphas. The cat must know he could not leave a mating bite on his alphas yet he still did it no matter what.

“Master, bite! Bite me! Please!” Joshua started to whine like a petulant kid after finishing biting his alpha. Jun lost a heartbeat when the boy willingly pulled away a little to tilt his head and bear his neck, giving the man the first chance to see the permanent mark on him. Like Jeonghan, he was considerably relieved to see how fine the mark looked, but it was also what made him a little hesitant to bite Joshua. Would the boy be triggered if he got bitten? Was it fine? Would Wonwoo be angry if he came here and saw another mark on his spouse?

Nonetheless, Joshua soon began to whine and squirm desperately, obviously wishing to get Jun’s bite as soon as possible and the alpha just could not bear making his kitten sad ever again. Consequently, he gave his kitten a soft peck on his cheek to shush him and then dug his own teeth into the boy’s neck, taking a quick glance at the hickeys scattering all over Joshua’s skin. He felt jealous; it was so wrong to feel jealous for someone he had hurt and betrayed and left behind but Jun could not help it.

The moment Jun bit Joshua, he believed magic existed. The boy in his arms instantly relaxed to the utmost and let out a sigh of relief. It did hurt a bit, but the pain was nothing in comparison with the joy Joshua was having in his heart. It felt heavenly warm and comfortable as the alpha kept stroking the cat’s back and hair during the whole process, helping him forget the pain thoroughly so as to focus only on the feelings of being connected. When Jun finished creating the mark, he still lingered around it to give his kitten some light kisses, soothing the wound and making the boy smile contentedly.

“I miss you!” Joshua repeated, nuzzling further into his alpha’s neck, still not feeling enough with his scent yet.

“Me too, baby.” Jun also said it again, patting his boy’s back gently. “Let’s sit down so we all can talk. Okay?”

The cat obediently nodded, yet he was evidently unhappy to be put down on a chair, since he had expected to sit on Jun’s lap like how he had done in the past, or like how he had always done with Wonwoo lately. The alpha could understand his kitten’s wish just by observing his face, but Jun did not think it would be nice for him to do that when Jeonghan was also here. They still had just reunited and things between the three of them were still complicated. Jun did not want to make any of them upset by any unnecessary actions.

Jeonghan had just sat down again between his friend and his alpha but Joshua suddenly leaned closer to him to caress his hair. The boy cooed loudly, eyes shining as if he had just seen something interesting.

“Your hair is stunning!” The cat exclaimed, genuinely attracted by his best friend’s long hair. “Wow! So smooth! I want to dye my hair blonde or pink or lilac too but Wonwoo doesn’t allow me to do that!”

Jeonghan could not help frowning at the sudden mention of Wonwoo and his mind was still very uncomfortable with the presence of his rapist inside his home. Fortunately, Joshua was enough of a distraction to help the rabbit breath normally without the help of his inhaler. Glancing anxiously towards the door leading to the bedroom, Jeonghan wondered why Mingyu and Wonwoo had not come out yet, as he had heard Mingyu’s voice very clearly previously and Joshua surely would not go out here if his husband were still sleeping. Were those alphas intentionally giving Joshua some time to talk to them first?

Jun was startled when Joshua touched the rabbit, but the boy turned out to be gentle so the alpha quickly relaxed. The cat pulled his chair to move it closer to his best friend so that he could watch the rabbit more easily. His intense gaze made Jeonghan quite nervous but there was not anything he could do; Joshua had the right to be curious because the rabbit knew he had changed a lot after their two months or separation.

Discomfort only came when the cat began to tenderly pull Jeonghan’s hair away in order to take a look at the marks on his neck. Since the boy was doing that with clear purpose, both Jun and his bunny knew Joshua must have been told about everything. He did not ask any questions about the bandage, yet he questioned the two new marks he had never seen on the older omega before.

“Wow! You have four marks now, Hannie!” The boy exclaimed quietly, but did not spend much time staring at his friend’s neck. Instead, his hands went down to hold Jeonghan’s hand, eyes moving from the rabbit to the alpha, whining, eyes sad. “Why can’t he talk anymore? Why???”

_“Just ask your husband.”_

That was what Jun almost blurted out, yet he fortunately held himself back on time. Sighing audibly, the alpha did not know how to explain, still perplexed by Joshua’s serious lack of consideration. What could he expect from the boy now? The boy’s brain simply did not process thoughts in normal ways other people’s brains usually did.

Biting his lips, Jun forced himself to lie, knowing that it would be not good at all to blame Wonwoo for Jeonghan’s condition. Joshua would be torn apart, which was not good at all for his healing process. Furthermore, this kind of lies would not harm him in any ways.

“Too many things have happened in a short time and he couldn’t really take them all.” Jun slowly explained. “It’s been overwhelming. So he temporarily lost his ability to speak.”

“It’s just temporary, right?” The cat asked nervously, still holding Jeonghan’s hand as if it were a treasure. The rabbit nodded, giving his best friend a soft smile and using the other hand to join in their hand-holding session too.

“If you two play with each other frequently, I believe he will get well soon.” Jun found his heart melting at the sight of the two omegas smiling warmly to each other. “Don’t worry, kitten.”

“Of course we will play with each other all week!” Joshua beamed happily, wrapping both arms around Jeonghan’s one and leaning against his shoulder. “My house has a very big garden now, Hannie! I also have many many many rabbit plushies! I will definitely show them to you! I have many other toys too!!! We can play in the garden or in my playroom! It’s very interesting!”

Jeonghan grimaced at the thought of coming to Joshua’s house, wondering if he would ever feel comfortable and safe enough to step into that place, but he could not show his real attitude now, in case the cat’s good mood would be ruined. Moreover, his heart was violently crashed by Joshua’s crazily childish attitudes. The boy was not different from a five-year-old kid who talked about toys and playing excitedly with shining eyes. This was not normal at all. Even a normal random person could see that Joshua was sick and seriously needed help. Mingyu had told him that the cat was undergoing treatment, yet the rabbit still found everything heartbreaking. If there was something he could help, Jeonghan willingly devoted all himself to the process of making Joshua get back his true self to live a healthily happy life.

However, the long-haired omega was frightened when Joshua tried to sniff him again, pressing his nose too close to the rabbit’s neck. The action was tickling him, but also made him worried.

“Why is your scent so strange? Why do I smell Wonwoo on you? You haven’t showered yet?”

Jun almost choked on his own saliva, startled to know that Joshua actually knew exactly his husband had slept with Jeonghan last night, but he seemed to be very fine about that. Nonetheless, he still felt the urge to speak for his bunny again.

“Of course he did, Joshua. Can’t you smell shower gel and shampoo on him? Maybe it’s just the essential oil.”

“Yes, I do smell his shampoo. It smells very good, but… this isn’t just the oil.” Joshua shook his head, and now he was hugging Jeonghan again while trying to take a better sniff. “This is surely Wonwoo’s scent! What’s this???”

The rabbit stiffened right at the moment Joshua abruptly pulled away and gasped loudly.

“You’re pregnant???” He did not even wait for the other two people to answer before grinning unexpectedly brightly. “Oh my God! Wonwoo’s pup! A baby! I’m going to have a baby to play with!!! Aaawwwww!!!”

Without warning, Joshua jumped out of the chair so that he could kneel down right next to Jeonghan’s chair and rest his head on the rabbit’s belly. The older omega was scared at first, afraid that the cat might be triggered by this piece of news, but his heart rapidly softened when his best friend pressed his fluffy ear to his belly while using both arms to wrap around his torso, cooing in his sweet voice.

“Aaaww it’s been just two months right? I will be able to hear something here soon!!! Aaahhh I can’t wait, Hannie! I want to see your baby now!!!”

Stunned and even shocked, Jun and Jeonghan could only stared at Joshua with wide eyes, wondering what crazy things might be going on in the poor boy’s head. The cat was squeaking and chirping again in utter happiness as if he were the one who got pregnant. Their fear slowly turned into happiness and relief, but the boy speedily smashed their short moment of delight by his next statement.

“Don’t worry Hannie! Wonwoo and I will take care of you well!!! Our house is spacious enough for you and your little pups!!!”

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me crazy... It's so complicated and there are so many things for them to talk about >< Joshua is seriously crazy >< Aaaahhhh but poor boy he just doesn't really understand things. Someone needs to explain everything more properly to him ;_;
> 
> I hope the end of this chapter left you frustrated again :"> Anyway, I have to say that the ending of this fic is really close now ;_; It's going to end soon and I think I will cry when that day comes T_T But I'm still happy to know that I manage to make you feel a lot of emotions to the final chapters T_T
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing your comments to know how you think or feel about this chapter ^^ If you haven't read my new fic which is "Our angel" yet, I hope you can give it a try~
> 
> Please take care of yourself and stay healthy!!!! I love you!!!


	93. Fix what have been broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Joshua and Jeonghan lost their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay I managed to make you frustrated with the previous chapter again ahahahaha~~~ I hope you will enjoy this one too ^^

At this point, Jeonghan could not remain calm anymore. Shaking his head vigorously, the rabbit pushed Joshua away, hands scrambling to make various gestures in a desperate attempt to transmit his wish of staying away from that house. Joshua certainly could not understand anything, but Jun could. He did not even need to look at Jeonghan’s sign language to know what the rabbit wanted to say. Placing one hand on the long-haired omega’s back while the other one came to hold his hand, Jun firmly explained to the cat.

“No, Joshua. Hannie won’t go to your house. He will stay here, only here. If you want to play with Hannie, you have to come here. I can’t let him go to your place.”

Joshua gasped and his eyes widened in bewilderment, sitting back on the chair as quickly as he had left it previously.

“Why???” The boy whined extraordinarily loudly, face sulky. “Why can’t he live with me??? Why??? I don’t understand!!!” The boy held his best friend’s hand again, literally begging while asking at the same time. “Why can’t you stay with me, Hannie? Don’t you want to be with me? I thought… I thought all of you are going to live in my house!!! You, Jun, and Mingyu. All of us will live together!!!”

Jeonghan kept shaking his head vehemently, face starting to turn terribly pale, showing obvious fright. Jun thought that if Joshua knew what Wonwoo had done to the rabbit then the cat now must know that Jeonghan would never want to live in that house, yet the boy did not seem to understand the problem at all. The younger omega even seemed to be very upset and confused due to his friend’s extreme reaction. Jun did not know what to do, too afraid of making Joshua turn mad by mentioning the brutal incidence happening to Jeonghan in the past, but the boy would never agree to drop this matter if he failed to figure out the proper reasons.

Hearing the sounds of the door opened, Jun snapped his head towards the bedroom door instantly, catching the sight of Wonwoo coming out with Mingyu. Sensing his husband’s appearance, Joshua jumped out of his chair and ran to the man like a flash, clutching to Wonwoo’s arms tightly and whining, face covered by sadness and disappointment.

“Wonwoo, why does Jun say Hannie won’t live with us? Why? Isn’t he yours? Why can’t I live with him? I don’t understand!”

Jun seriously felt sick when hearing that sentence - _“Isn’t he yours?”_ He could not believe what the hell was going on in Joshua’s mind. The boy was downright crazy, perhaps unable to remember clearly what he had been told. However, it was not the time to care much about the cat, since Jun knew he had better worry considerably much more about Jeonghan.

Like Joshua, the rabbit had jumped out of his chair right at the moment he saw Wonwoo coming, but to run towards the opposite direction, filling the small kitchen with the terribly sour scent of his own. Not only Jun but also Mingyu rapidly followed the rabbit and they were able to catch him soon, but Jeonghan was so deep in panic that he was evidently hyperventilating now. The two alphas’ hands holding his hands did not allow the long-haired omega to run any further, but once he turned around, he saw Joshua and _that monster_ walking towards him as well. Jeonghan found his knees buckle one more time, and he ended up falling down to the ground, heaving heavily in a desperate attempt to catch his breath.

Jun and Mingyu were on two sides of Jeonghan when they hurriedly took out the rabbit’s inhaler and brought it to his face, temporarily ignoring the cause of this reaction. Joshua rushed to kneel beside his best friend, horrified by the struggle the rabbit was going through just to breathe. In panic, the boy asked so many questions but no one answered him, too occupied with Jeonghan’s condition. Leaning against Mingyu’s chest, the older omega slowly got back oxygen quite more easily in his lungs, but he could not stop trembling violently, especially when that monster had just crouched down only a few inches away from Joshua.

Staring at Jeonghan right now, Wonwoo could not help thinking of the day he attacked the omega. The rabbit had cried and begged him for some mercy, willing to do anything so as just to get out of the revenge and punishment, but Wonwoo did not listen to him or care about anything else. All of his anger had been vented on the omega who was still in very bad health condition at that time. Today, the said omega was scared of him as if he were Satan coming to take his life away, even though he knew they had had sex together last night. Wonwoo could detect the slight hint of his scent on the rabbit, one thousand percent sure that Jeonghan was carrying his baby, but no part of his mind found happiness in anything. Wonwoo was drowned in mixed feelings in front of the sight of _his omega_ thrashing and crying in utter fright.

Wonwoo’s instincts were screaming for him to protect the pregnant omega, to take him back for himself, but Wonwoo still had his brain now. He knew he did not have the right to do so.

The last thing he expected to see was Jeonghan suddenly crawling towards him, shocking the other two alphas to the utmost.

In such a close vicinity to _his alpha_, and there was obviously no stronger alpha in this room to protect him, the poor frightened rabbit succumbed to his instincts and he did not want anything except for some mercy. Kneeling in front of the father of his baby, Jeonghan shrank and slumped, rubbing his two palms together, desperately and pathetically begging the alpha to let him live in peace. The rabbit was crying heavily with endless streams of tears falling down his cheeks.

Jun was heartbroken, but also enraged more than anyone else, since Jeonghan was his too, and his omega was being scared yet willing to kneel and beg for mercy from another alpha.

Abruptly standing up, Jun stepped to Wonwoo in the fastest speed he had ever had in his life, and punched the eldest alpha right in his face. Everyone was startled by the sudden violence coming from the gentle alpha, but what got Jun back out of his feral instincts was _someone else’s snapping_.

Seeing someone hitting his alpha, Joshua immediately went mad and lashed out at _the enemy_. Wonwoo held the cat back just in time before the boy could scratch Jun in his face by his dangerously sharp claws. Both Jun and Mingyu were appalled by the cat’s reaction while Jeonghan stared at his friend with wide eyes, mouth hung open, flashbacks flooding his mind. In the past, there was once when Joshua attacked their owner as the cruel bastard was harassing the rabbit and the cat could not stand it anymore. Nonetheless, Jeonghan had never expected to see this behavior from Joshua again, too afraid that he had just unintentionally made the alphas mad. Omegas were never supposed to rebel against the alphas. Even Jeonghan had never done that.

Jun was shocked, but it did not mean he could handle his anger right away. Still livid, he threw himself towards Wonwoo one more time. Seeing Jeonghan being in the way, Mingyu had to pull the rabbit away so that he would not get caught in the middle of the alphas’ fight. There was too much going on here and Mingyu could not do much except for thinking of the pregnant person first - that meant he was taking care of two people. Unfortunately, Joshua did not consider that as an action with good intentions. Thrashing to get out of Wonwoo’s arms, the cat managed to break free because his husband was paying attention to the punch Jun was throwing towards him. Hissing fiercely at the alphas, Joshua bolted towards his friend, harshly gripping Jeonghan’s arms to get him back.

Since Mingyu had been gentle and cautious when handling the rabbit, he failed to keep Jeonghan by his sides. Joshua got the older omega back, snarling at Mingyu, causing the giant man to freeze in horror, unable to believe a single punch from Jun could trigger the boy this awfully. Joshua only got angrier when he saw his husband getting the second punch. In the poor cat’s mind, his husband was definitely the first priority, so he abruptly let go of his best friend to jump back for a rescue. This time, it was Mingyu who saved Jun from the mad hybrid’s attack, but the older alpha was too angry. He thrashed, fist aiming at Wonwoo’s face one more time regardless of the hissing hybrid right in front of him.

Jun had never thought that his anger and madness could vanish in the blink of an eye when his broken bunny came in between him and Wonwoo. Tears were cascading down the rabbit’s face, and Jeonghan just shook his head. Ashamed of his own attitude, the omega ducked his head, having no nerves to look at Jun or Mingyu in the eyes now. His instincts did not allow him to just stand and watch the father of his baby get hit. His little child was somehow screaming at him, forcing him to protect their father.

Jun was immobilized, and still did not move even a bit when Joshua pulled the rabbit into his arms and hugged him tightly, glaring at the other two alphas warily. At this point, Jeonghan’s mind had turned into a huge mess where he could not figure out what to do anymore. The nearest comfort he found right at this moment was Joshua’s arms, so he let himself be held in his best friend’s embrace, finally believing that the cat would not hurt him. Joshua wanted to take him home. The cat was crazy, but also over-possessive and overprotective. Jeonghan was torn apart, too scared of driving anyone mad, yet he was highly aware of the fact that his rapist was standing right behind Joshua, too close, too dangerous. Nonetheless, his body had given up the desire to run. This short distance was fatal, and his body had subconsciously submitted to his alpha’s pheromones.

Mingyu was certainly upset with Wonwoo as well, but he was not as angry as Jun, since he did not have the permanent bond with Jeonghan. This kind of bond was considerably powerful. In Jun’s case, it was strong thanks to the alpha’s love for the rabbit. On the other hand, for Wonwoo, the bond was almost invincible due to the alpha being an excellent noble alpha and Jeonghan was even pregnant. The rabbit was in fact still lucid enough to know what he was doing, but he was too scared to do anything. The long-haired omega would not have stayed that close to Wonwoo if Joshua had not dragged him there. Once Jeonghan was trapped in the intoxicating pheromones of his alpha, he had no way out any longer. The poor rabbit kept trembling and reeking of fear, sniffling in his friend’s arms, yet no one dared to make a move.

Among all of them, the most confused person was Wonwoo, who had not even done anything but at the same time had caused this whole mess to happen. He had not even fought back to Jun or touched Jeonghan, but now the hybrid was crying his eyes out while Jun was boring holes in the lead alpha’s face by his burning gaze. Nonetheless, Wonwoo had to admit that he knew why everything was like this today; what he was witnessing was the consequence of his actions in the past. It was profoundly difficult to resolve the troubles he had caused. Right at this moment, Wonwoo had no idea what to do. Neither did Mingyu.

Wonwoo knew his inner beast seriously wanted to take Jeonghan home for himself and for Joshua as well, but he also knew he could not do that. Even if he managed to do so somehow, the rabbit would soon turn into a psycho like Joshua now because of constantly overwhelming fear.

Jun growled and bared his teeth fiercely when seeing Wonwoo stepping closer and closer to the two hybrids, but Mingyu made sure to keep his mate still, believing that his eldest cousin was not going to do anything stupid. Fortunately, the giant man was right this time. Wonwoo gently placed two hands on Joshua’s shoulders, which surprisingly eased the boy a lot and made the cat turn to look at his husband immediately. The look Joshua had for Wonwoo was strikingly different from what he had thrown towards the other two men previously, causing them to feel a sharp pain in their hearts.

“Calm down, kitten. It’s fine. I’m fine. Can you give Jeonghan back to Jun and Mingyu?” Wonwoo slowly asked his omega, lowering his head a little so as to look at the boy in the eyes.

Jeonghan could feel Wonwoo’s presence, yet he was too scared to even lift his head up his friend’s shoulder and look.

“Daddy, why?” Joshua asked in a whiny voice, face scrunched up in protest, arms hugging his friend possessively. “He hit you! He hurt you! Hannie is crying! They might hurt him too!”

“Don’t worry, baby. They won’t hurt Jeonghan. I’m fine. He’s fine too.” Wonwoo tried to fake a smile to soothe his boy, feeling extremely guilty as Joshua did not understand why Jeonghan was being so frightened now. “Let him go, kitten. He’s their omega.”

“But… but…” The cat stammered, looking at the other alphas then at his husband. “Alphas are bad! They’re cruel! They will hurt Hannie! Can’t we take him home, daddy? Please please please!!!” The boy started to beg. “We can protect him and take care of him together! Please, Wonwoo!!! I’ll be good! I’ll do anything!!! Hannie will be good too!!! He’s always good. You won’t have to worry about him.”

Taking a better look at Joshua’s ears and tail, Wonwoo realized the cat’s hair was all standing, his scent bitter and unpleasant, which was a clear evidence of him being uncomfortable and insecure in front of the other two alphas. There was a high chance that the cat did not recognize his once beloved alphas anymore, because Wonwoo was sure his kitten had always trusted that Jun and Mingyu would never hurt him or his friends. Meanwhile, the boy had just considered them to be the same as the bastards he used to face. In this circumstance, Wonwoo was sure Joshua had just stabbed a knife brutally into Mingyu’s heart.

His guess was right, because the giant man was already shedding tears in despair, heartbroken by the cat’s naïve but sincere words. What he said right at this moment was genuinely what came straight from his mind and his heart. Joshua had lost his trust in almost everyone. His claws had not disappeared, creating a great threat to the rabbit he was holding. Jeonghan all of a sudden became too fragile in Joshua’s arms. No matter what, he was just a rabbit while his friend had the scary pointy claws which could make anyone bleed at any time.

“Don’t be scared, Joshua. It’s okay.” Wonwoo began to stroke his kitten’s ears, slowly realizing the unshed tears in his boy’s eyes. “Take a deep breath. We’re in Jun and Mingyu’s house. You still remember them? They won’t hurt you or Jeonghan. They aren’t bad alphas. I fainted outside and Mingyu brought me inside. They let us sleep in their bed. Do you remember, baby?”

Listening attentively to his husband, Joshua obediently inhaled deeply while his eyes kept glancing anxiously towards the other two alphas. Slowly, the boy inched closer and closer to Wonwoo, bringing Jeonghan along with him. Finally, when the cat’s whole back was pressed firmly against his alpha’s chest, Wonwoo figured out how much Joshua was shaking and how speedily his heart was beating. Despite his attack, Joshua was extremely scared. When Wonwoo got angry, the boy tried to hide and beg for forgiveness. However, when other alphas were around and threatening him, the cat turned out to be aggressive and even violent, easily snapping whenever someone mad a move that go against his wish.

When Joshua’s back was pressed to Wonwoo’s chest, it also meant that Jeonghan was being pressed extremely close to the alpha, eventually having no distance left between the two of them. The rabbit was directly facing the man’s shoulder, and the aroma of peppermint attacked his system violently. Jeonghan felt a very uncomfortable twist in his stomach, feeling like his little child was having a very strong reaction towards their father. After a very short moment of discomfort, the situation turned drastically. The feelings which filled the rabbit’s mind now were not much different from what he had got whenever using the essential oils, or when he got the contact with his alpha at the ball last night.

Jeonghan hated this reaction of his body, but his mind seemed to shut off due to overwhelming stimulation. He just stopped thinking completely. 

During the time Joshua gradually got back his breath, Jun also slowly calmed down, coming back to his own mind at the realization of the dreadful scents coming from both omegas. Nonetheless, even then, he still wanted to come and take his bunny back as soon as possible, able to recognize something abnormal going on with the rabbit, but Mingyu did not loosen his hold around his mate.

“Wait a little more, Junnie.” The younger alpha whispered to him. He could realize that Jeonghan’s sour scent was fading away, and he was nervous too, but he could not risk the sharp claws Joshua was still having on his friend’s body. “You’ll trigger them all. Please wait a little more. Joshua will let Hannie go.”

Mingyu’s decision was a correct one, because Joshua was given the chance to spend time staring at his husband and trying to calm down. As long as no one spooked him any further, the lead alpha could help the cat return to a more stable state. Minutes slowly went by, and Joshua’s claws finally disappeared, making the alphas feel greatly more relieved. Although Wonwoo was trying to concentrate on Joshua, hands stroking his hair and his ears, it was impossible for the man to ignore the fact that he was having Jeonghan’s face in his shoulder for the entire time and the rabbit was staying strangely still, as if he were a statue. His sniffles had subsided a lot and now Wonwoo only felt wetness on his shirt, wondering what the hell was going on. Was Jeonghan actually being calm right now? What should he do? Was Joshua ready to let go of his best friend yet?

“It’s okay, kitten. You’re safe. We’re all safe. Let’s just give Jeonghan to Jun and Mingyu. Then I will take care of you. Okay?” Wonwoo forced himself to smile again, one hand gently wiping the streams of tears on his omega’s face.

“They… they won’t… they won’t take Hannie away from me… right?” The poor boy sniffled, eyes filled with fear and expectations. “I… I want to be with Hannie…”

“I promise. You will have a lot of time to play with him.” Wonwoo assured firmly, sounding really trustworthy because he was seriously saying the truth. “Just let him go for now. Jun and Mingyu are worried. You’re crying. I can’t carry you while you keep him like this. Okay, kitten?”

Joshua was still reluctant, but the idea of being carried and babied by his husband was irresistible. The boy knew he had never wanted anything more than that. His alpha told him to trust Jun and Mingyu. His alpha had been telling him to let Jeonghan go. Would Wonwoo be mad if Joshua kept the rabbit to himself for longer? The cat did not dare to think what would happen when his husband eventually ran out of patience. At this moment, Wonwoo was so tender, so gentle, so sweet, making the boy just want to fling himself into his embrace to seek for protection and comfort. Under the hands of his God, Joshua found his heart weaker and weaker by second.

His husband was ready to let his other omega and his pup go so as just to keep _him only_. The boy desperately wanted to clutch to that belief so as to feel loved and treasured by his alpha. Even though Jeonghan was having a baby, Wonwoo still loved him most, right? Joshua did not need to fight against other alphas to get the rabbit for him, right?

Seeing the arms around Jeonghan loosening, Jun instantly moved forward cautiously, trying to keep his pheromones normal in order not to frighten Joshua. Trying to make eye contact with the cat, Jun spoke to him softly and quietly.

“Hey Joshua, I will help you take care of Hannie. Okay? He will just stay here. He won’t go anywhere. You don’t have to be scared.”

Nonetheless, when Joshua was ready to let Jeonghan go, the rabbit became the one who did not want to go. Being pushed away from his best friend and his alpha, the long-haired omega whined very loudly in utter frustration. Jeonghan had stopped crying for a while but now he was crying again, making even Joshua shocked and gasp. Nobody understood anything until their eyes caught the rabbit’s right hand clutching to Wonwoo’s shirt tightly as if his life depended on it. The lead alpha was not any less stunned than the other ones, but what came right after the surprise was the strongest urge to protect and take that omega. The feeling was so familiar that Wonwoo was taken aback, knowing that this was exactly what he had felt yesterday. Neither of them was in need to releasing their sexual desire, yet the wish to stay close to each other was something belonging to their biological instincts and Jeonghan was not able to control it anymore.

Perhaps he still had some little control, because at least he was holding nothing but Wonwoo’s shirt only, avoiding the alpha’s eyes, and fear was still clear in his scent.

Before Jun got consumed by his jealousy and anger, Mingyu was quick to interfere.

“Give him your shirt, Wonwoo. I’ll get another one for you. Maybe your scent will be enough for him now.”

Wonwoo had no choice but to comply, rapidly taking off his shirt to give the thing to Jeonghan. Without hesitation, the rabbit took it by shaking hands and brought it to his face immediately. Seeing that the omega was no longer clinging to Wonwoo anymore, Jun stepped forward and enveloped Jeonghan in his arms right away. The rabbit choked out a sob when he was finally in his angel’s embrace, slumping against his mate but still keeping the shirt closely to his face, obviously trying his best to take Wonwoo’s scent from the piece of clothes.

Like a flash, Mingyu ran to the bedroom to fetch a clean shirt for his eldest cousin. When he went back, the two couples were already standing separately two meters away from each other. As a good omega as always, Joshua helped his husband button the shirt even when tears had never stopped streaming down his cheeks. Once the man was done, the cat jumped to straddle his alpha’s waist instantly, all of a sudden crying out loudly and sobbing heavily. The whole kitchen was soon overwhelmed with Joshua’s sour and bitter scent which was threatening to kill everyone’s heart. Jun knew his bunny was not fine either, but Wonwoo’s shirt seemed to do wonder to the pregnant omega and make his scent neutral. Jeonghan was only shaking, but Joshua was a whole mess of a frightened cry baby.

“I think we should sit down.” Mingyu sighed as he looked at the two hybrids who did not seem to be in their right mind anymore. The big alpha slowly caressed his bunny’s hair while staring into Jun’s eyes. “Let’s talk. We have to do this. Can you, Junnie?”

Taking a deep breath, Jun nodded to his mate, turning to ask Jeonghan similar questions. To their relief, the rabbit nodded, which meant he was still lucid enough to understand what other people said. However, Joshua did not seem to be the same.

Mingyu took out two more chairs from the bedroom into the kitchen and Jun led his omega to the dining table. When Jun sat down on one of the chairs, he purposefully kept two chairs empty between him and Wonwoo on his left, expecting Mingyu to sit on his right while Jeonghan sat on his left side and perhaps Wonwoo would have no choice but to put Joshua in the last chair remained. Nevertheless, things did not go as Jun wanted. In distress, he watched Jeonghan take the chair right next to Wonwoo. Just three seconds later, the rabbit abruptly stood up to move to the chair next to Jun, as if his mind had just realized he was doing something not right.

Not comfortable with the action of keeping the shirt close to his nose, Jeonghan wore it as a coat and sat still by his angel, ducking his head, not looking at anyone. Holding back a sigh, Jun held his bunny’s hand gently, trying to make him feel safer and calmer. The omega squeezed his hand back, the other hand coming to join fiddling with his alpha’s fingers. Sometimes Jeonghan did glance towards Wonwoo’s direction but Jun was pretty sure his bunny was only looking at Joshua since he was very worried about the cat.

Joshua’s situation was really worth worrying about, as the boy was crying and sobbing very loudly. Mingyu and Jun had thought that when things were fine and calm, the cat should not be scared anymore, but Joshua in fact was like he had had enough and could not endure any further stress. Wonwoo was sitting on his chair while the boy desperately clung to him, wrapping all his limbs around his husband and hiding his face in the man’s shoulder. This scene was so familiar and so painful that it made their hearts break mercilessly. They definitely could not talk while Joshua was still like this. They could not think of anything else before their poor little kitten stopped crying.

“Can we… can we help?” Mingyu was the first one to stammer, unable to sit still in his chair. “Is it… Is it okay for us to soothe him? Will he be scared?”

The giant man had not expected to repeat his questions two more times until Wonwoo finally heard what he had said. The lead alpha was concentrating on Joshua so much that he almost did not pay attention to anything. However, even when Wonwoo had reactions which proved he had heard the questions, he still did not answer, only focusing on rubbing Joshua’s back and stroking his hair while murmuring countless sweet words to the boy. They wondered if the cat could really comprehend his alpha’s words, yet Wonwoo never stopped.

In bewilderment, they could never dare to think how Joshua would react if one day he found out that the husband who had been taking care of him so considerately and gently was the same monster who abused him to this state. If Mingyu had not told Jun about the truth, he would not suspect the lead alpha either. Jun was shocked, and even more shocked to feel jealousy burning in his chest. This was the kind of treatment he had never got from _his first love_. Wonwoo used to be loving and tender to him, but in the worst moments of his life, Wonwoo had never been there for him or given him any solace. Instead, it was Mingyu all the time. Wonwoo had broken Jun and hurt him terribly as well, but why fate did not treat him in this way? Jun knew, instead of getting Wonwoo, he got Mingyu, who was a priceless gift God had given to him, but this regret would remain in his heart forever.

Was this the price for him leaving Wonwoo? Joshua chose to stay, and he was broken, but at least this was what he had now. The boy had finally got what he desired from his alpha, while Jun could only watch and chew his lips relentlessly, hating himself for feeling this way towards the kitten. The shining ring on the man’s finger even seemed to poke Jun’s eyes and drive him crazy. Jun had always thought he would be the first one to have that - the same wedding ring as Wonwoo’s.

Jun knew he had failed pathetically. He had not managed to make Wonwoo change his mind, but Joshua had turned everything upside down. The man Jun was seeing like now did not look like Wonwoo he knew two months ago anymore.

He was much more like _Wonwoo of the past_.

Fortunately, after a few more minutes, Wonwoo seemed to remember he had left a question unanswered. Turning to Mingyu, he sighed feebly.

“I don’t know… You may try. Just… be gentle with him. He’s scared of everything.”

_“Be gentle with him”_

This sentence sounded so familiar that Jun almost snorted. Was Jun always the one to say this about Jeonghan? And now Wonwoo was saying so about Joshua? Jun was seriously amazed. Since when had Wonwoo learned to treat the boy gently? It took the lead alpha that much time and the cat’s whole breakdown to realize he had been treating his omega in the wrong way?

Jun was not jealous anymore. He was angry, for Joshua.

Sensing the pheromones of an angry alpha, the crying cat instantly whimpered and hugged his husband much more tightly. He started to beg, voice muffled by his alpha’s shoulder but his scent was obviously dreadful to everyone.

“Daddy… can we go home? I want to go home… Please! Why do you always want to take me around? Can we go home, please? Daddy… please…”

“No one is going to hurt you, kitten. I’m already here.” Wonwoo sent a death glare directly towards Jun, very upset with the younger alpha’s attitude.

“I’m scared! I don’t want to be here anymore!” The boy kept whimpering while sobbing. “Please… Wonwoo… Can we go home? I… I won’t ask for anything else… Please… Please… Master…”

The other three people were distraught just by listening to different names Joshua had used to call his husband in just a minute. The cat might be aggressive sometimes, but overall he was still frightened and just wanted to have some peace. Jun was forced to admit that he was at fault for this; Wonwoo had not done anything today but Jun failed to control himself and ended up starting a fight. Joshua had every reason to be scared; he was being in someone’s house, seeing his alpha punched, and then other alphas were releasing angry pheromones in this small kitchen. Jun desperately wanted to get the cat into his embrace to apologize to him over and over again, and to tell Joshua that he would protect the boy too.

Unable to endure this any longer, Jun stood up to come to sit right next to Wonwoo so that he could lean closer and talk to Joshua. His anger had vanished, as tears started to fall. His voice shook so much and his hand trembled while it reached out to the boy, but he did not dare to touch his kitten. With the cat ears and tail available like this, Joshua looked unbelievably vulnerable and fragile, which hurt all of the four people around him at this moment. Jun could not do anything except for leaning closer and closer, until his face was only a few inches away from the boy’s head. The alpha whispered slowly, trying his best not to break down because of this familiar position.

“Kitten… Don’t be scared. You’re okay. We’re here with you. I’m Jun. I’m still here with you. Remember, baby?”

Joshua flinched when hearing the voice of another alpha so close to him, making Jun know he had made the right decision of not touching the boy. Patiently, he waited for the cat to make a move, smiling in tears as Joshua slowly got his face out of Wonwoo’s shoulder to blink at the man on his left side. What the boy could see was not only Jun but also Jeonghan who had pulled his chair closer to Jun and leaned over his alpha so as to come to his best friend. Looking into the cat’s wet eyes now, Jun knew Joshua did not recognize him.

The boy was lost in panic, unable to detect the familiar faces in front of him.

Consequently, he flinched again when the alpha spoke. Wonwoo placed a tender kiss on the tip of his omega’s head to calm him down.

“I’m Jun. Do you remember me, Joshua?” Jun tried again with his voice softer, tears welling up in his eyes, causing the boy to get perplexed and confused. The alpha continued to introduce not only himself but also the rabbit. “Hannie is here with you too! Do you remember your best friend? He’s here! Don’t be scared, kitten.”

The cat warily scanned the alpha’s face before turning to do the same thing to the long-haired omega, evidently trying to detect their identity. However, his process was interrupted when he heard the sound of a chair being pulled. Snapping his head towards that direction, Joshua saw Mingyu approaching him, but did not flinch. He was skeptical and anxious, but the giant man did not seem to have too much impact on the poor cat. Perhaps the reason was that Mingyu had been to his house and spent pretty much time with him there.

“I’m Mingyu, baby. I visited you at your house a few days ago. Do you remember, Joshua?”

At the mention of the visit, the boy’s eyes lightened up instantly. Blinking at the big alpha a few more times, Joshua croaked out quietly.

“M…Master?”

“Yeah, that’s right! I’m your Mingyu, baby.” The youngest alpha decided to risk and reach out one hand to Joshua to stroke his hair. The boy whimpered feebly and closed his eyes, leaning to the touch, but he soon opened his eyes again as there were still so many questions to ask.

“Jun… Jun and Hannie is here?” The cat looked up at his husband, gripping his shirt tightly. “Daddy… is it true? Jun and Hannie is here?”

“Yes, they are.” Wonwoo kissed his omega on the forehead, gently turning the boy’s head until his eyes could see Jun and Jeonghan again. “They want to soothe you and pamper you. Is it okay, baby? Can Jun at least hold your hand?”

Joshua spent a minute in silence scanning the faces of these people one more time while they kept trying to convince him about their identity. In the end, what could affect the boy most powerfully was still Wonwoo’s words, and the cat kept looking at his alpha in the eyes in an attempt of seeking for a confirmation. Devastated, Jun realized his kitten completely depended on Wonwoo now. The boy could not live without his husband even in just a second.

“Mas… master… Hannie?” The cat eventually called out as the tears doubled on his cheeks, one hand reaching towards the two mentioned people.

Immediately, both Jun and Jeonghan held Joshua’s hand together. Not wasting any second, Jun pulled his own chair much closer so that it was easy and convenient for him to deliver a soft kiss on the forehead of his kitten. Joshua sobbed, squeezing the two hands tightly, eyes fixed on Jun’s face when the alpha continued to pour into his ears hundreds of sweet and soothing words.

“This… this is your apartment?” The boy asked, still glancing around cautiously and sniffling, shoulders trembling under Wonwoo’s hands. His questions sounded unbelievably innocent and harmless but they brutally stabbed knifes into everyone’s heart. “Why… why are you here? Why aren’t you living with me anymore? Why aren’t you living with Seungcheol, Hannie?”

“You know Hannie’s pregnant, right?” Jun asked back, hoping that the cat would still keep the positive attitudes about this piece of information.

He only waited to see a nod from the boy to start explaining. Jun hated the fact that no matter how much he hated lying to Joshua now, he had no choice but to do so, knowing that it would be tragic if he told the boy too much about the cruel truth. Joshua was not different from a kid, and a kid was not supposed to be dragged into adults’ issues.

“Hannie’s pregnant, but Seungcheol knows he can’t take care of him well, so he gives Hannie to us. I guess you don’t want anything bad to happen to Hannie and his baby either. Am I right, kitten?” Jun kept his right hand on the boy’s cheek while remaining direct eye contact with him.

Since Joshua still considered Seungcheol as a bad guy, he was easily convinced by this explanation, yet he was very depressed when asking about Jun, seeming to sense that the alpha wanted to avoid answering this question.

“But… but what about you… master? Why… why don’t you live with me anymore?” Joshua’s saying was cut off by his sob, and they were all startled to see the boy crying even harder now. “I know… I know you and Mingyu are mated… I know Mingyu is going to marry Hannie… but… but why can’t we stay together now? Why? I don’t… I don’t understand…”

“I’ve already told you about this, baby.” Wonwoo lowered his voice before putting another kiss on the tip of Joshua’s head. “We’re married. They’re officially a couple now. We have to have our own lives. It’s very hard for us to keep living together unless you are willing to…”

“I will do anything!” The boy abruptly cut off his husband, which was what he would never do when he was in a sober state. However, the more Joshua spoke, the more tears he shed. He was feeling extraordinarily self-conscious, nearly fully believing that his alphas no longer wanted him. “You… you used to say you want me to be your omegas… I… I will do anything you want! Please…”

Before Jun could come up with a proper answer that might sound nice enough to the boy who had lost his mind, Mingyu had quickly grabbed the boy’s other free hand and squeezed it tightly, catching the cat’s attention. Joshua turned to look at the giant man, heart flipping a few times in his chest as he saw the twinkles in the man’s wet eyes. Mingyu was actually smiling, but the tears on his cheeks were shining as if they were the tears of an angel.

“You don’t have to do anything, Joshua! I am… I am the one who has to do something!” Mingyu stuttered, almost losing his calmness as well, too emotional when he finally got the chance where he could possibly fix what he had ruined - _what fate had ruined_. “I always wish to your husband, Joshua. I know… I know I can’t live with you because it’s not safe… You’re vulnerable but we’re still unmated and it will be so dangerous when we’re married and live in the same house… I don’t want to hurt you… But please… Joshua, please… If you allow me to, can I please have the chance to be your husband? Please, Joshua! Please!”

The cat suddenly sobbed loudly and his scent spiked, which was the proof of a very strong emotion.

“Why… why are you begging me? I’m… I’m just a hybrid… I’m not good… not good enough for you… I’m the one who has to… has to…”

“No, Joshua! No! You don’t have to do anything! Please let me do everything for you!” Mingyu was literally frantically pleading Joshua now, both hands holding the boy’s one sincerely while tears still cascaded down his cheeks. “I… I know I’m going to marry Hannie but… please, Joshua! Please! Please give me a chance to be your husband! I know I can’t make everything turn back to what we used to have in the past but please allow me to be your husband! I want to marry you!”

Wonwoo believed that Mingyu had magically done wonder to Joshua’s heart when after the whole two months long, the boy suddenly willingly jumped out of his embrace to fling himself into another alpha’s arms. Too hurried, the cat almost fell down, but his two alphas helped him move safely from Wonwoo’s lap to the giant man. In the blink of an eye, Joshua was straddling Mingyu’s lap while the crying alpha beamed in tears with the cat being held tightly in his arms. Again, the alpha was crazily repeating his mantra of _“I’m sorry”_ and _“I love you Joshua”_. Wonderfully, the cat replied a similar confession to his alpha, telling Mingyu how much he loved him over and over again.

None of them could believe that Mingyu’s proposal successfully stopped Joshua’s questions about them living together. Nobody was sure whether the boy would bring it up later or not, but for now the cat only seemed to care about Mingyu only. Even though both of them were crying, everyone could hear the soft chuckles and giggles coming from the couple. Joshua was whining from time to time but it was not something alarming anymore. The boy soon dug his teeth possessively into Mingyu’s neck to bite the alpha again. Nobody could really understand why Joshua wanted to do that because an omega could never leave a real mating bite on anybody. The cat could make his alphas bleed, yet the wound would just heal as time went by.

Nonetheless, Jun was sure he saw a few scars on Wonwoo’s neck and one of them was bleeding slightly. Joshua surely had bitten his husband so many times that Jun almost thought Wonwoo had accidentally got crushed by a huge glass window.

After Joshua got Mingyu’s bite on his own neck, the cat gradually cried less and less, sobs subsiding considerably. Jun had moved back to his original position so that he could stay close to the boy and continue to soothe him. Joshua got his face out of Mingyu’s shoulder to look at Jun and his best friend, listening to his alpha’s sweet words and letting Jeonghan stroke his ears lovingly. The rabbit did not say anything, but whenever he smiled to the boy, Joshua weakly smiled back.

“What do you think about us getting married on the same day, Hannie?” The younger omega asked, voice sounding strangely guilty while his hand came to hold his friend’s one tightly.

Jeonghan was stunned by this idea, and even the alphas were shocked. It did not mean that Joshua had just said something outrageous; they simply had never expected the cat to be ready to share his alpha with Jeonghan on the same wedding day. It was confusing and devastating for them to see how the boy snapped on different occasions. Sometimes Joshua was too possessive but in some other times he seemed to be very apprehensive about everyone’s feelings. They never wanted the cat to act like this if his motivation was his own fear of not being loved by everyone around him. Joshua did not understand that all Wonwoo, Jun, Mingyu and Jeonghan loved him to the point where they were ready to tolerate everything he did.

Jeonghan quickly decided that he did not want to get married with Mingyu (or Jun) on the same day as Joshua, because he knew he was to blame for how much the cat’s life had been destroyed and it would be very mean of him to make Joshua share his alpha in that special day. Jeonghan was even eager to let his friend celebrate the wedding first. However, the rabbit also understood that this was not the perfect time to talk about this yet because Joshua still did not seem to be really calm. A discussion about this complicated problem would not do the boy good. They should deal with the troubles they had already had previously first before paying attention to the new ones.

Taking out his pencil and notes, Jeonghan wrote a message for Joshua.

_“Let’s talk about this later. We have lots of time to talk from now on. I just want you to stop crying now.”_

Getting the rabbit’s words through his writing was a new and strange experience for Joshua, but the content of the message managed to make his eyes twinkle. Giggling softly, the boy leaned to the touch of his best friend’s hand on his ears and purred quietly.

“Okay, Hannie! You’re right. We have a lot of time. We don’t have to rush.”

Temporarily, the atmosphere was calm as the cat finally smiled happily and did not give off a deadly horrible scent anymore.

Mingyu, Jun, and Jeonghan had expected to feel relieved when Joshua stopped crying, but they just ended up being more shocked than before. To ease the tension, the rabbit walked to the counters to make some drinks for all of them, and Joshua naturally followed him, asking for permission to help him with a smile on his face. Taken aback, Jeonghan wondered if the boy he was seeing right now was the same boy who had just cried so hard a few minutes ago, because right now, Joshua was cheerfully talking to him as if nothing had happened.

It was extremely difficult for Jeonghan to keep smiling to the cat in this condition. If his face fell in just a second, Joshua’s facial expression would change drastically as well and the boy would start asking _“Did I say something wrong?”_

Feeling the tears welling up in his own eyes, Jeonghan hurriedly shook his head, using a hand to pinch Joshua’s cheek instead of saying_ “I love you.”_

At the dining table, Wonwoo silently observed his omega in agony while Jun and Mingyu watched the cat in utter horror. Nonetheless, the two petrified alphas kept reminding themselves to maintain calm pheromones so as not to make Joshua freak out. Chewing their own lips anxiously, they both wondered why the boy did not seem like he could sense the overwhelming distress in Wonwoo’s pheromones and scent. The lead alpha had not smelled any better even in just a second from the first moment Jun saw him again in the shopping mall until now. Perhaps, Wonwoo was constantly in this kind of mood so the cat was already accustomed to it?

When Jun took his eyes off Joshua and sat facing the dining table, he glanced over Wonwoo, coincidentally meeting the older alpha’s eyes. For the first time of the reunion, they stared at each other directly in the eyes without the presence of aggression or hatred.

The eye contact only lasted for about ten seconds before Jun looked away to distract himself, blinking away the tears in his eyes, trying his best to ignore the way his heartbeat was picking up its speed and flipping relentlessly in his chest. No matter what happened, Wonwoo would always be the first love of Jun’s life, and he knew he was pathetic.

Jun knew he had never stopped and could never stop loving Wonwoo.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this fic will need only two or three more chapters >< T_T I'm so sad but it has to end T_T 
> 
> Anyway, I'm happy because Mingyu has the chance to fix things and Joshua now is willing to get married with his giant alpha >< The boy isn't in his right mind but I still think this is a good decision for both of them ;_; 
> 
> And Hannie... poor Hannie ;_; Poor Junnie ;_; Poor my Wonwoo too T_T
> 
> Please let me know how you think about this chapter!!!!!! Please take care of yourself!!!! I love you ^^


	94. The pain of loving you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo realized Jun had never stopped loving him.  
Jun was forced to admit, he would never manage to forget his first love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty long and I'm really surprised with myself... A lot of angst is waiting for you ^^ I hope you will like it!!!

Joshua helped his friend bring the drinks to the dining table and took the last empty chair next to his husband after Jeonghan sat down. Watching the boy’s innocent smile as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt, the alphas wondered if it would be a right choice to talk with the cat right here like this. It was difficult to expect Joshua to understand whatever they said, and maybe he would not be able to figure out how serious those problems were. However, they all knew that Joshua could not stay anywhere alone. All Wonwoo, Jun, Mingyu, and Jeonghan needed to be present in this intense conversation.

Soon, Joshua stopped what he was doing with his shirt to start holding and playing with Jeonghan’s hand. The boy seemed to be the only one who did not feel the tension among the five of them. Even Mingyu found it extraordinarily hard to begin talking. There were so many things needed to be discussed but nobody could find a proper way to initiate. Wonwoo, the most brutal one so far, even looked like he was holding back a lot. The lead alpha could fully understand the damage he had caused to all these people, through all he had heard and seen. However, the more he knew, the more difficult it was for him to do anything. He could not even stare at Jun or Jeonghan, afraid that he would make them uncomfortable, or even scared, or angry.

Surprisingly, Joshua chose this very special moment to start noticing the bandages and scratches all over Jun’s skin where his clothes did not cover. As the most clueless person, he had no trouble in staring at Jun unblinkingly so he definitely found out those things before Wonwoo could.

“Master, are you injured? What happened?” The boy gasped and asked with great concern, leaning over his friend to have a better look.

It was not until now did Wonwoo start to see the abnormal things on his cousin. He was sure he had not seen those on the younger alpha when they met at the shopping mall. Some scratches did not look very serious but Wonwoo guessed the covered ones were.

However, the stares from both Joshua and Wonwoo made Jun feel self-conscious and considerably uncomfortable. Fortunately, Mingyu could read his mate well, and he knew it would never be a good idea to let an already crazy hybrid know about his alpha’s mental health issue. He explained softly, simply brushing off the topic, a hand coming to hold his lover’s one gently.

“Junnie was trying to cook and had some accidents. No big deal. You two don’t have to worry.”

Wonwoo narrowed his eyes, staring at Mingyu skeptically, yet the giant man had the audacity to stare back even though he was telling lies. There was no need to hide this from Wonwoo. Mingyu even wanted to scream right into his eldest cousin’s face to let him know how much he had hurt Jun. All of a sudden, Mingyu’s fury rose up due to the flashbacks of the day Jun had a seizure after fighting against the brutal punishing bite. Wonwoo definitely could see and feel the anger, knowing that there was something he did not know about Jun, and Mingyu must have lied a lot when always saying that _“Jun is fine”_ in the past two months.

Looking at those scratches, Wonwoo could not think of anything except for nails digging into skin and dragging down to make it bleed. Shivers ran up and down his spine as his mind tried to imagine who could have hurt Jun in this way yet Mingyu refused to tell the truth in front of Joshua.

Maybe he knew what the problems were, but did not dare to admit it or face it.

Completely oblivious to the stares between the alphas and the discomfort of Jun, Joshua only gasped more loudly and jumped out of his chair again to go straight to Jun and check the wounds more carefully.

“Are you still okay? Do they hurt too much?” The cat tenderly lifted his alpha’s arms so as to scan those scratches.

Jun could not believe that this sweet kitten was exactly the same one who had attacked him previously. The claws were no longer on the boy’s hands and now there was just a loving and caring Joshua who badly wanted to know his alpha was fine.

“They don’t hurt much. Don’t worry, baby. I’m fine.” Jun held the cat’s hand and smiled. “Thank you for asking.”

Joshua’s eyes widened instantly.

“Why… why are you talking to me so formally? Why are you thanking me for that?” Anxiety began to consume the cat again. “Is there something wrong? Did I… I haven’t cared about you enough? Right? That’s… that’s why you are…”

Jun was startled and even shocked to realize Joshua’s mind could never be at ease. He said one wrong sentence and the boy overthought immediately. Jun had always believed that Mingyu was the worst case of overthinking he had ever seen but now Joshua proved him he was wrong. His kitten was so much worse. He did not seem to trust anything or anyone. He always doubted if his alphas truly loved him or not.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, blinking with the tears welling up again in his eyes, Jun knew he was the one who had brought this devastating trust issue to Joshua. Wonwoo certainly had lied to the boy as well, but Jun knew after that incident, the cat had put all his faith on him and Mingyu. Joshua once wished that Jun would be the one to claim him first because the boy sincerely loved him to the utmost and trusted him more than anyone else. Jun had ruined his own life, and Joshua’s life. If he had not cheated on the cat, or if he had handled his situation with Jeonghan in a better way without telling lies, Joshua would have left with him and Mingyu. Joshua would not have been abused cruelly by Wonwoo and turned terribly ill like this.

Unable to endure this, Jun tugged the cat into his lap, letting Joshua sit across his lap. The boy looked sad and nervous but he evidently enjoyed this position. His arms soon wrapped around his alpha’s shoulders and his tail also wrapped around Jun’s right arm possessively. His melancholy eyes were looking at the man expectantly, wishing to hear an assurance, which was just what Jun wanted to give his kitten.

“I’m just always happy whenever you let me know how much you love me.” Jun pecked Joshua softly, getting back an adorable smile from the cat, and also a sweet kiss on his own cheek.

“I love everything about you.” The cat nuzzled into his alpha’s chest, purring quietly as Jun stroked his ears. “Can I sometimes sleep with you again? Can you hug me when I sleep again?”

“You don’t know how much I want to do that.” Jun squeezed his boy, temporarily forgetting the other people around him, mind fixated on only the omega on his lap, the omega he had owed a lot to.

Jun owed his own life to not only Jeonghan but also Joshua, the boy who used to love him most, but was betrayed by him.

“I miss your scent!” The cat’s voice gradually became more and more quiet, and his left ear was pressed tightly to Jun’s chest. He began to talk slowly but steadily, letting out a string of statements and questions. “Can you scent mark me like you used to? My house is so empty without your scent. Can we sometimes go out to have some milk tea? I miss drinking milk tea with you! Why don’t you work for Wonwoo anymore? I want to go to the company with you! We can go out to have lunch together! It’s fun! I like that!”

Joshua did not give Jun any seconds to answer his questions, but the boy did not seem to be bothered by his questions being left unanswered. The boy kept speaking, perhaps just mostly letting out his own thoughts and feelings, trying to let Jun know how much he missed him and wanted to do their sweet little things together again. The alpha was literally in tears now, overwhelmed by Joshua’s painful innocence after everything. From the first moment they reunited until now, the boy had not said any hateful words towards Jun or his betrayal. It was Joshua’s craziness that forgot everything and decided to forgive him? Or it was the boy’s true love for Jun making him unable to hold grudges towards that incidence any longer?

“Yes… We can. Of course we can.” Despite his effort, the tears still streamed down his cheeks when Jun smiled to his kitten. “We will do whatever you want, as long as you’re happy.”

Joshua beamed like a little kid again, and from that moment, he did not leave Jun anymore. The boy just sat there happily, hugging his alpha, listening to his heartbeat, fiddling with Jun’s shirt, or playing with his fingers. The cat’s joy and silence were unexpected and devastating to everyone around him, making them understand even further how much they had broken the boy by their reckless actions in the past. Joshua had never stopped loving any of them. Even when he was downright crazy, he still sincerely loved his alphas by his whole heart.

Soon, Joshua had put both of his legs up on the chair, curling up on his alpha’s lap as if he was a real cat enjoying the comfortable warmth of his favorite human. The familiar feelings of having the boy in his embrace just caused Jun to shed more tears and release a very unpleasantly sour scent, but Joshua did not seem to care much about that, which was a surprising and even shocking fact. Jun might not doubt anything, too lost in agony, but after what the cat had told him this morning, Wonwoo could not help guessing that Joshua actually did remember and understand everything; he just simply did not want to deal with it anymore. Nonetheless, the boy must still have some tangled emotions in his heart now and the wound of being betrayed could be healed somehow by the tears Jun was shedding because of him.

Wonwoo knew saying out this fact would break Jun completely, so he kept his mouth shut, drowning himself in the same pain with his cousin. In this situation, Wonwoo wanted to smile bitterly to himself, because a mad idea had just crossed his mind. Perhaps Joshua was treating him in the same way as well. What if the boy really remembered the truth behind the _“robbery”_ yet trying to act this naively to avoid any possible troubles? Had he been desperately trying to get Wonwoo’s attention in a hopeless attempt of curing his own wounds in the heart? The dreadful feelings brought by that thought crushed Wonwoo’s heart rapidly and brutally.

After a very long time, Wonwoo found himself having similar pheromones and scent condition as his cousin - or _his mate_. In the past, Jun was the only one who used to be in distress during their time of being together, but today they were eventually sharing a pain for the same omega who made both of them feel pathetic and broken.

Talking about Jun being broken, Wonwoo had to admit it was his fault too, since he was the one who brought Seungcheol to the hotel and made the secret be revealed in the worst way. It was a tremendous chain reaction Wonwoo had not intended to create but still ended up creating and hurting the three people he loved most.

The five people fell into a deafening and intense silence one more time, unable to find a proper way to start talking to each other although everyone knew clearly what needed to be discussed. Jeonghan had pulled his chair closer to Jun, causing Joshua to look up at him and smile happily. The childish boy grabbed the rabbit’s right hand immediately and began to play with not only Jun’s hand but Jeonghan’s one as well. The older omega wanted to use his other free hand to stroke Joshua’s ears, yet he was wary of the fact that Jun’s hand was already there. The rabbit was afraid he would trigger some negative feelings in the boy if he actively put his hand so close to Jun like that. He had better not risk with the boy’s emotions. Jeonghan did not want to make Joshua hate him again. Therefore, he focused only on playing silently with the cat.

Mingyu genuinely wanted to join, but the thing which held him back was the fear of making Wonwoo feel left out. Again, the giant man hated himself for having such a huge soft spot for the villain of everything but he seriously could not help it. If things kept going on like this, Mingyu would never manage to blame Wonwoo for anything, but perhaps that was not what he should feel concerned of.

Mingyu did not know he was not the only one caring about Wonwoo at this moment.

Nobody had expected Jun to be the first one to speak up. The content of his saying was shocking.

“I’m sorry.” Jun mumbled while gritting his teeth, eyes glued on the table. “For hitting you.”

The alpha was apologizing but it was obvious that he hated what he was doing so much. Jun did not even know why he had to say sorry to this rapist, but he could not resist this urge. Moreover, he could see Wonwoo’s cheek changing color pretty quickly, because he had hit the lead alpha on the same side of his face twice, and now Jun felt tremendously guilty. It was so hideous. Jun and Jeonghan were just victims of the alpha sitting in front of him over the table, yet at this moment Jun was the one who said sorry. Not only Jeonghan but also Mingyu was taken aback, while Joshua kept playing with his friend’s fingers as if his mind was in another space.

The boy had learned that he was not allowed to eavesdrop on his alphas’ conversation, so his mind naturally shut down whenever he detected that they were not talking to him.

Wonwoo felt his heart constricted in the ribcage. A sharp pain came to his chest after Jun’s words. This was the first time for Wonwoo to ever realize how much the bond affected Jun. Taking the chance where the younger alpha was still ducking his head and staring at the table, Wonwoo searched for the mark he left on his neck, surprised to see how normal it looked. Just like Joshua’s mark, Jun’s one was not bleeding or having any problems; it looked as if it had been formed with full consent although Wonwoo knew it had never been in that way.

This truth hit Wonwoo so violently that the pain in his heart made him wince out of control. In a short moment, he had to take his eyes off Jun as his own soul was being consumed by the agony he had never expected to come in his whole life. For the past two months, Wonwoo had been asking Mingyu about Jun but the giant man had never told him that Jun did ask or mention anything about Wonwoo. This issue used to hurt a lot, making the lead alpha slowly believe that Jun had had enough with him. Wonwoo thought Jun’s love had vanished after the mistreatment he had been forced to go through. Wonwoo thought Jun had decided to forget the years they had been through together so as to start a new life with Mingyu, living separately from him. To Wonwoo, the day Jun told him he would leave with Mingyu was the day he lost his only childhood friend, _his first love_. If Joshua had never come to his life, Jun was undoubtedly the only love Wonwoo had ever had.

Jun had left.

Jun had restarted a new life.

Nonetheless, right now, he was sitting in front of Wonwoo with the mark being just as normal as any marks belonging to the happy married omegas.

Much as Jun hated himself for saying sorry, he hated himself so much more because of how pathetic he was. He could not look at Wonwoo in the eyes anymore, too scared of the pain that was threatening to kill his heart at the moment he faced the love he had failed to give up. No matter what Mingyu gave him, he could never forget Wonwoo or what he had shared with the lead alpha in their beautiful years of childhood and youth. Jun knew what he missed was the Wonwoo of the past, not the man who had raped him and hurt him, but it was so easy to mess up, because even if he tried to deny, that was still Wonwoo. Even if Wonwoo changed his name, his nationality, his face, or anything else, he would still be one and only Wonwoo in Jun’s heart.

Jun’s tears had stopped falling during the short period of time when they all stayed silent. Nevertheless, right now, his sad eyes were shedding streams of tears again, and Wonwoo could never mistake this. Those tears were for no one but him only. The sight of those painful tears attacked the lead alpha’s heart together with the memories of the last time he met Jun in the hospital. The meeting was nothing but dreadful. Witnessing Jun’s love for him coming to the surface in the form of tears and an apology, Wonwoo did not dare to really think how much he had hurt his mate on that day.

At that time, Wonwoo was almost convinced that Jun did not love him anymore, and he was furious with his decision of leaving with Mingyu. He was livid since Jun had broken Joshua but then left the boy alone with Wonwoo to start a new life with Mingyu.

Wonwoo had never known Jun could love him enough to still cry for him again after all this time.

As if feeling like this was the perfect time to make Wonwoo feel extraordinarily guilty for what he had done, Mingyu tried to hold back the urge of running to squeeze the crying alpha in his embrace so that he could focus on talking to Wonwoo. Mingyu just wished he could see his older cousins being loving to each other again. He could not care anymore about anything else. He knew he was being selfish to Jeonghan, but Mingyu was willing to do anything to get Jun and Wonwoo back together.

“Because Joshua isn’t listening now, I have to tell you this, Wonwoo.” Mingyu started, voice downright serious and solemn.

Instantly, Jun could sense what his mate was about to say. Hurriedly grabbing the bigger man’s arm, he shook his head vigorously.

“No! Gyu, don’t! Please don’t tell him!”

“I have to, Junnie.” For the first time, Mingyu could not follow his lover’s wish. “He won’t understand it fully if we hide the truth from him. He has to know the consequences of his actions.”

“What are you going to tell me?” Wonwoo was already impatient, able to know this must be extremely serious. If it was something related to the strange scratches on Jun’s skin, then Wonwoo was ready to do everything to get the story out of Mingyu’s mouth.

“First, I admit that I haven’t given Jun the right treatment he really needs. I know this is my fault, but please…” The giant man gritted his teeth, trying to keep calm. He always lost his mind when it came to Jun, the biggest love of his life. “Please don’t open your mouth to judge me if you don’t want to have your jaw broken.”

“Just tell me.” Wonwoo was uncomfortable, but willing to compromise.

Jun frantically tried to stop Mingyu again but the younger alpha did not give him that opportunity. Mingyu was not sure why Jun did not want him to tell Wonwoo the truth or at least scold the lead alpha for what he had done, but he knew Jun had always been like this. In the past, Jun had not even bothered to question why Wonwoo decided to marry Soonyoung; he never brought up the topic of Wonwoo getting married unless someone forced him to. This fact only made Mingyu angrier, since he understood Jun was just so kind and considerate that he wanted to stay away from conflicts and he had never wanted to do anything cruel to anyone.

Mingyu intended to speak while sitting, but he ended up standing up, walking around the kitchen, scratching his head and breathing heavily before coming back to the table. His blood was boiling, and perhaps his angry pheromones were scaring the hell out of Joshua and Jeonghan, yet he could not control himself any longer. Mingyu could forgive Wonwoo, but it did not mean he could refrain from teaching his eldest cousin a proper lesson. People might think that only Mingyu was dense and silly, but in the giant man’s opinion, Wonwoo was so much more _stupid_.

“Do you know how much you’ve made Junnie hate himself? Why? Because he thinks he can’t protect Jeonghan and Jeonghan has been in agony since Jun was unable to save him. Why does Jun feel this way? You make him feel this, Wonwoo. _You created all of this!_” Mingyu pointed an accusing finger directly at Wonwoo’s face, growling in fury and frustration. “I watched him having panic attacks three times and it’s already overwhelming to me. Do you want to know what he did during those times? He screamed. He ran away from me. He scratched himself, and even hit me when I tried to stop him from hurting himself. He broke down completely after _that day_.”

Mingyu did not know what had provoked him but he proceeded to grab Wonwoo’s collar and pull, not enough to make the man stand up, but creating enough tension. Joshua immediately flinched at the sight of threatening violence, and Jeonghan decided to take the boy’s hand, pulling him to stand up. The rabbit was afraid that if Mingyu later really hit Wonwoo, the cat would be triggered and become feral again.

Joshua himself was scared of angry alphas, yet his protective instincts were extraordinarily powerful towards Wonwoo, so he protested in all kinds of whimpers and squirms but his friend was determined to bring him out of the kitchen and head to the bedroom. The older omega shushed his friend by gentle kisses on his cheeks and gentle scratches on his ears to distract the boy, happy but also sad to see how much he still could influence the cat’s feelings.

However, Jeonghan did not have to try too hard, because Mingyu’s anger was different from Jun’s in Joshua’s opinion, _due to his painful experience in the past_. The biggest alpha’s angry pheromones were spreading like wild fire. Soon, both of the omegas bolted to the bedroom as they were scared of being close to these alphas while all three of them obviously were not in a good mood at all. They had had enough with the anger and punishment of alphas. Joshua was petrified of Mingyu’s aggression. Whereas, Jeonghan was frightened of a provoked Wonwoo. The giant man was being very fierce to Wonwoo; nobody could make sure _that monster_ would not snap again.

Meanwhile, Mingyu had not finished yet. He kept growling to his cousin, tightening his grip on the lead alpha’s shirt.

“You broke him. You destroyed his soul, and even his body. But do you know who he calls out for during his sleep? Still _you_, Wonwoo. Hear what he has just said to you? You made his omega freak out, but then he said sorry for hitting you. You thought your power and authority could do everything you want? No! You’re wrong, Wonwoo. You’re definitely wrong. Your power had never done anything to him but destroyed him. But… don’t you see what is even stronger than your fucking authority and high rank and money? It’s _his love for you_, **_asshole_**.”

The sudden mean word coming from Mingyu shocked both Jun and Wonwoo, but no one said a word. Much as Wonwoo was surprised, he did not really feel angry, appalled by his own ability of taking this. Joshua and Jeonghan had never dared to speak out their true feelings and thoughts, but Mingyu surely could, and finally someone was telling Wonwoo the truth about everything. _He was an asshole_. Wonwoo would not deny this. He had understood it.

Nonetheless, what Wonwoo cared most about was not that ugly word Mingyu threw towards him. The phrase of _“his love for you”_ broke his heart, threatening to steal away his ability of keeping listening to Mingyu’s words. The younger alpha did not seem to be about to hit Wonwoo, but his face showed obvious anger and frustration, quickly turning red.

“He’s scared of you, do you see that? He’s scared. Don’t you know how cruel you have been to someone who has always loved you? You think he left with me because he loves me more than you? You’re fucking stupid, Wonwoo. He left because he couldn’t endure this anymore. He didn’t even tell the police that he was raped, because he loves you. And then you asshole think he doesn’t love you? You’re an idiot Jeon Wonwoo!”

“That’s enough, Gyu!” Jun shook his head in tears, desperately wishing Mingyu could stop this now. “Please don’t say anymore! It’s enough! Please…”

However, Mingyu kept going on and on, determined to let out all of his pent up thoughts and feelings. The mad alpha was too lost in the devastating combination of pain and anger to look at Jun properly, but Wonwoo’s eyes had concentrated mostly on Jun instead of the person talking to him even though Mingyu was literally spitting into his face. The crying alpha was standing right next to Mingyu with a hand gripping the bigger man’s shirt very tightly. The look in his eyes was a silent but evident plea of _“no more”_. Wonwoo had never witnessed Mingyu losing control and ignoring Jun’s plea like this. Once it happened, the lead alpha was shocked by how much this scene crushed his heart and his soul. Jun was crying and sobbing very hard, struggling to catch his breath, but Mingyu did not turn to look at him even once.

Wonwoo wondered whether Mingyu was doing this with the purpose of making the clearest and most convincing evidence of how heartbreaking it could be for him to watch the person he loved struggling in agony. The lead alpha used to see Jun in this state, but the reason for his tears was no one but Wonwoo only. The sight of tears streaming down Jun’s cheeks and the sounds of his helpless pleas were strikingly familiar to Wonwoo, leaving him devastated by how awfully he really had messed up everything, and how cruelly he had broken his first love. It did hurt Wonwoo to watch this and listen to all the whimpers and sobs Jun was giving out. How could he have ignored his love’s feelings for all this time? How could he have been so oblivious to Jun’s emotions? Wonwoo could not help asking himself, why he had even wanted to break Jun down completely so as to make the younger alpha submit to him thoroughly.

While Mingyu kept throwing harsh words to Wonwoo, Jun slowly began to use his shaking hands to cover his own ears, obviously overwhelmed and on the verge of breaking down.

“Leaving with me is the only escape for Jun! You want him to stay with you so as to be raped by you over and over again? You overestimate your position in his heart and then you think he doesn’t love you? Are you fucking serious Wonwoo? You like acting the victim? Fuck you, Wonwoo! I know you have done so much to give us everything because you love us, but you think it’s really right to rape the person you love?”

“Stop it, Gyu! Just stop it!” Jun shook his head vehemently, hands pressing more tightly to his both ears.

Mingyu took in a deep breath, trying his best to ignore his mate and finishing what he had to tell Wonwoo. He would not stop it until he could make his eldest cousin understand and finally gain enough motivation to kneel down and beg for Jun’s forgiveness.

“He’s been with you for so long. He doesn’t deserve that. He needs your fucking scent every night to sleep. His mark has never bled since that day. _He loves you!_ Do you get that? He loves you, Wonwoo. Jun loves you. And then you made him hate himself more than anyone else! He never hates you even a bit. He just hates himself to death!”

It was not until now did Wonwoo eventually get the chance to see Jun’s panic attack.

A scream startled Mingyu and made him let go of Wonwoo’s collar immediately, but the lead alpha had already jumped out of the chair before the giant man really realized what had just happened. Jun had sprinted out of the apartment right after screaming, and Wonwoo was the first one to react, running out of the door only a few seconds later. However, he quickly realized that Mingyu had just followed him. Consequently, Wonwoo turned back and strongly pushed his cousin back in, earning an angry growl.

“You stay at home to watch Joshua and Jeonghan.” Wonwoo did not know he was using commanding tone yet he was. “They can’t be left alone without one of us. Do you hear me, Mingyu?”

Mingyu was deadly worried of Jun, but he knew Wonwoo was right. He had two extremely vulnerable omegas at home; one of them was pregnant while the other one was crazy. It would be a very awful idea to leave them. Joshua might lash out once he found out Wonwoo was not there anymore and the rabbit could be in danger. Mingyu had known that his words might probably push Jun into another panic attack again, but he had never been able to imagine that his mate would run away like this. Mingyu knew he was partly - or mostly - to blame for this, yet the perfect person to give solace to Jun and solve the problems in his heart could be Wonwoo only.

“Please, Mingyu!” Wonwoo was rapidly losing his calmness. “Can you stay at home? Do you hear me, Mingyu? You have to stay here with them. I’ll catch up with Jun. I saw him running towards the stairs. He won’t be able to run too far. I will get him back. Okay?”

Too impatient, Wonwoo did not wait for Mingyu’s answer. By one strong movement, the lead alpha pushed his cousin back into the apartment and slammed the door closed in the blink of an eye before the giant man could protest in any ways. Not hesitating in any seconds, Wonwoo ran to the stairs, trying to catch Jun. He knew taking the elevator would help him get to the ground floor much more quickly, but he actually could not make sure the younger alpha would try to go there. Moreover, Jun could easily fell down on the stairs in this unstable mental condition. Wonwoo had better walk the same path as his cousin so as to prevent all the bad things from happening.

Furthermore, this was easier for him to trace Jun’s scent along the way he had gone through. No matter what, they were still mates, and Wonwoo was certainly hypersensitive towards his mate’s scent.

Jun was already out of sight now, but his scent was still clear to Wonwoo’s nostrils, making it easy for the man to follow. Apart from their bond, there was one other thing that made Wonwoo find his cousin’s scent speedily in this unfamiliar place. That was the tremendous fear and hatred mixed together in his aroma of pine, which was supposed to be soothing and relaxing. According to what Mingyu had just said, Wonwoo knew that hatred was not for him. The deadly negative feelings Jun was having were about himself only.

_“He loves you, Wonwoo. Jun loves you. And then you made him hate himself more than anyone else! He never hates you even a bit. He just hates himself to death!”_

Wonwoo knew Mingyu had not intended to hurt Jun’s feelings, but what the giant man said had triggered Jun’s outrageous hatred for himself to the utmost. Wonwoo had never known anything about this. He had been oblivious to everything, and Mingyu had not told him about Jun’s true conditions even once in the past two months. Jun was not fine at all. He hated himself for everything, while Wonwoo had spent useless time thinking that his cousin did not love him anymore. If Jun knew what Wonwoo had been thinking, perhaps he would hate himself even more.

Wonwoo could not believe that he had forgotten how kind and angelic Jun had always been to everyone. Jun was such a gentle and sweet person that he barely ever knew how to blame other people for their faults. Jun just tended to take everything on his own shoulders. This was the shared characteristic between Jun and Mingyu, but Jun had been pushed so much further and deeper into agony. If something happened to Jun, Wonwoo knew he was murderer.

Soon, he passed the long stairs and reached the ground floor where his mate’s scent lingering in the air guided him to the back door leading out of the building. Behind the building, there were a playground, a mini park, and some stores belonging to the apartment campus. Wonwoo was sweating not because of running, but due to his extreme worries. His eyes could not see Jun anywhere, and the more people there were around him, the harder it became for him to track his cousin’s scent. Some bastards might take advantage of Jun who was in such a vulnerable state to kidnap him and Wonwoo did not want to imagine what could happen next.

Trying to keep calm and take deep breaths, Wonwoo tried to focus more, inhaling deeply so as to find the scent of pine in the air. Fortunately, he quickly found it, but what came along with that scent was the scary smell of blood and sounds of someone screaming and whimpering at the same time. It did not take Wonwoo long to find out where Jun was. The sounds came straight from the mini park and assured Wonwoo that his cousin must be there. Running like a flash to the park area, Wonwoo ran to the furthest large bush where the sounds were coming from, bolting to the back of it to see his mate curling up and screaming at the top of his lungs.

Wonwoo had never seen this.

In just a few minutes, he realized how much Jun still loved him, and then he was told about how Jun had suffered because of him in the last two months. Now, Wonwoo was forced to watch Jun drowning deeply in his panic attack as if he were not any less crazy than Joshua. Jun appeared to be normal most of the time, but when the attacks came, he was in a severe condition just like Joshua was. The younger alpha did not seem to realize someone had come to him, just curling up more and more into the bush to hide himself away from this world. This was never a good choice of a shelter to hide but nobody could judge him, because he was not in his right mind anymore.

Wonwoo was shocked and devastated like how Mingyu had been at the first time of witnessing Jun hurting himself. Bleeding scratches were scattering his skin again and the act of taking care of the wounds previously became useless. Watching the blood streaming down Jun’s arms, Wonwoo could not think of anything else except for flinging himself towards his cousin. The younger alpha’s arms were grabbed tightly by strong grips that prevented him from moving even a bit. It was not until now did Jun begin to notice there was someone watching him. His eyes widened right at the sight of Wonwoo in front of his eyes, mouth hung open and staying silent in a few seconds as he froze.

Nonetheless, when he screamed again, his voice was even louder and his movements were a hundred times more frantic.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!” Jun screamed and thrashed crazily, legs starting to kick and do anything he could to break free from the other man’s hold.

“Don’t, Junnie! You can’t do that! Stop! Please, stop!” Wonwoo did not relent, even strengthening his grip. He did not intend to command, and his voice sounded much more like pleading, yet the sentences still came to Jun’s ears as orders.

“Don’t touch me! Let me go!” Jun shook his head furiously and still kicked without control. He was not crying, but the panic in his eyes was as clear as the day. “DON’T TOUCH ME!!!”

Unfortunately for Jun, Wonwoo was considerably stronger than him and his heart had never been as soft as Mingyu’s. The lead alpha did feel hurt for what he was seeing and hearing, but he did not have mercy when restraining the younger man with all of his ability. Jun could not even kick his cousin and no matter how hard he tried, he failed to move his arms or his hands. Some people around them were wary and concerned of their abnormal actions but whenever someone approached, Wonwoo was pushed closer to the state of getting triggered and overprotective towards his mate who was in need of serious protection. His angry pheromones exploded and he growled fiercely to warn them not to move closer. Through gritting teeth, he told them firmly.

“He’s my mate! It’s none of your business!”

This saying sounded utterly rude and irritating to people who just wanted to help but nobody wanted to mess with a noble alpha either. As a result, they decided to step away and just keep an eye on them, watching out for when the bigger alpha might hurt his _mate_.

Jun’s scent became even more awful when he instinctively realized Wonwoo was being angry. Although that anger was not directed towards Jun, the younger alpha was drowned more deeply in panic. Nevertheless, he would not stop screaming and thrashing; nothing could ever make him give up, like how he had done in the past, but this time Jun’s mind knew clearly what would come if he refused to give in one more time. It was dreadful and scared him to death, but his soul had been trapped in his panic and stubbornness, causing him to find no way to stop fighting. The grips on his wrists were starting to hurt, but that was not what Jun cared about. He just wanted to be left alone. Pain was not a problem. He wanted to taint this pathetic and useless body and someone was stopping him from doing that, but pain still came anyway.

One more time, Wonwoo was begging, speaking through not only his mouth but also his wet eyes which had already started to shed endless streams of tears. If Wonwoo lost Jun in any ways, he knew it would be just his own fault only, because he broke the cousin he had loved for years, the best friend of his life, the first love of his years existing in this world. It turned out that they had already been destined for each other but Wonwoo had been too stupid to realize it. Because of his stupidity and insecurities, he pushed the person he deadly wanted far away from him. Wonwoo had been trying so hard to keep people he loved by his sides, but he ended up losing everything due to his stupid efforts and he ended up having to beg them desperately with almost no hope of getting back the beautiful love he used to share with them.

Jun was not different from Joshua. The only difference was that, as a human alpha, he had been given more choices for his life, yet that had never meant he could be fine after the cruel treatment and betrayal.

“Junnie, please! Please calm down! Please!” Wonwoo tried to look at his mate in the eyes, voice shaking as terribly as his arms were. “I’m Wonwoo! I won’t hurt you! I promise I won’t hurt you! Please, Junnie, listen to me…”

One more time, Jun froze to stare at Wonwoo unblinkingly in a few seconds, but he soon resumed his thrashing and screaming, using all of his strength to push the older alpha away.

“Don’t touch me!” Jun repeated and continued to shake his head. However, his tears began to fall, bringing Wonwoo closer to hell and distress.

In horror, the lead alpha realized that Jun did not lose his mind completely. His mate was actually lucid enough to know who he was facing and what he was doing. This fact was devastating, because Wonwoo was forced to admit that his cousin desperately hated himself so much that he did not give his own body any mercy. Mingyu had not been wrong in any of the words he had told Wonwoo; Jun still loved him yet he could not bear the pain of living with Wonwoo anymore. Being unable to live with the man he loved, instead of blaming Wonwoo and hating him, Jun just hated himself and thought that he was at fault for everything.

However, Wonwoo was more shocked when the sounds of his phone going off suddenly woke Jun up from his panic. Shutting his mouth once again, Jun looked around with wide eyes, lost in another kind of panic.

“Phone… phone…” He mumbled frantically, searching for the source of the sounds in vain. “Hannie… Hannie… There might be something wrong… Hannie…”

Wonwoo really did not want to answer his phone right now at all, but he knew he had to, or Jun would turn crazy soon because of his fear for the rabbit’s safety. Moreover, at the mention of Jeonghan, Wonwoo was reminded of Joshua, his poor kitten who could be in panic as well due to his absence. While Jun was driven crazy by his worries about Jeonghan, Wonwoo lost his calmness when thinking about Joshua. Not hesitating any longer, the lead alpha grabbed both of Jun’s wrists by one hand only while his other hand reached to his phone in the pocket. Jun was still squirming in an attempt to escape yet at least he stopped screaming, perhaps because he wanted to listen to Wonwoo’s conversation.

“Have you found Junnie?” Mingyu asked, almost breathless because of extreme anxiety.

“Yes. I’m with him now. What’s wrong Gyu?” Wonwoo tried to focus on both things at the same time, worried that Jun might slip out of his grip at any moment.

The youngest alpha sighed in relief before pleading his cousin.

“Can you try to bring him home as soon as possible? I’m struggling to to keep Jeonghan here because he’s afraid you might hurt Junnie and Joshua is starting to fidget because you’ve been gone for too long.”

Wonwoo knew he had not been away from the cat long, but Joshua’s reaction was definitely understandable for him, so he questioned no more and quickly hung up his phone after promising to return immediately. Nonetheless, right after Wonwoo put away his cellphone, Jun continued to scream in fright. The panic in his eyes was more heartbreaking than whatever Wonwoo had witnessed in his mate from the beginning until now.

“What’s wrong with Hannie? What did you do to him? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?”

Knowing that Jun would not trust him, Wonwoo decided not to spend time explaining. Instead, the lead alpha believed that the sooner he brought Jun back home to see Mingyu and Jeonghan, the calmer he would become. Therefore, even though Wonwoo could not bear hurting or frightening his cousin any further, he forced the younger alpha to straddle his waist. It was a great struggle as Jun was far from being willing to be hugged or carried by the alpha whom he was determined to fight against. Jun screamed even more loudly and thrashed more frantically. At one point, Wonwoo had no choice but to let go of Jun’s wrists and what he got back instantly was the violent and relentless hits on his back and shoulders. The content of his screams did not change yet the fear was obviously intensified by this shortened distance.

People around them would have interfered if Jun had not suddenly turned silent and immobilized when Wonwoo pulled his collar to a side, digging his teeth deeply in the mating mark.

All of a sudden, Jun was reminded of a painful truth which was that, he had never had a chance to receive soothing feelings from Wonwoo’s bite on his neck. Even if he had, it still meant nothing in comparison with the agony and misery the lead alpha had brought to him through the punishing bites and perhaps Jun had forgotten how comfortable it used to be to feel Wonwoo’s love for him. At this moment, Wonwoo did not give him any physical or mental pain through the bite, which magically caused Jun to forget he was supposed to be scared, to be furious of this monster.

Jun had already been crying previously, but the bite Wonwoo gave him seemed to open his floodgate in the blink of an eye, destroying his heart in the shortest amount of time. Wonwoo was frightened as the body in his arms softened so rapidly that he thought something might go wrong. However, when the heavy sobs came to his ears and Jun began to tremble, Wonwoo could not keep walking anymore. Everything changed drastically, as if the person he was holding had turned into a completely different one.

Nevertheless, Wonwoo knew that was not true. The truth was that, the alpha he was holding now was exactly the true Jun he knew, the true Jun who had not known how to resist Wonwoo or how to stand up and stay strong on his own and had been dependent on Wonwoo for nearly all his life.

Mingyu had been correct. Jun had never stopped loving Wonwoo. He had never snapped. It had always been Wonwoo who forced his first love to fight back against him.

Feeling tears on his shoulder, Wonwoo just wanted to talk to Jun, to tell him that he was safe and not at fault for anything, to tell him that he always loved him so much. On the other hand, the lead alpha did not dare to detach his teeth away from the mark, too worried that Jun would lose the little calmness he had just gained through the bite. As a result, Wonwoo tried to keep not only Jun but himself calm, yet no matter how hard he tried, his own tears could not be held back or controlled even a bit. The drops of tears soon fell on Jun’s neck, allowing him to know his alpha was crying as well, not any less heartbroken than how he was. Letting out sobs and whimpers, Jun closed his arms around the older alpha’s neck and locked his heels behind Wonwoo’s back to cling to him, crying his eyes out on _his mate_’s shoulder.

When was the last time Jun could cry comfortably on Wonwoo’s shoulder? It felt like a century had gone by as this feeling was not much familiar anymore. The stranger it felt, the more Jun craved for it and wished for it to last forever. He had never wanted to end whatever he and Wonwoo used to have with each other. He had never been willing or really ready to give up his love for the man, and this was the time he knew he had failed pathetically from the beginning until now. He failed to keep their love. He failed to give in. He failed to give up. He failed to stay strong in Wonwoo’s arms, forever.

After days of living with Mingyu, Jun had finally learned that soothing bites could only be brought to him by the alpha who truly loved him with all his heart. Wonwoo was silently telling him his genuine confession. No words could ever as sincere as the bite, because it could never lie. If fate treated Jun cruelly and made this just a dream for him, he desperately wished to live in this dream to relish in Wonwoo’s love for him till the day he died.

Unfortunately, Jun was startled by the flash and sounds of cellphone cameras clicking. Hurriedly looking around, he was terrified to realize many people were staring at them and shamelessly taking photos or videos of them right now. Furthermore, they were talking unkind things about both of them without a care about their volume.

_“Is he the man on the news few months ago? The guy who broke the engagement with the Kwon family?”_

_“The son of the Jeon family? Why does he keep going downhill? First married a hybrid then now mated with his cousin? An alpha?”_

_“Aren’t they cousins? What’s happening?”_

_“Is this incest?”_

_“Wow that’s why they work together! I rarely see relatives working as a secretary for another relative but this turns out to be their reason!”_

_“So shameless! Using the jobs as a way for them to keep dating! Now they want to do things publicly?”_

_“Do you see that? That guy has two marks! An alpha with two marks!”_

When Jun did not feel Wonwoo’s teeth on his mark anymore, he knew his alpha had stopped biting him as those ugly words had come to his ears as well. Nonetheless, it was too overwhelming for Jun to endure even though he knew what they said was just wrong.

“Please… please just go home…” Jun sniffled into the crook of Wonwoo’s neck, literally begging him in broken voice. He could not bear this any longer. “Please bring me home… Wonwoo…”

However, Wonwoo could not accept listening to people insulting Jun like this without doing anything. Anger combusted within three seconds and the lead alpha’s face was in a deep shade of red right now, blood boiling with extreme fury. The situation was made worse as Wonwoo could see clearly how much Jun was being hurt by those false accusations. The younger alpha could be aloof in other conditions, but not when he was still in panic like this.

The anger of the noble alpha effortlessly made everyone shut their mouth, turning the whole atmosphere into an utter silence. Jun could hear nothing except for the deep growl of his alpha who was using all his mental strength to stop himself from attacking those nosy and rude people. The arms around Jun closed more tightly to embrace him protectively while the pheromones were pushed out to the maximum so that Wonwoo could envelop his lover in this comfort zone. He would never allow anyone to hurt Jun physically or mentally ever again.

“Film us as much as you like. Post the videos online, and then I will have enough evidence to sue all of you for false accusations.” Wonwoo spoke through gritting teeth, sending death glares to every single person around them, making the omegas run away while the alphas reeled back. “We aren’t cousins, and that he has two marks is none of your business.”

After that, Jun did not know whether Wonwoo said anything else, because he was lost in the most painful feelings of nostalgia where he saw his sad but beautiful past going through in front of his eyes again. The man he was hugging was perfectly the person Jun had loved without a doubt. This was the man who used to defend him against the bullies, protect him from the bastards, and punish the bad guys who hurt him. In the past few months, it was overwhelmingly painful for Jun to see his hero becoming the demon who intentionally hurt him over and over again. Did magic just happen and bring the old Wonwoo back to Jun? Would he have to wake up later and find out this was just a dream?

For the latter question, fate generously gave Jun the answer _“No”_ when he tried to tighten his hold around Wonwoo’s neck as the man began to walk rapidly away from the park, heading back to the apartment. Accidentally, Jun’s right hand grabbed the bleeding scratches on his left arms, bringing a sharp pain which caused him to whimper instantly. By his ear, Wonwoo’s voice came to his soul as gentle, loving, nervous, and sweet as it used to be, as if nothing had ever happened.

As if they had never broken up.

As if Wonwoo had never betrayed him and sent his heart to hell.

“Are you hurt? We’re going home! Just wait a little more! Wait a little, Junnie!”

Jun nodded, pressing his face into his alpha’s neck and trying to inhale deeply in order to calm his own mind down, to help himself feel more loved and treasured by his first love. Were they really going back to each other? Would Wonwoo ever hurt him again? Would fate ever force him to leave Wonwoo again? Jun was too scared to think of those scenarios. For this moment, he just wanted to bury his face in his alpha’s neck to take in his scent and hide from the cruel world.

Too lost in his own world of chaotic thoughts and feelings, Jun did not realize when Wonwoo had already brought him back into his apartment until two hands pried him away from the lead alpha. Familiar with those hands and alarmed by the scent of his bunny, Jun immediately complied with his omega and left Wonwoo to turn back and face Jeonghan. The rabbit was obviously frightened to death, trying his best to drag his alpha as far as possible away from Wonwoo even though he was still wearing that same alpha’s shirt. Wonwoo could not judge them, understanding that he had messed both of their lives and they just could not live without being extraordinarily wary of him.

Wonwoo’s observation was interrupted as Joshua ran to him and hugged him tightly with little squeaks of excitement. Behind him, Mingyu heaved a long sigh of relief. Wonwoo had brought Jun back home in time, preventing more tragedy to happen. Together with Jeonghan, the giant man checked his mate’s condition through nervous eyes, frowning to see the streams of tears and new scratches.

“You’re so silly, baby!” Mingyu shook his head and exclaimed in agony before pulling his cousin into his embrace, squeezing Jeonghan tightly between him and Jun. “Please don’t run away like that again. Can you promise me, Junnie? We will talk to a therapist tomorrow, okay?”

Jun did not like the idea of seeing a therapist even a bit, but he knew he had no other choice and just nodded obediently in his alpha’s chest. Hugging the rabbit tightly, Jun allowed himself to be engulfed in Mingyu’s warmth and love, appalled to see how his bear’s love was different from Wonwoo’s. Jun was certain he had loved Wonwoo for almost two decades of his life, but now Mingyu was an irreplaceable person in his world. Once Mingyu had opened his arms for him, Jun could never have the heart to pull away or let the bigger man go, regardless of the fact that Wonwoo was still standing there, staring at him with tears on his cheeks.

“Daddy, where did you go?” Joshua lifted up his face, resting his chin on Wonwoo’s chest to look at the man in the eyes, asking in a whiny voice. The lead alpha was aghast by his kitten’s indifference towards Jun but he guessed the cat was too childish to focus on everything at the same time. “I thought you left me…”

Joshua’s voice brought Jun back to reality. Not only Jun but also his mates cringed at the way the cat called his husband. They could never get used to this, because it did not sound normal at all, not when Joshua was acting like a toddler but calling his own husband _“daddy”_.

“Of course I don’t leave you.” Wonwoo assured his omega, giving a kiss on Joshua’s forehead, wrapping the boy in a loose hug. “I just had things to do. I’m back with you now. See?”

“Why are you crying?” Joshua asked innocently, raising his voice a little, one hand reaching up to wipe the tears on his husband’s face. “Why are you sad? What happened?”

“I’m okay, kitten. Don’t worry.” The alpha forced out a smile to soothe his boy, gently pulling the boy away. “I need to talk to Jun. Okay, baby?”

The cat obediently nodded but the worries in his eyes did not subside. The boy and Mingyu stared at Wonwoo unblinkingly as the lead alpha slowly walked towards the three hugging people in a deafening silence. Joshua trailed along his alpha, but then his eyes soon caught the sight of the bleeding scratches on Jun’s arms. Gasping loudly, the boy ran to the injured alpha with the intention of asking him numerous questions. However, Mingyu let go of his mates to come to the cat and locked the running boy in his embrace. Draping arms over the cat’s chest and waist, the youngest alpha gently coaxed his kitten into staying still.

“Come here with me, baby. Let them talk for a while.”

Realizing the warmth and tenderness in his alpha’s arms, Joshua did not freak out due to this intimate restraint, but he craned his neck to look at the man and asked, wide eyes filled with curiosity.

“What’s happening? Why do you know they need to talk?”

“They haven’t met each other for a long while. Of course they have a lot to talk about.” Mingyu did not dare to tell Joshua the truth, yet at least his answer was still true. This was not a lie. “Do you want to come to the bedroom with me? We can play there while they talk here.”

The boy turned to look at Wonwoo nervously, waiting for his direction or permission. The lead alpha just wanted to walk straight to Jun right now but he was able to keep his mind focused on Joshua in one more minute. No matter what he wanted to do, he needed to keep his kitten calm first or everything would turn crazy.

When Wonwoo came back to the cat and his youngest cousin, Jeonghan had already forced Jun to sit down and pulled out the first aid kit to take care of the wounds. The lead alpha was wary of the intense but sad gaze Jun kept on him during the whole time, which made it so difficult to concentrate on soothing Joshua now. Nonetheless, Wonwoo tried his best to keep cool, knowing that his emotions could easily affect the boy in the most negative way.

“Yeah, baby. I think you will love to have some private time with Mingyu instead of sitting here listening to our boring conversation. He can show you a lot of interesting things.” Mingyu actually did not know what the hell the _“interesting things”_ were Wonwoo had just talked about but he still nodded in agreement.

Joshua did not seem to love the idea of staying away from his husband, so Mingyu tried to convince him more by giving the cat a kiss on his cheek, whispering softly in the fluffy ear which twitched as the man’s breathe blew gently against it. Mingyu tried to make sure that no one except for Joshua could hear what he said.

“How about some cuddles and kisses, kitten? I miss you so much!”

The boy eventually smiled shyly with adorable pink cheeks and he nodded enthusiastically to his alpha. Getting the agreement, Mingyu both smiled and sighed in relief, taking the cat’s hand and preparing to head towards the bedroom. Surprisingly, Joshua did not follow him right away. The sweet omega skipped to Jun yet Jeonghan instantly flinched when seeing his friend approaching, still very scared of letting Joshua watch him doing something to Jun. Fortunately, the cat did seem to realize Jeonghan was taking care of Jun but he did not say anything about that. He simply just wanted to check if his alpha was still okay and Jun gave him a weak assuring smile.

“I’m fine, Joshua. Don’t worry. After we talk, I will come to play with you.” He promised and gave the cat a gentle caress on his cheek, making the boy beam.

“Yes, master.” Joshua chirped with a bright grin, reaching out a hand to squeeze his best friend’s arm. “I’m waiting for you too, Hannie!!!”

Relieved now, Jeonghan smiled to his friend and felt strangely happy to receive a peck from the younger boy. The rabbit’s face went pink right after the kiss even though he had done a lot of _not-very-innocent things_ with the cat before. The unexpected kiss was a nicely welcomed surprise which eased Jeonghan’s mind considerably and temporarily made him forget Wonwoo’s presence in this room. Bending over to the sitting alpha, Joshua repeated that action to Jun, but the alpha was faster than his mate and returned another kiss on the cat’s cheek. Joshua giggled in happiness and then skipped back to Mingyu, letting the man hold his hand and lead him to the bedroom.

The fact that Joshua was smiling while two of his alphas were crying was horrifying.

When the naïve boy was away, all the smiles in the kitchen vanished and there was nothing but tension left in the room. Jeonghan tried his best to focus on Jun only, but this silence was too distressing for him to feel comfortable or safe with the rapist here. Furthermore, the said man had resumed his process of walking towards them not very slowly and showed no hesitance. Neither Wonwoo nor Jun had had their tears dried away, and Jeonghan was genuinely shocked as his alpha gently pulled his hands away, stopping his task and turning on his chair to look at Wonwoo directly. Both of them were facing the walking alpha now, holding their breath to wait and see what Wonwoo was about to do. Jeonghan honestly just wanted to run away but Jun held his hand securely, grip tightening by seconds as if he was scared as well although the rabbit was pretty sure his mate smelled quite sweet now.

Nonetheless, the couple had never expected to see Wonwoo kneeling down in front of them.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many times have I said "poor Junnie" at the end of my chapter? T_T 
> 
> but really... poor Junnie T_T I'm sad for Wonwoo too T_T My silly Wonwoo had messed up everything >< And Joshua is still crazy ><
> 
> As always, I really want to know how you feel about this chapter ;_; I had thought that around the final chapters, this fic would get more comments but the truth turns out to be different ;_; There aren't many comments anymore and this makes me feel like this fic isn't going as good as you expected T_T 
> 
> I'm really sorry but I've tried ;_;
> 
> Please stay safe and healthy!!!! I love you~~~ Only about two more chapters to go!!!


	95. Everything was surreal, yet it was real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo shocked his two mates.  
Jeonghan was overwhelmed.  
Jun was exhausted.
> 
> Meanwhile, Mingyu and Joshua were building their dreams together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry >< I think I really make you all wait for too long this time ;_; I myself really don't like it when the authors give readers a too long "break" between the chapters so I extremely feel bad for making you wait like this T_T Please forgive me!!!!
> 
> Also, right at the beginning of this chapter, I want to thank my friend - @interstellarts - so much for encouraging me to write what I truly want ^^ You really did give me a lot of courage to make the own plan for this fic come true. 
> 
> This chapter is long, so I hope you will enjoy it ^^

Although Jun partially hated Wonwoo for what the lead alpha had done to him, to Jeonghan, and to Joshua, his heart could not bear watching the first love of his life kneeling down in front of him like this. Jun had never wanted to see any of the people he loved to do this for him. Right at this moment, all of the mistakes in the past just flew out of his mind as he scrambled to get out of the chair, hurriedly crouching down to pull Wonwoo up. Nonetheless, Jeonghan had grabbed his both arms and held him back tightly, causing him to turn around and stare at his omega in great confusion. Behind him, the rabbit shook his head frantically, tears filling his eyes incredibly fast. Jeonghan was evidently trying his best to keep his alpha to himself only, as if he was afraid he would lose Jun forever if the man left him now to go to Wonwoo.

It did not take Jun much time to figure out what his bunny was thinking or feeling. His poor omega was so scared of Wonwoo that he not only was worried the lead alpha would hurt his mate but also thought Jun would listen to Wonwoo and would abandon him one more time. Jeonghan had had enough with Wonwoo interfering with the relationship between him and Jun. This monster was the one who had brought Seungcheol to the hotel, convinced Jun to leave him alone in the hospital instead of standing up to protect him, and then raped him, threatened him to make him leave Jun and Joshua forever. The rabbit could never endure losing Jun again. If being stuck forever with this monster meant being able to stay with Jun till the end of his life, Jeonghan would willingly risk using the inhaler every hour for his eternity.

However, he did not dare to think that he even had this chance, because he knew the monster had never wanted him. Wonwoo just wanted Joshua, Mingyu, and Jun, while Jeonghan was just a nuisance.

_“Everyone would be better without you.”_

Jeonghan did not think Wonwoo would want this baby either, because he was just an unwanted person, a hybrid, a _slut_, who had caused the people that monster loved to fall deeply into misery. If Jeonghan lost Jun now, he doubted he would lose Mingyu as well, because they were a full package. Without his alphas, Jeonghan would have no choice but to continue to live with Seungcheol who still had not become a thoroughly better person yet. His angel would vanish from his life. Jeonghan would rather die instead of living the past life without Jun ever again.

Jun was immediately thrown into hell when Jeonghan suddenly knelt down on the opposite side of Wonwoo, holding both of his hands tightly and desperately shaking his head in panic. Tears streamed down his face and the awfully sour scent coming from the hybrid clouded his mind completely. Even though Wonwoo had not said even a word or touched Jeonghan again after bringing Jun back into the apartment, the rabbit was already too scared of everything to stay calm. He felt like the history was being replayed, and he was on the verge of losing Jun. His mind could not think of any proper reasons for Jun to do that, yet he knew it totally could happen, just like how things used to be. Years ago, Jeonghan had promised to himself that he would never plead the alphas for anything again, but now he had to, because this could be the only thing he could do to beg Jun not to trust that monster’s words. If Jun wanted him to move into Wonwoo’s house, he would go instantly. Even if Jun wanted him to sleep with Wonwoo or marry the lead alpha, Jeonghan would do it, as long as Jun stayed with by his sides like how he had promised.

Jun knelt down in front of his omega, and nobody or nothing stopped him from doing that this time. Wonwoo knew the rabbit was trying so hard to say something to Jun, but no words could come out of his mouth. Most of the sounds he let out were just whimpers and sobs which sounded utterly painful and miserable. Wonwoo hated to admit it, but he knew he was the one who caused the blond omega to become like this - _traumatized and mute_. It was hard for Wonwoo to fully understand what caused Jeonghan to panic after seeing him kneeling down, but through what he was witnessing, he knew the rabbit thought he was going to lose Jun one more time.

When Wonwoo moved forward, he genuinely had no intention of hurting or spooking the rabbit, but Jeonghan screamed right at the moment his eyes caught the lead alpha’s movements. The trembling omega tried to crawl away, but Jun did not allow him to, blocking his way from behind and locking the rabbit in his arms. Jun hugged his bunny into his chest tightly, whispering hundreds of soothing words to calm the omega down, but Jeonghan could not help feeling stuck and trapped in such tiny vicinity around the monster. His alpha did not allow him to run! Jun was still protecting him but this distance was not enough. Jeonghan wanted to run. He wanted to escape. He wanted to scream for Mingyu and beg the giant man to help him.

“Don’t be scared, Hannie… It’s okay! It’s okay! I’m here with you! He won’t hurt you. I promise. He won’t touch you if you don’t allow him to. I got you, bunny.” Jun let his mate bury his wet face into his chest, rubbing the omega’s back tenderly and stroking his long hair repeatedly. His eyes did not have the chance to dry as they were shedding tears again. Jun knew Wonwoo wanted to apologize, but Jeonghan was not fine at all. The rabbit could not see anything good in the lead alpha who was staring at both of them through unreadable eyes.

Nevertheless, Jun knew that was a sign of guilt when Wonwoo did not seem to be triggered or enraged. He just watched them in silence, fingers digging violently into his own thighs while he was still kneeling on the floor. In the atmosphere which was a combination of three scents, Jun found nothing pleasant anymore. Even Wonwoo’s scent had turned into a horrible state which Jun found himself dislike so strongly but somehow felt like this was what he wanted to feel. He wanted to see or at least to feel the guilt and regret eating up Wonwoo alive. It hurt to watch the alpha he loved slowly crumble in pain for the acknowledgement of his destruction, yet it was cruelly satisfying. It healed his heart, even so agonizingly slowly, but forcing his tears to double and causing his heart to clench tightly.

“Look at me, Jeonghan.”

Wonwoo suddenly began to speak in a low voice after a very long period of time, and Jun almost wanted to throw a punch right into his face. However, it was undeniable that the alpha’s command had enough power to make Jeonghan obey and turn his face out of Jun’s chest instantly. The omega visibly trembled in Jun’s embrace, eyes full of panic as they were forced to fight against his own fear to look at the alpha. Although the rabbit was looking at Wonwoo directly now, the said alpha could not help feeling nervous and concerned by those red eyes and his intense posture. Jeonghan seriously looked like he could break down at any moments and Wonwoo knew he had better not move anymore now or the omega would have a true heart attack. 

“Do you two need a moment?” Wonwoo sighed feebly, defeated, agreeing to step back if he needed to. “I… will let you have some time to calm him down.”

“No!” Jun did not know what he was sure about this, but he quickly answered with no hesitation. His voice shook, and he soon realized he was shivering as well. They were just a pathetic couple waiting for a real apology from the monster. “Just say, Wonwoo. He’s listening.”

Jun hated himself for waiting for an apology. He hated himself for making Jeonghan do this with him. What could an apology fix? Could it make the rabbit talk again? Could it heal the wounds in Jeonghan’s soul? Perhaps not, yet Jun was still pathetically wishing to hear it even just once from Wonwoo, to have something to hold onto, to have a reason to believe his ultimate first love would change and love him and protect him again. Furthermore, he wished Wonwoo could compromise to take care of Jeonghan and protect him as well. No matter how scared his bunny was, Jun wanted him to have an opportunity to hear an apology.

“Are you sure?” Wonwoo looked severely unsure now, as if he was even uneasy just by watching Jeonghan struggling. Jun did not like how he enjoyed the fact that the bond was somehow affecting the way Wonwoo thought about the rabbit now. The lead alpha really was worrying about the omega’s condition. “I don’t think he’s fine…”

“As long as you don’t hurt us, he will be fine.” Jun said a bit warily without realizing that he was also being cautious towards Wonwoo.

In shock, Jun suddenly realized, he was failing to calm Jeonghan down again, because he himself was not calm either. He had told the omega many blatant lies about Wonwoo not hurting them. Jun was actually not certain about that even a bit. The man had been very nice, sweet, and loving to him a while ago, but who could make sure his inner beast would not come out again? They were mated to one another, which might sound like a good thing because perhaps the bond would make the soft spot in Wonwoo’s heart grow bigger, but Jun was still not sure.

He unconsciously held Jeonghan tightly, securely, and possessively. Jun honestly did not feel safe anymore. He used to feel that way out there, when Wonwoo was trying to bring him home and protect him from other people, but the situation was completely different now. Jun was on alert, highly concentrating on keeping his bunny safe in front of the enemy.

Jun was terribly torn apart, unable to fully register what he was supposed to do. Half of his heart wanted to give Wonwoo a chance while the other half only wanted to bring Jeonghan out of this place and run away as far as possible. Jun was too exhausted to deal with anymore miseries Wonwoo could give them by his power, his authority, and his money. He just wanted it to end. He just wanted to live in peace with people he loved.

Jun was startled, or even shocked, when Wonwoo all of a sudden gripped one of his hands tightly. The younger alpha thought he was about to scream, yet nothing came out of his mouth, as his mind realized Wonwoo’s touch was not violent or forceful. The lead alpha was not pulling or pushing, simply holding his hand. Wonwoo eventually failed to control his actions. His eyes were shedding the tears Jun did not think he had seen many times in his whole life. His lips were quivering and both his hands shook while they tried to hold Jun’s one frantically and desperately. Wonwoo’s eyes movement was chaotic since the alpha did not seem to know whom he should look at.

Seeing the monster coming closer, Jeonghan whimpered in agony, squirming helplessly in Jun’s tight hold in vain. However, the shorter the distance became, the harder it was for the rabbit to make his limbs move, as if _his alpha_’s presence was about to make him freeze and pass out. Being restrained, crying and whimpering hopelessly, Jeonghan wanted to scream at the fact that this scene was too familiar. It was not much different from what he had had to go through _on that day_. Nonetheless, he was not allowed to tear his eyes away from the monster. Wonwoo had told Jeonghan to look at him. He had no choice but to look, because he was too scared of punishment for disobeying _his alpha_’s words.

Strangely, Jeonghan thought he might be dreaming of an unreal world where the monster was crying, looking just as sad and devastated as his angel or his giant alpha. The rabbit heard the monster saying something, but his ear could not quite hear it. It sounded strange and familiar at the same time, causing him to wonder what the hell that man was trying to tell him and Jun? His eyes kept changing direction from Jun to Jeonghan, and at every single time when those sharp and dark but hurtful eyes looked directly at him, the rabbit whimpered more loudly, hands uncontrollably looking for something to hold onto.

Nevertheless, what caught his cold and trembling hands was not Jun’s one. His angel’s hands were usually warm and tender, yet this particular hand was just rough, calloused, and cold, making the poor rabbit’s breath hitch. Jeonghan froze instantly, eyes widened at the moment he realized Wonwoo was the one holding both of his hands juts by one hand, the grip strong enough to keep him in place. Still being forced to look at the monster, Jeonghan saw no choice but to beg and beg through his eyes, his head, or anything else he could use now. He did not see the option of fighting against the monster because he knew too well that he would never succeed.

Jeonghan shook his head frantically over and over again, non-verbally begging Wonwoo not to torture him again. The frightened omega did not know his own reaction had just pushed Wonwoo deeper into hell, making him feel like a true criminal.

Wonwoo knew he had done many things wrong, but nothing or nobody could never make his sins as clear as Jeonghan could. Wonwoo had raped him, almost killed him, made him pregnant, traumatized, and mute. This was literally a crime Wonwoo could never run away from.

If at that moment Wonwoo had been able to imagine how much the rabbit would be ruined by his actions, he would have been wiser, calmer, and just a better person who had not committed a crime. It was already too late to admit his mistake, because the results were irreversible. Jeonghan was right in front of his eyes, collapsing, breaking down by second. They had reunited in less than one hour, but Wonwoo had effortlessly made the rabbit panic and cry relentlessly without a minute of peace.

What the hell had he been thinking then? Why had he marked this poor omega and locked his life with him forever? Why had Wonwoo created such a huge trap for himself to jump in? Or, was this another chance fate had given to Wonwoo so that he could fix everything? Was the bond powerful enough to create all of the remorse he had been feeling? Did the bond mean anything among all of this mess? Was the bond making Wonwoo suffer by watching _his omega_ crying in terror? Should Wonwoo consider this as a kind of punishment for himself, because he knew, Jeonghan would have the power to torture him till the end of his life.

Both of them, Jun and Jeonghan, were unknowingly torturing Wonwoo to death, crushing his heart brutally.

Without warning, Wonwoo moved back a little, just to give himself enough room to bend down, holding Jeonghan’s hands to the floor, and bowing down until his forehead touched the omega’s shaking hands in his own one. In bewilderment, the rabbit stared at Wonwoo unblinkingly, unable to force his brain to process what was happening in front of his eyes.

The monster was bowing to him and begged for forgiveness.

Jeonghan’s mind went haywire and his ears had weird sounds, but he was pretty sure what Wonwoo said was _“I’m sorry, Jeonghan.”_

_“I know my words are useless and meaningless, but… I’m sorry, Jeonghan.”_

_“I hurt you. I was wrong.”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

Even Jun was stunned, although he was the one who expected this to happen. His cousin, his mate, his alpha, who had always been a proud and powerful noble alpha, was bowing to an omega hybrid who used to be called a _“slut”_ by no one but Wonwoo only. The lead alpha did not even look up during the whole time of saying out those apologies. He kept his head low, still on Jeonghan’s hands. The wetness told the rabbit that Wonwoo had not stopped crying. If his ears were not wrong, he even heard the monster sobbing.

_The monster could be hurt too?_

_Monster could say “sorry” too?_

Jeonghan had never known it was possible for those surreal things to happen. The father of his pup was bowing to him and apologize to him for everything he had done in the day the rabbit could never forget. Somehow, the person in front of him right now was not the monster he used to know. To Jeonghan, a monster did not know what regret was. The demons who used to buy him and abuse him in the past had never bothered to care about anything, not to mention apologies or guilty feelings. Maybe he was just dreaming or hallucinating? Jeonghan could not believe this.

Last night was just a mistake, because they had been both suffering from serious frustration due to living far away from each other, and also because Wonwoo had been terribly drunk. The monster last night was not actually the real monster, since he was caring, sweet and gentle like what Jeonghan would expect from the father of his child. However, soon after that, everything had collapsed. Why was everything repeating now? Jeonghan could not understand why fate had to toy with him like that.

Strangely, a minute slowly went by, and the monster was still there, holding this hands, head bowing too low for a noble human alpha to act towards a cheap and filthy hybrid. The lead alpha only looked up as he heard the rabbit’s sobs getting heavier and heavier. There were so many doubts and fears mixed together in those depressed eyes that Wonwoo found his own heart throbbing and urging him to do something to soothe his omega, but the last piece of calmness in the man’s mind told him he was not allowed to do that.

Knowing that his apologies could never be considered _“enough”_, Wonwoo kept saying more and more, but never letting go of the deadly cold hands in his one.

“I know I don’t have any rights or anything about you, but… I have the responsibilities to compensate for what I’ve caused to you. I will do everything you want, and everything I can do or need to do to help you heal and be healthy again.”

Seeing that Jeonghan was listening to him without screaming or whimpering, Wonwoo took that as a chance for him to move closer to the crying rabbit. Behind the omega, Jun was also highly concentrating on his cousin’s words even though those words were not directed towards him at all.

“I don’t know what you are going to do with the baby… but I know, it’s hard to cover up the identity of the baby… I understand that you hate me…”

_“No, you’re wrong.”_ Jun instantly thought.

More than anyone, Jun knew that Jeonghan had never hated Wonwoo. It was so complicated and difficult to explain, but he knew his bunny had never hated anyone, including the bastards in his past. Wonwoo was just the scariest and most dangerous among all of them - the one Jeonghan would never be able to erase from his mind.

“But if you agree, or allow me to, I will marry you. Even if you don’t, I will give… our child…” Wonwoo winced when saying that phrase out, knowing how wrong it sounded although it was actually not wrong at all. “…everything a father is supposed to give his child.”

Jun was unbelievably relieved to see that Wonwoo managed to speak properly without saying anything that seemed too much like a command, because he was afraid Jeonghan would obey immediately even though it was not what the rabbit wanted. Jun did not think Jeonghan would agree to marry Wonwoo, and perhaps the omega’s silence right now was the same answer. Nonetheless, above all, the best thing at this moment was that Wonwoo truly agreed to compromise with anything. The lead alpha did not demand any rights or benefits. He just clearly stated he would do what he needed to do for both Jeonghan and their child.

Wonwoo had really changed. He had changed for real, no doubts about it. This was exactly the man Jun knew from the early years of his life. This was the wise and powerful Wonwoo who should always make use of his noble traits to protect people he loved instead of forcing them to stay with him. The reason was simple. Wonwoo had already been loved before he desperately tried that hard to get what he wanted.

“I swear I will never hurt you again.” Wonwoo reached out his other hand towards Jun to grab his hand, pulling their all hands together in a firm and secured hold. It was not until now did Jun realize Wonwoo was trying to talk to him as well. The promise was not only for Jeonghan, but also for him. “I promise… I won’t ever hurt any of you again. I will use the rest of my life to take care of you, and protect you.”

Holding those hands down once again, Wonwoo bowed his head, lowering himself to the utmost.

_“I’m sorry, Junnie, Jeonghan.”_

Minutes that seemed like decades went by, as Jun and Jeonghan just stayed still and stared at Wonwoo, still lost in the state of being unable to believe what they were hearing or seeing. The most real thing was Jeonghan’s sobs growing louder and louder, which evidently proved very strong emotions rising up in his heart. The sounds were heartbreaking and made Wonwoo look up one more time, worries scattered all over his face. At least Jun had better chance of staying calm, because anyway he had been with Wonwoo previously downstairs, but for Jeonghan, everything was too shocking and overwhelming right at this moment. The omega was back to whimpering like a wounded animal, causing both of his alphas to get agitated but neither of them was hostile towards one another, because it was unclear what the reason of the rabbit’s crying was.

Wonwoo only knew that all the hands in his ones were tightening, which was the most powerful call for protection and comfort he had ever felt from both Jun and Jeonghan, even if they did not really mean to do so. Wonwoo could not handle this anymore. It was overbearing. He was an alpha who was being forced to stay still and watch his mates crumble in agony. He could not do this. His apologies did not seem to work. He could not just stay here anymore.

Jeonghan stopped whimpering in a second as Wonwoo released his hands, but he immediately screamed when the alpha finally destroyed the tiny distance between them in the blink of an eye. The omega’s scream was muffled by his alpha’s chest and his lungs were utterly filled by the scent of peppermint he had always needed to feel in peace at night. Enveloping both of his mates in his embrace, Wonwoo did not know what he was doing anymore. Chains of apologies and unclear words came out of his mouth like a mantra, while Jeonghan was squeezed between the two alphas, both of whom were his mates. This position was supposed to be safe, and perhaps it really was.

Jeonghan did not know what happened, but he suddenly turned silent when the words Wonwoo was saying became clearer to his ears. Freezing completely, Jeonghan heard and felt the vibrations through the man’s chest, figuring out that _the monster_ was saying _sorry_ to him and Jun again.

The rabbit still felt like this was just a dream, because everything was too unreal.

“I’m sorry Junnie… Please… Please forgive me! Please give me a chance! Please, Junnie!” Wonwoo pleaded to his first love, his first mate, his first of everything. His hands were frantically rubbing Jun’s hair and back, yet what he got from the younger alpha was broken sobs and wrecked whimpers, as if a panic attack had just come to him again.

“Please don’t lie to me again… Please just don’t…” Jun closed his eyes while tears gushed out. The memories of the devastating days where Wonwoo destroyed him were still vivid, and no part of his soul wanted to experience anything similar again. It was already enough. He had left because he had had enough of the torture brought by the ultimate love of his life. “I… I love you… but please… please don’t lie to me again… I… I can’t take it… Please don’t hurt me… Please…”

“I won’t ever lie or hurt you again! I swear! I swear, Junnie.” Wonwoo was drowned in frenzy now, unable to decide whether he should focus on Jun or Jeonghan.

For Jun, Wonwoo desperately wanted forgiveness, a second chance, to rebuild their relationship, their love, because he did not want to lose his lifetime soulmate forever.

For Jeonghan, Wonwoo knew he would turn crazy and could never live in peace if he could not be forgiven for his mistakes and not have opportunities to heal the person he had hurt and ruined completely.

In fright, Wonwoo immediately pulled himself away when he felt the hybrid in the middle squirming strongly. Thinking that he had just suffocated the poor omega, the lead alpha hurriedly poured out thousands of apologies that made Jeonghan dizzy just by listening to them. In fact, the rabbit had not been suffocated by any means. When getting enough room, still crying and whimpering, he started to use his weak and small fists to hit Wonwoo’s chest continuously, as if it was the only method he could think of to vent out his anger and depression after all that had happened.

The two alphas let Jeonghan do whatever he wanted. The hits did not hurt Wonwoo even a bit, and this fact stabbed a sharp knife into the man’s heart, reminding him of how weak and vulnerable Jeonghan was in comparison with him. Wonwoo had cruelly picked the weakest person to punish. It was the act of a demon, or something which was lower and cheaper than a disgusting monster.

Despite hitting Wonwoo, when the omega was too exhausted and too heartbroken to keep throwing punches towards his alpha, he did not protest as the said man pulled him into his chest and hugged him tightly. The chain of apologies had not stopped in even a second, and Jeonghan could not hear anything except for those words coming from Wonwoo anymore. Why did he need an apology? Would it fix anything? Why did his soul want this mantra to repeat forever?

“I’m sorry…. I’m sorry, Jeonghan… Please… Please… calm down. Your baby… Our baby… You shouldn’t be triggered this much… Please…” Wonwoo nearly panicked over the problem of his pregnant omega being extremely emotional in a too long period of time. It was not good at all. Wonwoo’s brain told him it might sound so sick and gross for the omega when he cared about _their child_, but the alpha could not help it. It was his instinct. At least, this was a good instinct, right? It would do no harm to anyone, right? Wonwoo just wanted to help. Wonwoo just wanted to fix what he had caused.

If something happened to Jeonghan, Jun would hate him more. If Wonwoo failed to protect Jeonghan and the baby, Jun would never forgive him. If he could not make Jun agree to restart their broken relationship, he would never be able to be forgiven by the rabbit, and the sin would be engraved in his soul for eternity.

Both of the alphas were astounded to see the rabbit ears appearing, and their hearts simultaneously broke into pieces. Jeonghan was not capable of controlling anything anymore, or he was too exhausted to care. It was shocking to see him not fighting against Wonwoo even the slightest. The omega was crying silently in his alpha’s arms, listening to all the apologies and his mind was trying to process everything. So, this meant he would never have to be afraid of Wonwoo again? He would be allowed to believe that Wonwoo would not hurt him or his baby? He would not have to live in the worries of running into the monster one day because Wonwoo was not a monster anymore? Was it really happening? Jeonghan still could not believe it.

His baby was trying to tell him that they were both safe and protected now, yet his trauma was saying the opposite thing. His mark was asking him to give in and submit to his alpha, but his brain was still holding him back and begging him not to do such a stupid thing. Jeonghan desperately wanted to forgive Wonwoo since he was too tired and he did not want to deal with his own fears any longer. However, he did not dare to do so, too scared that he would later realize how dumb he had been when deciding to trust another alpha again.

Perplexed by the omega’s attitude, Jun did not know what to do, so he temporarily just sat still and watched his bunny in that position. Unfortunately, the peaceful moment did not last long. The younger alpha was startled to hear Jeonghan’s labored breathing while his small body started to visibly tremble so much more strongly. Wonwoo pulled the rabbit away from his chest right at the same time Jun pushed the hybrid back to himself. Realizing his omega’s struggle in breathing, Jun hurriedly sat down on the floor and placed Jeonghan on his lap, thinking that his bunny was frightened due to being hugged by his rapist for too long.

On the other hand, the omega proved that Jun was wrong by whining loudly and gripping Wonwoo’s hand as tightly as possible.

Jeonghan did not try to move away from Jun or escape his arms, but he was looking at Wonwoo with so much distress in his wet eyes that the lead alpha was pulled by an invisible force to sit closer to his cousin. Using both hands to hold the omega’s shaking one, Wonwoo tried to assure Jeonghan that he was here, and he would not go anywhere. Meanwhile, Jun used one hand to hold the rabbit’s other hand, and his free hand rubbed soothing circles on the hybrid’s back.

At this moment, Jun knew his omega was not fully lucid anymore. This whole act and attitude were his inner omega taking control over his brain. If that was the case, Jun guessed he could help Jeonghan calm down as well, because he was officially the rabbit’s mate who had his perfect consent and unconditional love.

“I’m here with you. Junnie is here with you. You’re safe now, my bunny.” Jun murmured softly to his omega, smiling weakly as the rabbit looked up at his face, attentively listening to his words, displaying immeasurable hopes from him. “Everything is good now. This is home. You’re fine. Junnie is here with you. Junnie will do everything you want.”

Jeonghan did not have any response to his words, but Jun could feel a definite squeeze of the rabbit’s hand around his one. Feeling the urge to shower his bunny with love, Jun bent down to deliver a kiss on the omega’s cheek. Jeonghan instantly closed his eyes to bask in the affection, as if he already forgot that he had just hyperventilated a few seconds ago. Unable to resist his bunny, Jun placed one more kiss on the other cheek, and one more kiss on the hybrid’s forehead.

Wonwoo was mesmerized by the magical effect Jun had on the rabbit. He had always known his cousin was the sweetest and most gentle alpha in this world, but he had never really been able to imagine how marvelous the chemistry between Jun and Jeonghan could be. Jun’s existence was enough to make the rabbit calm down. Jun did not say much, only trying to confirm his presence by the omega, yet Jeonghan had already begun to breathe more normally. Wonwoo could not deny that he was jealous for various reasons, but he mentally slapped his own face to suppress those feelings. Instead of focusing on what triggered his ugly side, he paid attention to how Jeonghan was still holding his hands tightly.

After five minutes, the rabbit finally breathed normally, but the streams of tears kept cascading down his cheeks although his eyes were already awfully red and puffy. Neither of the alphas wanted this to prolong, since they were both worried of the omega’s health. Jeonghan was pregnant; he was supposed to be taken care of and spoilt in love, but the rabbit was forced to go through too many chaotic and devastating emotions. The more the tears fell down, the more Wonwoo understood his mistakes, _his sin_.

Falling deeper into the darkness of his soul, Wonwoo wanted to laugh bitterly at himself, realizing that he must have been a thousand times worse than the combination of all the bastards who had bought Jeonghan in the past ten years. Wonwoo broke the hybrid completely. He had broken two omegas, and one alpha. No, maybe two alphas. Mingyu had been damaged as well. Nonetheless, they were still here around him instead of running away as fast as possible.

It was his responsibility to heal them, to put the little pieces of their broken souls back together.

Taking one hand away from Jeonghan’s hand, Wonwoo immediately received a desperate whimper from the omega. Wonwoo had never really loved or liked the rabbit, but the look Jeonghan was giving him had enough strength to shatter his heart brutally. _The omega needed him so much_.

Magically, the rabbit was shushed instantly when Wonwoo placed that hand on his lower stomach, where their baby was slowly growing bigger and bigger day by day. A wave of warmth and peace washed through both Wonwoo and Jeonghan, making them stunned and immobilized in a few seconds. The feelings were familiar, because it felt so much alike what they had felt last night when the lead alpha had promised to be gentle and careful after realizing his partner was pregnant.

“I will protect you and our child, or our children. I promise.” Wonwoo stated firmly while staring directly into the rabbit’s expectant eyes. “I will give you all the best things I have, so that you can be healthy and happy.”

For a second, Jun wanted to punch his cousin for his repetitive promises and lack of nice words, but he had to admit that this was frankly the best of Wonwoo. It would be surreal if the lead alpha suddenly had a tremendous amount of sweet and nice words to tell someone. His promises did not show love but at least they showed regret, determination, and responsibility. Would it be possible for Wonwoo to love Jeonghan in the future? Jun wished it would be, because his selfishness pathetically wanted his two mates to love each other, like how he had wished for Jeonghan to love Mingyu.

Moreover, who was he to judge this situation? Jeonghan’s thoughts and feelings were only what mattered. As long as the omega felt enough with Wonwoo’s promises, it was perfectly fine.

Wonwoo had eventually quitted apologizing to the rabbit. Now, he began to pour countless promises to the omega, remaining eye contact for the whole time. Jeonghan was surprisingly calm enough to stare at Wonwoo in a very long period of time without being commanded.

Jun could not find actual affection in Jeonghan’s eyes now, but he knew he would like to kill himself right away if he became the reason for making disappointment appear in those melancholy eyes. The expectations Jeonghan had for Wonwoo were fatal enough to kill the lead alpha one thousand times, promising to throw him into hell after his death.

Wonwoo could not care how much time had gone by, because his mind was completely put in the omega in front of his eyes. When did the tears disappear? Wonwoo was not sure. Jeonghan had finally stopped crying at some point, and now he just leaned limply against Jun’s body. His hand now had moved to place on the hand Wonwoo was having on his stomach.

They knew Jeonghan had lost his ability to speak, but his silence at this moment was strangely peaceful and comfortable. The omega’s sweet scent of lavender was slowly getting sweet again, although it had not reached the state of expressing happiness yet. The rabbit was not sleeping, but had no reaction when his angel gave him a kiss on his cheek or told him something. He did not react to Wonwoo’s words either. However, he whined and whimpered extremely loudly and desperately whenever one of the alphas took one hand away from his body. Heartbroken, they both tried to glue their hands to the ruined omega, trying to confirm their presence by his sides.

Jeonghan was not looking at anything.

The alphas were deadly worried, but they somehow believed this was a good sign. The rabbit was not frightened of Wonwoo anymore. He was not crying or struggling to breathe. The most obvious thing was his scent. The scent could never lie. It was sweet now, which meant Jeonghan was being in a pretty normal condition.

“What’s wrong with him?” Wonwoo quietly asked, eyes fixated on Jun’s face. “Did I do something wrong again?”

Jun did not know why, but the question being voiced tenderly by his mate made his eyelids heavy.

“I guess… he’s overwhelmed.” His speech was awfully slow even though it was not intentionally. “We should give him some time to process things.”

Wonwoo did not seem to be relieved but he looked convinced by his cousin’s reasoning. Nodding in understanding, he asked another question, eyes still on Jun’s face, boring deep holes into his soul and Jun knew he could never hide away from those eyes.

“How about you, Junnie?” Wonwoo was seriously concerned about Jun now, since he still vividly remembered the mental breakdown his cousin had had. “Do you need to…”

“No, I’m fine.” Jun interrupted his alpha without knowing why. He was talking slowly and quietly now. “I… I don’t need anything.”

Wonwoo was taken aback by this attitude.

“But…”

The younger alpha shook his head and looked down, avoiding Wonwoo’s gaze.

“I’m just… tired.”

Perhaps, Jun guessed he was just as exhausted and overwhelmed as Jeonghan. Too many things had happened in an hour, and his heart did not seem to be ready to take everything.

Before Jun could think of anything else, he was startled to see Jeonghan being picked up from his lap. The poor rabbit whimpered loudly and tried his best to grab anything of Jun as if he was afraid he was about to lose his alpha. However, it was even more shocking to see Wonwoo placing the omega on his lap while moving himself as close as possible to Jun. There was no more distance between the two of them now, and Jeonghan was calmer when he had his both legs on his angel’s lap. Being this close to the omega, Jun was able to hold his bunny’s hand again and finally shushed the omega’s whimpers.

Nonetheless, he did not expect to feel his head being gently pushed to rest on a familiar shoulder. It was too familiar. It was too warm, too peaceful, too comfortable. It was too perfect for Jun to stop his tears from falling as he closed his eyes to enjoy the affection he had always been missing from his first love, first mate, first alpha, first of everything.

Did Wonwoo tell him anything? Jun was not sure, because his ears were temporarily deaf, and his vision was blurred. He felt Jeonghan fiddling with his fingers, and that was the end of reality. The next thing Jun saw was the sweet days he once spent with his _so-called cousin_. They had never been real cousins. They had always been _in love_. Perhaps, Jun had been accustomed to loving Wonwoo for his whole life, and his soul was incomplete when he was forced to live without the love and the person he never stopped craving for.

Jun heard Wonwoo telling him _“I love you”_, but was not sure that was a replay of the past or the reality of today. Jun vaguely felt a kiss on the tip of his head, and right after that, his soul simply decided that this was eventually the suitable time to rest and let it all go.

A minute later, Wonwoo had a silent rabbit on his lap, and a sleeping Jun on his shoulder.

He did not know what to do, except for sitting there and thinking more about his mistakes.

\------------------------------------

In the bedroom, Mingyu was amazed to see how much clingier Joshua had become. Once placing the boy on his lap and letting him straddle his lap, the giant man could not leave his kitten in a single second anymore. Mingyu was sitting on the bed with his back pressed against the headboard while Joshua was lazily leaning his whole body against his alpha’s body with his head on the bigger man’s left shoulder. In this position, it was easy for the hybrid to listen to his alpha’s heartbeat, which was a thing he really enjoyed. Moreover, it felt so peaceful to receive kisses from Mingyu like this. Joshua just melted in the man’s embrace and he did not want to move a single muscle any longer. Only his tail was wrapping around Mingyu’s left arm and his lips were moving tenderly to kiss his master back.

Mingyu was in fact aware of the awfully dreadful scents and pheromones coming from the kitchen, but he tried his best to distract Joshua from the chaos out there. Previously, the alpha had already turned on the humidifier again after filling the water inside with a lot of peppermint essential oil in an attempt of making it overshadow all other scents. Furthermore, he intentionally pushed out a tremendous amount of his own soothing pheromones to wrap Joshua in a nice bubble of love and comfort. This was a complicated and troublesome task yet he knew he had to do it or else everything would go wrong. Mingyu could not help wondering how everything was going on. He was sure Jeonghan must have freaked out again, and he was pretty sure Wonwoo was trying to apologize, but he was afraid it was extremely difficult for the rabbit to accept this.

On the other hand, Mingyu could not let his mind think too much of the things in the kitchen, since he did not want to let Joshua sense the distraction in his actions. Surprisingly, the cat himself could do a magnificent job in distracting Mingyu as well. The giant man had been craving for any kinds of intimate interaction with his kitten for a so long time that his soul was blissed out just by hugging Joshua in his arms, not to mention kissing him and having him on his lap like this. Mingyu loved stroking the boy’s fluffy ears to draw out his soft purring sounds which just sounded so relaxing and satisfying. His other hand wandered along the cat’s back, rubbing up and down along his spine and Mingyu could see his kitten was enjoying everything.

When kisses were not exchanged, the couple was still affectionate as the cat nuzzled happily into his alpha’s neck and chest. Mingyu felt incredibly jealous to think that this was what Wonwoo went through every day. He knew his eldest cousin also had to deal with thousands of troubles caused by the boy but if this was the reward, Mingyu was willing to take more responsibilities and duties. Sometimes, Mingyu allowed his mind to wander into the fantasy of having sex with Joshua for at least once in this life, but he sadly knew that day seemed to be very far away. The alpha could never remember how many times he had thought about the day they spent together in the villa by the beach. It was the only time he could ever own Joshua for himself only. It felt somehow selfish when he wanted to experience something like that again, but Mingyu could not help it, especially when he had lost too much in the relationship with his kitten.

“Am I making you sleepy?” The alpha placed a kiss on Joshua’s forehead and asked softly.

“No.” The cat answered in tiny voice, face buried in the man’s chest. Like what he used to do in the past, the boy found the place where his alpha’s skin was exposed through the opened collar, enjoying the warmth radiated from his master. “Just comfortable.”

Mingyu chuckled, because he knew Joshua feeling comfortable usually led to him feeling sleepy. However, the man did not want his boy to sleep now, so he gently lifted the cat’s face up to continue kissing his lips. The omega was happy to receive kisses, willingly parting his lips in order to welcome everything Mingyu gave him. However, the alpha was perplexed when Joshua suddenly pushed him away. He was even more confused to see the pout on his kitten’s face.

“You haven’t bitten me yet!” The boy whined, tilting his head to bare his neck to the man.

Mingyu could never control himself well in front of his boy acting submissive and innocent like this. A growl escaped his throat before he leaned over to capture the cat’s sensitive skin between his teeth and bit hard. Joshua gasped because of pain but he sat still, and the whimpers soon became sweet moans. Unable to stop, especially when the hybrid was pouring the sweetest sounds of this world into his ears like this, Mingyu kept scattering kisses and small bites all over the boy’s neck to stick some of his scent onto the cat’s body. In one smooth movement, the alpha maneuvered his kitten to place him down with his back flat on the mattress. Joshua had to open his legs wide so as to accommodate Mingyu in between, but he did not feel endangered at all, because his heart trusted his giant alpha.

As Mingyu went back to the beautifully plump lips to continue giving them sensual kisses, his arms made sure to hold the boy as closely as possible to his own body. Joshua wrapped an arm around his alpha’s shoulder while the other arm reached up to tangle his hand in the man’s hair, giving him some tender and loving affection. Mingyu just wanted to devour his kitten’s lips and kiss him until he had to gasp for air, but his brain reminded him not to make the boy scared of him anymore. Consequently, the man tried to keep his mind sane by giving some minutes of break between their kissing sessions. Staring down at his omega, Mingyu found a smile dancing on his own face as he saw the adorable curves at the corners of Joshua’s lips.

“Thank you for still remembering my promises, kitten.” Mingyu whispered to the boy, using a hand to caress his lovely face.

Joshua slightly cocked his head, eyes filled with confusion.

“Why are you and Jun so strange today? Why do you keep saying thank you for such little things?” The boy smiled to his alpha, looking as cute as a fluffy cat. “Of course I remember everything about you!”

Mingyu’s face immediately fell, and he stuttered.

“You really… remember everything?” The man was not thinking about anything nice. He was frightened to think that his omega remembered clearly what had happened in _that day_.

Nonetheless, Joshua did not seem to be fazed by that question. His grin only grew wider and his scent somehow became even sweeter and more intoxicating to Mingyu. The boy was shy to say about this, but his voice revealed so much sincerity that the alpha felt his heart melting to the utmost.

“What I miss most is the day we went to the beach.” The cat lovingly used both hands to caress his alpha’s face, adoring Mingyu by his delicate fingers. “I’ve always wished that trip had been longer.”

The giant man grinned so widely and brightly that Joshua thought the sun was going to make his eyes go blind.

“Oh my God I love it too!!! If you want, we can go to a more beautiful beach for our honeymoon! We will rent a villa by the beach for a whole new week! We can play and eat without caring about anything else! Do you like that, baby?”

Hearing his alpha’s fantasies about their honeymoon, Joshua slightly blushed, yet the smile stayed on his face and the sweet scent of candy made Mingyu float in the clouds.

“Our honeymoon?” His voice got considerably tinier due to shyness. “Master… you… you really will marry me, right?”

“I will do it right when I have your permission.” Mingyu lowered his head to nuzzle the tip of his nose to Joshua’s one, making his kitten giggle feebly.

The boy pouted and spoke even more softly.

“You haven’t asked even once!”

“I… I…” The alpha stammered, unable to come up with a way to explain this. He could not just say _“I’ve been afraid that you would be scared of me because I almost raped you.”_

Mingyu scratched his head nervously.

“I… I’ve been worried that you aren’t ready… I mean… You aren’t really healthy, you know. I thought you would want to wait a little more.”

Joshua instantly sulked and whined.

“You also think that I’m ill? Why? I don’t understand! I’m not sick at all!” The boy wriggled under his alpha, obviously unhappy with the way his alphas thought about him, making Mingyu astounded.

The boy kept on complaining while the giant man decided to roll over so that the omega was lying on top of him now. Joshua took this chance to start tracing some circles on his alpha’s chest during the time he talked.

“Wonwoo forces me to take hundreds of pills every day and I have to see the doctors a few times every week. I hate doctors! I don’t want to do those things!”

Now Mingyu started to believe that Wonwoo was a true genius. Joshua could ask a thousand difficult questions yet his eldest cousin had managed to deal with this for almost two months without revealing a painful truth which might break the boy down again. Mingyu knew, as alphas, they could easily make the hybrid obey them without using much effort, but they did not wanted to hurt the boy more by trying to discipline him too harshly. Nevertheless, Mingyu still believed that it was critical to impose some regulations on Joshua or everything would never improve.

Mingyu could not believe this. In the past, Wonwoo was like a dictator but now the lead alpha was not different from a crazy man who was blinded by love and ready to jump off the cliff for his omega. Why did Wonwoo always act to the extreme extent? Did his eldest cousin need some therapy too?

“You have to trust Wonwoo, honey.” Mingyu stroked his kitten’s hair as the boy placed his chin on his chest, face still sulking. “He’s doing all of the best things for you. He knows what is good for you.”

“But why???” The boy let out a very long and frustrated whine. “I’m not sick! Do you think that I’m crazy? The doctors keep asking me questions like how the police usually interrogate the criminals! I’m not a psychopath! I didn’t commit any crime!”

“Not everyone who sees a therapist is a psychopath, baby.” Mingyu smiled gently to his boy, forcing his own brain to work hard so as to find a good explanation. “People have many reasons to find a therapist. They might not be crazy, but they might be hurt, broken, or depressed.”

Watching Joshua’s face, Mingyu chuckled, finding his omega so cute when the boy seemed to be trying hard to understand what he had just heard. Patiently waiting, the alpha rubbed Joshua’s back tenderly to give him more comfort, hoping that it would help the cat feel calm enough to think rationally. Mingyu knew he had better not have too much hope in Joshua’s ability of thinking about complicated problems but he still wanted to try.

“Then what is my reason?” The cat asked curiously. “What makes Daddy think I need to see a therapist?”

“You didn’t grow up in a normal way.” Mingyu began to lie again, but this was still true somehow. Joshua surely had grown up in a very abnormal way where he had not received any love from his real family. The boy also presented very late, which proved how unhealthy he had been then. “And then… you were sold. Wonwoo wants to make you overcome your unhappy past to enjoy your life from now on.”

Mingyu felt awful when a simple mention of the time when Joshua had been sold made the boy shudder. Fortunately, the fact that the cat was still haunted by the memories about those days helped him find his alpha’s words convincing.

“You really think that’s Daddy’s reason? He doesn’t think I’m crazy, right?” Joshua asked nervously. “Nobody likes a crazy omega! Omega needs to obey and to serve…”

“Shhh, don’t say so, kitten!” Mingyu shushed his omega immediately, placing a finger on the boy’s lips. “You don’t have to obey or serve anyone! Wonwoo might force you to take medicine and see doctors but he doesn’t… doesn’t force you to do anything else you don’t want.”

“You really believe Daddy doesn’t hate me at all?” Joshua asked nervously but expectantly, as if he knew Mingyu would give him the answer he wanted.

Mingyu actually did.

“Nobody hates you, kitten. Wonwoo loves you, _a lot_.” He had to emphasize, since he knew it was the truth. “All of us love you.”

A wide grin appeared on the boy’s face, and his scent suddenly spiked. Mingyu was seriously not accustomed to Joshua’s shocking speed of changing moods. He almost had a mental whiplash when the cat leaned closer to his face and asked him mischievously.

“Do you love me too, master?”

“Call me Mingyu, baby.” The alpha smiled lovingly to his omega, pulling the cat’s head down so as to kiss his lips.

“Mingyuuuuu!” Joshua called in such a seductive voice that Mingyu found his heart flying across the universe. The boy even bit the man’s lower lip playfully before proceeding. “_Alpha!_”

“Are you teasing me now, kitten?” The alpha had to warn, worried that Joshua did not really know what boundaries were. Was the boy trying to seduce him and rile him up? “Of course I love you. And I want to be your alpha forever.”

The hybrid giggled happily, sending sweet shivers up and down the giant man’s spine. He was able to make Joshua happy? This was amazing. This was fabulous. Mingyu thought he needed to start writing diary now so that he could note down how he had managed to make the cat comfortable and contented when being with him again.

“I want to shower.” Joshua whispered on his alpha’s lips, innocent eyes staring into the man’s ones. “Can you go with me?”

Mingyu wanted to curse. How dare Joshua have the audacity to invite him to do such a thing with those innocent eyes? The boy really wanted a remake of their holiday by the beach? Mingyu was severely eager to do everything resembling that best day of their love.

Not wasting any seconds, Mingyu abruptly stood up with the cat being carried in bridal style in his arms. At first, Joshua yelped in shock, but then he soon started to giggle and squirm, demanding to change the position. Spoiling his kitten, Mingyu let the boy have whatever he wanted. As a result, before the alpha could reach the bathroom door, Joshua had already had his limbs wrapped around the man’s torso while their lips stayed connected in the most intimate way.

Mingyu knew he was not allowed to penetrate the omega with his dick, but he did not mind. The most important thing of this moment was that, Joshua finally trusted him again.

Mingyu thought he could combust right away. _Joshua trusted him. Joshua trusted him._ This was magic. This was surreal.

Yet, it was real.

“I want to be your omega.” Joshua whispered shyly to his alpha under the running shower, as the big man’s hands were gripping his hips tightly to pull the two wet bodies as close as possible to each other. The boy was dizzy by the steamy hot atmosphere inside the bathroom and the attractive body in front of his eyes but his mind was still aware of the fact that he could not take any dicks in his ass. “But… what should I do to let you mark me?”

“You don’t have to, baby. I can wait.” Mingyu bent down to scatter kisses along the boy’s neck, deciding to ignore Wonwoo and just give the boy countless hickeys. He wanted to decorate his kitten’s gorgeous body with marks of his love and remnants of their intimate moment. The cat automatically tilted his head to give his alpha more space, moaning softly while one of Mingyu’s hands left his hip to wrap their dicks together and began to stroke.

The alpha had noticed the freshly new hickeys on the boy’s whole body right at the moment he undressed Joshua. That was actually a huge relief for Mingyu, because he knew this was not a mistake. If the cat had been that normal and happy after doing such a thing with Wonwoo, he must be aware of what he had invited Mingyu into now. The giant man knew his only limit was just putting his dick in the cat’s little round and juicy ass.

“Maybe… Maybe we can ask Wonwoo to help.” The omega started to stutter, unable to fully focus on speaking anymore, earning a smirk on the giant man’s face.

However, Mingyu frowned in confusion.

“How the hell can Wonwoo help us?” He had to pull away temporarily to stare into Joshua’s face, catching an adorable pout on the boy’s lips.

Nonetheless, the cat’s eyes lightened up instantly while speaking proudly, as if he were telling Mingyu about a gift he had had received from God.

“He used to ask Seungkwan to give me some special pills! The doctor extracted some of Wonwoo’s blood to put into the pills and then I just needed to take it regularly for a few days. I soon began to crave for his bite and I remembered I begged him to bite me many many times a day. Then… the mark was formed. We’re mated _without_ _doing anything_.”

Mingyu wanted to laugh but also wanted to grimace at the boy’s innocence. Wonwoo had told the cat a horrible lie, a whole made-up story about their bond and Joshua was just silly and loved his husband enough to trust anything coming out from his mouth.

Trying his best to fake a tender smile, Mingyu leaned his forehead on the boy’s one, shaking his head lightly. His right hand was still making the boy squirm and let out breathless moans but his words were as sweet as honey.

“Do you remember our imagination in the past, kitten?”

“Our imagination?” Joshua tried to think but it was too difficult. “Something… something about tying you…”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Mingyu grinned and intentionally brushed the pad of his thumb over the slit of the boy’s cock, making him whine loudly. “You just need to tie me to a chair, or to the bed, anywhere you like, so that I won’t be able to move at all. And then, you will ride me as much as you like. _You will control everything_, baby.”

Joshua hissed as the fantasy did wonder to his mind. _Taking control over everything_? Joshua had never been given the chance to do that, but now Mingyu was seriously offering it to him without hesitation. Nothing could go wrong when the boy was allowed to control the speed and the strength. If he found the alpha’s dick hurting his hole too much, he simply needed to give up by himself, or spend more time waiting for himself to adjust. He would not have to put his life into anyone’s hands.

Moreover, the image of a sexually frustrated and exasperated Mingyu tied to a chair was undeniably hot and irresistible. If Joshua could, he would like to just simply sit on his alpha’s hard dick to relish in the stretch and the connection. Sometimes that was all he wanted. It might be uncomfortable for the alpha, but the cat loved to be treated in that way.

Mingyu would be completely at his mercy.

Joshua could not help smiling endearingly at his man who had not only a huge body but also a giant heart.

“That’s… that’s… a great idea.” The omega desperately tried to pull his alpha’s head lower to kiss his lips erotically. “I really want to try that with you!”

“Me too.” Mingyu whispered happily before sealing his kitten’s lips for good.

When the time of their real honeymoon came, Mingyu would make sure to make this trip a thousand times better and sweeter than their short trip to the villa by the beach in the past. They would together add to their own story more memorable things day by day, and Mingyu was ready to sacrifice his own pleasure and comfort so as to make Joshua trust him and love him to the utmost.

At least, fate had finally given him the chance to sacrifice.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love cute and sweet MinShua >< Really sooooooooo cute ><
> 
> About WonJunHan... I think some of you will be angry but... please forgive me T_T I think this is a practical and nice thing for them. Jeonghan can't really live without Wonwoo now. The important thing is that Wonwoo has apologized and he's willing to take responsibilities now so he will help keeping Jeonghan and the baby safe and healthy.
> 
> I just don't know how to explain this >< I just know that if I were Jeonghan, I would just be like him and that's why I can't ever think of anything else >< I can't choose a solution that has never come to my mind. It's like... Jeonghan is in a very difficult situation and in all cases, Wonwoo is the perfect one who can provide the omega with the best life. Jeonghan is a hybrid and his life literally depends on his alphas, so it will be good for him to have Wonwoo by his sides. If I were a pregnant omega hybrid who feels extremely unsure about my unsafe life but then suddenly my rapist who is the most powerful human alpha offers to marry me and take care of me, I would just jump into his house to live in peace for the rest of my life ;_; Jeonghan in this fic even has more reasons than me, because he still has Jun, Mingyu and Joshua to think of...
> 
> Anyway, what am I doing now? I guess I shouldn't force you to think in the same way I do >< I just want to make you understand my thoughts and intentions. Just please don't hate Hannie for being weak T_T
> 
> Sure, Jun will be back with Wonwoo. 
> 
> This is why "fate is unfair" :<
> 
> Anyway, I really want to know how you think about this chapter, because there's quite much happening here ;_; Please feel free to tell me about your opinions even if they're completely different from mine. I'm very eager to know everything you think or feel about this chapter >< As you can see, the story is really going to end soon, so I won't have many more chances to read your comments on this fic T_T
> 
> I love you~~~


	96. Dying and broken souls came together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slowly, Jun realized he had to face his own fears to find happiness, and to compensate for all the pains he had brought to Joshua.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter took too long again >< I hate myself for this >< I feel sorry every single day but I really can't make it any faster T_T 
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this chapter!!! At first I thought this would be the last one but then it turned out that I need one more chapter. So, the next one will be the final.

Wonwoo could not do anything when he was having Jeonghan on his lap and Jun on his shoulder like this. The younger alpha was still sleeping, while the omega seemed to be lost in his own world. His mind only came back to reality whenever he lost the physical contact with one of his alphas. Wonwoo could cause a huge problem just by scratching his head, because the rabbit would whimper very loudly then and make the alpha felt like he had just done something extremely awful to the hybrid again. Moreover, Jeonghan had stopped crying for not too long; Wonwoo could not stand causing him to shed tears again, and he did not want to destroy Jun’s peaceful slumber although this was not a very comfortable position to sleep in.

When Mingyu and Joshua decided to walk into the kitchen out of curiosity, they were amazed to see the scene in front of their eyes. Joshua almost yelped and was about to run towards Wonwoo but Mingyu fortunately held his hand tightly and kept him still on time. Placing a finger on the cat, he tried to shush the boy and shook his head, as if he were telling a kid to stay calm. Luckily, Joshua was obedient even though he was buzzing in excitement due to seeing Wonwoo again. Although wanted to check on Jun and Jeonghan first, he was still shocked by Joshua’s attitude, wondering if his mind had somehow mistaken the time. Joshua was acting like he had not seen Wonwoo for years and or like a kid being excited and exceedingly happy to see his parents.

This fact made Mingyu wonder what Joshua exactly had in his mind whenever he called Wonwoo _“Daddy”_. The lead alpha was evidently the provider of the boy; could it be that part of Joshua’s mind considered Wonwoo as his father? No, perhaps not. That was too wrong. Mingyu did not think it was possible.

Wonwoo noticed Mingyu’s and Joshua’s appearance in the kitchen, yet he just turned his head slowly and carefully towards the couple, afraid of waking Jun up or spooking Jeonghan by a sudden action. On tiptoe, Mingyu cautiously led Joshua towards the three of them, and they both crouched down to watch more clearly. Joshua almost let out a croon at the sight of his best friend sitting pliantly on his alpha’s lap, but he quickly pressed a palm to his mouth to shut it. Wonwoo wanted to pat his kitten’s head or stroke his adorable face, but his two hands were stuck, and there was nothing he could do except for forcing out a smile to his omega.

Joshua looked too happy for this situation, making his husband’s smile more miserable.

Meanwhile, Mingyu could not really say that he was glad to see these three people getting along with each other. He had to admit he hated the fact that Jeonghan looked like his mind was in another world and perhaps the rabbit was not even aware of anyone’s appearance except for his two alphas. Mingyu did not know what had drowned his poor bunny in this state, yet he hoped Wonwoo was not responsible for this, because he did not want to punch his cousin one more time. Why was Jun sleeping? Why was he so exhausted? Mingyu desperately just wanted to take care of his two lovers yet it seemed like he could not do it. The way Jeonghan was holding one of Jun’s hands made the giant man feel like it was something exceptionally precious and priceless to the rabbit’s life.

“How long have they been like this?” Mingyu asked, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible.

Wonwoo glanced up at the clock on the wall before looking back at his cousin.

“About twenty minutes.” The man heaved a long sigh, obviously clueless. “What should I do now?”

“He might be in some kind of… subspace. He knows nobody but you also Jun, because you two are his mates.” Mingyu hated the fact that he was not mated to Jeonghan yet. “You may try talking to him. He will listen and obey. His instincts will follow your words instantly.”

Mingyu hated what he had just said, yet it was true. Jeonghan was an omega hybrid while Wonwoo was a noble human alpha. The man certainly had a lot of power and control over the rabbit when it came to their instincts, especially when Jeonghan was even pregnant.

Wonwoo still looked confused.

“But I didn’t do anything. I swear all I did was apologizing to them.”

However, Mingyu did not have the chance to answer right away because he saw Joshua reaching one hand out towards the rabbit. Both of the alphas were startled and just about to stop the cat immediately while Jeonghan flinched at the approaching hand and watched it warily. The boy’s action was too fast for his alphas to interfere but fortunately, once his hand touched the older omega’s head, nothing happened. Jeonghan was sitting completely still when Joshua caressed his hair tenderly and lovingly, looking as if he were still hypnotized by his friend’s beautiful long hair.

Much as the men were surprised, they were extraordinarily relieved to think that perhaps Jeonghan still fully recognized Joshua. He was just acting not very normally.

“I love your hair so much, Hannie!” Joshua did not seem to realize any troubles at all, smiling to his best friend happily. “I didn’t know long hair would look so good on you! Oh wow… your rabbit ears!!!”

All of a sudden, the cat exclaimed when his eyes noticed the long fluffy white ears on Jeonghan’s head as if they had not been there a minute ago. The rabbit’s eyes obviously tried to follow the movement of the cat’s hand, but there was undeniable sparkles in those melancholy crystals at the moment they looked into Joshua’s eyes.

“I haven’t seen them for so long!!! Awww you’re so cute! Much cuter than the rabbit plushies I have at home! Your ears are so smooth!” Joshua cooed and stroked the ears tenderly, causing both of the alphas to melt by the two omega’s lovely moment.

Who could ever think that a crazy hybrid would be able to cause magic to happen to the rabbit? Of course, Mingyu and Wonwoo could never imagine that scenario, but right now Joshua had just done that effortlessly. Jeonghan smiled, slightly leaning towards the touch on his ears, silently telling the cat how much he enjoyed being touched like that. Understanding his friend, the boy giggled in happiness and kept his hand on Jeonghan’s head to shower the rabbit with a lot of love just as his own heart wished to.

Nevertheless, the two alphas were startled again when Joshua pried the older omega’s hand away from Wonwoo’s one without warning. Firstly, they were afraid that Jeonghan would whimper again. Secondly, they thought Joshua had changed his mind and was getting jealous of his best friend being close and intimate to his alpha. However, to their bewilderment, neither of those things happened. Jeonghan’s eyes widened in a second but he remained calm as the cat held his hand and even leaned over to rest his head on the rabbit’s shoulder.

“Why don’t you pet me too? I want to hug Hannie!!!” The childish hybrid whined and pouted, hugging Jeonghan’s arm tightly into his chest. “Have you done talking to Wonwoo? I want to be with you!”

Thanks to Joshua, a brilliant appeared in Mingyu’s mind. As a result, he smiled and told the whiny boy instantly.

“I think they’re done, kitten, but Hannie seems to have a meltdown here and he doesn’t want to leave Wonwoo or Jun. Can you help coax him into standing up so that we can… perhaps come to your house?”

Mingyu had to grimace because of his own saying. What the hell was he saying? Had he not promised to himself that he would never let Jeonghan enter Wonwoo’s house? Yet, did he really have a choice? Jeonghan was not in a good condition now, and this apartment was unacceptably small for five people. Moreover, it was difficult to keep Joshua’s craziness at bay in a place which was not his house. Besides, Jeonghan was already sitting in Wonwoo’s embrace now… What was the point of keeping him away from the lead alpha’s house? At least Mingyu and Jun were coming with him too. The rabbit would not be left alone there.

Mingyu would be there with both Jun and Jeonghan. He would protect them. Nothing would happen. Perhaps, he should have some faith in Wonwoo too? He could not claim to love Wonwoo without having a little trust in the lead alpha, right? If Wonwoo could take care of Joshua so well in the past two months, then he possibly could handle Jun and Jeonghan in the same way. Maybe it was too soon to say whether Wonwoo would manage to heal their wounds or not, but Mingyu wished his eldest cousin could just treat them as nicely as how a good person was supposed to do to the people they had responsibilities of.

Joshua gasped in excitement, eyes widening at his alpha’s question.

“All of you will come to my house? Really, master?”

Nodding with a bit of sadness, Mingyu smiled to his omega and corrected him.

“Mingyu, kitten.”

“Mingyu!” The cat chirped, like he was enjoying calling his future husband’s name. “You all will go to my house? Yay!!!”

Jun was startled awake when the boy beamed, and the poor rabbit was even more startled as his alpha abruptly woke up and sat up, looking around with wide eyes. At this moment, Wonwoo was one hundred percent sure that Jun definitely had the most powerful impact on Jeonghan. The sleepy alpha only needed to be a little emotionally unstable and right then Jeonghan would lose his calmness in the blink of an eye. This situation could be considered as a special time for Wonwoo, since it seemed to be the perfect time for him to gain some tiny faith in Jeonghan, as the blond omega evidently depended severely on other people’s emotions.

“What? What’s happening? What’s wrong?” Jun looked around with wide eyes, perplexed, but his mind was somehow clear enough to notice the way Jeonghan abandoned Joshua’s hand to frantically seek for his alpha’s one. Jun felt the invisible but strong urge to hold his bunny’s hand right away.

“It’s okay, Junnie. Nothing’s wrong. I’m here.” Mingyu held his mate’s shoulders gently to get his attention fully. “I’m just telling Joshua that we might go to Wonwoo’s house now.”

Mingyu was ready to exchange everything to know exactly what Wonwoo had told or done to Jun and Jeonghan while he had been in the bedroom with Joshua. Both of his lovers acted so strangely now that Mingyu did not know how to act properly. Jun did not show any attitudes towards the idea of coming to Wonwoo’s house. He simply turned the bunny and told him.

“We’re going to Wonwoo’s house. Is that okay, bunny?”

Mingyu luckily found some relief in the way Jeonghan spent time thinking about the question, which also meant he was not drowned too deeply in this kind of weird subspace. Perhaps he had been hurt too much and temporarily he just needed nothing but love and affection from everyone around him, especially from the father of his child. Soon, the rabbit nodded to his alpha and obediently got up when the men pulled his arms up carefully. Joshua was still oblivious to all of the tension and just got happy with the idea of bringing his best friend and his alphas home. Busy taking care of Jeonghan, Jun forgot the fact that he himself had sat on the floor for a pretty long while. His legs failed to support his weight well and he almost fell with his face flat on the floor. Not only Mingyu but also Wonwoo hurriedly held one of his arms to help him keep his balance.

Jun did not know why but he blushed violently at that moment. Thinking more carefully about it, he seriously felt embarrassed. He had fallen asleep on Wonwoo’s shoulder, and then nearly fell down when standing up, requiring both taller alphas to help and they were both extremely eager. A sharp pain pierced through his chest, and the familiarity of the feeling of being taken care of by Wonwoo perhaps could kill him at any times, yet something felt strange now.

It was not the same anymore.

Nonetheless, it was not the opposite.

Having been held cautiously by all of the alphas and even by his friend from the beginning, Jeonghan stood just fine on his own legs and he could walk on his own. However, Joshua was not the same. The boy literally craved for Wonwoo’s attention and affection now. It had been too long for him and he could not wait to jump into his husband’s arms anymore. Not surprised even a bit, Wonwoo caught his kitten and kept him securely in his arms in perfect timing, allowing the boy to wrap all his limbs around his torso. His little squeaks of _“daddy”_ made Jeonghan stare at him like he was observing a bizarre animal.

“How was your time with Mingyu, baby?” Wonwoo scratched his kitten’s ears lovingly and asked, instantly making Joshua purr and nuzzle into his neck.

“I love it!” The boy smiled and tried his best to sniff his husband. “But I love you more!”

Mingyu knew the last sentence hurt so much but he could only wince and ignore. There was nothing for him to do apart from trying to get used to the fact that Wonwoo was the ultimate God of Joshua’s life and nobody had the slightest chance of beating the lead alpha in this matter. Moreover, he could not expect a kid like Joshua to watch his words and be careful so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings by what might come out of his mouth. It was good enough when the boy was not jealous or angry at all about Jeonghan, as long as they did not make the cat feel neglected or feel that everyone loved Jeonghan more than him.

“Let’s go home.” Despite his sorrowful feelings in the heart, Wonwoo could not help smiling thanks to the boy’s lovely confession, and he returned the affection by giving a soft kiss on the cat’s head. “You can sleep with Mingyu and Jun tonight, if you want to. You miss them so much, right?”

“Yes!!!” Joshua beamed again, and for a second, both Mingyu and Jun were startled, thinking that Wonwoo might accidentally drop the hybrid yet the eldest man still kept him just fine.

Although the omega was showing very positive attitude, Wonwoo had to ask more. Taking three people into his home through the night could bring a lot of troubles to them.

“But I’m sure a bed can’t fit four people. Are you okay to sleep without me?”

However, the boy took that question in a whole different way. He turned his head to look at Jeonghan who was standing between the other two alphas and was staring at him intensely. When the cat turned back to his husband, his mouth was in an “O” shape.

“Daddy wants to sleep with Hannie tonight? Didn’t you guys just sleep together last night?”

“No no no, it isn’t like that, kitten.” Mingyu hurriedly explained, too afraid of making the crazy cat lash out by the idea of Wonwoo and Jeonghan having sex with each other. “Wonwoo means that he knows you definitely want all of us to sleep in the same bed with you, but it’s impossible for us to fit in one bed, so he’s asking if you can sleep with me and Jun without him.”

“Oh? Really?” Joshua looked really surprised now, as if this idea had never crossed his mind.

The three alphas spent minutes holding their breaths and watching Joshua thinking without saying a word. Jeonghan perhaps was not thinking anything now and his face was just emotionless. It was not until now did the men realize that things were more complicated than what they had thought of. It was not only about whether Jun and Jeonghan were willing to forgive Wonwoo or not. It was also about how Joshua would take all of this. He was mentally ill, unnecessarily possessive of his husband, and unbelievably submissive to Wonwoo in a very sick way. It was true that no matter how much they loved Joshua or no matter how much the boy loved Jeonghan, they could not let the two hybrids live in the same house now. At least Joshua had to become more mentally stable to stay together with his best friend safely.

“If you aren’t really okay… then please just sleep with Wonwoo. We can wait for you later.” Mingyu tried to smile and give Joshua more options. “Or… or you can sleep with us for half of the night and then move to sleep with Wonwoo during the other half…”

Wonwoo glared at Mingyu through burning eyes, obviously in displease due to the giant man’s suggestion, because the lead alpha knew waking Joshua up in the middle of the night was a very horrible idea. The worst thing to do was waking the boy up and let him see that his husband was not by his side. Usually, Joshua did not wake up midnight because the medicine helped him sleep extremely well. Wonwoo could not endure with the cat’s nightmares and breakdown every night.

“Maybe… Maybe I can…” Joshua said hesitantly, eyes darting back and forth between Wonwoo and the other two alphas. “I… I don’t know… but I want to try…”

“Tell me right away when you change your mind. Okay, baby?” Wonwoo asked, looking deep into his kitten’s eyes, and Joshua nodded before nuzzling into his alpha’s neck again.

In spite of Joshua’s calmness, Mingyu and Jun were still deadly worried and troubled in their hearts, wondering what Wonwoo meant when letting Joshua sleep with them. What about Jeonghan then? It was too hard for their mind to accept the fact that Jeonghan was fidgeting right now due to standing a meter away from Wonwoo. They were being forced to admit that their bunny had not managed to escape this subspace yet and he seriously needed to be quite close to Wonwoo so as to stay more composed. Perhaps after being treated nicely and tenderly by Wonwoo in a quite long period of time, Jeonghan would become better and get back to his normal self then? At that time, maybe his brain would finally register that he was fine and everything was fine and it was not necessary for him to be too scared of that man?

Jun was not willing to give Jeonghan to Wonwoo without his observation. He was not ready yet.

He was not ready to give _himself_ either, even though his stupid heart was already eager to do so.

His stupid heart was also the reason which made him get on his feet and be ready to go to Wonwoo’s house so quickly. Jun had never visited that place even once, and he was not really sure where it was. He wanted to forgive. He wanted to think that Wonwoo had changed and the fact that Mingyu was the one who made the decision of going to the lead alpha’s house was a great breakthrough. Wonwoo did not insist on controlling everything anymore. Wonwoo had been asking a lot of questions and begging many times. His actions were compatible with what he had told them previously.

Mingyu tried to hide his severe anxiety and fake his confidence to take Jeonghan’s hand in his own, replacing Wonwoo’s one. The rabbit looked up at him, and automatically closed his eyes when the man leaned closer to give him a kiss on his forehead. Jeonghan’s cold and slender fingers squeezed back around his giant alpha’s hand, following his two men’s footsteps towards the door into the bedroom. They all needed to change clothes and pack something before leaving.

“Are you okay, Junnie?” Mingyu could not help asking his cousin nervously, eyes fixated on the older alpha who seemed to be trying to act fine and normal. Jeonghan was changing clothes right in front of them without the need of holding Jun’s hand. Taking this precious opportunity, Mingyu had to pay his attention to his beloved Junnie. “Can you really do this? If you don’t want to, please let me know right away.”

Jun could never try to be strong in front of Mingyu.

When hearing those sentences full of worries, he just abruptly stopped in the middle of buttoning his shirt to press himself into Mingyu’s chest. Without a word being exchanged, the younger man knew his mate needed some comfort and he was just more than willing to give it to the love of his life. Hugging Jun tightly and rubbing his back, Mingyu gave his cousin a kiss on his head, murmuring sweet words to his ears while keeping an eye on Jeonghan who was staring at both of them through innocent eyes.

That was good. Those innocent eyes meant he did not consider Mingyu as a threat even though he was undeniably deep in subspace. The giant man had originally thought that the rabbit would not be able to recognize him due to their lack of a permanent bond.

“Wonwoo apologized to you guys, right?” Mingyu asked, receiving a light nod and Jun refused to leave his chest soon.

Mingyu had no choice but to keep speaking.

“It’s okay, Junnie. Don’t feel stressed. You don’t have to tell him anything today. You can spend time thinking. We just stay at his house today for Hannie.”

Nonetheless, Jun began to talk after a few more seconds of silence, yet his voice was tiny.

“I’m scared.” He admitted, nuzzling his face into the crook of his alpha’s neck. He was speaking so slowly that Mingyu could not help feeling frightened to see a pattern. In the past, when Jun broke down because of Wonwoo’s cruel treatment, he had this kind of agonizingly slow speech too. The older alpha had never seemed to fallen into subspace like what Jeonghan was having now, but it looked like he struggled to talk whenever he felt exceedingly nervous and overwhelmed. “What if this is a wrong decision? Is he lying to me again? What if I do something he doesn’t like and he will punish me by giving a bite or using Hannie to threaten me again?”

Mingyu sighed, hating the fact that his beloved people were hurt and overwhelmed even when Wonwoo was apologetic. This fact only proved how broken they all were, and Jun was undoubtedly in need of treatment. As Mingyu remembered, Jun did not talk very slowly to Jeonghan previously, which meant he had tried extremely hard to be calm and composed while communicating with the omega. Jun only put his guards down completely in Mingyu’s arms, making the big alpha feel proud but sad at the same time.

“According to what I know about how Wonwoo’s been treating Joshua in the last two months, I believe he won’t ever do that again.” Mingyu sounded more confident than how he really felt. “If Wonwoo can tolerate Joshua without complaining about our kitten even once, then he can take everything else in this world. I swear, Junnie. If you see the videos of Joshua seeing the doctors, you will understand that only Gods can stay calm with him all the time. I can’t promise I can stay perfectly calm with him either.”

“Really?” Jun finally looked up from his hiding place, wet eyes filled with concern. “Joshua… is in that bad condition?”

“You’ve seen him… He’s much worse than what you see now.” To defend Wonwoo, Mingyu had to tell Jun the truth about the cat. He actually had told Jun a lot already, but his words were definitely nothing in comparison with what his mate could witness through the videos.

“Do you think he will be happy to sleep with us tonight?” Jun asked again, voice still tiny and speech still abnormally slow. “He… he told me he really wanted to sleep with me again, but…”

Thinking that Jun was just slow, Mingyu patiently waited for him to finish his sentence yet the older alpha just stopped there, expecting his cousin to say something. Mingyu realized, that his mate was desperately looking for encouragement and reassurance. Next to them, Jeonghan was watching them after finishing changing clothes and his face was just emotionless. His scent and pheromones reflected a calm mental condition but nobody could ever make sure this was good for him. Jun still clung to Mingyu for his life, two hands connected to each other tightly around the back of Mingyu’s waist. Right at the moment the giant man wanted to cry for the fact that they were a huge mess, Jun’s scent suddenly spiked and the tears which had been threatening to spill finally cascaded down his cheeks.

“Hey, hey baby! It’s okay!” Mingyu did not really need to pull Jun back into his chest because the older alpha willingly and quickly found his way back to the safe spot where he found peace, burying his face into the crook of Mingyu’s neck. Heartbroken by the breakdown of his lover, Mingyu tried to stay sane and decided to wrap Jeonghan in his embrace as well, knowing that the rabbit’s presence could always do wonders to his cousin.

“It Joshua says so, I think he really means it. He loves you. Joshua is not fine now. I don’t think he can lie. He has no reason to lie either.” Mingyu really meant it as well. He believed that Joshua was not conscious enough to lie now. The boy used to be terrible at telling lies in the past, so he would just become worse when his mind lost the ability to think rationally.

“But… but what if he overestimates himself?” Jun sniffled and shook his head. “I… I still remember how he tried to pull away when I hold his hand in the hospital… He didn’t even want to see me. What if… what if he suddenly realizes that he can’t forgive me? Maybe… he still hates me?”

Right now, Mingyu saw himself a few days ago in his own lover. Mingyu used to be like this, frightened of his own opportunity of seeing Joshua again simply because he was too scared to take the pain one more time. Jun was not any different. They were both afraid of losing Joshua when they were allowed to think that they had just found a chance to get the cat back into their lives. At that time, Jeonghan had been the angel who helped Mingyu gain a lot of strength and determination to make a move. Fate had not treated him cruelly in the end. He successfully proposed to Joshua, and even got a nice time with him in the bathroom. Things did not happen in the unexpected way even though Joshua was unpredictable.

Joshua could not lie. He did not lie. He had told Wonwoo many times that he wanted to see Jun and Mingyu. How could Mingyu ever forget how the boy had jumped into his arms right at the moment the boy recognized his _ex-owner_?

Nobody could say whether or when Joshua would snap, but for now, everything seemed to be just right. However, just like how Mingyu had been worried for himself before, currently he was nervous of how Jun would handle it if Joshua all of a sudden changed his mind and turned everything upside down one more time. The giant man was scared to think that Jun would break down again after a short but happy period of time.

“I think…” Mingyu tried to hold back a sigh, so that his words might sound more convincing and more confident to his lover. “Nothing can ever get better if we don’t give it a try. We will never have a chance to get back the happy life we used to have if we don’t give Wonwoo and Joshua a chance.”

Feeling the smaller body squirming in his hold, Mingyu pulled himself away a little bit, thinking that Jun wanted to lifted his head and protested something but that moving person turned out to be the rabbit. With his body which was softer and smaller than both of the alphas, the omega was trying to get to the position between the two men, causing them to think that their little bunny really enjoyed being sandwiched between them. Jeonghan did not seem like he understood anything being exchanged between the two men, yet he registered that Jun was crying.

Jun lost a heartbeat as he saw the sad expression covering his omega’s whole face, yet the rabbit made him smile just by a gentle act of wiping his tears by his cold and slender fingers. The alpha wondered why his bunny could be this lovely, tender, and understanding? How could Jeonghan manage to still care about him so much during his time in subspace? Was it still possible for him to think that Joshua possibly loved him as much as Jeonghan did? No, maybe that was insane. Jun did not think he was allowed to have that hope, because he had betrayed the cat. He could only wish for Joshua to still love him or have a tiny space for him in his heart.

Like a chain reaction, Jeonghan smiled sweetly when seeing the smile on his alpha’s face. Behind him, Mingyu was stunned by the marvelous chemistry between the couple. His lips went closely to the rabbit so as to tell him a _“thank you”_, causing the omega to crane his neck in order to look at him. The smile on his face just grew wider thanks to the light smile on Mingyu’s face. Perhaps everything was not too bad. If everything with Joshua went wrong, they would forever still have Jeonghan, like this moment. There was not much that an omega hybrid could do for his alpha, yet his precious presence by their sides and his generous love for them was enough for all.

“No matter what happens, Hannie and I will always love you just the same.” Mingyu gave both of his lovers an assuring smile, shining the brightest and warmest sunlight into their hearts. “If things don’t go well between you and Joshua, and even Wonwoo, we will go back to this life, just the three of us. You won’t lose anything, baby.”

Cupping Jun’s face by both hands, Mingyu gave him a kiss on the forehead, making Jeonghan stuck between them tightly.

“Just do what you want right now, Junnie, like how I did. There’s nothing to lose now, because you can never lose me or Hannie.” The giant man used his giant thumbs to wipe his mate’s tears. Those fingers were so big, creating the impression of clumsy ones, yet Jun only felt them so warm, so gentle, and so caring. Jun half wanted to close his eyes to bask in the affection, and half wanted to keep his eyes open so as to look deeply into Mingyu’s ones as the taller leaned closer to let their foreheads touch. “I know you won’t like this, but you will have to see a therapist soon. Nothing can change my mind about this. This is a fixed plan and if you try to run away, I’m afraid I will have to use my alpha authority to force you to go to the doctor, baby.”

Jun did not know why but the saying suddenly sounded funny to him and he effortlessly chuckled. Nonetheless, he could feel Mingyu’s determination through all his words and his eyes. However, through Mingyu’s words, the idea of taking therapy did not seem to be as scary or awful as what Jun had thought he would feel.

“Why are you suddenly talking about doctors now?” Jun asked slowly, but the worries in his voice had slightly faded away.

“I want you to think in this way. If we can’t heal your relationships with Wonwoo and Joshua, then we will just go back to our normal days. You will go to see a doctor, and I will be with you in all of the sessions. You won’t lose anything. Do you understand that, Junnie?” Mingyu nuzzled the tip of his nose into Jun’s one in a way he knew his lover liked. His voice was becoming more and more quiet by second, but sweeter than honey and melting Jun’s heart like an ice-cream. “Do what you want, baby. We’ve got your back.”

Jun was still crying when he pressed his own face into Mingyu’s neck again, but the younger alpha guessed he had known his lover’s answer. Jeonghan stood silently between them. Jun’s body was trembling as he cried hard and hugged his alpha more tightly than ever, and Mingyu had all of the time and patience in this world to wait for his Junnie to calm down. He let his mate cry, but the feelings of relief in his chest were washing over him thoroughly, and strangely, this moment did not seem so heavy, so depressing, or so tiring anymore.

They were all released from agony. They had escaped it. Fate had given them another chance to restart this and create another ending for the huge mess they had created together. Jun could gain back Joshua’s love again. Jeonghan could be Joshua’s best friend again. Jun could heal his broken love with Wonwoo, and Jeonghan could miraculously have a real family with Wonwoo as well.

Dreams were about to come true.

The sun was going to shine into their souls again.

…

When Mingyu, Jun, and Jeonghan went back to the kitchen, they were all amazed to see Wonwoo walking slowly around the room with a sleeping kitten in his arms. Joshua was still in the same position he had been in previously, limbs wrapping around his husband’s torso, and now his head rested peacefully on the lead alpha’s shoulder, eyes closed and releasing a sweet and pleasant scent. Staring at the married couple at this moment, neither Mingyu nor Jun wanted to hope that they might ever make the boy love them as much as how he loved Wonwoo. _It was impossible_.

Wonwoo was the only one who could control Joshua and make the cat love him at the same time. Wonwoo was the only one whom Joshua was deadly scared of but also felt the most comfortable and safe to be with. A combination of both Jun and Mingyu could not beat Wonwoo either. Jun believed what Mingyu had told him was true: Joshua definitely considered Wonwoo as the ultimate God of his life. The doctors might help the poor hybrid become less crazy, but this twist in his mind about the image of his alpha would remain there forever.

Once Joshua had fallen asleep in Wonwoo’s arms, nothing could force the alpha to put his omega down.

Seeing the three of them, Wonwoo only stared in silence, waiting for them to move towards the door heading out without saying a word. Jeonghan kept staring at Joshua as if the boy was a strange animal again, yet he obediently followed his alphas and left the apartment, hands being held by both Mingyu and Jun. Wonwoo did not fail to notice how not only Jeonghan but also Jun was limping and walking very slowly; the rabbit was literally waddling now although his belly had not grown bigger yet. According to what he remembered from last night, his sex with Jeonghan could not make the omega limp like this. The reason could only be the rabbit doing it with his alphas, maybe both Jun and Mingyu. His friend had told him that Mingyu was going to get married soon.

Wonwoo hated to admit that the feeling he was having was nothing but jealousy again. Had they managed to move on with a new life without him? If Wonwoo had not shown up at their apartment today, perhaps they would just keep walking on their path to a happier life without caring about him and Joshua too much anymore, because he and the boy were the ones _who made them leave from the beginning_. Wonwoo understood the reason for Mingyu deciding to marry Jeonghan so soon. Consequently, he also knew that once they were married, he would have no chance anymore. The chance to apologize was not a long-lasting thing. Today could be the last day before the day his chance expired forever.

“Should we go somewhere to have lunch first?” Mingyu was the first one to ask the important question, and Jeonghan’s ears instantly perked up. Not only the rabbit but also Jun quickly turned their heads to look at Wonwoo, waiting for his answer even though they seemed surprised at first. This reaction let the lead alpha know they were both definitely hungry now. Joshua was not complaining anything because he was sleeping, but Wonwoo guessed his kitten wanted to eat too.

He was so envious of Mingyu’s ability to keep track of other people’s feelings and well-being. Jeonghan and Joshua did not need to ask to get their needs fulfilled, and this really mattered now since the blonde omega was pregnant while Jun had not fully recovered yet. Wonwoo wondered if he himself had been taking care of Joshua this well for the past two months. Maybe he had not. He had just figured out a hundred of troubles he had with the boy this morning, which obviously proved he seriously had to try a lot more to be a better caregiver and provider.

Perhaps Mingyu would be a better husband for Joshua. This thought burned Wonwoo’s mind and broke his heart violently, and the accuracy of it made him almost angry, yet it was also a crucial reason which made him more determined to put more efforts into whatever he did every single day. Even if Wonwoo was happy to see Joshua getting more love and care from Jun, Mingyu, and Jeonghan, he could never accept watching the boy slipping away from him even a bit. It was a selfish way of thinking, and Wonwoo surely knew that, yet he just could not help it. After all that he had lost, Joshua was the only person he had in his life. He might fail to get Jun’s love back and to earn Jeonghan’s forgiveness, but the end of Joshua’s love would be the end of everything in this world.

Except for the cat, the other three people were perplexed to see Wonwoo spacing out all of a sudden, which was not typical of him at all. In concern, Jeonghan almost left his spot between Jun and Mingyu to come to check Wonwoo but the lead alpha had snapped back to reality before anyone really did something.

“Okay. Shall we go to the restaurant where we took Joshua out to eat for the first time?”

…

In horror, Jun and Mingyu watched Wonwoo carried Joshua into the restaurant although the boy was awake now. Jun could hear the sounds of his own heart shattering into thousand pieces as he watched the cat trembled pathetically in Wonwoo’s arms at a public place. He knew Joshua disliked this kind of place, but had never expected to see the hybrid acting as if he were about to die soon. The boy refused to stop hiding his face in Wonwoo’s shoulder even when his other two alphas were standing as close as possible to him and they were certain their kitten could smell their scents clearly. Fortunately, Wonwoo purposefully chose this restaurant because it had private rooms which required extra money yet this could never be a problem to the man.

Nobody knew what Jeonghan was thinking, but it was quite strange to see the rabbit giving his best friend a weird look constantly. The older omega was evidently out of his mind now. Mingyu felt relieved that he had had given their bunny a bit before leaving home this morning. Otherwise, the rabbit would not be this comfortable towards him.

In the private room which was cozy and pretty, Joshua was put on a chair between Wonwoo and Jeonghan, yet the boy whimpered and clung to his husband as tightly as possible, shaking his head vigorously. Wonwoo was rapidly defeated and ended up sitting down with a cat on his lap. It was not until the man successfully coaxed Joshua to pull away a little from his shoulder did the other alphas realize that he was crying. Jun winced as he tried to count how many times Joshua had cried from the moment they met in the shopping mall till now. Wonwoo always had to struggle to soothe his omega and do everything he could think of to make the boy stop shedding tears.

“I’m sorry. You guys can look through the menu and pick your dishes first. Don’t wait for us.” Wonwoo told them without paying much attention, because his mind was heavily occupied by the spooked hybrid. No far away from him, Jeonghan’s ears flopped down just because of the depressing scene of his friend crying.

“Don’t say sorry, Wonwoo. We can wait.” Mingyu stood up to walk towards the couple. “I wanna help.”

The eldest alpha did not protest, allowing his cousin to stroke the cat’s hair and whisper sweet words to him. Despite having the wish to do the same thing as what Mingyu was doing now, Jun was glued to his chair, unable to move a finger. Still in horror, he watched with wide eyes while Wonwoo expertly said the most meaningless things to Joshua repeatedly. Jun knew his baby bear could do so much better than that since Wonwoo kept saying the same thing over and over again, which seemed to be not very sufficient, but reality was different from his thoughts. Joshua’s eyes lightened up when he saw Mingyu, yet he mostly just listened to Wonwoo’s boring speech. Like him, Jeonghan only watched in awe, mouth slightly hung open.

Jun was even more frightened when Wonwoo took out a tiny bottle which Jun failed to recognize at first. At this point, Mingyu was drowned in terror as well, because their eldest cousin was going to give Joshua some eyes drops right in this restaurant. It was necessary because the boy had been crying too much but they still could not help grimacing, since this kind of action was usually only associated with little children. Exactly like the kids, Joshua disliked the idea of getting these drops, shaking his head vehemently and trying to push his alpha’s hands away. Wonwoo struggled to coax him again, and it seemed like the end of his agony would never come.

“Why did you agree to eat out?” Jun suddenly asked, severely overwhelmed by everything.

Wonwoo was busy with his crazy omega, but he immediately looked at his younger cousin after hearing the question. Not annoyed at all by the remark which contained some slight irritation, the lead alpha answered slowly with a sigh.

“The doctors said I need to try to take Joshua out of the house. I thought he would feel better because you guys are here with him but I was wrong.”

Jun had nothing more to ask, yet he wanted to cry. He wanted to scream.

Until now, he seriously hated himself for thinking that he was the one who had been suffering for the whole time. No, it was not him at all. Jun’s problem was nothing in comparison with Jeonghan’s and Joshua’s. Moreover, Jun thought he had been such a coward when trying to chicken out even though _Joshua needed him so much_. The cat was evidently in need of all the love in this world, especially the love from people he loved. Joshua asked for Mingyu and Jun by himself. Jun had been so stupid for doubting this. Jun hated himself for denying the truth that he could contribute a little bit into the process of bringing a happy life back to their kitten. He had been enraged by Wonwoo who was considered as the monster of all the crime, but the said alpha was the only one who had been directly and attentively taking care of Joshua for the whole time. Who was Jun to judge Wonwoo? Did he even deserve the boy? He had betrayed Joshua. He indirectly caused the cat to break down to this point. Jun could never say that he was not responsible for whatever damage the poor hybrid was having in his soul now. 

Jun owed his whole life not only to Jeonghan, but to Joshua as well.

“Can’t you do this at home?” Mingyu felt worried for the couple. “Joshua isn’t calm at all.”

“He isn’t any better when I try to do this at home.” Wonwoo explained, smiling a little when he finally managed to make the boy’s head lean back a bit. “He even runs around the house to avoid it.”

Holding Joshua exactly in the same way where people usually held their little babies, Wonwoo kept the boy’s head in his one hand while the other one carefully used the tiny bottle. The smile on the alpha’s face was expressing nothing but pride, happiness and fondness while he kept whispering to the omega in his sweetest voice.

“Good boy. It’s easy, right? Just a little more, kitten.” Wonwoo gave a praise to Joshua, applying some drops from the left eye to the right one. “Daddy’s good boy. I will buy you some ice-cream later, okay?”

All of the other three people cringed terribly due to those _“daddy”, “good boy”_ and the promise of buying ice-cream. The worse thing was that Joshua nodded right after hearing these obscene things and right at the moment he sat back up, he buried his face into Wonwoo’s shoulder one more time. His scent was so much better now, yet the boy kept sulking for a longer while and nobody could really tell what he might be thinking in his mind.

Urged by the lead alpha, Mingyu and Jun had no choice but to start looking through the menu and helping Jeonghan chose his dish for the meal. Joshua only started to be calm enough to get out of his hiding spot again and look at the menu Wonwoo was showing to him. Nonetheless, the boy was unable to choose anything even though his husband patiently suggested so many things to him. Joshua was about to pick something Wonwoo had just said about but then the man turned to introduce something else and the cat was reluctant again. This cycle kept going on and on until Joshua was too tired of trying to make a decision. As a result, his alpha was the one who chose the dish for him, and Joshua just nodded to his husband without spending a second thinking.

During the meal, Joshua said nothing, as if he were mute just like Jeonghan. However, at least the rabbit sat and ate on his own. Meanwhile, Joshua still stayed on Wonwoo’s lap during the whole time. The alpha had an awkward conversation with his cousins, telling them more about how Joshua had been after _that day_. The cat was there but his mind seemed to belong to another world again.

Nevertheless, nothing could break Jun down completely again until Joshua said something to Wonwoo in a sad and whiny voice.

“Daddy, why don’t you smoke? I miss your scent! You always smoke after eating! Why don’t you smoke now?”

Mingyu realized, Wonwoo had lost control over Joshua. Whatever the boy wanted, the boy got. Wonwoo did not have enough strength to resist any requirements coming from the cat anymore. With no hesitation, Wonwoo gave his credit card to Mingyu and excused to leave first so that he could sit in his own car and smoked as how Joshua asked for.

The couple did not know that right after they left, Jun burst into tears immediately and he was even unable to sit straight in his chair any longer. It was so late when he eventually realized that Mingyu had never exaggerated about Joshua’s mental health at all. Jun’s mind suddenly drifted back to what Mingyu had told him about the videos which would show him how volatile Joshua had been when meeting the doctors. It must be _outrageous_. It must be a nightmare. Jun never dared to think how it felt like to live in Joshua’s world. How much the cat was suffering? Did Joshua even know by himself that he was living in the most miserable agony in his life?

Sobbing in Mingyu’s arms, Jun was determined to help his lovers and his cousins to bring peace and happiness back to their kitten’s life again, like how they had managed to do in their long gone beautiful past.

-to be continued-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor my Joshua T_T
> 
> I've been feeling unwell recently and a few days ago, I was diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder ;_; Well... it's almost similar to saying that I'm crazy T_T Perhaps in the end I'm really crazy :"< In some occasions, I realize that I'm trying really hard to stay normal instead of doing what I truly want to do. Keeping this story on the right line has always been a struggle as well because I have always wanted to add hundreds of crazy ideas but I managed to stop myself on time. 
> 
> I hope the final chapter won't take me too much time again >< I will try my best not to make you wait too long. Please let me know how you think about this chapter ;_; I really want to know!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Besides, I have written a few other fics. "Take care of you" , "Demon's love" , "We are destined for each other" . Those are the ones I wrote. I hope you might try reading them while waiting for the next chapter.
> 
> Love you ^^

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so I'm sure there will be mistakes in my story. Please feel free to point them out in your comments so that I can improve my writing in the future.
> 
> I'm eager to read your comments. Please don't hesitate to let me know your opinions ^^  
This is my first story here. Hope that you'll enjoy it. :>  
Thank you for reading~


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